Chapter 83: Talking About Details

After discussing matters with Uncle Chen Jiushu, Zhou Yun realized it was getting late, so they agreed to meet early the next day to select a site.

To the north of Tongshu Village, there was a piece of wasteland not far from the village, piled with rocks. Before the drought, there was nothing but some wild grass growing there.

It was, however, a good place for raising rabbits.

But these scattered rocks would need some work to be usable.

Additionally, rabbits are sensitive to the cold, so to ensure they survive the winter here, sufficient preparations would need to be made.

Uncle Chen Jiushu said, “My lord, to be honest, I wish we could build the rabbit house right away, enclose the walls, and start raising the rabbits today!

“But we are seriously short of manpower in the village. With 82 people, less than half of them can help move the stones…

“Harvest time is approaching, and after that, we’ll need to plant wheat… If we don’t finish even one foot of construction by then, the cold will come before we know it!”

Zhou Yun smiled and said, “I’ve already considered all these concerns. We are already recruiting people.”

“But that will cost a lot of money, right?” Uncle Chen Jiushu hesitantly asked.

“You don’t need to worry about that,” Zhou Yun said cheerfully, “Not only you, but the elders from several other villages also came yesterday, and they share the same thoughts.

“They have also refused the rewards for planting trees, so the money originally set aside for that can now be used to hire people to smooth the stones and build the rabbit house.”

Uncle Chen Jiushu was overjoyed and thanked Zhou Yun repeatedly.

Zhou Yun walked across the land, measuring it with his steps. He felt that it was enough for now and then said to Uncle Chen Jiushu, “For the specific area divisions, we still need to ask Miss Qin.”

“This is easy,” Uncle Chen Jiushu smiled as he turned to Xu Xia, who had been following them. “Brother Xu, please run and fetch Yingzi.”

“And you, Aunt Zhao, along with Tiger and An’an, everyone must be included!”

Xu Xia agreed, and seeing that Zhou Yun had no further instructions, he hurried back to the village to call for people.

Before long, not only Zhao’s family of four but several other villagers came along as well.

Zhou Yun then explained his ideas to Qin Ying.

Qin Ying also measured the land with her steps, smiling as she said, “The area is sufficient, but these stones will be difficult to clear.”

“I’ll take care of those matters,” Zhou Yun said directly, “The main reason for calling you over is to hear your thoughts on the area divisions.”

Qin Ying took another careful look at the land and then roughly outlined her thoughts: “This area can be used for the rabbit house, facing north and south, so it will get maximum sunlight during the winter. In the summer, we’ll need to add a shade structure, which is simple, and we can handle it ourselves.

“The rabbit house will be divided into separate sections, one pair of rabbits per section, raised individually and cleaned regularly.

“Here, we need to build a separate house for the baby rabbits, where the female rabbits can be moved for special care during pregnancy. After the baby rabbits are weaned, they can be raised here until they reach adulthood.

“We’ll need to set aside space for storing hay and vegetables for feeding the rabbits. Currently, it’s impossible, but in the future, when we have better conditions, we can also give them specially formulated feed.

“Later, if things improve further, we could raise breeding rabbits and meat rabbits separately. Meat rabbits could be fed with feed to speed up fattening…”

Zhou Yun’s eyes lit up. “Good! This idea is great!”

Qin Ying’s face reddened slightly. After a pause, she continued, “Also, the issue of keeping the rabbits warm needs to be addressed. Rabbits are particularly sensitive to the cold, and our mountains are cold in the winter.

“So, I was thinking, should we lay down a ground heater? Firewalls won’t work, as they might burn the rabbits.”

Zhou Yun nodded repeatedly. “Alright, let’s go with the ground heater.”

Qin Ying hesitated for a moment, then whispered, “Actually, I have a bold idea…”

“Please, don’t hesitate to speak!” Zhou Yun was very interested.

Qin Ying said, “I think it would be best to raise the rabbits on racks. This way, their waste will fall through, which is easier to clean, and the rabbits won’t be in direct contact with their waste, reducing the chance of illness.

“The only problem is that we don’t have enough iron, and if we use bamboo or wood, I’m afraid it might get chewed up by the rabbits over time.”

Zhou Yun thought for a moment and said, “Then let’s use bamboo and wood for now, and check and replace it regularly. When we start making more profits, we can slowly replace it with better materials.”

Qin Ying understood that this was the best option for now, so she didn’t bring it up again. She added, “Also, we’ll need to build an outer wall and arrange for people to guard it.”

Zhou Yun nodded. “Yes, the general plan is set. For the finer details, I’ll consult with Uncle Chen Jiushu.”

Qin Ying quickly said, “My lord, you have great foresight, and Uncle Chen Jiushu has years of experience, so everything will be considered carefully.”

Zhou Yun gave her a glance, sighed lightly in his heart, and spoke gently, “I’ve agreed to everything you requested. Also, I’ll add one hundred taels of reward money for you.

“Take your time and think about whether you have any other requests. What you’ve done deserves more. Don’t rush to answer. Go back and discuss it with your family.”

With that, before Qin Ying could respond, he walked away.

What he didn’t say was that he would slowly repay the money earned from selling ginseng, though he feared Qin Ying might not agree.

Sigh, why does she always keep her distance from him? Why does she guard against him? He didn’t know why.

Back home, Qin Ying conveyed Zhou Yun’s words and asked Aunt Zhao and Zhao Hu’s opinions.

The mother and son hadn’t made up their minds yet when voices came from outside. Neighbors had come over to visit.

After inviting them into the main room, they noticed An’an wasn’t there, so some neighbors asked about it.

Aunt Zhao pointed to the west. “She went over there to feed the chickens.”

The neighbors laughed and said, “An’an really is lucky to have crossed paths with Lord Zhou!”

After chatting for a while, they gradually steered the conversation toward the plot of land. “That wasteland was always left untended and ignored. What brought Uncle Chen to go with Lord Zhou to inspect it today? Did they discover something underground?”

“Lord Zhou even called Yingzi over. I saw her gesturing; what was she saying?”

Aunt Zhao frowned and was about to retort when Qin Ying smiled and said, “Ladies, please don’t be in a hurry. In half a day, Uncle Chen will tell everyone what’s going on.

“Forgive me for keeping it a secret for now. If I tell you now, there will be no surprise.”

The neighbors lingered a while, but seeing that Qin Ying was adamant about not revealing anything, they lost interest and got up to leave. On their way out, they paused to admire the rabbits.

“These rabbits change every day!” one said.

“If you ask me, you are truly blessed. How else could you have such a good daughter like Yingzi and such a well-behaved child like An’an?”

Aunt Zhao finally smiled, “I’ve suffered enough in my early years. Isn’t it time to enjoy some blessings in the latter half of my life?”

Once the neighbors were gone, the smile on her face disappeared, and she spat on the ground. “A bunch of busybodies with big mouths!”

Qin Ying put her arm around her shoulder and smiled, “Mother, why bother getting upset with them? Let them talk. It doesn’t affect us, and in the end, they’ll just be left feeling uncomfortable!”