Chapter 205

“Father, what’s the matter?” Li Wen asked timidly.

“Tomorrow, keep an eye out. If the Huang family goes to Jin’s place, call a few people to help out.” He had dealt with the Huang family when he was younger, and they were extremely troublesome.

Li Wen was stunned for a moment, then responded, “Huh? Oh, alright!”

·

Suddenly, their family had a large area of forest, and the amount of work to be done multiplied several times over.

It was because of the new hill they had bought. Though it was just one hill, it was the largest in the village, two to three times the size of their own backyard!

Especially after Ding Heli mentioned that kudzu could also be propagated by cuttings, Shuiqing’s family didn’t have to rely on kudzu for food. However, Hu’s father and mother didn’t know that.

They just thought they couldn’t waste any food, so they worked from dawn to dusk, propagating as much kudzu as possible after finishing the other tasks.

They were worried that their daughter and son-in-law wouldn’t have enough food in the future.

Under their influence, the rest of the family did the same.

Shuiqing thought she was working hard, but in terms of farming and ensuring enough food, her parents were even more diligent.

The work seemed endless.

Even if they had ten or twenty more people, it wouldn’t be too much!

But in Shanshui Village, apart from a few families, most others were the same.

While propagating kudzu vines, they would also look for mushrooms.

Now that it had been a while since it last rained, there were fewer mushrooms, but they could still find some. In the evening, they would bring them over to exchange for eggs.

One pound of mushrooms for one pound of eggs. Shuiqing and Fan Jin thought it was a great deal, and the villagers thought it was even better.

Every morning, Shuiqing eagerly collected eggs.

Each egg was not only delicious but could also be exchanged for mushrooms. They were like golden eggs!

This morning, as usual, Shuiqing pushed open the decorated door, only to hear the tragic sound of chickens squawking from the chicken coop.

She blinked and thought, “Oh no, thieves!”

“Everyone, come out! We have thieves stealing chickens!” she shouted into the yard as she rushed to the storeroom, grabbing a shovel and running out.

Ling Ran, Bai Ziqian, and Jiang He, who were closest, ran out first, also heading to the storeroom to grab shovels.

Then came Hu Wenhua, who, finding no more shovels, grabbed a hoe and rushed out.

Butcher Hu followed, cursing, “This is outrageous! Stealing chickens in broad daylight! I’ll beat him so badly his own mother won’t recognize him if I don’t!”

When everyone reached the chicken coop, they saw Fan’s mother, along with Uncle Huang and Second Uncle Huang, happily catching chickens.

They had seven or eight chickens each in their hands.

Second Uncle Huang had even taken off his shirt to bundle the eggs, which were piled up like a small hill.

Butcher Hu was dumbfounded, “In-law, what are you doing?”

Fan’s mother, who had been feeling a bit guilty, straightened up and said, “My son’s chickens, given to me out of filial piety. What’s the problem?”

“If you want to eat, you should ask your son. And if it’s for you, fine, but you can’t give them to others,” Butcher Hu said, his eyes on Uncle Huang and Second Uncle Huang.

Uncle Huang and Second Uncle Huang, remembering the butcher wielding a pig-killing knife yesterday, shrank back and stood behind their sister.

They had no intention of letting go of the chickens they were holding.

Li Wen and Li Wu arrived with a group of people to witness the scene.

They had seen Fan’s mother bringing Uncle Huang and Second Uncle Huang over and quickly went to call others for help.

Seeing the villagers arriving, Fan’s mother immediately burst into tears, “My own son’s things, and I can’t eat them?

His uncles rarely visit. What’s wrong with giving them some out of filial piety?”

Uncle Huang also became defiant, “I am Fan Jin’s real uncle. What’s wrong with eating a couple of his chickens? He can’t take them back from me, can he?”

Li Wen and the others were speechless: …Clearly, you came to steal their chickens!

“Grabbed them and ate them, don’t bother talking to them. I want to see what they can do to us!” Second Uncle Huang shouted arrogantly at Shuiqing.

The villagers didn’t expect to see such a scene.

They thought Uncle Huang and Second Uncle Huang would demand money and goods, and if Fan Jin and Shuiqing didn’t comply, they would cause a ruckus and then be ‘invited’ back to Fan Qian’s house.

But they didn’t expect Fan’s mother to bring her two brothers and start grabbing chickens directly.

Now that the chickens were in their hands, and the three of them were indeed Fan Jin’s mother and uncles, the villagers couldn’t just grab them back, right?

Everyone looked towards Shuiqing.

Shuiqing didn’t care about these so-called uncles.

If these uncles could grab chickens from her house this time, wouldn’t they be grabbing pigs next time? In a few visits, they could empty her house!

She discreetly assessed the physiques of Uncle Huang and Second Uncle Huang.

Farmers, in their fifties, not too old, but people who did farm work had some strength.

As for her mother-in-law, it was no problem. As long as the two uncles were subdued, with the village elder present, her mother-in-law couldn’t cause much trouble.

At least seven or eight men would be needed to subdue Uncle Huang and Second Uncle Huang and carry them directly to her eldest brother-in-law’s house.

Shuiqing searched the crowd, seeing the men hesitant to get involved in what they considered a family matter.

Needless to say, her father had the same thought, thinking it would be embarrassing for his son-in-law if they intervened.

Sighing softly, she looked at Ling Ran and Bai Ziqian, but just the two of them were not enough.

While Shuiqing was contemplating, Uncle Huang and Second Uncle Huang, like weasels in a chicken coop, began grabbing chickens, especially the plump hens, all the while claiming they were their nephew’s chickens.

Fan’s mother was also very proud.

She thought her actions were both right and good, protecting her eldest son and getting to eat her younger son’s chickens—a double win.

“Hey, what’s going on here? So lively?” A familiar cheerful voice sounded from the back of the crowd.

As the voice fell, a familiar figure squeezed through the crowd.

“Father!” Bai Ziqian rushed forward, hugging Bai Manshan tightly, tears streaming down, afraid he would disappear if he let go.

Bai Manshan patted his son’s back, all the words he wanted to say swallowed back when he saw the situation, “Come on, tell Dad what’s happening?”

Bai Ziqian, not expecting his father to be so calm, explained the situation angrily, expecting his father to share his outrage. Instead, he heard his father say, “I thought it was something big.”

Bai Manshan turned, parted the crowd, and waved to the back, “Come on, brothers, time to work!

The first task for the new boss, let’s do it well, everyone!”

The villagers all turned to look back in unison.