Chapter 180: Chapter 180

While Gong Qiang and Gong Zheng, the two brothers, were trading blows over ginseng, Gong Tao was busy doing various things at home.

For instance, he was tying up the chickens, quails, sheep, and pigs he had previously taken to Aunt Wang’s house, bringing them home one by one, creating quite a lively scene.

Since the previous sheds had all been dismantled, they naturally needed to be set up again.

Before, due to a lack of proper planning and not anticipating raising so many poultry, they had simply fenced off any open space available.

"Alright, it’s time for you the carpenter to coordinate." Zhao Gang appreciated having a carpenter in the house; at least some basic tasks could be undertaken by someone.

Gong Tao said that these were not problems at all, "I want to make a multi-tiered coop for the quails, so more of them can be raised. Otherwise, having them scattered on the ground is a hassle."

And expanding production wasn’t possible either; spring was a season when hunting wasn’t allowed, so if there were no meat reserves, the quails could fill in. Although they didn’t have much meat, their numbers could provide a decent meat supplement.

Especially since, not long after quails hatch, they start laying eggs — generally, three-month-old quails become slightly aged, so old quails neither get eaten nor do they lay eggs.

Wang Dazhu also came to help; he was Aunt Wang’s only son who had just gotten married before the Spring Festival, and his wife was newly pregnant.

With Wang Dazhu’s assistance, all the hens, pigs, and sheep were quickly returned to their designated places. As for the quails, needing a newly planned space, they remained at Aunt Wang’s house for a few more days.

Zhao Gang felt truly embarrassed, having initially said only to borrow space for a few days, but never anticipating such a delay.

"It’s nothing, really," said Wang Dazhu, expressing he was the one who should feel embarrassed. If not for Zhan Jing, whether his mother would still be around was questionable.

However, recalling what his wife had mentioned earlier, Wang Dazhu was somewhat at a loss for words.

Being an honest fella, Wang Dazhu’s sudden silence was quickly noticed by Zhao Gang, "What’s the matter?"

Having known Wang Dazhu for so long, Zhao Gang had never seen him so troubled.

Gong Ruini was also joyfully bustling about today, while she didn’t have to do any heavy labor, she was happy to handle simple chores like tea and water delivery.

All in all, with the thought of their first earnings nearing, Gong Ruini felt a wave of joy. Looking at the noisy chickens and pigs, she felt no impatience at all, since they were as good as piles of Grandpa Mao bills — on the contrary, now there wasn’t any hundred-dollar bill, but loads of unity notes.

While they weren’t golden chickens, they were approximately similar to golden chickens.

So she found Wang Dazhu’s dumb silence quite strange. This guy, if he needed something, he should speak up quickly; couldn’t he see they were about to get busy?

Since it seemed like something bothersome, Gong Ruini figured it might have something to do with quails, considering no one else in the village was raising them — everyone showed little interest in such tiny creatures.

After all, they offered little meat and counted against quotas, but that wasn’t an issue at Aunt Wang’s since their house was far from the village. By being cautious, nothing would get leaked.

However, this family was rather decent. Even if they need quails, they could just ask. Even if they stealthily took a few quails, who would notice?

The number of quails was so large that no one would bother counting them all.

Wang Dazhu thought for a long time before deciding to speak his mind, just as Aunt Wang hurried over, "Don’t say a word."

Aunt Wang glared at Wang Dazhu fiercely, "Come home with me."

Aunt Wang was furious, realizing that in the times she hadn’t been paying attention, her daughter-in-law had been encouraging her son to speak up. Thᴇ link to the origɪn of this information rᴇsts ɪn novel⚑fire.net

Under the stern eye of Aunt Wang, Wang Dazhu could only comply obediently. Though his wife was important, he was more concerned about his mother’s health.

Zhao Gang, no matter how slow he might be, noticed something amiss and grabbed Wang Dazhu, "What’s up?"

Aunt Wang stared daggers at Wang Dazhu, who dared not speak and could only shake his head, insisting nothing was wrong.

If it weren’t for Aunt Wang’s prior demand to keep silent, Zhao Gang would truly believe nothing was wrong. But now he wouldn’t be fooled, "Go ahead, what’s the matter?"

"Let Dazhu speak," Zhao Gang remarked, knowing that Aunt Wang wouldn’t willingly trouble others — it was often minor matters. Yet the old lady was so stubborn that Zhao Gang felt quite helpless.

No matter how Zhao Gang questioned, Wang Dazhu kept saying nothing was wrong, leaving Zhao Gang at a loss, uncertain how to persuade him.

"Does Uncle Dazhu want some quails, the little ones?" Sigh, this mother and son were quite pitiful; with Aunt Wang’s frail health, their family was also struggling.

Wang Dazhu was quite old by the time he married his wife, Miao Cuilan, who was also a pitiful orphan with no parents, and her health wasn’t great either.

Although he occasionally went hunting, it appeared that the game was often bartered for money to pay off debt.

Given their pitiful circumstances coupled with being neighbors, especially in this urgent situation when they readily took in so many poultry and looked after them well, it truly warranted a gesture of kindness.

Gong Ruini knew even though Zhao Gang and they hadn’t mentioned it yet, once things settled down, they’d surely express their gratitude, so since Wang Dazhu had this idea, they might as well lend a hand.

Wang Dazhu was startled by Gong Ruini’s words, astonished that such a little girl could see through his intentions. He was immediately embarrassed — had he been so obvious?

Seeing Wang Dazhu not denying it, Zhao Gang said, "Is that all? No worries, do you want some quails or eggs, and then hatch them yourself?"

While the quails could hatch eggs on their own, their efficiency was slower in winter. Having mastered quail hatching techniques, one could entirely manage on their own, speeding up egg production.

"These creatures reproduce quickly, Aunt Wang. Whether you bring it up or not, I was going to mention it myself," Zhao Gang had long observed the Wang family, thinking they were good people.

Miao Cuihua was a fellow villager, well-known to all. Most importantly, they had no relatives in the village, living alone far from others; otherwise, they wouldn’t reside in isolation.

Given they were neighbors, and with a good environment, Zhao Gang thought about lending Wang Dazhu a helping hand, gaining an additional ally for the future.

"Also, you can hatch the eggs into quail or eat them yourselves. They’re quite tasty — just what Cuihua needs to nourish her body."

Recalling seeing Miao Cuihua last time, another expectant mother, Zhao Gang realized she was nothing like his wife.

About to become a father again, Zhao Gang felt a tinge of sympathy, "When an expectant mother eats well, the child in her womb benefits; otherwise, with insufficient nutrients absorbed from the mother, the child might not be in good health upon birth."

Zhao Gang, having taken care of Zhan Jing through three pregnancies, was adept at knowing what needed attention for expectant mothers, speaking with slight exaggeration for effect, leaving Aunt Wang and her son stunned.

Gong Ruini knew Zhao Gang was skilled technically, otherwise he wouldn’t have thrived in various endeavors, but she hadn’t expected him to be adept at sales, leaving Aunt Wang’s mother and son speechless and utterly convinced.

Not bad, not bad, honing such persuasive tricks would be very useful in future business dealings without worrying about inexperience.