Chapter 299 - Wolf Pack Howling At Nigh (1/2)
t
Liu Hu nodded his head, “From what you’re saying, it is true! Planting corn was something that she asked the royal prince about. She even was so daring to get seeds from him and sign a military writ. Luckily before the locust plague came, the corn was ready to be picked. Otherwise, they would really be hanging there! Your little niece is clever and has guts. If she was a boy, she would absolutely have a sparkling career in front of her!”
Yu Caifeng gave him a look and replied, “What’s wrong with her being a girl? Isn’t she also quite capable ah? She helped her family build a five-room house made of tiles and bricks and also made quite a fortune for the family!”
Liu Hu smiled, “I’m not saying girls aren’t good! However, when a girl grows up, she’ll end up getting married to someone! It’s only your younger brother who would spoil Xiaocao like this and have her do as she pleases. If she was married into a family, do you think she would still be able to do as she pleased? Alright, let’s not talk about this. Let’s discuss something else. How about we also open some fields to grow some early growing vegetables next year? We can sell the vegetables to the nearby villages or the prefectural city. That way we won’t be competing with Dahai.”
Yu Caifeng thought a bit and then agreed, “Since everyone has nothing to do now, we should build our house quickly. We should copy the old residence here and make the courtyard a bit larger so we can plant more vegetables. If we plant our gardens outside our walls, I’m afraid we’d have a hard time keeping an eye on them at night!”
“Okay! We’ll build a large courtyard and make sure to have a stone fence!” Liu Hu made the decision right there.
The next day, with Yu Hai’s help, they were able to find a dozen or so villagers in their prime to help with building the Liu Family’s new home. The Liu Family’s new residence was also located at the foot of the West Mountains and was about five hundred meters away from the Yu Family. They decided to build a more subdued house, so the house was constructed out of dirt and lumber.
Right now was just the start of autumn, which was usually a busy season for the villagers. Because the locust plague happened this year and no one was able to plant crops, most of the villagers were idle at home. Some would go down to the beach to dig up some sandworms or oysters. Others went into town or the docks to find some temporary work.
Sandworms and oysters were now being dug up by a lot of people, so the income a person could get from them had sharply declined. In the past, a person could make at least a hundred coppers a day. Now, those who could dig up about a catty and sell it for forty to fifty copper coins were envied by other people as experts.
The docks and town now had too many people looking for temporary work. Someone waiting for a few days may not be able to get a job. If there wasn’t reasonably priced grain to be had, there would have been many starving commoners everywhere.
The Liu Family gave cash to the people who helped them build their house and the wage was thirty copper coins a day. They also prepared the noon meal for the workers. Although the wage wasn’t considered very high, Liu Hu was relatives with Yu Hai. Since Yu Hai had a good relationship with his older sister, all of the young, strong workers in the village were willing to do this as a favor to Yu Hai.
After working there for two days, all of the young workers unceasingly praised the food at the Liu Family. They all proclaimed that this work was worth doing! The Liu Family provided two large flatbreads that were made with more white flour than coarse for each worker. Furthermore, the dishes that came along with the flatbreads always had meat in them. On one day, it was the soft and savory braised pig meat head, while on another day it was tantalizing stir-fried pig intestines. Then, on another day, they had some fried little fish that was soft and crispy…
The dish that made people the most happy was that, other than some dried vegetables, each meal also had a plate of sauteed green vegetables. This year, a plate of green vegetables was being sold for the price of roasted chicken and roasted duck at Zhenxiu Restaurant, so it was quite expensive! Furthermore, there was also Yu Xiaocao’s grasshopper sauce that she personally stir-fried herself. It made everyone praise it constantly. Even if there weren’t other dishes, just this savory and spicy grasshopper sauce alone was enough to make a person eat an extra two flatbreads.
With delicious food to be had, the young villagers worked with great enthusiasm. They threw mud bricks, cut lumber, and laid the stone wall...everyone was willing to use all of their strength and not a single one slacked off.
Before a month had passed, the Liu Family’s three-room mud-brick house had finished construction. They had also accepted Yu Xiaocao’s suggestion for the roof and used ceramic tiles. By using a tiled roof, they would save the time needed to thatch the roof every year. Furthermore, a roof crafted of straw leaked rain in the summer and let in the cold wind and snow in the winter. With the Liu Family’s current financial circumstances, if they were careful with their money, they were able to afford a tiled roof. What was the point of trying to scrimp and save if they couldn’t live comfortably?
The Liu Family lived even closer to the West Mountains compared to the Yu Family, so Yu Hai proposed that his brother-in-law dig some pits around the perimeter of the wall for extra protection.
In actuality, their worries were not in vain. Just when the Liu Family had finished plowing the vegetable garden in the courtyard and planted their seeds, a few days later, all of the families living at the foot of the West Mountains could hear the howls of wolves at night when they were about to go to sleep.
Yu Xiaocao was roused by the noise. She draped a quilt over herself as she climbed into her parents’ kang bed and quietly asked, “Father, listen! It sounds like wolves howling! Is a wolf pack coming down the mountain?”
Right after she spoke, a sweet and puppyish howl could be heard from the courtyard. The sound had a tone of warning to it.
Yu Hai didn’t know whether he should laugh or cry, “Cao’er, these two puppies you brought back home have been with us for two months yet they still don’t know how to bark properly. However, they manage to imitate the sound of a wolf howl pretty good. Quickly bring those two fellows inside to avoid them attracting the wolf pack here!”