CHAPTER 170: CHAPTER 170: PLANNING TO GO TO COUNTY TOWN

170 Planning to go to the county town

Shi Tou looked down, counting his money. Hearing the concern, he laughed. "Don’t worry, we’re not raising pigs right now. Dong Ge said we’d have to wait until after the New Year. For now, we need to find a spot and build a pigsty."

Mrs. Sun nodded and thought for a moment. "We have an empty pigsty behind our house. We can clean it up and reinforce it when the time comes."

Shi Tou agreed. "Yeah, we can expand it a bit. We’ll surely make a lot of money at the beginning if we do. Let’s raise more pigs. Their meat is delicious, and they’ll definitely sell well. I’ll calculate this money. After paying taxes, we’ll see how much is left. We can save some and buy more pigs next year. Once we make a lot of money, we can send our children to school. They could even become bookkeepers!"

Seeing Shi Tou already dreaming of making big money, Mrs. Sun couldn’t help but feel happy too. She got up, walked to the corner, and pulled out a ceramic jar from beneath a floor tile. Returning, she poured out all the money. "You made quite a bit when you helped Dong Ge build his house. It’s all here."

Shi Tou took the money, overjoyed, but didn’t forget to remind her, "Oh, dear, we shouldn’t go bragging about this. We don’t want to make those gossipy women in the village envious and stir up trouble."

Mrs. Sun replied, "Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing."

The couple started planning their future while the children were asleep.

The other families were in similar situations, quietly beginning their own preparations for raising pigs.

「...」

Meanwhile, things were relatively calm at the Zhao Family’s home, where Zhao Zhitong was animatedly recounting to everyone how she had tricked Xiao Wang.

After finishing her story, she put on the airs of a little adult and said, "Aunt is so mean! This time, I’m going to teach her a lesson so she won’t dare to do bad things anymore."

Sun Mei said helplessly, "You mischievous girl! Aren’t you afraid your aunt will get really angry and just snatch it from you?"

Zhao Zhitong snorted. "No way! I won’t let her take it."

With that, she scampered off to hide the silver she’d gotten from Xiao Wang in her little secret stash, then gave the silver hairpin and jade bracelet to Sun Mei.

Sun Mei put the hairpin and bracelet away. She might as well save them for now, she thought, since the family isn’t short on money.

Sun Mei was actually well aware of Zhao Zhitong’s little secret stash; she knew exactly how much money was in it. However, she had no intention of taking it back, preferring to let Zhao Zhitong keep it.

Even in her previous life, she had bought Zhao Zhitong a piggy bank early on. While she would coax the bulk of the new year money—often several thousand—from her, she wouldn’t take the smaller amounts, letting Zhao Zhitong save those in her piggy bank.

This way, Zhao Zhitong could develop a healthy concept of money from a young age, Sun Mei reasoned. It would also prevent her from becoming too obsessed with it. She wanted to instill in Zhitong the idea that money wasn’t something particularly rare or unattainable. After all, she’s a girl. When she grows up, she won’t be so easily swayed by a few sweet words or a couple of small gifts from some outsider.

Zhao Zhitong looked at the silver hairpin and bracelet, then at the simple wooden hairpin in Sun Mei’s hair and her bare wrists. She then scampered over to Zhao Dong and asked, "Dad, can we go to the county town tomorrow?"

Zhao Dong raised his eyes to look at her and asked, "What are you going to do in the county town?"

Zhao Zhitong hugged Zhao Dong’s arm, wheedling, "Dad, please, let’s go! We haven’t been out to play in ages! Right, Sister Yaya?"

As she spoke, she pulled Zhao Ya over to back her up.

Zhao Dong helplessly shrugged. "For this matter, you need to ask your mother if she agrees to let you run out to play."

Zhao Zhitong let go of Zhao Dong’s hand, pouted, and stuck her tongue out at him teasingly. "Hmph! Can’t you even decide on such a small thing?"

Then, just as Zhao Dong made a move to spank her bottom, she shrieked and ran off to pester Sun Mei.

Pestered beyond endurance, Sun Mei gently peeled the little girl off her. "Alright, alright, I’ll think about it. Now, get off me first."

In the end, Sun Mei considered it. She had to go to her mother’s house tomorrow to make winter clothes for the children and didn’t want these little rascals creating a disturbance. So, she agreed. "Alright, alright, go! Let your father take you all to play tomorrow. Besides, the firewood for winter has all been gathered, and there isn’t much else to do around here. Zhao Cheng, Zhao Yu, and Zhao Ya, you all go too. Relax and have some fun."

The little ones instantly erupted in cheers, chattering with excitement.

Sun Mei smiled, then turned to Zhao Dong to discuss it. "My dear, why don’t you go to the livestock market tomorrow and see if there are any oxen or donkeys for sale? Our family could really use a proper means of transport. It would make work and everything else much more convenient in the future."

Zhao Dong’s eyes lit up, and he nodded with a grin. "Truly my wife! We’re perfectly in sync; I was thinking the exact same thing!"

At this point, Zhao Zhitong ran over and asked, "Mom, aren’t you going with us?"

Sun Mei shook her head. "No, I’m not going. The weather is getting colder by the day. I need to go to your grandmother’s house and work with your aunts to quickly make more winter clothes for all of you."

To be honest, in her previous life, she had no idea how to make clothes. Even now, with the knowledge in her mind, her hands were still very slow.

Coincidentally, Shopkeeper Wang had sent over several bolts of cloth just yesterday. She could take some to her mother, so everyone in the family could have new clothes for the New Year. And she could get her sisters-in-law to help her with her share of the sewing. It was a perfect two-birds-one-stone solution!

Hearing Sun Mei wasn’t going, Zhao Zhitong nodded with a touch of regret. Then, patting Sun Mei’s hand in the same comforting way Sun Mei often did for her, she said, "Okay then, Mother. You be good and wait for us to come back, alright? We’ll bring you something nice!"

Sun Mei chuckled. "Alright, Mother will be waiting."

By then, the hot water in the kitchen was ready. Sun Mei washed the little ones’ faces and feet, and then, one by one, they snuggled into their quilts.

Now that the weather had turned cold, Zhao Zhitong had begun to master the art of lazing in bed.

She would actually wake up when Zhao Dong and Sun Mei got out of bed, but then she’d just lie there under the quilt, her round eyes wide open, chatting with Grandpa Bai.

Just as Grandpa Bai finished telling her a short story about Detective Di Renjie, voices suddenly sounded from the courtyard. Zhao Zhitong glanced at Zhao Ya, who was just waking up beside her, then quickly scrambled out from under her quilt and peeked out the window.

Then she saw Wu Da standing at the door, talking to her dad.

Yesterday, for the Zhao Family’s Housewarming Banquet, Zhao Dong had invited Wu Da. However, Wu Da disliked socializing and refused to come, no matter what was said. So, Zhao Dong had taken some of their food over to him instead.

Today, he had come to return the dishes.

After Wu Da handed the cleaned dishes back to Zhao Dong, he silently pressed two rabbit pelts into Zhao Dong’s arms, gave him a goofy grin, and then hurriedly left.

Ever since their family had gotten to know Wu Da, they hadn’t lacked for animal pelts.

Zhao Dong closed the door and said to Sun Mei with a laugh, "You know, I have to say, Wu Da might be big and burly, and full of brute strength, but he’s truly an excellent hunter!"