They've all separated, so what does it matter to me if they get poorer and poorer?

Chapter 7: Now that my injuries have healed, I'm ready to get back to work.

After dealing with the chickens, there are still two pigs left.

From now on, they will be blessed too.

Xu Zhichun quickly heated half a pot of water, poured two large ladles of hot water into the pig feed bucket and stirred it, then sprinkled two handfuls of fish bone powder on top. He carried it to the edge of the pigpen and poured it into the pig trough.

Two piglets, which looked to weigh about thirty pounds each, opened their big, dark eyes, looked at her, and then came running over, drawn by the scent.

As soon as they entered the mouth, oh dear, they immediately jostled and squealed as they fought over the food.

Xu Zhichun smiled with satisfaction.

The good times are just beginning!

We'll ensure they have a feast every day, fattening them up and making sure they all get enough fat and lay eggs.

After destroying all the evidence, Xu Zhichun boiled water and prepared to cook dinner.

Liang Mingxuan returned shortly after. Xu Zhichun quickly stepped forward to help him put the basket down.

"This is a bit too heavy, carry less next time."

Xu Zhichun didn't say anything about not letting him go in the future. The two of them, uncle and sister-in-law, still had a long life ahead of them. A little kindness is appreciated, but too much kindness breeds resentment. Although this child didn't seem like a heartless person, who knew? She couldn't spoil him and raise him to be a bad person. She wouldn't refuse him if he was willing to do the housework within his ability.

When everyone in the family contributes, life will get better and better.

Liang Mingxuan shook his head: "It's alright, sister-in-law. It's not far. I just cut some pig feed at the village entrance."

As he spoke, he grabbed a large bundle of pig feed and threw it into the pigpen. He then chopped up two large handfuls, put them in a chicken feed scoop, mixed them with two handfuls of rice bran, and poured them into the chicken feed trough.

Seeing how skillfully he did it, Xu Zhichun smiled, went to the backyard, carried a bundle of firewood into the house, and prepared to cook dinner.

Liang Mingxuan came in, somewhat puzzled: "Sister-in-law, why aren't our chickens eating much today?"

Xu Zhichun thought to herself, "Of course I won't eat anymore since I'm full."

"They probably found something to eat outside and are full."

"Yeah, I guess so."

Liang Mingxuan suddenly realized and nodded in agreement.

Xu Zhichun laughed and said, "Never mind them. You're covered in sweat. Go take a shower, or you'll get sick. I'll cook right away."

Upon hearing that he was likely to fall ill, Liang Mingxuan immediately went obediently.

My sister-in-law is still recovering from her injury and needs to eat good food to nourish her body. He can't get sick, otherwise it will cost money again.

After sending the children away, Xu Zhichun took out half a chicken from the warehouse, removed two pieces of chicken breast meat, cut them into small pieces, and used them to stir-fry shredded radish.

The chicken was leftover from lunch, so I cut it into shreds and mixed it with stir-fried vegetables. The kids don't even know how much of it there was.

She took out more than thirty eggs and put them into the small jar she kept in her room. There were already about twenty eggs in there, all laid by the chickens at home.

Every month, peddlers would come to the village in oxcarts to collect eggs, three for two coins, or you could exchange the eggs for small items such as needles, thread, cloth scraps, handkerchiefs, and maltose.

I glanced at the rice container and there was still about half a container of rice left.

Xu Zhichun simply took out a 20-jin bag of ordinary rice from the warehouse and poured it in, filling it almost completely.

There were trash cans next to the warehouse; she could just throw the packaging bags in, and they would automatically disappear without her noticing. This much rice would last the uncle and aunt about a month.

A month later, she should have earned her first pot of gold.

Tonight I'll make another stir-fried egg with chives, and then make a soup with tender bok choy.

Two dishes and a soup, a balanced meal of meat and vegetables, all set.

After taking a shower, Liang Mingxuan and his sister-in-law ate dinner before the sun went down.

Before Liang Mingxuan could ask, Xu Zhichun smiled and offered an explanation: "There are still a few pieces of chicken left, so I'll just cut them into shreds and stir-fry them. We both need to eat something nourishing. Chives and eggs are also a good option. Let's eat!"

Liang Mingxuan nodded: "Thank you for your hard work, sister-in-law."

His sister-in-law used to be taciturn, rarely speaking more than a few words to him in a day, but he knew she cared about him. Now that she had narrowly escaped death, her perspective had probably changed, or perhaps the shock of her brother's death had altered her. But in his heart, she was still his sister-in-law.

After resting for three more days, Xu Zhichun felt much better.

Well, in these three days, she killed another chicken and took out another fish-shaped one from her spatial storage to pass it off as the real thing. The uncle and aunt had a good meal together for several days.

The child's complexion has improved considerably.

Xu Zhichun felt a great sense of accomplishment. From now on, he would boil four eggs in plain water every day, two for himself. He couldn't afford to neglect nutrition; he needed to get his body back in shape.

Three days later, after having breakfast, Liang Mingxuan went to the private school in the neighboring Quanshan Village.

Liang Mingxiang from the eldest branch of the family also went to school, but not in Quanshan Village. Instead, he boarded at a school in the county town and would only return to the village for two days at the end of each month.

Therefore, Zhang had repeatedly bragged in front of Xu Zhichun, showing off and looking down on the old scholar from the next village, saying that he was no match for the school in the city. She said that her son Mingxiang had won from the very beginning and had outshone Liang Mingxuan.

She then stirred up trouble in front of Liang Mingxuan, saying that Xu Zhichun, as the eldest sister-in-law, was doing it on purpose, that she was unwilling to spend money, did not want him to have any future, and was deliberately trying to cheat him.

She even encouraged Liang Mingxuan to ask the village head for the money Liang Minglang had given him, patting her chest and guaranteeing that as long as there was money, she could have Mingxiang take him to the school in the county town, which would be much more prestigious and better than attending a private school in the neighboring village.

Fortunately, although Liang Mingxuan was young, he was very discerning and knew exactly who was good to him and who was bad to him. He did not listen to Zhang's instigation.

Otherwise, Xu Zhichun would be heartbroken, and the family would have been in chaos long ago.

Liang Mingxuan went to school, and Xu Zhichun fed the chickens and pigs at home, then went up the mountain for a walk with a basket on his back.

Although the rice has been planted, there are still more than two acres of dry land at home that have only been half dug up and have not yet been planted.

In previous years, we planted soybeans, peanuts, and taro, and we would also plant a few pumpkins, winter melons, and white gourds in the corners.

In early winter, you can harvest a few winter melons and pumpkins. When the white melons are old, you can cut them open to get the pulp, and when they are still tender, you can stir-fry them.

Taro is kept at home to eat in winter, and soybeans and peanuts are also kept to be mixed with rice as a staple food.

This way, a lot of money can be saved from selling the rice.

When Liang Mingxuan went to school, everything cost money: writing brushes, ink, paper, books, tuition, clothes, and shoes. While clothes and shoes could be bought cheaper, the rest were quite expensive. A regular writing brush cost seventy or eighty coins, and a ream of ordinary paper cost forty coins. A book was even more exorbitant; a copy of the *Three Character Classic* cost five qian of silver.

This year, Xu Zhichun doesn't plan to plant soybeans and peanuts; instead, he plans to plant sweet potatoes and potatoes. Of course, these two crops are currently sitting in the warehouse and haven't been harvested yet.

It goes without saying that potatoes are a treasure trove of benefits. Sweet potatoes are not only delicious, but their vines can also continue to grow after being cut, making them perfect for feeding pigs and chickens. The tender shoots can also be picked and stir-fried.

She needs to find a reason to bring them to the market.

(End of this chapter)