Chapter 27: Bringing Up Kids

Hua Youcai finished his business, humming a self-composed tune, and went to the small shop to chat with his old buddies before going home to sleep.

He thought about what his daughter said, that after selling the vegetables, he should buy a TV to relieve his boredom.

“Heh, what to buy? Over four hundred yuan, I still need to find a way to get the money.”

“What can’t you do with that kind of money?”

He was happy that his daughter was thinking of him. He glanced happily at the watch on his wrist. Having a watch was great; he could tell the time precisely, much more accurately than looking at the sun.

He and his son took turns wearing it. There were only two watches at the right price in the shop at the time. His daughter said they would buy another one when they found a suitable one later.

It was the busiest time at the small shop. He greeted everyone and found a stool to sit down.

Everyone was very concerned about how Hua Youcai’s wasteland was doing. Before Hua Youcai arrived, Old Man Liu was surrounded and asked many questions.

Old Man Liu didn’t know anything; he just helped to plow the land.

“How’s the land?”

“We added some fertilizer. We’ll plant something this first year and nurture it slowly…”

“You two are planting fifteen mu; that’s a lot of work.”

“It is. It’s backbreaking work. It’ll be worth it if we have a good harvest, but this land is tough.”

“When our team planted it back then, it was a real headache…”

The words weren’t pleasant, but they were true.

Hua Youcai was also worried at first, that he and his son would get sick from all the hard work on the land.

“Where there’s a will, there’s a way.”

Just plowing the land alone cost fifteen yuan.

Whether to spend fifteen yuan to hire someone or do it themselves was a matter discussed in a family meeting.

At the family meeting, all three of them voiced their opinions.

They came up with several options: first, completely manual labor, with the two men in the family working with shovels.

Second, buy an ox and a plow and do it themselves.

Third, hire someone to do it.

The first option would probably take them ten days or half a month. As his daughter said, the vegetables would be very tall by then.

Her exact words were “the time cost is enormous.”

The second option was also feasible, but it would also take time to buy the ox and plow, and the ox would need to be carefully selected because it would be used for farm work.

The third option was the fastest, and his daughter chose this one.

Prioritizing speed, they used the third option to plow the land first. They would buy an ox and plow when they found a suitable one, as they would need them later anyway.

His daughter also gave a rough outline of the plan for the fifteen mu of land.

It was just an initial idea; they would refine it gradually as they went along.

They would first build two large greenhouses to experiment with vegetable cultivation.

If it worked well, they would continue building more. If it failed, they would give up.

They would try planting other things; if nothing worked, they would simply fence the land and raise chickens or pigs, which would definitely not lose money, at least fifty yuan a year.

They would plant grapes around the perimeter, fruit trees inside the grape trellis, and set aside some land for grains like wheat and corn.

One area would be for open-air vegetables, and another for other crops.

The “other” area would be fair; anyone could plant whatever they wanted.

For example, Hua Fangfang wanted to plant sunflowers because she liked to eat sunflower seeds.

Hua Youcai wanted to plant a lot of things: soybeans to make soybean oil, peanuts to roast for the New Year or for guests, peppercorns, ginger, garlic…

Hua Youcai wanted to plant everything they ate and used, so they wouldn’t have to buy them.

Great, the family meeting finally decided that any family member could plant whatever they wanted, not just in the “other” area.

Hua Youcai didn’t say much; he chatted for a while and went home to sleep. He had a busy day ahead of him.

Just as he was leaving, he was stopped by Aunt Zhao.

Aunt Zhao asked her husband to watch her grandson and hurried after him.

“Sister, is something the matter?”

“Fangfang’s father, there’s something. Come, let’s go to your house to talk.”

Hua Youcai… It couldn’t be said here; they had to go to his house. He felt it was strange.

“Sister, just tell me here.”

“It’s good news. Let’s talk at your house.”

Hua Youcai asked all the way, but he didn’t get any answers.

Aunt Zhao looked at Hua Fangfang opening the door. “Fangfang’s father, Fangfang is such a well-behaved and obedient child.”

They were praised out of the blue. Father and son exchanged bewildered glances.

After praising the child, she praised the two greenhouses, and then seeing Hua Yuanyuan, she praised her again.

“These greenhouses are so nice, so big, and sturdy.”

“Oh, look at this daughter, she’s so pretty, and even prettier when she smiles.”

Hua Yuanyuan stopped smiling halfway.

The brother and sister, who were chased out of the house by their father, looked at the closed door, thoughtful.

Aunt Zhao cracked sunflower seeds. “Fangfang’s father, your family is doing so well. It’s almost the end of the first month, and you still have sunflower seeds. Our family finished ours right after the New Year. Everyone was like they hadn’t eaten any…”

“Ahem, sister, what’s the matter? You’re being so mysterious. Just tell me, don’t beat around the bush.”

Aunt Zhao… She hadn’t even started beating around the bush yet. That’s how men are; they can’t keep a secret.

“Okay, I’ll get straight to the point. Is there any progress on your daughter’s marriage?”

Hua Youcai felt a little complicated, a little excited.

Finally, someone came to propose marriage for his daughter. See, even if she left, she wouldn’t have trouble finding someone.

Hua Yuanyuan and Hua Fangfang held their breath outside, listening intently.

Aunt Zhao’s voice was loud enough that it was hard not to hear.

Hua Yuanyuan pouted and glared, a look of “I knew it.” Seeing her brother’s excited and stupid look, she pulled him away.

Hua Fangfang struggled against his sister. He wanted to listen, but his sister tickled him until he gave up.

When they got to his sister’s room and sat on her kang, he was happy again.

Why was his sister’s bedsheet so clean? Like a new one, never used.

No wonder his sister kept urging him to wash it. Even washing it once a week was like that. He and his father were so oily.

His father said that’s how men are.

“Sister, why isn’t yours dirty?”

“I wash my hair and neck every day, and wipe my body, so it doesn’t get dirty.”

“…Forget it.”

“Hua Fangfang, won’t you wash when you find a wife? Will you not wash even if your wife dislikes you?”

“Sister, do you mean my wife will wash every day like you?”

Hua Yuanyuan… Not bad, very good, her brother was getting smarter.

“What’s it like to wash, and what’s it like not to wash?”

“If my wife washes, I’ll wash. If my wife doesn’t wash, I won’t wash either.”

Hahaha—

Hua Fangfang watched his sister laugh and roll around on the kang… He didn’t know what was so funny. Didn’t he say it right?

“Sister, stop laughing. What kind of family did Aunt Zhao say she’s going to introduce?”

…

While the siblings were chatting, their father’s face was getting worse and worse.

The person Aunt Zhao mentioned had lost his wife last winter during childbirth; she died of dystocia, leaving behind a little girl.

He was twenty-eight, had a job, received a monthly salary, and was said to be very popular.

“Sister, let’s be frank. Can my daughter only find someone who already has a child?”

Hua Youcai didn’t mean anything else; he was genuinely clueless.

Seeing the honest old man, Aunt Zhao didn’t know what to say.