CHAPTER 251: CHAPTER 249: ABOUT RAISING CHICKENS

After checking his arm, Chen Xin originally planned to return to the village, but it was already too late. If they rushed back now, it would be very late before they arrived, so Chen Xin suggested sleeping in the car for the night and returning tomorrow.

Chen Xin had already discussed this with Second Uncle before coming, so there was no issue with returning tomorrow.

He asked his cousin-in-law to drive the car to a sheltered place outside the county town, and only then did Chen Xin turn back to the living quarters.

Inside the living quarters, Chen Xin’s parents were getting ready to cook. However, because they were not familiar with Chen Xin’s car, they were unsure where things were stored and were searching around.

When she saw Chen Xin come in, Chen Xin’s mom quickly asked him, "A Xin, where does your car store the food?"

"In the upper cabinet, and there are some things in the trunk, which can be accessed directly from here," Chen Xin said, as he walked over to the counter, opened a small door next to the double bed at the back of the living quarters, which led directly to the car’s trunk.

This was something Chen Xin had prepared when he was modifying the car, allowing access to the trunk without getting out of the vehicle, and also providing an escape route in emergencies.

So far, the only use it had served was providing a path to the trunk, allowing Chen Xin to retrieve items without having to leave the car.

After taking some food out from the trunk and placing it on the counter, Chen Xin didn’t let his parents make dinner. Instead, he took out the cooking utensils and started heating up the evening meal on the induction cooker.

Though the induction cooker on the counter could be used to cook simple meals, and there were enough cooking utensils on Chen Xin’s car, the ingredients were limited. He didn’t put too much effort into it—he simply cooked a pot of gruel with dehydrated vegetables and energy bars, heated up four servings of emergency food, and added a small pack of dried fruits.

Even though it seemed meager, it was considered a decent meal at the time.

"A Xin, eat a bit more. With an arm injury, eating more helps you recover faster." Chen Xin’s mom looked at his injured right hand and kept urging him to eat more, "Your Second Aunt and Aunt at the shelter are raising some chickens and I will get some eggs for you later to help you recover."

Hearing this, Chen Xin was quite curious and asked his mom, "Are there still chickens? How did they keep them?"

"Just a few hens and a rooster. It was your Second Aunt’s idea; initially, they saved a few eggs and later hatched them into chicks," Chen Xin’s mom explained. "Chicks eat less than grown chickens and are easier to raise, so they managed to keep these few chickens alive, and they collect a few eggs every day."

The situation his mom described made Chen Xin widen his eyes in surprise and somewhat regretful he didn’t do the same. If he had done it as well, his own shelter could now also be raising some chickens, providing him with eggs daily, and even meat occasionally.

Thinking about the long-lost taste of chicken soup and drumsticks, Chen Xin couldn’t help but swallow and asked his mom, "What kind of chickens did Second Aunt raise?"

"Just the usual rural chickens, raised on leftover meals," Chen Xin’s mom casually answered his inquiry.

Upon hearing they were rural chickens, Chen Xin felt relieved, understanding these chickens were likely the common village chickens.

Referred to as village chickens, they are a common breed in Flame Country’s countryside, also known as rustic chickens. They are easy to feed, very adaptable, and low-cost to raise, making them one of the most suitable chicken breeds for home raising before the disaster.

Although they can’t compare to the white-feathered chickens that can reach slaughter weight in 40 days, village chickens are still a good type. Even though the maturity period of five months is a bit long, it’s still acceptable.

And the key point is that these chickens can eat anything. Leftover meals not consumed by humans can all be used for feeding chickens, making them very easy to raise.

It’s worth noting that in Chen Xin’s shelter, there was still some bran left after the last rice harvest, an excellent feed for raising chickens.

Thinking of this, Chen Xin said to his mom, "Mom, can you help me ask Second Aunt for some eggs that can hatch into chicks? I’d like to take some back so I can raise chickens as well."

"Raise chickens there? Is there space for them?" Chen Xin’s mom hadn’t responded yet, but his dad raised an inquiry regarding Chen Xin’s plan.

Chen Xin nodded and replied confidently, "Before coming, I did an overall upgrade to the shelter, remodeling and expanding a lot. There’s space for both people and chickens. And my greenhouse produces enough output now, with vegetables, rice, and fruits, so I can use rotten leaves and bran to feed the chickens with no problem."

After that, Chen Xin explained to his parents how he used greenhouse output to exchange for materials and gradually remodeled his shelter.

During Chen Xin’s explanation, his father asked him a lot of questions, nearly leaving Chen Xin overwhelmed, but thanks to the system’s vaguely defined concepts, everything made sense, and Chen Xin managed to smooth things over with his explanations.

"So based on what you’re saying, A Xin, your place now not only harvests over a thousand pounds of vegetables a month but also has fruits and rice?" his cousin-in-law listened to Chen Xin’s explanation from the side and couldn’t help but feel envious. He then asked Chen Xin, "Could you help us remodel our shelter too? Though ours has a bit of output, it’s really low, and everyone is having a hard time."

His cousin-in-law said this, not for himself but for his two sons—the older one was just in first grade and the younger one was born last year.

As a father, he naturally hoped his children could live better and not suffer with their parents from such a young age.

Chen Xin thought for a moment and said, "Of course, but I need to think carefully about how to remodel it. Also, I should discuss it properly with Second Uncle, as it requires a lot of materials to really make changes."

His cousin-in-law’s request coincidentally was something Chen Xin had considered before, so after a moment’s thought, he agreed to it.

However, exactly how to remodel, which areas to remodel, and whether these upgrades would use survival points or materials; these are things Chen Xin needed to consider thoroughly.

Without a clear and feasible plan in mind, Chen Xin wouldn’t rashly attempt to remodel the old home’s shelter.

After all, the remodeling this time would affect his relatives, and Chen Xin didn’t want to act hastily.