Chapter 479: The Peasant Girl’s Splendid Manor
Chapter 479: Meeting (1)
On ordinary days, Aunt Tong and her family of three find it challenging to manage the orchard. Now with over a thousand chickens released into the orchard, their three pairs of hands simply can't keep up.
The majority of the released chickens are egg-laying hens. Mo Yan didn't want these hens to be neglected and stop laying eggs due to poor care, so she invited four reputable elder women from the village to help with feeding.
These four women were all around forty-five years old, already grandmothers. With sufficient manpower at home and no need to work in the fields, they usually handle household chores and take care of children, thus having more free time. Now, feeding Mo's chickens, collecting eggs, and cleaning the chicken coops would earn them four hundred wen of wages per month. This good opportunity made them very happy, and they readily agreed, afraid that if they hesitated, Mo Yan would find someone else.
Upon hearing this, other elderly women in the village were incredibly envious. They discreetly approached friends like Cai shi, Zhou shi, Xiong shi, who had a good relationship with Mo's family, expressing their willingness to help at the chicken farm and asking them to inquire if more help was needed.
Being fellow villagers, Cai shi and the others couldn't easily refuse such a request. They went to Mo's house to inquire, but did not leverage their relationship to demand anything from Mo Yan.
Mo Yan understood these women's intentions. Although the chicken farm didn't need so many people, she politely declined, explaining that if the chicken farm operated well and expanded in the future, she would consider hiring more help.
The elder women weren't embarrassed by this refusal; on the contrary, they hoped Mo's chicken farm would thrive. After all, wouldn't that mean more opportunities for them?
Two days later, the puppy from Zhou shi's family turned one month old. Mo Yan took a big rooster as a thank-you gift to their house and returned with five little puppies in a bamboo basket.
The five puppies had three different coat colors: two with white coats and black spots, two with black coats and white spots, and one in a sandy yellow color. Perhaps due to their mother dog not getting enough nutritious food or having insufficient milk, the puppies looked thin and weak despite being a month old. They were palm-sized, emitting soft whimpering sounds that made them seem fragile, as if a little force could end their lives.
These adorable little creatures brought great joy to the girls in the house. Each one held onto a puppy tightly, reluctant to let go, and hurriedly fed them when they whimpered.
Since the puppies had just turned one month old and couldn't eat hard food yet, they could only be fed with porridge or soup, avoiding anything too meaty. Once they grew a bit bigger, feeding them would be easier.
Since they were meant to guard against yellow weasels, these five puppies couldn't be too weak. If they were raised in the usual way, they wouldn't stand a chance against yellow weasels. To maximize their potential, Mo Yan would occasionally add a few drops of spirit spring water to their bowls during feeding. Since the puppies were still young, giving them too much at once could be fatal, so she had to proceed slowly.
The three beasts weren't so friendly. Da Bai was fine; it was always aloof, seeing the little puppies as insignificant ants and simply ignoring them. Xiao Hua, on the other hand, bared its teeth as soon as it saw them, as if it wanted to devour them all in one bite. It wasn't entirely the little one's fault for being so "ferocious"—perhaps these little fellows missed their dog mom too much. The first time they saw Xiao Hua, they mistook it for their mom and bounced over, searching under its belly with little mouths puckering as they sought milk.
At that moment, Da Bai and Mao Tuan were both present, witnessing this scene and harshly howling as if mocking Xiao Hua. One being the "wolf" in the heart, and the other the "little brother," such an embarrassing situation was witnessed on the spot, which made Xiao Hua simply go mad with anger. If it weren't for Mo Yan's timely prevention, the little fellows would have been hard pressed to escape the wolf's mouth.
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