Traveling Through Farmhouses: Taking the Baby on a Famine Escape

Zhang Dacheng then asked, "Daughter, when will the bricks and tiles arrive?"

"It was booked yesterday, and it should arrive by noon today!"

"Let's level this land first and prepare the mud!"

After saying that, Zhang Dacheng told the others to get busy. Around noon, truckloads of bricks and tiles were brought to Zhang Xixi's house. It was Manager Qian who led the convoy.

Looking at the transformed deserted village, Manager Qian sighed with emotion. Time has passed, and the people in this village are quite remarkable. In just a few months, they have turned this village into a vibrant place.

Ducks were frolicking happily in the rice paddies, and children were playing and laughing by the roadside—it was truly a serene and beautiful scene.

Zhang Xixi greeted Manager Qian with a smile, "Manager Qian, why did you come in person!"

"Young lady is one of our biggest customers, so of course I had to come in person!"

Zhang Xixi exchanged a few pleasantries with Manager Qian before getting busy.

After the last batch of brick and tile deliverymen arrived in the afternoon, Zhang Xixi told Manager Qian to deliver the remaining tiles to the area where the tents were set up down below.

"Hey girl, how many do you want?"

Zhang Xixi mentally calculated that a total of fifteen houses would be built, but she didn't really know how many tiles that would require. So she gestured to Manager Qian about the size of the houses and then told him the number.

"That's the situation. See how many watts you need!"

Manager Qian smiled awkwardly, "Young lady, you're putting me in a difficult position. I've never built a house before and don't know how many are needed. How about I go back and ask Master Zhao to confirm the quantity, and then I'll deliver it to you tomorrow?"

"Alright, then I'll trouble Manager Qian!"

The next day, after breakfast, Zhang Xixi went to check on the vegetable garden outside and found that the tomatoes were thriving and the other vegetables seemed to have sprouted. They were growing too fast!

Zhang Dacheng and his family continued building the house, while Sun Xiuxiu stayed home to cook. The vegetables they had picked the day before yesterday could be used for cooking, so they weren't worried about them spoiling.

Around noon, Manager Qian arrived with his men carrying tiles. This time, he brought all the tiles they needed. Zhang Xixi settled the bill for him, which cost about ten taels of silver.

She went to check on the rice paddies again. The rice seedlings were growing well, but Zhang Xixi couldn't keep her hands still and bought a few more buckets of plant growth nutrient solution to pour into them.

"Host, aren't you afraid that growing too fast will arouse suspicion?"

“We don’t usually have outsiders coming here, so it shouldn’t arouse suspicion. And everyone in the village knows that I have something that accelerates growth.”

"Even if they suspect something, they'll never think I have a system. I can just deny it to the death."

Two days later, the grain depot was completed, and the rice entered the greening stage.

After paying the others and seeing them off, Zhang Xixi said, "Dad, Second Brother, I'd like you to help me build some fences to enclose one side of the vegetable garden to make a chicken coop, and also build some sheds on the other side so that the chickens and ducks can rest at night or on rainy days."

Zhang Wenhong said, "We were just about to build a duck shed at home, and my dad and I went to the mountains to cut wood together."

"Thank you for your help!"

Zhang Dacheng waved his hand: "What trouble? We're all family."

Zhang Xixi smiled and took out two ten-tael silver ingots, handing them to Zhang Dacheng and Zhang Wenhong respectively.

"Dad, Second Brother, this is your wages. Consider any extra as a gift from me. Once you've finished decorating, buy whatever you want. Don't refuse. We're family."

Zhang Dacheng readily accepted the money, saying, "My daughter is so filial; daughters are the best!"

After saying that, he glanced at Zhang Wenhong.

Zhang Wenhong caught his father's gaze, touched his nose, and thought, "I've offended him again!"

He thought about it carefully, but no!

"By the way, second brother, tomorrow you can ask your wife and the others to drive the ducks into the rice paddies."

"Okay, I'll tell them when I get back."

After Zhang Dacheng and Zhang Wenhong left, Zhang Xixi closed the door and went to the west wing to check on Xiao Jin and the others.

Xiao Jin is as fierce and strong as ever, while Xiao Hua's belly is getting bigger and bigger. Could she be pregnant with twins?

After feeding the children with the spiritual spring water, Zhang Xixi went to the study to check on them. Da Bao was already dozing off.

"Yujie, Erbao, it's getting late, you should wash up and go to bed!"

"Okay, sister-in-law!"

"Okay, mother!"

Erbao and Zhou Yujie responded without even looking up, and then fell silent. Only Dabao woke up immediately upon hearing Zhang Xixi's voice.

"Mother, can I go to sleep now?"

Zhang Xixi smiled. It seemed that Da Bao was really tired. He must have been so stressed during the day that he couldn't stay awake at night!

"Okay, go wash up now!"

Upon hearing this, Da Bao immediately stood up from the stool and went to fetch water to wash up.

Zhang Xixi looked at Erbao and Zhou Yujie again and said seriously, "You two should go wash up quickly. Reading at night is bad for your eyes. Hurry up!"

"understood!"

Zhou Yujie and Erbao exchanged a glance, then put down their books and walked towards the door.

It was another sunny day. After breakfast, Zhou Fu took his two sons and drove all the family's livestock up the mountain to graze.

Zhang Xixi then took the ducks she had bought a few days ago to her family's rice paddy.

In the rice paddy, Zhou and Xiao Chen were releasing more than a hundred ducks they had bought at the last market into the paddy field.

"Sister-in-law, second sister-in-law, I'd like to put these ten ducks of mine into the field as well. Could you please take care of them for me?"

"can!"

"no problem!"

Xiao Chen and Zhou said in unison.

Zhang Xixi thought for a moment and then said, "This duck can be herded home with your ducks tonight, there's no need to send it back to my house separately."

Ms. Chen replied, "That works too. Anyway, your ducks are much bigger, so you'll be able to tell them apart later."

Zhou, who was standing nearby, looked the duck over and said, "Little sister, this duck isn't laying eggs, is it?"

Zhang Xixi nodded, "They did lay eggs, but they usually lay eggs in the morning. I've already collected today's eggs, and from now on, we'll split the duck eggs equally."

Mrs. Chen laughed and said, "How could I take advantage of you? I'll collect the duck eggs for you from now on, and bring them to you when the basket is full."

Zhou patted her chest and said, "We can't take advantage of you. We can have Xiaohan bring you duck eggs every day from now on. She's free anyway."

Zhang Xixi waved her hand, "No need for that. I'll go get it when I have time. That's settled then."

When the villagers saw that Zhang Xixi's rice paddies had so many ducks, they joked, "With so many ducks, you look like a big duck-raising family!"

"Yes, I heard that those big families have a lot of people, raising hundreds of chickens and ducks."

Zhang Xixi thought to herself that this should be called a professional duck farmer, and maybe it will develop into a major duck-producing area in the future.