Farming for Three Meals a Day [Farming Life] 75

Chapter 75

Early morning, mist still lingered on the mountainside, the calls of partridges echoing through the quiet valley. Today was the day Ye Shan would release the fish fry into his pond, and Ye Xi and Lin Jiangshan were going to help, so they had an early breakfast and set off.

As they were leaving, the fawn was butting its antlers against the bluestone steps again. Lin Jiangshan touched them, it was shedding its antlers. Sika deer shed their antlers twice a year, and if it couldn’t shed them naturally, Lin Jiangshan would have to help.

“I’ll check on you tonight, and if you still can’t shed them, I’ll help you,” Lin Jiangshan said, stroking its head.

Shed antlers could be sold to pharmacies for a good price. Although their fawn was only a year and a half old, and its antlers weren’t large, they could still fetch over one tael of silver.

Ye Xi smiled. “Even our deer is earning money for us, our life is definitely improving.”

Lin Jiangshan smiled, and they locked the courtyard gate and went to the Ye family’s to help.

The fishpond Ye Shan built wasn’t as large as those in other villages, only a little over three acres. He couldn’t abandon his fields, and with his aging father, he needed to help with the farm work, so a small fishpond was enough, allowing him time for farming.

When Ye Xi and Lin Jiangshan arrived, Ye Shan and two other villagers had just returned with an ox cart, borrowed from Ye Xi’s family, carrying four or five buckets of fish fry, teeming with tiny fish.

Lin Jiangshan asked Ye Shan how many he had bought.

Ye Shan smiled. “I bought grass carp and crucian carp. I’ll release them into the pond later. Since the villagers like crucian carp soup, I bought a thousand crucian carp and five hundred grass carp.”

It had been sunny for several days, a perfect day for releasing the fish fry. Ye Shan tested the water temperature in the pond, finding it not too cold, and then he and Lin Jiangshan carried a bucket and released half a bucket of fish fry into the pond.

They had to wait for an hour. If the fish fry didn’t float belly-up, they could release more.

Ye Xi and Li Ran didn’t interfere, just watched the men from the side. Many villagers came to watch the event, crowding around the fishpond.

Liu Xiufeng, beaming with joy, chatted and greeted the villagers, who were all praising their family’s prosperity, now even having a fishpond.

It was a happy occasion, and Father Ye bought a few packets of sugar-coated peanuts from a passing peddler, offering them to the onlookers as a treat.

The host family’s generosity pleased the villagers, who took a few peanuts and hid them in their sleeves, planning to take them home for their children.

“Ye Shan is truly capable, I’ll buy some fish from you when they grow up!”

“Yes, when you drain the pond in autumn, we’ll come and buy fish, Old Man Ye, you have to give us a discount!”

Father Ye and Liu Xiufeng exchanged pleasantries with the villagers, it was important to maintain good relationships with their neighbors, in case someone tried to sabotage them, stealing or even poisoning the fish.

The Ye family had a good reputation in Shanxiu Village, always acting with propriety and consideration, which was why they dared to build the fishpond, they would need the villagers’ help in the future.

Ye Xi supported Li Ran, whose belly was now quite large, making her movements slow and cumbersome.

“Your brother keeps talking to my belly, calling the baby ‘girl,’ he wants a daughter.”

Ye Xi smiled. “My mother said that my brother thought she was pregnant with a girl, and he was so happy, always saying he would have a little sister. But then I was born, and he sat on the ground and cried, asking my mother to give him back his sister. Mother couldn’t stop laughing and told him to marry and have a daughter with his wife.”

Li Ran couldn’t help but laugh. “Although you’re not a girl, your brother still loves you very much.”

Ye Xi smiled. “Of course he does, he’s always doted on me since we were young. If Sister-in-law really has a daughter, he’ll probably treat her like a precious jewel.”

Li Ran smiled, stroking her belly, her foolish husband loved them dearly.

They had just finished releasing a bucket of fish fry when Ye Xi, feeling the wind by the pond was too strong, helped Li Ran back to their house.

When they arrived, Li-ge’er was there. “Li Xi heard that you’re releasing fish fry today and went to help. I had nothing to do, so I came to chat.”

Ye Xi smiled. “He’s a good man, even leaving his butcher stall to come and help.”

Li-ge’er said, “If he weren’t kind and reliable, I wouldn’t have agreed to marry him.”

Li Xi and Li-ge’er had their wedding feast after Rain Water and had moved to their new house on the mountainside.

They rented a pork stall in town and traveled from village to village buying pigs every day. Although it was tiring, their life was improving.

In just two months since their wedding, Li-ge’er already had a thin silver bracelet on his wrist, not as thick as Ye Xi’s, but still a sign of prosperity.

Ye Xi teased him, “Oh, you’re so wealthy now, wearing a silver bracelet. When I got married, some people were envious of my bracelet, thinking they would never be able to afford one, and you’re already wearing one after just two months of marriage.”

Li-ge’er blushed and whispered, “He’s a caring husband, he saved some money after selling pork and had this bracelet made for me. My mother was very happy, saying he’s a reliable man.”

Li Ran, eating dried sweet potatoes, smiled. “He’ll probably make you a pair next year! Then you can wear one on each wrist, even more impressive!”

The three of them chatted in the room, and Li-ge’er, having just returned from town, shared some news, “The results of the spring imperial exam are out today.”

Ye Xi and Li Ran, living in the mountains, didn’t pay attention to such scholarly matters.

“The imperial exam is for scholars, we don’t really care about it,” Ye Xi smiled.

Li-ge’er sighed, he had just heard about it while passing by. “Someone from our area actually became a Xiucai!”

A Xiucai was a rare occurrence, and Li Ran and Ye Xi straightened up, asking, “Who is it?”

Li-ge’er thought for a moment. “He’s from the next village, called Zhang Yuan. I heard the private school teacher praising his talent and writing skills, saying he has the bearing of an official, and that he might even become a Juren next time.”

A Juren, that was an even more prestigious title, Shanxiu Village hadn’t had one in decades, someone who could stand shoulder to shoulder with the county magistrate.

Ye Xi found the name familiar, Zhang Yuan.

He seemed to have bought couplets written by this person in town before, and he actually became a Xiucai.

Ye Xi said, “Zhang Yuan, the name sounds familiar, I bought his couplets before.”

Li-ge’er smiled. “He’s practically from our Shanxiu Village, he’s Grandma Zhao’s younger brother.”

Ye Xi suddenly realized, “That’s right, I was wondering why the name sounded so familiar, I heard Grandma Zhao mention her younger brother before, he was studying, and now he’s successful!”

Li Ran asked curiously, “Grandma Zhao?”

Ye Xi told them her story, making Li Ran want to teach those wicked parents-in-law a lesson.

Ye Xi smiled. “Don’t worry, now that her brother is a Xiucai, and might even achieve higher things in the future, the Zhao family, simple farmers, will definitely be afraid of him. With her scholar brother’s support, Grandma Zhao’s life will definitely improve.”

Li-ge’er and Li Ran were relieved.

Zhang Yuan, after learning that he had become a Xiucai, hurried to Xiushui Village to share the good news with his brother, Xi-ge’er, his heart filled with joy and excitement.

He couldn’t wait to tell his brother.

As he entered the village, he heard an old woman’s harsh scolding from afar, cursing vulgarly, and the closer he got to his brother’s house, the clearer the voice became.

“You ungrateful wretch! Wasting all our money, even a mountain of gold and silver wouldn’t be enough for you, you prodigal! It’s our family’s misfortune to have you, you filthy thing!”

The old woman’s cursing became increasingly vicious, even Zhang Yuan, who had heard his share of village women’s curses, was shocked by such vulgar language.

He hesitated at the door, not entering, and after a while, he heard soft sobs from inside. Zhang Yuan clenched his fists, the old woman was scolding his brother, Xi-ge’er, and from her words, it was clear that this wasn’t the first time.

His brother was being humiliated like this at home, enduring such hardship, no wonder his eyes were always red when he brought him clothes and food at the private school, but he never mentioned any of this.

Zhang Yuan was furious, and he banged on the door loudly. The old woman’s cursing stopped. “Who is it?! Are you here to collect debts?! If you break the door, you’re not leaving! What are you looking at? Open the door! Are you stupid?!”

Then came the sound of footsteps, the door opened, and Zhang Yuan saw his brother, Xi-ge’er, his eyes red and swollen, his face pale and exhausted.

Xi-ge’er hadn’t expected his brother to come, he was always diligent, studying late at night at the private school, never wasting a single day.

“Yuan-er, why are you here?!”

Zhang Yuan’s heart ached for his brother, enduring such humiliation. He pushed him aside and rushed into the courtyard. “You’re being treated like this at home?! If I had known, I would have taken you home long ago!”

There was no one else at home, his younger brother was still studying, and if he didn’t endure this hardship, how could he support his studies?

Xi-ge’er wiped his tears. “I’m fine, but why are you here? Did something happen?”

Zhang Yuan’s eyes were red with anger, and he grabbed Xi-ge’er’s hand, about to leave.

His mother-in-law, Mrs. Zhao, sneered, “Going somewhere?! Xi-ge’er is my Zhao family’s daughter-in-law, we spent eight taels of silver on him! Even in death, he’s ours, you can’t just leave as you please!”