Reborn in a small mountain village in 1991

Chapter 121 Dividing the Circle

The three of them arrived at the pig farm and carefully swept away the lime powder that had been scattered yesterday, using brooms and shovels.

A layer of lime has accumulated on the ground, and in damp areas there are clumps. If you exert a little force, fine white lime will be kicked up.

"Cough cough one"

Xu Chunsheng raised a hand to cover his mouth and nose, coughing uncontrollably.

"Dad, Erwa, tie it to your face."

Xu Chunhua had a layer of coarse gauze wrapped around her own face, and then handed a piece of gauze to her father and younger brother.

Xu Chunsheng took the coarse gauze, put his face close to the ventilation opening on the wall, and breathed in the fresh air outside: "Cough cough, sis, when did you prepare this?"

The eldest sister's voice was muffled by the gauze: "It was all prepared long ago. Who knew that I would only go to put down a basket and you would have already started sweeping the dust?"

On the other side of the pigsty, Xu's father tied gauze to his face, covering his mouth and nose, and mumbled, "Girls are so thoughtful; your brother and I are too rough."

After saying that, Xu's father told her to go outside and mix the pig feed: "Don't sweep here, it's too pungent. Go mix the pig feed, and we can feed the pigs after we finish cleaning up here."

Xu Chunhua picked up a broom from the corner of the wall and started sweeping the passageway: "I'll sweep the passageway first, then I'll go. The pig feed won't take long to mix; it'll be ready in a bit."

The lime smelled unpleasant, so the three of them quickened their pace and swept all the lime off the ground.

After finishing these tasks, Xu Chunsheng took a wet mop and mopped the floor again, while his father followed behind, using a dry mop to wipe away the water stains.

While working, Mr. Xu chatted loudly with his son, occasionally praising his son's foresight: "It's a good thing I listened to you and laid a cement floor; it's so much easier to clean now."

"I was thinking that if I was going to do it, I might as well do it properly. The hygiene requirements for pig farms are much stricter. It's not like building a small pigsty at home where you just put up a bluestone slab on top and the manure pit underneath."

Xu Chunsheng's ears were filled with the grunting of pigs. While washing the mop, he loudly replied, "Besides, if we really did that, it wouldn't pass inspection, and the loan wouldn't be approved."

After all the work was finished, the clouds in the sky dispersed, revealing rays of sunlight that warmed everyone.

Xu Chunsheng squatted beside the doghouse, teasing the two dogs: "Come on, Da Bai, bark twice, and I'll get you two a thicker doghouse tomorrow."

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Big White shrank its head into its arms, ignoring Xu Chunsheng, while Little Yellow barked excitedly.

Xu Chunsheng patted Xiao Huang's head: "Good dog!"

When the older sister came out after cleaning the mixing area, she saw Xu Chunsheng pressing down on Xiao Huang's head with both hands: "Why are you touching it! Aren't you afraid it will get fleas?"

After saying that, the older sister called out to Xu Chunsheng, "Take advantage of the sunshine and bring their dog kennels out to air them out."

"Got it!"

Xu Chunsheng let go of Da Huang's head, opened the fur on both dogs, and carefully checked them to make sure there were no fleas.

"I knew it! How could there be fleas? We don't raise chickens or ducks here. I even burn mugwort and sprinkle lime in their nests from time to time. There are no fleas."

Father Xu came out of the house, smiling, and said, "You and your younger sister really adore these two dogs. They live better lives than some people."

The two dogs certainly lived a more comfortable life than some families. Ever since the family's meals improved, sometimes Xu Chunsheng would stew bone broth, and after the second meal, he would insist that his family keep it and feed it to the dogs. Every few days, he would also throw some meat to the two dogs.

Now that we've fed these two dogs, they're both incredibly strong. Little Yellow can practically gleam in the sun, and Big White, needless to say, has a glossy black coat that shines exceptionally bright in the sunlight.

So now the family is not only worried about someone coming to the pig farm to steal things, but also about the two dogs at the gate being beaten up (and stolen to eat).

Xu Chunsheng dragged the doghouse out, picked up a stick, and pulled out the clothes inside, hanging them to dry. After doing all this, he called to everyone to go home: "Let's go, there's nothing else to do here. Let the clothes dry in the pen, and we'll come back to lay out the straw this afternoon."

"Old man, the auspicious time you chose this time is really good. The sun is shining so brightly today. It will be so pleasant to eat pig this afternoon."

The three of them chatted all the way home.

In the courtyard, Xu's mother was washing wine jars with a loofah, while her youngest sister was helping to dry them.

The youngest sister, who was wiping the jar with a dry cloth, immediately smiled when she saw the three of them return.

She only laughed for a second before remembering how her older siblings had teased her that morning, and immediately wiped the smile off her face: "Hmph~"

She immediately turned around, showing her older brother and sister a rounded back of their heads.

"Oh my~"

Xu Chunsheng walked behind Yaomei and tickled her waist with two fingers: "Whose little sister is this? She's so diligent, wiping the jar so clean~"

"Hehe, don't tickle me, hahaha!"

Xu Yaomei twisted her body, dodging her brother's clutches. The rag in her hand almost fell to the ground. Her waist was itchy and numb, and she laughed so hard she couldn't stand up straight.

She draped the cloth she was holding over the tower, grabbed one of her brother's hands with both of hers, and laughed so hard she almost choked. She turned around, still holding Xu Chunsheng's hand, laughing so hard she almost choked: "Second brother, you're so annoying! You just came back from the pigsty, all dirty—and you come to bother me like that."

Xu Chunsheng put his hands under Yaomei's armpits, lifted her up and bounced her around a couple of times: "Are you still angry?"

"Hehe, I'm not angry anymore, I'm not angry anymore————"

Xu Chunsheng then put the person down, went back inside to change into clean clothes, and came out saying, "Mom, let me wash you, you go and rest."

Xu's mother sent Xu Chunsheng away, saying, "I'm not tired. You guys must be exhausted from cleaning the pigsty. I can wash it all by myself in no time, and my younger sister is helping me wipe it down."

Xu Yaomei, who was wiping the jars nearby, chimed in, pointing to several jars that had been hung out to dry and saying to her brother, "That's right, that's right, you guys go and rest, I've wiped them very clean, you can see for yourself."

"Oh, let me see."

Xu Chunsheng examined the wine jars carefully, nodding as he looked: "They are indeed very clean. It seems that Yaomei is already a skilled worker in our family."

"Hmph, that's right."

The youngest sister proudly raised her head, her movements becoming increasingly meticulous: "From now on, leave these kinds of jobs to me. I'll make sure each one is spotless, without a single drop of water."

"Okay, I'm going to rest now. Don't complain about being tired later!"

The little girl waved her hand dismissively: "Go on, go on, don't bother me while I'm working."

"Hehehe, Erwa, go take a rest. I'll finish with Yaomei in a bit."

"OK."

Xu Chunsheng turned around and went into the house. He took out two white-skinned sweet potatoes, and then took out a small clump of green peas from the freezer. He put the peas in a bowl and scooped some water to thaw them.

After doing all that, he washed the sweet potato thoroughly, carefully peeled off the skin, and then cut it into pieces.

While I was cutting the food, the older woman came over and asked, "Chef Xu, are you in charge of cooking today? What are you planning to make?"

"You'll have to do it, chef. I've diced the sweet potatoes and added some peas. You can make some rice for lunch."

Xu Chunhua raised an eyebrow at the "diced sweet potatoes" on the cutting board: "You call this 'chunks,' not 'dices.'"

After saying that, she took the knife from Xu Chunsheng and cut the braised pork on the cutting board into smaller pieces: "I'll cut it. Go check if there are any sausages in the refrigerator. I'll put some sausages in this time. Rice with cured pork and sausage tastes better than rice with fresh pork."

"If you have any, take one section out, put it in a pot with water and boil it to remove some of the saltiness."

Following his elder sister's instructions, Xu Chunsheng found the sausages, cleaned them thoroughly, and then started a fire to boil water and put the sausages in, completing the task in one smooth motion.

"Sis, how about we roast some sweet potatoes again sometime? I'm craving some."

"Yes, I'll do that. Go wash some now while the sun is out. I'll cut it up and let it dry in the sun until it softens before roasting it. It'll taste even better that way."

"Yes, I will."

Xu Chunsheng added another piece of firewood to the stove, dusted off his hands, grabbed a dustpan, and went to pick sweet potatoes.

He peeled off the corn husks covering the sweet potatoes and picked through them. The smell of earth mixed with the heat rushed to his nose.

These sweet potatoes are for seed production and a small portion is for our own family to eat; the majority of the rest are at the pig farm.

Xu Chunsheng carefully picked through the sweet potatoes, removing any rotten ones to prevent them from spoiling the other sweet potatoes as well.

As he picked through the sweet potato starch, Xu Chunsheng recalled the "bitter" process his family had gone through making it in previous years. The task wasn't difficult, but it was troublesome.

A lot of sweet potatoes had to be washed, chopped up, and then ground into a pulp in a millstone. In the days before a grinder, if a family had livestock, it was fine, but if not, they had to rely entirely on manpower to push the millstone. In previous years, Xu Chunsheng and his father would take turns being the donkey that pushed the millstone.

After spinning around and around, it's common to find your arms aching and your shoulders red and swollen from the rope.

"What are you thinking? You've been trying to pick out two sweet potatoes for ages and still can't find them?"

The eldest sister had already put the rice on the stove, but before she could see her younger brother bring over the sweet potatoes, and she didn't see her washing the sweet potatoes outside either, she went into the house and saw Xu Chunsheng squatting there in a daze.

"I'm thinking about becoming a donkey—cough, I'm thinking about whether I should make sweet potato starch this year."

"We've harvested so many sweet potatoes, it doesn't seem worthwhile to just slaughter them to feed the pigs."

The older woman squatted down and helped pick out the sweet potatoes: "Making them into powder is tiring and time-consuming. You're always so busy. If you want some, just buy some. It's not expensive."

"Moreover, now you don't need coupons to buy these. You can pick and choose whatever you want at the supply and marketing cooperative, and buy as much as you want."

"Let me think about it some more."

Xu Chunsheng touched the sweet potato in his hand, still thinking about making sweet potato starch. With so many pigs he raised, he didn't have to worry about not being able to use up all the leftovers.

The powder produced can be sold not only as dried sweet potato starch, but also as vermicelli, and it doesn't spoil easily.

The whole process does take several days. I've been very busy lately, brewing and filtering wine, and working on repairing the winery. I'm really overwhelmed. It would be great if someone could help me with all of this.

The two washed and peeled the sweet potatoes, cut them into small strips, and then the dish was ready.

"Take them out and spread them out to dry, I'll cook a dish and then we'll eat."

Xu Chunsheng carried a full basket of sweet potatoes to the courtyard and spread them out evenly in the basket to dry.

"Wow, this one is so long, and so red! Second brother, how long will it take to dry?"

Xu Yaomei came over and joined in drying sweet potato strips. She picked up an extra-long sweet potato strip and held it up in the sun to examine it.

"Two days will do. Let it wilt in the sun today, and leave a good fire tonight (with embers). Repeat this process a few times, and it'll be ready to eat."

"Just put it in the corner, they won't sleep on it for more than two days before you have to replace it with a new one."

The family of three each carried some dried corn husks, peanut stalks, and wheat stalks, spreading them little by little in the pigsty.

Xu Chunsheng was scooping pig feed into each pen. To prevent the pigs from being frightened, he poured some pig feed into the pen so that once the pigs entered the pen and found food, they would be less anxious.

"Hiss, hiss, hiss—"

Xu Chunsheng held a thin stick in his hand and gently patted the pig's rump, herding the fifty or sixty-pound piglet into the pen next to him. He didn't dare to use too much force, for fear of scaring the pig away and making it run around.

Today they are going to separate the pigs that are crammed into one pen, putting two pigs in each pen. This way, they can avoid fighting over food, prevent them from getting sick, and make it easier to isolate them if they do get sick.

Father Xu stood guard inside the old pigpen, holding the wooden stick holding the gate. Every time two pigs were let out, he would close the gate to prevent—

The pigs inside ran out.

Xu's mother and eldest sister stood at opposite ends of the aisle, while Xu Chunsheng followed behind the pigs, guiding them. Once the pigs were inside the pen, he quickly placed the bamboo tubes and then inserted the wooden sticks to close the pen gate.

After the two pigs were locked up, Xu's father released two more pigs from the pen, and Xu Chunsheng pushed them into the new pigpen.

With the group working together effectively, the pigs soon settled into their new home, pacing restlessly inside.

Walking around the new territory, after a few steps, they could smell the pig feed in the troughs, and they forgot their anxiety. They were all busy rooting around in the feed, grunting as they ate.

Before long, all the pigs were divided up, and even the piglets kept for breeding were given separate new pens.

"Alright, I'll make a nameplate for these breeding pigs' pens so they don't get mixed up when I feed them."

After Xu Chunsheng finished speaking, he put down the bamboo stick he was using to herd the pigs, turned around and walked to the corner of the house where the wood was piled up. He found a few leftover thin wooden boards and a knife. He simply trimmed the edges to prevent splinters from cutting people. After finishing, he found two pieces of charcoal, squatted by the pen, and compared them one by one. He wrote down the breed of each pen of breeding pig on the wooden sign and even noted down the amount of food they were fed.

Cut a few thin bamboo nails and nail the wooden sign firmly to the top of each door frame.

"From now on, no matter who feeds them, they can just glance at the sign and won't make a mistake. Boars and sows eat different feeds, and mixing them can easily cause problems." He straightened up, wiped his sweat, and explained to his family members beside him.

"Yes, I understand."

"Your method is good; you don't need to specifically remember which pig is in which volume."

"I've got it. We'll check the sign before feeding the pigs from now on."

"Erwa, how did you come up with this idea? It's actually quite useful."

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