Chapter 121

Yan Qiu silently handed over a handkerchief.

It was sky blue, neatly folded, and bought by Shuiqing. There were no marks on it, and everyone used the same ones.

Each person washed their own, so there was no confusion. Even if they got mixed up, it didn’t matter as there was no difference.

Ling Ran’s tall and slender body paused for a moment, and his distinctively jointed fingers hesitated to take it.

Yan Qiu didn’t mention it, but said softly, “The ash from the charcoal is uncomfortable in your eyes. Wipe them, and you’ll feel better.”

The New Year was approaching, a time for family reunions.

Her parents, brothers, and sisters were all by her side.

Bai Ziqian, who used to make a fuss about wanting to see the world and earn money to prove himself, still lived here now, but he was different from Ling Ran.

He had parents who truly cared for him, a wealthy and powerful family, and he had confidence, fallback plans, and abundant love.

But Ling Ran, he had nothing.

Alone outside, longing for his parents and home. She hadn’t experienced this suffering, but imagining it made her feel it must be unbearable.

Ling Ran pursed his lips, raised his hand to take the clean handkerchief, and placed it over his eyes.

He closed his eyes.

When he opened them again, he said hoarsely, “The handkerchief is dirty now. I’ll wash it and return it to you.”

Yan Qiu thought he still needed it and replied with a smile, “Mother bought a lot of these. You don’t need to return it, just use it.”

Everyone had these handkerchiefs, they were all the same, so there was no need to return one.

Ling Ran’s long, slender fingers tightened silently around the plain handkerchief.

This little episode didn’t affect the overall atmosphere. Everyone ate heartily amidst the chatter.

After eating, to avoid indigestion, they didn’t go to sleep immediately.

The young Fan He and Fan Hu cleared the table, Bai Ziqian and Fan Jiang washed the dishes, cups, and saucers.

Ling Ran went to check on the livestock.

Yan Qiu and Xing Hui took turns stoking the fire and brewing hawthorn water. The sour and sweet drink was delicious and helped with digestion, perfect for after meals.

Shuiqing discussed matters with Fan Jin.

Fan Jin hesitated for a while, then lowered his head and said softly, “I mentioned it to the elders in the village before. We can exchange our rabbits for old hens, at the rate of one pound for one pound.”

Shuiqing listened quietly without interrupting.

Local hens in Huaguo were very expensive. After all, feed chickens grew fast but their meat was tough and far less tasty than the free-range chickens raised on rice.

But here, rabbits were even more expensive because they were rare.

Every household had hens that could lay eggs and reproduce continuously.

But rabbits were uncommon, especially fat ones.

Their family wouldn’t suffer a loss, and the villagers wouldn’t either, so why was someone dissatisfied?

Were they looking for trouble?

How could they cause trouble?

Fan Jin bit his lip and said, “It’s mother. She found out our rabbits had babies and wants to come exchange for them.”

They hadn’t hidden it, and other villagers knew about their rabbits having babies. Everyone was eagerly waiting, just to exchange for rabbits once they grew up.

But only his mother wanted to exchange as soon as they were born.

Other villagers weren’t less smart, nor had they not thought of it, but they knew one pound for one pound was already a bargain from his family, so they all waited for the rabbits to grow up before exchanging.

But his mother didn’t care, only thinking about how to gain more.

And it wasn’t like she would raise the rabbits herself, she would definitely give them to his elder brother’s family.

Shuiqing thought: So it’s his mother-in-law, no wonder Fan Jin was hesitant to speak.

By the way, “Where did she get the hens?”

The hens in the family had been split in half during the division of the household, and the remaining half were all used to pay for Xing Hui’s medical expenses, weren’t they?

Later, it was heard that her family couldn’t bear to buy large ones and was waiting until next spring when other families would hatch chicks, so they could buy and raise the chicks instead.

“They said that my sister-in-law asked for them when she returned to her natal family, and also promised to help her family exchange for rabbits to raise.” Fan Jin revealed everything he knew without holding back.

Shuiqing asked in surprise, “Isn’t this creating competition? Will the other villagers agree?”

People in the village exchanged meat rabbits with them not just to improve their own meals but to sell the rabbits and make money. The work of cutting grass, feeding, and cleaning the rabbit pens was to earn money.

It’s one thing for the same village to raise them, but if everyone starts sending out a few, soon the market would be flooded.

How could they still sell at a good price and make money?

“The villagers don’t know about this. I got the information by coaxing it out,” Fan Jin said gloomily, looking dejected.

He and Shuiqing agreed on letting the villagers become a bit wealthier first, at least ensuring they had enough to eat and wear.

Those with nothing to lose wouldn’t fear those with something to lose. If the villagers had some security, they wouldn’t be incited by his elder brother to envy their family.

Moreover, eating well would improve their health. In the event of famine or war, the village’s hundreds of people would be able to resist enemies, fighting for their own property and survival against marauders.

So, the meat rabbits they were selling couldn’t be allowed to spread out, at least not for the next few years.

Shuiqing pondered and then suggested, “Go tell the old village chief, and remind the other villagers to monitor each other in the future.

My suggestion is that they can form an industry for raising rabbits, with each family raising them separately. When selling, they can only sell them slaughtered. After all, wild rabbits hunted by hunters are rarely sold alive; most are sold dead. This can effectively prevent the breed from spreading.

And if it’s discovered that someone is selling live rabbits, there must be breeding involved. The villagers all know each other’s backgrounds and relatives. If they find out who sent rabbits outside, that family should be expelled from the village.

As long as we can ensure that the rabbits don’t spread for the next three to five years, that’s enough.”

In three to five years, if the rabbits do spread out and the villagers can’t make money, she wouldn’t mind.

By then, the war would likely be over, and the villagers would blame the family that let the rabbits out, making it hard for them to stay in the village.

This place was not like Huaguo. Village rules and clan regulations were sometimes even more feared than the law by the villagers.

Fan Jin understood Shuiqing’s idea.

Only the old village chief could handle this.

But, “About my mother…”

He started but couldn’t finish.

This time, his elder brother and sister-in-law were clever. They weren’t taking for free but exchanging; they weren’t doing the exchange themselves but having his mother do it, blatantly taking advantage.

Shuiqing smiled, comforting him, “It’s okay, let them exchange.”

They wanted to take advantage? Well, it depended on whose advantage they wanted to take. Not everyone could be taken advantage of.

She would make them fail in their scheme.

Fan Jin’s voice was low, “Shuiqing, they’re not stupid. They know the young ones won’t survive, so they’ll come for the exchange after the rabbits leave the nest.”

He felt apologetic that his mother and elder brother were so calculating, causing Shuiqing to have a troublesome life with him.

“Yes, but their old hens are few, they can’t exchange many rabbits.” Shuiqing didn’t mind.

Parents and relatives couldn’t be chosen. This wasn’t Fan Jin’s fault, and she wouldn’t blame him, nor was there any need to.

Anyway, the rabbits they exchanged for could all be males.