Reclaiming Wasteland: Carefree Mountain Farmer

Chapter 36 Chicken
As soon as it was light, Beijiwu set off with a stick in his hand.

In these turbulent times, a stick can be used as a weapon, a walking stick, or to scare away any animals that might suddenly jump out.

Arctic Martial ran for a while, considering it a workout.

I ran from the village entrance to Hutou Town, and when I reached the main road, I saw a person carrying a load on a shoulder pole resting by the roadside.

The carrying pole was placed on the ground, and there seemed to be something in the baskets on both sides. A man in his forties was sitting on the ground wiping his sweat and resting, obviously having just sat down to rest not long ago.

As Beijiwu approached, he heard the chirping of a group of chicks and took a closer look.

The man's appearance was clearly not Han Chinese; he looked more like he was of mixed race.

The most common people in the border regions are of mixed race, and you can find people with blonde hair, black hair, straight hair, and curly hair.

"How much are the chicks?" Arctic Martial asked directly.

When Sun Yuezhi heard Beijiwu ask the price, he happily replied, "One chick, one liter of rice."

Arctic Martial nodded. "Oh."

After saying that, Beijiwu walked out.

Seeing this, old man Sun Yuezhi quickly stood up and said, "Don't leave! You have to buy it if you asked!"

Beijiwu stopped and turned to look at the old man with a slight surprise.

Sun Yuezhi pulled a knife from his pocket and then looked around warily.

Then the burly blond man stared intently at Arctic Martial, "You've made your offer, you have to buy! Otherwise, there will be bloodshed!!"

Beijiwu laughed and said, "Why did you suddenly stop talking? What are you pretending to be a foreigner for?"

Sun Yuezhi roared in fury: "Nonsense, I'll kill you!!"

Beijiwu also looked around and was relieved to see that no one was passing by.

This area is sparsely populated and is a harsh, cold place beyond the Great Wall. People from various towns and villages don't go out at this time of year; apart from some business people, there's no one else around.

Sun Yuezhi saw Beiji Wu looking at the nearby roads and fields, then drew his knife and began gesturing at Beiji Wu.

"Take off your clothes! Or I'll kill you!"

Beijiwu then looked at the man, and then raised the stick and hit his hand.

The stick whistled through the air and landed on the man's wrist. The man felt the pain in his hand and could no longer hold the knife.

Immediately afterwards, the stick was raised high again, and a second later the 0.04-meter-thick stick smashed down on the man's head.

boom!
Arctic Warrior raised his stick and struck again.

boom!
boom!
The man quickly collapsed to the ground, blood streaming from his head and his eyes rolling back in his head.

Seeing that no one was around, Beijiwu quickly took off the man's clothes and shoes and put them in a basket. Then he threw the smelly man into the grass a few meters away.

A short, waist-length coarse linen shirt, a pair of wide-legged coarse linen trousers, a straw hat, a cowhide water bag, a large flatbread, a carrying pole, two large, breathable baskets, and more than sixty chicks.

A short knife, and one hundred coins.

I don't want to wear tattered clothes anymore. They're not distinctive, but they smell so bad.

After throwing the stones on the bag dozens of miles away, Beijiwu picked up the carrying pole and looked around again.

Go home or continue on the journey?

"I was just about to leave when you had to cause me trouble. Now I'm stuck, not going or not going."

Beijiwu frowned, pondering what to do if he fell to the ground.

He was actually quite indifferent to things like murder and robbery.

There are different rules in the border regions, and robbing Han Chinese is an instinct in the blood of nomadic peoples.

Being killed is also a destiny.

However, since this peddler is doing business nearby, he is most likely from a nearby town. He doesn't do much selling baby chickens, so if I go there now, people will definitely find out.

Beijiwu had no choice but to return, and instead of the main road, he went back to the side road.

The fewer people farming, the lower the probability of being discovered.

There are quite a few people passing by the main road every day, dozens of people, but no one goes to the toilet a dozen meters away from the main road for no reason.

Even if the bodies are discovered, it doesn't matter; nobody cares whether these people live or die.

There are also many mosquitoes in summer, and they will die without any evidence in just a few days.

The fact that he kept his blond hair actually made people care less about this trivial matter.

There weren't many people at the village entrance on such a hot day. There were only a little over a hundred people, so it was impossible to guard the village entrance every day. However, there were no secrets in the village. As Beiji Wu was carrying his load to the west end of the village, he encountered two little kids looking at the scenery by the roadside in the middle of the day.

Tie Niu and Tie Zhu from Gao Conglian's family were squatting by the bushes in the woods, digging a hole. When they heard the chicks chirping, they turned around and saw Beijiwu.

"Whose family are you two? What are you doing here?"

Beijiwu walked over and asked, thinking it was the neighbor's child at the intersection, but then felt it didn't seem like it.

Tie Niu and Tie Zhu got up and stood up, while two little kids, about three or four years old, looked timidly at Bei Ji Wu.

"Clan leader..."

Upon hearing this, Beijiwu knew it was Gao Conglian's child.

Jiang Rong has only one son at home, who is cared for by Mu Chuanliang and his mother.

Gao Conglian had two sons at home, and she brought her daughter and youngest son over for a free meal.

"Is Xidan your older sister or your younger sister?" Beijiwu asked casually.

The two little kids looked up at Beijiwu and timidly replied, "Sister."

Beijiwu smiled, put down the carrying pole, opened his sunshade, and took out two chicks.

"Take them back and raise them, one pair for each of you. Don't go out too often in this hot weather. Stay at home. There are a lot of bad people outside, so don't get arrested."

Arctic Wu generously gave him four chicks. These things are not easy to raise, and it is easier for them to grow into adult chickens when raised separately.

"Yes, Chief!" Niu'er and Zhu'er each hugged two chicks and happily went home.

Beijiwu wiped the sweat from his forehead and continued home carrying his shoulder pole.

There were still people around at the doorstep. Just over two hours after Beijiwu left, the house was bustling with activity.

Xi Dan was sitting at the door playing with straw ropes when she heard the chicks chirping. She subconsciously looked up and saw Bei Jiwu carrying a load on his shoulder as he walked over.

"Sir is back!"

Xi Dan happily ran over to listen to the chicks chirping up close.

"Sir! So many little chicks!"

Beijiwu laughed and said, "We should find a place to raise them quickly. While there are still a few months left in summer and autumn, they can survive the winter in two or three months."

Pheasants can definitely survive the winter, and domestic chickens, as long as they have a coop and food, won't freeze to death so easily.

The chicks definitely wouldn't survive; at least a 100-day-old chick with some resistance would be enough.

In the courtyard, Jiang Rong and Gao Conglian were making simple pottery with clay. When they saw that Beijiwu had returned so quickly, carrying two loads of chicks, they immediately beamed with joy.

Li Bing and Jiang Cao gathered around the basket that had been set down, looking at the chirping chicks inside.

"I'll catch some bugs for them to eat!" Li Bing really enjoys raising these chicks; he'll have eggs and chicken to eat in the future!
Gao Conglian smiled and said, "Xi Dan, go get an unused bowl, fill it with some water, and give the chick some to drink."

"Okay! Mother!" Xidan happily ran into the house to get her things.

Beijiwu glanced at the empty courtyard, which now contained a pile of red clay compared to when he left.

Clay is something that can be found everywhere; it's extremely common, especially in regions like the northern frontier, where there's an abundance of it.

Gao Conglian and Jiang Rong are using clay to make simple containers.

Beijiwu casually asked, "What do you make?"

Jiang Rong replied, "It can be used as a grain storage container, or it can be used as a water tank."

Arctic Martial thought it was going to be a bowl or a jar, but it didn't seem to make much difference; they were all pretty much the same thing.

In feudal society, rural areas lacking trade generally made their own water jars and grain urns, especially in areas lacking commercial kilns.

Some things are necessities. Since you can't buy them, you can make them yourself. Gradually, you'll learn how to do them.

It doesn't need to be a high-end product; it just needs to meet daily needs.

Just as bamboo products are commonly woven in areas with bamboo, baskets are woven from willow branches in areas without bamboo. Many techniques are passed down from generation to generation.

Xianglan Xidan and Jiangcao will gradually master this skill under the guidance of adults.

This kind of farm work didn't require Bei Jiwu's involvement. Bei Jiwu went inside and put the copper coins in the money box.

This hundred coins is roughly equivalent to fifty-odd catties of grain.

The women and children were responsible for raising chickens and feeding cows, and the older women were responsible for cooking. The two wives worked while keeping an eye on the children to prevent them from running around.

Beijiwu lay in the courtyard, enjoying the cool air and waiting for dinner; the whole family was having a wonderful time.

(End of this chapter)