CHAPTER 103: CHAPTER 103: BORROW AND REPAY, EASY TO BORROW AGAIN. (2)

A flash of surprise passed through Mu Yuanxiu’s eyes.

He nodded and readily replied, "Alright, I’ll go in a bit."

Li Xing’an, "..." What? He agreed just like that, not even a hint of reservation?

Thick-skinned!

"No, um, neighbor, do you have any unfinished tasks at your house? Like, you need to feed the rabbits, or maybe your yard needs some repairs?"

Mu Yuanxiu looked at him in confusion, "The rabbits have just been fed, there are vegetable leaves and corn cake crumbs in the bowl, they will eat by themselves, no need for constant feeding, the yard walls are intact, no need for repairs either."

Li Xing’an cursed in his heart, why is this kid so diligent? Would it kill him to be a little lazy?

"Well, did the village chief ask you to do anything? How about the villagers? I see you’re quite familiar with them, especially the family of Liu the bricklayer?" Li Xing’an asked.

Mu Yuanxiu furrowed his brows, "I haven’t been to the village recently, no one has approached me."

Li Xing’an, "..." Alright, is this kid clinging to my family? "Well, you should come over in a while."

He walked away with his head down.

Mu Yuanxiu watched him walk away and then turned to go to the rabbit cage, picking up the fattest rabbit.

He flicked the rabbit’s belly, "Sorry, but you’re the fattest one. The Li Family needs vegetables, so you’ll have to be sacrificed."

.

Li Xing’an returned to the cave.

Li Yuzhu saw him coming back dejected and blinked, "Third Brother, didn’t you manage to get anyone? Why are you looking so downcast?"

Li Xing’an snorted internally, precisely because he got someone, he was unhappy.

"I got him, but he said he has a big appetite and needs three large bowls of rice per meal. Isn’t that worrying? The family doesn’t have much rice left..."

Li Yuzhu was puzzled, does Mu Yuanxiu have a big appetite? Yesterday, he only ate a pot of rice, and it seemed like he only had a small bowl.

Is he joking?

"We still have some rice at home, don’t worry, Third Brother." Li Yuzhu stood up with a smile, "Let’s head down the mountain early and come back early."

"Alright, early there, early back." Li Xing’an sighed quietly.

.

Niu Tou Mountain isn’t tall, and the path downhill isn’t steep.

Yet, it’s still a sloped path.

Going downhill with a cart, if you don’t control the speed, it could overturn, taking both people and cart down.

Li Xing’an thought of a way, pulling the cart along.

This way, even if his grip slipped, the cart would be blocked by him, preventing it from overturning.

He was indeed clever.

Li Xingzhu couldn’t help but laugh.

Besides her sitting in the cart, there was also a small bag of brown rice and some salt.

These were borrowed from the Li Zheng’s house and Grandpa Qin’s household.

The day before yesterday, they brought back a lot from the market and haven’t had time to return it; today, when they go to the village, they can return it.

Borrowing and repaying make it easier to borrow again.

Nowadays, most villagers aren’t wealthy, and it’s rare to find households willing to lend.

When passing by the new house, they only stayed for a while, took a glance, and then moved on.

The bamboo walls of the house were all placed into the foundation trench, and the roof was covered.

Currently, Liu the bricklayer is leading everyone to work on the wall’s insulation layer.

The bamboo walls look nice and keep cool in summer, but they have many drawbacks.

Because of the large gaps.

In summer, small flying insects and crawling bugs from the grass outside would crawl into the house through the bamboo slats’ gaps.

Come winter, the cold wind would visit uninvited.

Liu the bricklayer found a way to pound a layer of clay mixed with grass chaff and rice paste onto the wall.

From the outside, it looks like a rammed earth wall, but inside it’s a beautiful and smooth bamboo wall.

The roof is made of bamboo slats and thatch.

When the walls are thoroughly done, then fence the yard with bamboo, and the "five-in-five-out" mansion will be complete.

Li Xing’an excitedly talked about the house’s progress, "Third Sister, your room is where I personally measured and erected the bamboo slat walls; it’s larger than the rooms of Big Sister and Second Sister."

He was again claiming credit, though the house was built collectively.

Li Yuzhu didn’t point it out, smilingly said, "Third Brother is indeed nice."

"That’s right; I’m way better than Second Brother." Li Xing’an was very proud.

Upon entering the village, the siblings first went to the Li Zheng’s house to return the few pounds of brown rice they borrowed.

Qin Lizheng laughed and said, "It’s just a few pounds of rice, why the rush to return it? You’re struggling too."

"Our days are better now than when we started, and besides, borrowing and repaying make it easier to borrow again next time." Li Yuzhu smiled.

"My third sister is right," Li Xing’an agreed.

"True, what good kids." Qin Lizheng smiled as he accepted it.

Li Yuzhu then said, "By the way, Qin Lizheng, I’m thinking of buying some vegetables and chickens from the village; do you know who has some to sell?"

Every village chief knows everything; by asking the village chief, you can learn everything happening in the village without wandering around asking blindly.

The village chief said, "You want to buy something? My family has some; I won’t ask for much money, just pay as you see fit."

Li Yuzhu was delighted, "That’s wonderful."

Qin Lizheng brought out a big rooster and called his wife to bring some cabbage.

"The chickens are home-raised, the vegetables are from our field, for the chicken, just pay what you feel right; the veggies are free, just take them." Qin Lizheng generously said.

"How can that be?" Li Yuzhu took out money from her pocket and handed a string of coins to the village chief.

It was a hundred coins.

Qin Lizheng hurriedly waved his hand, "Ah, just pay what you feel is fair; no need to give so much. Even at the market, a chicken doesn’t cost this much money."

Mrs. Li Zheng also laughed, "Such childlike spirit; do you know that money is precious? Take half back."

But Li Yuzhu insisted on passing the money into Mrs. Li Zheng’s hands.

"If you have more money, Auntie, you could sell me some cabbage seeds and chicklets." Li Yuzhu suggested with a smile.

Since the village chief said the cabbages were homegrown, there surely must be seeds.

From the backyard of the Li Zheng’s house came the chirping of chicklets and the clucking of a mother hen protecting her chicks.

This early spring March is the time to raise chicks.

By the fall, they could be slaughtered for food, and hens could be kept for laying eggs.

Li Xing’an blinked, "Third Sister, what do we need seeds for? And these tiny chicks, how are we going to eat them?"

Li Yuzhu was speechless, "Buy a cabbage, and once you eat it, it’s gone; buy some seeds, plant them, and you can eat cabbages every day! Plus, the chicklets can grow up to lay eggs, and the eggs can make more chickens, and the chickens lay more eggs! It’s much more economical!"

Li Xing’an was dumbfounded, slapping his forehead, "Right, right, why didn’t I think of that?"

Li Yuzhu laughed; if he could think of that, he wouldn’t be the playboy third son of the Lu Ling Royal Mansion!

A playboy only thinking about eating, drinking, and having fun wouldn’t understand the purpose of seeds and chicklets!

Mrs. Li Zheng was surprised, "Miss Li, you’re indeed a clever child; we have plenty of seeds and chicklets, I’ll get some for you."