Chapter 97

The village elders, led by the old village head, gathered in front of the rabbit pen at Fan Jin’s house.

The old village head looked at the noticeably plump rabbits and hesitantly remarked, “These rabbits are really well-raised.”

Not just well-raised, they were exceptionally well-raised!

Fan Jin stood nearby with a gentle smile.

These were adult meat rabbits that Shuiqing had bought from the shopping mall, each weighing around seven to eight pounds at the time of sale. It wasn’t that they had raised them particularly well; these rabbits were naturally large.

Old Father Xu clicked his tongue in wonder, “These are as fat as piglets. I’ve caught dozens of rabbits in my time, but I’ve never seen any so plump.”

“Jin, are you raising these for your own consumption or to sell in the city? If the ones that come after are all this fat, it could be quite a profitable venture next year.”

Hearing the elder’s question, Fan Jin replied warmly, “Both to eat and to sell. There are many people in our family, and constantly buying pork costs a lot of money. Raising some chickens, ducks, and rabbits can help the children grow strong. Plus, rabbits eat grass, so there’s no need to spend money on feed. We just cut some vegetables while feeding the cows each day.”

The elderly men present were surprised by Fan Jin’s practical approach to living.

“Do scholars have such agile minds? Even raising rabbits better than others?” they wondered aloud.

“These rabbits are incredibly plump. Once skinned and gutted, there’d still be five or six pounds of meat!” one elder exclaimed.

“Five or six pounds of rabbit meat would fetch a good price in the city, wouldn’t it?” another added.

“Jin, you’re a scholar. Is there something in the books about how to feed rabbits? I once caught some rabbits but couldn’t keep them alive. Those rabbits were only three to five pounds, and once cleaned, there was hardly any meat left.”

Living in the same village, even at a distance, it was impossible to keep secrets. Especially when building a new house, young men in the village had certainly noticed and were probably curious but too polite to ask.

Fan Jin and Shuiqing invited the elders over not only to celebrate moving into their new house but also to openly share their situation. It was better to be upfront rather than have people speculating behind their backs. The elders, being respected and trusted in the village, would spread the word credibly.

Fan Jin organized his thoughts and explained point by point, “It’s not just about raising them well. You see those few small rabbits? They’ve been here for almost a month, yet they’re still thin and small. They likely won’t reach the size of these eight fat ones. When I bought these eight fat rabbits, the vendor said they were meat rabbits from another region, different from our wild rabbits, hence their extra plumpness. He said our local rabbits couldn’t be raised to such a size no matter how well they’re fed. Seeing there were only eight left, I bought them all. Given rabbits’ strong reproductive ability, I thought it would be worth trying to breed them.”

Shuiqing had mentioned that these were indeed meat rabbits, and each could weigh around seven to eight pounds at the time of sale, with the best ones reaching nine pounds!

“Unlike the wild rabbits around here, which can only grow up to five pounds at most, these wild rabbits have to forage all over the mountains, constantly avoiding predators and human hunters, so they’re always on the move. Naturally, they don’t get fat,” Fan Jin explained.

Hearing that these were different breeds, the elders present suddenly understood. No wonder Fan Jin’s rabbits were so much fatter than the ones they had caught in the past!

Once they understood, their eyes were filled with envy. Rabbit meat could sell for over twenty wen per pound in the city. A rabbit this fat could sell for at least a hundred wen, more than an old hen! The rabbit skin could fetch an additional thirty wen.

Rabbits eating grass made them easier to raise than chickens.

The old village head was particularly tempted. His family was large, and there was plenty of wild grass in Shanshui Village. They often complained about the grass sapping nutrients from their crops. If they raised rabbits, they could earn over a hundred wen per rabbit with just the effort of cutting grass. Ten rabbits could bring in more than a tael of silver.

But looking at Fan Jin, who had invited them for a feast, he couldn’t bring himself to ask. He didn’t want to take away someone else’s livelihood.

“Uncles, Shuiqing said she used to raise rabbits when she was a girl. Rabbits aren’t hard to keep. You just need to keep them clean, especially their water and feed. In summer, you feed them fresh grass; in winter, you switch to hay. She said it’s not difficult. If anyone in the village wants to raise them, they can trade old hens for them, by weight,” Fan Jin said naturally.

The old village head and Old Father Xu were stunned. They almost thought they misheard.

Fan Jin’s wife was willing to let them trade for rabbits with old hens?

They looked at each other until the old village head spoke up, “Is that true? Did your wife really say that?”

Fan Jin nodded seriously, “Shuiqing said that we’re all from the same village. If everyone raises rabbits and earns some money, life will get better for everyone in Shanshui Village.”

Shuiqing had said that cultivating medicinal herbs, crops, and raising livestock could all be shared. The market was big, and their primary intention was to provide for themselves, not to make money. If the villagers wanted to raise or plant, it wouldn’t affect them.

However, brewing wine and making brushes should be kept within the family because the demand for these was limited. If everyone jumped in, prices could drop, affecting their profits. As long as the villagers had their own ways to earn money and were well-fed and clothed, they wouldn’t be envious of their family.

“Rabbit meat is more expensive than chicken. If they trade chickens for rabbits, won’t they be losing out?” Fan Qi, Fan Jin’s relative, asked protectively.

The other elders understood too. Rabbits were worth more per pound than chickens, so they would indeed be losing money if they traded.

If anyone in the village, especially those with selfish motives, traded all their chickens for rabbits, Fan Jin’s family could lose a significant amount of money.

Fan Jin smiled, “It doesn’t matter. Chickens grow slowly, and each family doesn’t have many to trade anyway. We won’t lose much.”

Shuiqing had said that the more they traded, the more they would earn. She mentioned that the village’s old hens were authentic farm chickens, laying better eggs than the imported ones she could buy, which were considered high-quality and hard to come by.

The meat rabbits cost only a few yuan per pound in the mall, much less than the price of farm chickens. Shuiqing had said they could trade as many as the villagers wanted!

He didn’t quite understand the significance of authentic farm chickens and eggs, but since Shuiqing said it was profitable, he would go along with it.