Farming and reading family

After talking to Gao E last time, Peng Can paid special attention to the chickens and pigs in the pen. He didn't notice anything at first, but when the weather got cold, the problem became serious.

At first, two or three pheasants came to eat, and then left after eating, and they could even fly.

Later, there were more than a dozen of them, but the key point was that they still didn't leave.

At first, Peng Can couldn't catch up, and now Peng Can can neither drive away nor catch him.

Moreover, when the weather gets cold, the chickens stop laying eggs, so they just eat for free.

"There were only eleven the day before yesterday, but today there are already fourteen," Peng Can complained.

Gao E looked at the dozen or so gray pheasants hanging in the corner. They were much smaller than domestic chickens, with inconspicuous combs and only longer tails.

"What's even more hateful is that the roosters I raised are still guarding me and I can't catch them." Peng Can said helplessly.

Gao E looked at the eight shiny roosters in the chicken coop, each one holding its head high and chest puffed out, looking very delicious.

There are eight roosters and only two hens, which scared Peng Can so much that he dared not put them together every day. Now that such a group of little goblins have come, the eight roosters must show their masculinity.

"How about we eat the rooster in advance?" Peng Can suggested.

Gao E glanced at Peng Can and said, "You ate the rooster, and you went to get the hen back yourself?"

Peng Can was stunned for a moment before explaining, "That pheasant can fly, so it's impossible to catch it."

"Then..." Gao E laughed, "Feed them a little fatter."

"Ah?" Peng Can thought he had misheard.

"Whether it's a pheasant or a domestic chicken, as long as it's good for eating and laying eggs, it's a good chicken." Gao E felt like she had made a killing. "Feed it all winter long, and the eggs it lays next year will be ours."

Peng Can thought, is this still possible?

"Can it be cooked?" He felt that this was unreliable.

"It depends on your ability." Gao E was not sure either. Maybe they were just a bunch of ungrateful people who ran away after having eaten their fill.

Peng Can felt a lot of pressure.

But fortunately, it wasn't a group of wild boars that came, otherwise he really wouldn't be able to feed them.

Gao E looked at the piglets again. It seemed that things had grown very fast. The group of piglets at the beginning of the year had grown to more than 100 pounds. Now there was another group like this. After they grew older, they would gain a lot of weight every day.

She harvested a lot of grain during the autumn harvest, and together with the fodder stored by Peng Can, it was enough to feed the livestock.

Yang also knew that Peng Can was helping Gao E raise these livestock and was paid every month, so she couldn't say anything.

Many people in the village go out to work as odd jobs, and there are too many things to buy at home, and the money from selling grain this year is not enough.

Besides, they seem to have some obsession with the Chinese New Year and must have a good time.

At the same time, Jin Ruyi came to Baotou Village to work as a female teacher. She did not just teach girls how to read, manage household, and learn etiquette. She would sometimes tell interesting stories about wealthy families, attracting many people to listen.

After all, they all want to know what rich families are like.

They learned from Jin Ruyi that girls from wealthy families could choose their own husbands, and could even snatch husbands from under the list of successful candidates.

I also know that the daughters of wealthy families can remarry with a dowry, and as long as the dowry is large enough, there will be many people vying for it.

……

This sounds a bit unorthodox, but I am still deeply attracted to it.

On the other hand, Gao E did not discriminate between men and women when it came to work. As long as one day of work was worked, it could be used to cover the tuition for his children. This made the women in the village feel that there was no difference between them and men.

However, the villagers did not realize what this meant in the short term and just thought it was a good deal.

This is how life went on. Part of the charcoal burned by the Chen family was stored in the drying kiln in Hamagou, and part was taken to the cave where the villagers used to live.

After the villagers moved down, Gao E bought the cave house as well and cleaned it up to store their things.

A lot of dry firewood has been stored. Gao E doesn't know how cold it will be this year, so it won't be a problem to prepare more.

There was also a lot of hay and pine needles piled up. Now that she had many livestock at home, they could be used to fill their nests when it got too cold.

Thinking about these things, she felt that she was an insecure person, and she always had to make all the preparations to feel at ease.

The sky was a bit gloomy that day, and Chen Yuning's wedding date was approaching soon. She planned to go to He County to see Tao Meiyu and buy some makeup items for Yuning.

It happened to be Chen Jie's turn to visit the old couple of the Chen family, so he drove there together.

Gao E took a look at the things Chen Jie brought: "Did you and Big Brother agree on these as gifts?"

"Yeah." Chen Jie replied in a muffled voice, "If Second Sister-in-law stays with Madam He for a long time, I will wait at the city gate to save her from having to run an extra distance."

Judging from Chen Jie's tone, there is still some estrangement between him and the two elders of the Chen family.

It is said that fathers and sons do not bear grudges, but if the hurt is deep, they will always distance themselves from each other. The key is that there are always parents who think they are not wrong as long as they give birth to a child, and think that whatever their children do is justified.

Gao E didn't want to get involved in this matter. After all, they were father and son, and she was just a daughter-in-law without blood ties.

"Okay, it's cold now. You should find a place to shelter from the wind. If that doesn't work, go to Lu Hao and wait." Gao E suggested.

Chen Jie didn't want to go to Lu Hao's place either, worried that people would say he didn't want to see his parents. "Forget it, I see he's usually quite busy."

Gao E didn't know what Lu Hao was busy with. She hadn't seen him since she gave him a few books last time.

The two men didn't talk much before they arrived at He County. Chen Jie first sent Gao E to the back door of the yamen.

As soon as Gao E arrived outside Tao Meiyu's yard, she heard Sheng'er scolding the servants.

"Don't you all have eyes or noses? This charcoal smoke is so thick, who can bear the consequences if it makes the lady sick?" Sheng'er shook her clothes in anger. "This fine cloud pattern woven feather brocade, a hole like this can buy you guys."

Gao E saw several servants at the bottom of the stairs trembling with fear, lowering their heads and not daring to speak.

Sheng'er caught a glimpse of Gao'e and hurriedly put on a smile to greet her: "Mrs. Chen, you've arrived at the perfect time. Seeing you makes her feel better."

This made Gao E think she was a very funny person: "What's going on?"

Sheng'er was a little angry when she heard Gao'e say this: "They asked them to buy some charcoal, but it smoked and exploded. Look, it even burned a hole in the shawl that Madam loves. And they still say it's the best charcoal in He County."

"He County is a small place, and there may not be charcoal that meets your wife's requirements." Gao E said helplessly.

People like Tao Meiyu are very pampered.

Sheng'er was helpless: "Mrs. Chen, please go in first, don't let these people ruin your mood."

Gao E didn't say anything else. After all, it was someone else's business.

Tao Meiyu heard Gao E coming, but she did not get up from the mink blanket. So when Gao E came in, she saw her curled up lazily on the chaise longue, supporting her temple with one hand and looking like she had a headache.

"What's wrong?" Gao E smelled a strong smell of smoke in the room. No wonder Sheng'er was so angry outside. She must have been bullied by Tao Meiyu.

"No one told me that He County's winters are so much colder than Dan City," Tao Meiyun said unhappily. "There's not even a warm room."