Chapter 137: Unlocking New Skills

Zhang Mingfeng and Yang Wanli continued chatting.

Yu Xiangnian glanced at the time; there were still about ten minutes until the end of work, so it was about time to leave.

Just as she was thinking this, Zhang Mingfeng said, “It’s almost time to get off work. We won’t keep you any longer. We’ll visit again next time.”

Yang Wanli checked his watch and stood up, saying, “Old Zhang, it’s been a long time since we got together. Let’s have a meal together today.”

“Comrade Yu, join us for a meal as well,” Yang Wanli said, looking at Yu Xiangnian.

“No, no, you two go ahead,” Yu Xiangnian waved her hand, “I have a child waiting at home for me to cook.”

“Take something back for the child,” Yang Wanli said. “The time is about the same whether you go home to cook now or eat and then take something back.”

Yang Wanli’s enthusiasm was a bit overwhelming, and Yu Xiangnian felt a headache coming on. “Director Yang, you’re too kind. Really, I have to get home.”

Yang Wanli, even more enthusiastic, said, “If it weren’t for you, Old Zhang and I wouldn’t have had this chance to chat and catch up. Comrade Yu, please just consider this as a bit of company.”

Seeing Yang Wanli’s enthusiasm, Zhang Mingfeng felt he couldn’t refuse either. Turning to Yu Xiangnian, he said, “Comrade Yu, let’s have a meal together. Just take something back for the child.”

Yu Xiangnian: “…”

Since Zhang Mingfeng had already said so, and she had just asked them for help, refusing too firmly would seem disrespectful.

Yu Xiangnian awkwardly said, “Well, thank you, Director Yang.”

The town wasn’t large, and the state-run restaurant was just a few hundred meters away.

Yu Xiangnian pushed her bicycle and walked with Yang Wanli and Zhang Mingfeng to the restaurant.

Yang Wanli ordered four dishes and a soup, and the three of them sat down to eat.

Yu Xiangnian wasn’t very familiar with these two, so the meal was quite awkward.

They chatted among themselves while Yu Xiangnian quietly ate, wanting to finish quickly and go home.

Yang Wanli suddenly asked, “From your accent, Comrade Yu is a local. I noticed the remittance address is quite far away. Is it for sending money to relatives?”

Yu Xiangnian honestly replied, “It’s for my husband’s hometown.”

“Oh…” Yang Wanli raised his glasses a bit. “Seeing how young Comrade Yu is, I didn’t expect you’re already married.”

Yu Xiangnian responded, “Yes, I am.”

Zhang Mingfeng added, “Don’t be fooled by Comrade Yu’s young age. She’s well-educated and translates our newspaper articles quickly and accurately every time.”

“Comrade Yu knows foreign languages?!” Yang Wanli exclaimed, looking at Yu Xiangnian with admiration and a meaningful gaze. “Comrade Yu is truly talented and beautiful!”

Yu Xiangnian felt awkward, smiled, and replied dismissively, “Just a little.”

Zhang Mingfeng continued, “Our Comrade Yu’s husband is also a talented person. I heard he’s already a deputy regiment commander at a young age!”

Yang Wanli nodded, “That’s really a good match.”

Yu Xiangnian didn’t know how to respond and could only force a smile, wishing the meal would end quickly.

The meal, filled with compliments and praise from the two men, finally came to an end. Yu Xiangnian had never had such a tiring meal before.

She brought two meat buns back for Xiao Jie.

Since it was someone else’s treat, she didn’t bring too much.

Before parting, Yang Wanli shook hands with Yu Xiangnian again, saying, “Comrade Yu, if you need any help in the future, just let me know. You know where my office is.”

Yu Xiangnian smiled politely, “Thank you, Director Yang. Goodbye.”

Back at home, the yard now had two little chickens.

They were only about ten centimeters tall, with soft yellow feathers, huddled in a corner of the yard, chirping away.

She had planned to raise two hens, but had been delayed by Xiao Jie’s hospitalization and the arguments with Cheng Jingmo about divorce.

It wasn’t until the day before the Lantern Festival that she asked Sister Liu Zhen to help buy two hens.

No matter what the situation with Cheng Jingmo was, she had to live strongly.

Xiao Jie watched her every day, and she needed to set an example of confidence in life for him.

Yu Xiangnian and Xiao Jie crouched on the ground, each holding a little chicken, trying to figure out how to tell if it was a hen.

Xiao Jie looked at the feathers in front of the chicken’s rear and asked, “It doesn’t have any little bumps. How do you tell if it’s a hen?”

Yu Xiangnian suddenly burst into laughter. “The little bumps on the chicks…”

After laughing for a moment, she felt it was inappropriate to say such things in front of a child and quickly became serious. “I think it’s determined by the comb. The comb is smaller on hens.”

Xiao Jie said, “But both of their combs haven’t grown yet.”

Yu Xiangnian stared at the chicks, deep in thought. After a while, she said, “Don’t you think we’re getting the order of things all wrong here?”

Xiao Jie: “Huh?”

Yu Xiangnian continued, “Aunt Liu Zhen definitely bought hens for us. But now we need to think about what the chicks will eat and where they will sleep tonight.”

Just then, Liu Zhen arrived.

“I knew you wouldn’t know how to raise chickens!” Liu Zhen came up to them and said, “It’s still cold, so keep the chicks in a cardboard box at night and take them out in the morning when the sun comes up. As for their food, did you see it?”

Liu Zhen pointed to a snake-skin bag in the corner of the room. “I bought some rice bran and cornmeal, mix them together to feed them. Also, if you have any anti-inflammatory medicine at home, grind it into powder and mix it in to prevent the chicks from getting sick.”

Yu Xiangnian and Xiao Jie nodded vigorously; this knowledge was incredibly timely!

Liu Zhen continued, “I’ll have Old Xiao make a bamboo basket and line it with straw to create a nesting box. After a month, when the chickens are a bit bigger, you can use the nesting box to keep them. At that point, they can eat almost anything—vegetable leaves, insects, leftover food.”

Liu Zhen went on, “In four to five months, the chickens will start laying eggs. After about a year, they’ll be ready to be slaughtered. The longer you keep them, the tougher the meat will be.”

Yu Xiangnian was genuinely grateful and kept thanking her.

She really knew nothing about raising chickens!

Her neighbor not only helped her buy the chicks but also planned their entire life cycle.

“What are you thanking me for? We’re neighbors!” Liu Zhen said, “The only help we can offer is this. If you need anything, just ask!”

Since Liu Zhen said so, Yu Xiangnian took the opportunity to ask, “Aunt Liu Zhen, how do you tell if they are male or female?”

“Huh?!” Liu Zhen was stunned for a moment before bursting into laughter.

“Comrade Yu, you’re so funny!” Liu Zhen laughed and said, “First you get fainted by a cabbage worm, and now you’re asking me how to distinguish the sex of chicks. Haha…”

Yu Xiangnian and Xiao Jie looked at her with eager, questioning eyes.

“So, how do you determine their sex?” Yu Xiangnian asked again.

Liu Zhen was really caught off guard. She opened and closed her mouth several times, “Well… well…”

“How can I explain it? I just know by looking at them!”

Well then, asking was like asking for nothing!

Starting today, Xiao Jie had unlocked a new skill: raising chicks.

Yu Xiangnian handed over the challenging task of raising the chickens to Xiao Jie.

Yu Xiangnian patted Xiao Jie’s shoulder and said with a determined look, “Fang Junjie, whether we get to eat eggs or drink chicken soup depends on you!”

Xiao Jie felt the weight of responsibility on his shoulders even more and nodded heavily.

A heavy responsibility indeed!