Traveling Through Farmhouses: Taking the Baby on a Famine Escape

Zhang Xixi understood what Chen Shi meant and quickly said, "Mom, don't worry about eating. We have plenty of milk at home. It would be a waste to throw it away if we couldn't finish it. Don't worry about the eggs either. Our chickens have already started laying eggs, so we have plenty. Now that our family is better off, it's only right that we eat something better!"

"And I'm also planning to buy a few dozen more chickens to raise. Actually, I was thinking of teaching you how to make these pastries so you can open a pastry shop later."

Mrs. Chen said irritably, "In these times of year, who in this countryside can afford such exquisite pastries?"

"That's why I said later. But you can practice more now, and when the market is better in the next year or the year after, you can open a shop."

Ms. Chen was a little hesitant but also a little tempted. She had a lot of things to do at home, but she also wanted to earn some money. She was sure that someone would buy such delicious pastries.

Zhang Xixi continued, "Mother, the imperial court has allowed scholars to do some small business. You shouldn't waste your skills. In the future, you can pass them on to your two sisters-in-law and Yuhan, so they will have something to rely on."

Mrs. Chen waved her hand, "Alright, this is still up in the air, why talk so much! Speaking of raising chickens, your two sisters-in-law want to raise ducks!"

Zhang Xixi laughed and said, "Sure! Women should have their own careers!"

“My two sisters-in-law! It just so happens that tomorrow is the market day, let’s go shopping together.”

"They've gone out. I'll tell them when they come back that I'll be waiting for them at home tomorrow morning."

"Okay, I'm leaving then!"

Zhang Xixi took some cakes home to give to the children.

The chickens and ducks at home have started laying eggs. This is probably because Zhang Xixi occasionally uses spiritual spring water to cook. The chickens and ducks eat leftovers and grow faster than other people's chickens and ducks!

After putting the pastries in the kitchen and covering them up, Zhang Xixi went to look around the house. She knew the granary would have to be built in the yard, so it could only be built against the wall. She would lay floor tiles and tarpaulin on top, and then dig a cellar underneath.

It's a bit of a waste to dig up the vegetables here. How about we fix up the vegetable garden outside first, and then we can leave the others behind? We can transplant the tomatoes and eggplants there. With the spiritual spring water there, we don't have to worry about them dying.

Zhang Xixi looked at the side of the house again. The wasteland had been reclaimed, with half of it used as a vegetable garden and the other half used to raise chickens and ducks.

When Zhou Fu returned at noon, Zhang Xixi asked him and Sun Xiuxiu to help tidy up the wasteland in the afternoon, since they had run out of organic fertilizer and could only put the manure from the cows and horses in the field and sprinkle some soil conditioner on it.

The three of them worked all afternoon and finally finished preparing the land. As for the fence separating the chickens and ducks, they would have to ask someone for help.

Moreover, there is no bamboo in the mountains here, or rather, there is no bamboo around here. It would be a bit difficult to work with just wood, mainly because she has never done it before. After buying the chickens, she will keep them in the yard near the cattle pen for now!

The next morning, Zhou Fu drove the horse-drawn carriage with Zhang Xixi to the Zhang family's house, and Zhang Wenhong and the others had just finished harnessing their mule carts.

When Xiao Chen saw Zhang Xixi arrive, she quickly pulled her aside and said, "Little sister, have you had breakfast yet?"

"I've eaten. Is there anything I can help you with, sister-in-law?"

After a moment's hesitation, Chen said, "Little sister, can I discuss something with you?"

Zhang Xixi smiled and said, "Sister-in-law, just say what's on your mind. There's nothing we family can be embarrassed about."

Madam Chen smiled before speaking, "Your second sister-in-law and I would like to borrow your rice paddies to raise ducks, but of course, it's not for free."

"Sister-in-law, those rice paddies are just sitting there empty anyway, feel free to use them. Just give me a few ducks to eat later! But with so many ducks, how are you going to sell them?"

Zhou, who was standing nearby, chimed in, "We've already inquired about it. Several restaurants in town need ducks, and we can sell them to them. Also, your second brother heard from Mr. Li, who came to buy grain, that they also lack meat. We can make the ducks into preserved duck and sell them to him, but we don't know how to contact him!"

The two sisters-in-law's idea was quite good. If it really worked out, they could raise ducks on a large scale. Zhang Xixi thought for a moment and then said, "I can help you contact Mr. Li, but if you raise too few ducks, he probably won't want them because the Northwest is too far away and it's not cost-effective to transport them."

"This is just an idea of ​​ours. We'll try it out in the first year and raise about a hundred ducks. We should be able to sell a hundred in the town and county. If we gain some experience and raise the ducks well, we can expand the scale next year and see how it goes then."

Zhang Xixi nodded, "That works too!"

At this moment, Zhang Wenhong was already sitting on the vehicle frame and shouted, "What are you still talking about? We're about to set off!"

After everyone got in the car, they went to the village to pick up a few villagers and then headed to the town.

Zhang Xixi thought for a moment, then got off the bus before reaching the town and sat with Xiao Chen and the others. She asked Zhou Fu to order bricks and tiles, and then come to the town to pick them up after he had done so.

Around noon, the ducks and chicks were bought, along with some other items. Zhou Fu was waiting at the entrance of Yun'an Town with his horse-drawn cart. Everyone put their things on the mule cart, walked to the entrance, and then got on the horse-drawn cart to head back.

Zhang Xixi lifted the curtain and asked, "Zhou Fu, what did the brick kiln manager say?"

"Boss, the manager said the price will remain the same as before, and they'll deliver it to us tomorrow."

"That's good!"

After returning home, Zhang Xixi asked Zhang Dacheng to help her find some people who knew how to build houses to build a granary for her family the next day.

The eldest child in the family had already finished lunch and gone for a nap, while Sun Xiuxiu was still busy in the kitchen reheating their lunch in a pot.

After Zhang Xixi and the others got home and had lunch, they asked Zhou Fu and his wife to dig up the tomato seedlings in the vegetable garden, and also to dig up the other vegetables, leaving only the watermelon patch and potato seedlings.

In the afternoon, with the help of spring water and nutrient solution, they transplanted the tomatoes into the field and also planted many vegetables, such as lettuce and broccoli.

After finishing his work, Zhou Fu went to cut grass. Since he had gone to town today, he didn't have time to herd the cattle, so he had to cut more grass to feed them.

Sun Xiuxiu and Zhang Xixi put the chicks they bought in the yard and fed them some spiritual spring water to improve their immunity.

The next day, Zhang Dacheng and Zhang Wenhong brought several people from the village to help Zhang Xixi build a grain depot.

Zhang Dacheng looked at the plot of land that Zhang Xixi had chosen. The area was decent, and if the house was built taller, it could hold a lot of grain.

"Dad, I'd like to dig a cellar down here, what do you think?"

Zhang Dacheng dug with a hoe, then carefully examined the ground before saying, "I noticed the soil here is quite loose. Digging a cellar might affect the granary above!"

"If we can't dig, then we won't dig!"

Zhang Xixi thought that with a grain depot as cover, even if she put the grain in storage bags, no one would suspect anything.