TSWPF – Chapter 48 Decision

No need to go out to stall anymore. Li Qingling hired people to make some mud bricks and built a chicken pen to raise chickens.

It didn’t take long for the villagers to find out, and their hearts were full of jealousy — she was raising so many chickens.

Li Qingling didn’t know any of that. She stayed at home, focusing on tending the chicks. The chickens grew and started laying eggs — a tidy sum of money — so she couldn’t be careless.

That morning, after feeding the chicks, she grabbed a hoe and headed for the field to check on the potatoes she’d planted.

Just as she stepped out the door she ran into Aunt Huang. Li Qingling smiled and called out, “Aunt Huang.”

Aunt Huang froze for a moment when she saw Li Qingling, only coming back to herself when Li Qingling greeted her. “Xiao Ling, are you going to the field?”

Li Qingling nodded. “Mm, going to the field to take a look.” She paused, then added, “I actually planned to go to your place after I checked the field — but since you came, no need for me to bother you.” Now that she was cooperating with Fumanlou, she no longer needed to sell eggs door-to-door. She felt she ought to tell Aunt Huang.

Aunt Huang rubbed her hands together and, with a forced smile, asked what Li Qingling wanted.

Li Qingling didn’t beat around the bush. She said simply, “I just wanted to tell you we won’t be going out to stall any more, so you don’t need to collect eggs anymore.”

At those words Aunt Huang’s face stiffened. She forced a smile and asked, “Why won’t you go out anymore? Business is bad?” She’d heard people whispering that Li Qingling had bought many chicks and had also heard they weren’t setting up a stall — something didn’t feel right, so she’d come to see what was going on.

Her worry came true. Sigh…

She’d only just tasted a little profit and never expected it to vanish so quickly.

To avoid trouble, Li Qingling didn’t tell Aunt Huang the whole truth. She lowered her eyes and spoke vaguely, “Business can be hard to predict, and with Brother Zhimou’s and my ages and no real family roots here, well…” She trailed off and let Aunt Huang fill in the rest.

Sure enough, after hearing Li Qingling’s words and reading her expression, pity showed in Aunt Huang’s eyes. She offered comfort, “Xiao Ling, don’t be sad. If the stall’s gone, it’s gone. If you tend the fields at home well, you won’t starve.” Business isn’t something you can just do on a whim, she said.

Li Qingling hummed in agreement and said a few more words, then Aunt Huang left.

As soon as Aunt Huang was gone Li Qingling breathed a sigh of relief. That news would soon spread around the village — but that was good; people wouldn’t keep watching their household so closely.

They had no grown-ups at home; being too conspicuous wasn’t a good thing.

Better to keep a low profile…

Li Qingling smiled faintly, shouldered the hoe and went to the field. The potatoes looked good; she used the hoe to dig around.

When she unearthed a potato bigger than her fist, she couldn’t help squinting with delight.

These potatoes were growing so quickly — it had to be because of her spirit water; otherwise they wouldn’t have grown so fast.

This spirit water really was a marvelous thing…

Heaven had been kind to her, giving her such a golden finger.

She dug up a few more potatoes, inspected the field and, finding nothing wrong, carried the hoe home.

First she went to the Liu household. As soon as she stepped in she took out the potatoes and showed the kids, “Look, I dug up something nice. Tonight I can make you something delicious — something you’ve never eaten.”

The children hadn’t eaten potatoes before; Li Qingling could make a few unfamiliar dishes and they’d be so tasty they’d almost swallow their tongues.

At the mention of food the kids swallowed hard. They trusted Li Qingling’s cooking completely.

“Sister, what is this?” Li Qingfeng picked up a potato, turning it over in his hands. He was sure he’d never seen anything like it. “Can you really eat this?” He felt a little silly asking — his sister knew so much, if she said it was edible, it must be.

Liu Zhimou also picked up a potato and glanced at Li Qingling. “This is the thing you planted before — the one called ‘potato’?” He hadn’t expected such a small thing to grow so large.

Li Qingling smiled and nodded. She hadn’t eaten potatoes in a long time and felt a pang of longing.

“Tonight I’ll cook you a potato stewed with chicken — it’s really delicious.” The thought of the potato dishes made her mouth water. “Aren’t there two roosters at home? They’re always fighting, hurting each other. For the sake of peace at home, let’s slaughter one and eat it, alright?” Two dominant roosters can’t live together; they constantly fight, leaving one battered or the other injured. If they keep both, one day both might die. Better to slaughter one and keep the other to breed.

Whenever food was involved, the children had no objections — they nodded at whatever Li Qingling decided.

Seeing the kids couldn’t decide for themselves, Li Qingling looked to Liu Zhimou to see what he thought.

Liu Zhimou shrugged with a smile. “I agree with the kids.” His appetite had long been won over by Li Qingling’s cooking; he never objected to her suggestions.

With the vote passed, Li Qingling wasted no time — she invited Liu Zhimou to help catch the rooster.

A few children wanted to tag along, but Li Qingling glanced back and said, “That rooster’s fierce. Aren’t you afraid it’ll peck your butt?” A particularly aggressive rooster loves to bully children; once it chased and pecked Liu Zhiyan’s backside, scaring him badly.

Fearing injury, Liu Zhiyan instinctively clutched his behind and shook his head, saying he wouldn’t go.

After being pecked in the rear one not only looks foolish but it’s really painful — he refused that suffering.

Liu Zhiyan didn’t go. Li Qingfeng and Liu Zhirou also shook their heads and declined.

“Good,” Li Qingling said, then she and Liu Zhimou went to the backyard.

“Aren’t you afraid it’ll peck me?” Liu Zhimou asked as they neared.

Li Qingling stared at the aggressive rooster without looking back. “You’re not a child — the rooster won’t bully you. Besides, I’m here. What’s there to fear?” While she spoke, she stepped into the chicken pen.

Liu Zhimou’s eyes glinted with amusement and he quickly followed into the pen.

“We’ll catch this one — it’s too vicious and keeps tormenting the children,” Li Qingling said, pointing at the rooster that strutted and crowed. “You go over there, I’ll be on this side. We’ll surround it.”

Liu Zhimou agreed and took his position on the other side.

It took them nearly half an hour to finally capture it.

Li Qingling held the rooster by its wings and spat out a few feathers stuck to her lips. “Finally caught it.” It had taken a tremendous effort.

Wiping sweat from his forehead, Liu Zhimou nodded — catching that rooster had been a workout.

“Go boil the water and prepare to kill it.” Li Qingling walked to the front yard like a victorious general, dragging the struggling rooster. Liu Zhimou followed behind, smiling silently.

Li Qingling was skilled at slaughtering chickens and didn’t need Liu Zhimou’s help. In a few swift motions she had the rooster killed, set the blood aside and dropped the carcass to one side.

Ah Huang rushed over excitedly and lunged forward, trying to bite the rooster.

Li Qingling scolded in time, “Ah Huang, don’t.” If Ah Huang ate it they’d have nothing to eat. “Not now — we’ll eat it tonight. Go sit over there.” She made a frightening face and pointed at Ah Huang.

Ah Huang halted, pitifully looked at Li Qingling, made a sound and sulked off to sit nearby, eyes fixed on the rooster until drool nearly dripped from its mouth.

Ashamed of Ah Huang, Li Qingling glanced away and looked at Liu Zhimou boiling the water. “Ah Huang’s getting bigger, keeping him at home feels wrong. Better to send him back — he’s a king of the mountain and should return to the wild.” If they kept him penned, he’d lose his hunting instincts. That wouldn’t be good for him.

Liu Zhimou looked back at Ah Huang and agreed. “Then we should find time to send him back to Song Mountain. He was born in Song Mountain and should return there.” Still, sending Ah Huang away would surely upset the children.

Ah Huang seemed to understand Li Qingling and Liu Zhimou. It made two little sounds at Li Qingling, and when she ignored it, it came over and nibbled at her pant leg.

Li Qingling crouched down, hugged Ah Huang’s big head, and patiently explained, “Pouting won’t help. I won’t give in. After a while I’ll send you back — you must go. No arguments.” Her tone was resolute. It was for his own good; he was growing and needed more raw meat than they could afford, and they also worried the villagers might notice him, which would put him in danger.

Ah Huang nudged Li Qingling, then turned away in a huff and went to seek comfort from the kids.

Li Qingling shook her head helplessly. She was reluctant to part with Ah Huang too, but she had to be firm.

She sighed, stood up, and when the water boiled she ladled it into a basin and dunked the rooster to scald it, rolling it twice before taking it out.

Scalding makes feathers come off easily; she quickly cleaned the rooster.

She told Liu Zhimou to peel the potatoes while she chopped the rooster into pieces.