After returning from my cultivation journey, I built a farm through fortune telling.

Chapter 40 The Poor Second Senior Brother

The next morning, Bailu, who rarely slept in, was woken up by several loud voices. She pulled the covers over her head, shutting out all her senses, and went back to sleep.

"Little Qin, Brother Jiang—"

In rural areas, the saying "a close neighbor is worse than a distant relative" truly comes to life.

—If anyone needs help, just let us know in advance, and whoever is available will come automatically. Sometimes we don’t need that many people, but it’s more lively with more people!
People love to join in the fun.

Today, there were seven or eight men and women, all of whom had a good relationship with Qin Xiubaijiang.

"Hey, the water's boiled! We've come just in time!"

Qin Xiu came out to greet us, carrying a plate of sliced ​​fruit: "You're here so early! Come, come, have some fruit. Lulu and the others bought some pineapple. She said it's so sweet, they didn't even need to use salt water to kill the sweetness!"

"If you don't kill it with salt water, it's not a pineapple, it's a pineapple!"

The speaker was Li Dajiao, the neighbor on the left side of Bailu's old house.

The land in front of Bailu's house belongs to her family.

Actually, saying that rural areas are simple and honest isn't entirely true. Look, Li Dajiao and Qin Xiu get along very well in the village. They are card partners and play cards together every day. Sometimes, when they feel like it, they even bake pancakes and cakes together.

But when it comes to the two trees on the land in front of the house, they won't budge an inch, claiming that the old man in the family doesn't want to.

But that doesn't stop them from visiting each other's homes.

Li Dajiao said, "Simin brought me a box of pineapples when she went home for the New Year. I have to say, they are really better than the local pineapples. They even make pineapple preserves and dried pineapple! But the dried pineapple is not good, it's too sweet!"

But despite saying that, her tone was full of pride. When people reach their age, they all love to compare their children. Qin Xiu was envious of the necklace that Bai Simin bought for Li Dajiao. She kept telling Bai Lu how filial Bai Simin was!

"Then I must try it and see how delicious it is—mmm!"

The short and chubby Wang Shun poked a piece with a toothpick, and with one bite, the juice burst in his mouth. The fresh aroma of pineapple filled his taste buds. The flesh was crisp and tender, with a delicate texture, and a sweet and sour taste.

This sourness doesn't make you frown; instead, it balances the sweetness, making the taste more refreshing.

"It's absolutely delicious! I guarantee it, this is definitely the best pineapple I've ever eaten in my life, no, the best fruit ever, bar none!!!"

As he spoke, he poked out another piece, and another!
Li Dajiao laughed at his dog-like scrambling for food, saying, "How many kinds of fruit have you even eaten?"

As she spoke, she picked up a toothpick and poked at a piece, then her eyes lit up, and she became even more eager than Wang Shun.

"Hey, hey, hey! What are you two doing? Eating all by yourself? Leave some for me!"

Seeing that they were grabbing it like it was something, the others also wanted to try some. In the end, the plate of pineapple was devoured in less than two minutes, but everyone still felt unsatisfied and looked at Qin Xiu with longing eyes.

Qin Xiu didn't expect this to happen, but there was no candy or cookies left in the house, and the only things left in the refrigerator besides eggs were these two pineapples.

Although Bai Chen told her not to touch his two pineapples, she thought that since he came to help, she should at least offer him something as a treat. He couldn't just come and drink water!

So she cut up both pineapples. Each pineapple weighed several pounds, and the two pieces made up a huge plate, but she didn't get to eat a single piece.

Qin Xiu savored the fresh aroma of the pineapple when she cut it, secretly regretting that she hadn't eaten a piece.

"Um, I'll ask Chenchen to buy some more, Bai Chen—"

Everyone opened their mouths, but in the end, no one spoke. Thinking of the taste of the pineapple they had just tasted, they didn't even say the most basic "No, no."

Bai Chen, rubbing his sleepy eyes, came downstairs. Hearing Qin Xiu's explanation and looking at the empty plate, he almost burst into tears—

Lao Tzu's spiritual fruit, fruit, fruit!

That spendthrift old woman!

Do you know what you're giving away?
This pineapple was grown by Bai Lu using a pineapple top he found by the roadside. He had a sudden inspiration that if wild vegetables could be grown, wild fruits could too!

And so this magical pineapple was born!
He put them in the refrigerator so he could eat them today!

He ate it, but it wasn't him who ate it!

He gave Qin Xiu countless instructions...

I'm so angry!
But he couldn't get angry!

It's unacceptable for someone to come to his house to help with chores and for him to be so stingy as to not even let them eat two pineapples!

But this is a spiritual fruit!

None of the three siblings had a single bite! I wonder if their parents even got to try any!
Dear uncles, aunts, and great-uncles, you're all going to live a few months longer for no reason! Aren't you happy?

His heart was bleeding!

Under everyone's gaze, Bai Chen silently picked out the pineapple head that Qin Xiu had cut off and thrown into the trash can.

It's okay, it's okay, his older sister is home!

We can just plant more.

Hum!
Distracted by Bai Chen, everyone snapped out of their reverie and hurriedly said, albeit insincerely, "Don't go, don't go, it's too much trouble. Um—where did you buy this pineapple?"

"I ran into a fruit vendor on my way back from Yangcheng and bought some fruit there."

Bai Chen carefully placed the two precious pineapple heads away and replied, meaning he didn't know where the fruit seller was now either.

He discussed with Bailu that they would keep the price of their produce a secret from the village for as long as possible.

The village appears peaceful and harmonious on the surface, but can you imagine?
—The egret family left a hoe outside their door, and it would disappear the next day. They threw away everything that was left outside, including trash cans and chicken feeders.

I can't imagine the sensation their wild vegetables, sold for 31 jin each, would cause in the village.

That's not the scariest thing. The scariest thing is if they follow suit and can't sell at the same price as us, then the sky will fall.

He was certain that his family would never have peace again.

Unless, of course, their family has grown so large that they are not afraid of being sabotaged.

Li Dajiao said, "That's a real pity, Chenchen. Remember to leave your phone number next time you see it. Such delicious fruit, I would buy it even if it's three or four yuan more expensive than at the fruit shop."

In their subconscious, fruit stalls are naturally cheaper than fruit shops, but if they're willing to buy fruit from fruit stalls even if it's more expensive, then they're really willing to spend money.

That's how Li Dajiao talks, she just keeps going on and on.

Bai Chen responded with "Okay, okay," without saying anything else, and even his expression was well controlled.

Wang Shun then called out to the group, "Let's go, let's herd the pigs!"

He drove a pickup truck, and in the truck bed was an iron pig cage exactly the same as the one Boss Zhu brought when weighing the pigs.

He drove, Qin Xiu sat in the passenger seat, and the other three people sat in the back of the truck, carrying the iron pig cage, and bumped along to Bai Lu's pig farm.

Bai Jiang was feeding the pig. This poor pig, destined for slaughter, hadn't eaten a thing since last night and was howling with hunger. It grunted and whimpered at Bai Jiang, constantly nudging the iron bars with its snout, but to no avail. How cruel he was! The pig was about to be slaughtered, and he wouldn't even let it have a proper meal before it went its way!

So it refused to cooperate. Even when the iron fence was opened, it cowered in the corner and didn't move. Qin Xiu was so angry that she broke a bamboo pole.

Bai Jiang couldn't hold back any longer: "Can't you have a little patience? If you keep yelling and screaming like that, you'll scare it again! Then the pork won't taste good!"

This is a saying passed down from the older generation: if a pig is frightened, it will affect the taste of the meat.

I don't know if there's any scientific basis for it.

But it just doesn't seem realistic. After all, when a knife goes in and comes out, which pig wouldn't be scared?

In the end, Bai Jiang took a handful of feed and scattered it sparsely on the ground. While it was eating on the ground, he swung down a thick stick and hit the pig's head!

Pigsy exploded!
It shook its pig head, its hooves dangling in the air, and cried out.

It never expected that its human would sneak up on it while it was eating!
It hurts!
It kept backing away as it saw the wooden stick in Bai Jiang's hand, and even the food on the ground no longer tasted good!

Mom, my head hurts so much!
The second pig's cries were so heart-wrenching that they made all the other pigs in the farm panic and start squealing along with it.

The entire pig farm was filled with the pitiful screams of pigs.

The second senior brother looked at Bai Jiang with his big, bright eyes in fear, and then watched as the thick wooden stick got closer and closer. The next second, he felt a sharp pain in his head, his eyes rolled back, and he fainted.

"You hit me so hard, you might have killed me!"

Qin Xiu quickly went over to check on her and found that she had just fainted.

After all, pigs taste better when they are bled. If you kill a pig by knocking it to death, you have to go back and bleed it quickly.

They dragged the pig outside, and the four men waiting outside each lifted it onto the truck by one leg. They hadn't expected to knock the pig unconscious right there; the iron pig cage had gotten in the way.

"This pig is indeed a bit thin!"

Wang Shun clapped his hands and said.

Lin Wei, who was standing nearby, added, "But it's just right for us to eat!"

The pig weighs over 200 pounds, neither too fat nor too lean, and tastes delicious!

They never hire anyone to slaughter pigs in their village, because everyone in the village is skilled at it. For example, Bai Jiang, while not quite good enough to be a pig butcher for others, is more than capable of doing it himself when he's cooking for his own family, where the "butcher's skill" doesn't apply.

While the pig was unconscious, Bai Jiang hung it upside down. Qin Xiu took a large basin, sprinkled some salt, added some water, and placed it under the pig's neck. Bai Jiang then crudely and simply stabbed the pig's carotid artery in the neck—

The steaming pig's blood splattered onto Bai Jiang's body and face. He chuckled and said, "I'm out of practice. I didn't find the right angle."

The scene was quite bloody, but everyone present was used to it. Qin Xiu kept muttering, "What a waste, what a waste."

She pried open the pig's neck and poked the small hole with the knife, causing the blood that had been stagnant to gush into the basin.

The bleeding process must be controlled within two minutes. If it takes too long, the pig will wake up before it is completely dead, just like the chicken that Qin Xiu slaughtered.

However, if the timing is right, pigs will not feel pain when they are bled, nor will they wake up when they regain consciousness.

A basin was filled with pig's blood. When the blood started to drip, Qin Xiucai took the basin away. Li Dajiao came out carrying a pot of boiling water, saying, "Excuse me! Excuse me! Be careful not to get burned!"

The best way to scald pig hair is with hot water around 60℃. Scald it for four or five minutes, and the pig hair can be easily scraped off. But this temperature can't be measured with a thermometer; it all depends on Baijiang's experience.

Bai Lu woke up and looked down from the balcony. Bai Jiang had already started butchering pig's trotters. A basin of bloody offal was placed next to him. Qin Xiu picked through the basin, picking out the pig's liver, heart, and intestines.

Pig liver and heart are easy to handle, but pig intestines are the best part of pig offal congee. The "powder" inside absolutely cannot be completely washed away; it's the "powder" that makes it the freshest and sweetest.

However, when buying pigs at the market, you should still take a closer look, since some pigs may have parasites inside them!

Just imagine……

Don't dare to think, don't dare to think!

Seeing that Bai Lu had gotten up, Bai Chen went upstairs.

He has now made it a habit to meditate whenever he has free time.

He sat on the floor, feeling the coolness from the tiles, and listened to the voices of people downstairs. He thought today would be like before, fruitless, but suddenly, he "saw" colorful stars!

He knows exactly what this is!

The egrets on the balcony seemed to sense something too. Looking at Bai Chen through the window, they were quite pleased, thinking that he had finally made some progress.

"sister--"

Bai Wei walked over, yawning. She passed by Bai Chen's house and saw his door open, with him meditating and cultivating. She exclaimed, "Bai Chen, you guys are so diligent it scares me! Are you secretly working hard to amaze everyone?"

Bai Chen naturally wouldn't agree to her, but Bai Lu gave her a flick on the forehead: "Use your pig brain to take a good look, Bai Chen succeeded!"

Bai Wei: "..."

There is a saying that says——

One's own failure is certainly terrible, but a friend's success is even more heartbreaking!
The same applies to siblings!

The strained relationship between the siblings made Bai Wei feel a strong sense of crisis. Without combing her hair or washing her face, she went back to her room to seclude herself.

"Sister-in-law Jiang!"

Just then, a clear female voice came from downstairs: "My mom said Lulu went home. Is she home now?"

Qin Xiu: "Oh, it's Xiaoxiao, the big star! What brings you back? -- She's here! Lulu!! Xiaoxiao came to play with you!"

Xiaoxiao?

The egret remembered.

Bai Xiao is Bai Lu's best friend of the same age, who grew up together. They are from the same village and clan, but Bai Xiao is several generations older than Bai Lu; she is of the same generation as Bai Lu's grandfather.

She only called Bai Jiang and Qin Xiu "brother" and "sister-in-law" out of respect for them, but actually Bai Jiang and Qin Xiu should call her "Aunt Xiao"!

And the egret should call her great-aunt!
They went to the same primary, middle and high schools, only their universities were different. She stayed in Jiang Province and attended a university in Dongcheng, while Bai Xiao went to the capital.

Bai Lu studied design, while Bai Xiao studied acting. Although it wasn't a prestigious school, it's worth mentioning that Bai Xiao is now a teacher with her own works!
At this moment, Bai Xiao feigned coquettishness and said, "Oh dear! Aunt Jiang! I'm not a big star, I'm a little princess!"

Egret: "..."

She hasn't thought of her at all these days since she came back. They're the perfect example of "plastic besties"!
The essay was written for the Sanqingshan competition, but the author is not from Jiangxi and is not very familiar with the seasons there, so it was written according to the local Guangdong seasons!

Also, I'd like to ask you, dear readers, do you like this slow-paced style?

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(End of this chapter)