Sweet Rebirth: The Little Healer

A year’s plan starts in the spring.

Only with diligent work and cultivation in the spring can one expect a bountiful harvest in the fall.

Miao Dahai, Aunt Li, Dong Sanshu, and the two production team leaders had already arranged the spring planting work last night, so today’s tasks proceeded in an orderly fashion.

Old Madam Qian, Old Sir Qian, and He Qiang were still in charge of the livestock team. Since Gu Qingyu and Sun Haoran had left, they needed replacements. Aunt Li thought of how Zhao Nuanyang from Zhao Nuanyue’s family was quiet and that there was a child at home, so she assigned Zhao Nuanyang to the livestock team.

As for Zhao Nuanyue and Li Qiong, Li Guihua also tried to keep them close by to ensure their safety as much as possible.

The village was so peaceful and quiet now, and Li Guihua didn’t want anything to happen to these two pretty young women. Plus, before Hua Yusen left, he had specifically sought out Li Guihua and told her she must ensure the safety of Zhao Nuanyue, Zhao Nuanyang, and Little Red Carp. In return, he would look after Li Jianmin at the factory in the city.

Li Guihua had readily agreed. Even if Hua Yusen hadn’t asked, she would have treated Zhao Nuanyue well. After all, they had fought together for Nianqiao Village and struggled for its fate.

As for Li Qiong, though she wasn’t very shrewd, she was straightforward, so Li Guihua’s affection extended to her as well, and she was always pleasant to Li Qiong. Besides, her son, Li Jianjun, often went to the Dragon King Temple to study with Old Sir Qian and Old Madam Qian. When he came home, he would mention that Li Qiong was an excellent student.

Diligent and intelligent girls always earn the admiration and affection of others.

”The men are in charge of making compost and plowing the fields. We women will start by clearing the weeds from the wheat fields. There’s shepherd’s purse in there, which is great for making buns and vegetable pancakes,” Li Guihua said with a smile. ”All the shepherd’s purse you gather today is yours to keep. Oh, right, I went to a meeting in the county town a couple of days ago. To develop our agricultural by-products, each family will be allowed to raise a number of chickens and rabbits equal to the number of people in the household. This way, we can earn a little extra income.” Li Guihua spoke with a smile, just like in the old days, when raising chickens supported the family, and having a vegetable garden meant you wouldn’t go hungry even if grain was scarce.

”Oh my, Aunt Li, is what you’re saying true?” one of the women asked excitedly. ”It’s just that we haven’t raised any for a long time. We don’t have any mother hens to hatch the eggs!”

Hearing this, Li Guihua smiled and said, ”You don’t have to worry about that. The higher-ups will be responsible for distributing chicks. However, after they’re grown, you will need to turn in a portion of the eggs.”

”Huh?” Some of the villagers were displeased upon hearing this. ”Not all the chicks will necessarily survive until they’re grown! Besides, how many eggs do we have to hand over? We don’t want to end up working for nothing, with no eggs or chickens to show for it, and still not have enough to meet the quota!”

”Yeah, Aunt Li, is it worth it?” the women asked one after another, deeply concerned.

They wanted to raise chickens, but they were afraid of the risks. Ordinary folk couldn’t bear much risk at all.

Li Guihua listened and said with a chuckle, ”The village has already considered everyone’s worries. The village will keep a tally. For hens, the standard is based on egg-laying. For each hen, once you hand over twenty eggs, the chicken is yours. If you raise a rooster, you can sell it to the store once it’s grown. So, it’s a very good deal for everyone.”

Hearing that there was a guarantee, the crowd was now willing to raise them. The children at home could get some extra nutrition, too.

However, some people had other ideas. They figured they could wait until the chickens were about to lay eggs, then claim they had died and hide them away to avoid handing over the eggs.

But for every clever scheme, there’s a countermeasure. Since the higher-ups dared to implement such a policy, they naturally had corresponding measures in place.

”Heh heh, the awareness in our Nianqiao Village is very high. We absolutely cannot resort to acts of deception. The higher-ups have stipulated that every chicken must have a number on its leg. Even if it dies, the dead chicken must be turned in,” Li Guihua said with a smile. ”Although I know the people of Nianqiao Village would never do such a thing, I still have to emphasize this to everyone. We must be advanced role models, not lag behind.”

Hearing Li Guihua say this, those villagers who had been nursing crafty ideas immediately gave them up.

’Li Guihua is amazing,’ Zhao Nuanyue thought in admiration. ’There are so many women in the village, each with a different personality, yet she manages them all so capably.’

”Of course not! We people of Nianqiao Village all have high moral standards. How could we do something like that!” Da Zhu’s wife said with a broad smile. Her family had eleven members, young and old. That meant they could get eleven chickens. Even if they had to turn in twenty eggs per chicken, it was still a fantastic deal.

The elderly and children at home could also get some extra nutrition.

”That’s right, that’s right!” the villagers chimed in. ”By the way, Aunt Li, when can we get the chicks? The weather is getting warmer now. There are plenty of wild grasses, vegetables, earthworms, and bugs around our houses and on the mountain. They all make good feed. We could raise them for two or three months, and they’ll start laying eggs. We could save up a lot of eggs in a year!”

”Heh heh, you’re all absolutely right. Our village’s turn is the day after tomorrow,” Li Guihua said with a laugh. ”At that time, we women will have to put in extra effort to take good care of these little chicks. They’re precious things!”

”But of course,” said Da Zhu’s wife, overjoyed at the thought of her family earning a little extra income.

Everyone dispersed to get back to work, carefully picking through the wild plants in the field.

Zhao Nuanyue worked quickly, keeping pace with Aunt Li. She asked in a low voice, ”Aunt Li, can we young people raise them too?”

”Heh heh, it’s not just for you young people. Uncle Qian, Auntie Qian, Little Red Carp—everyone counts, and everyone gets some,” Aunt Li said with a smile. ”You all should put some effort into it. If you run into anything you don’t understand or don’t know how to do, come ask me. That way, you can also save up eggs and get some extra nutrition. As for the rabbits, they just eat grass and bran. Once they’re grown, you can sell them directly for cash.”

”Yes, that’s great,” Zhao Nuanyue nodded. Although her family had fish, eating fish every day could get tiresome. Ever since Hua Yusen left, they hadn’t had any wild boar to eat. Occasionally, Little Red Carp would catch a wild pheasant or rabbit for everyone to satisfy their cravings, but they had no other source of protein.

Li Guihua nodded, chatting with Zhao Nuanyue as she worked. ”Actually, aside from when we’re busy during the harvest season turning in salted fish and mountain delicacies, we’re not that busy at other times. Everyone is often idle with nothing to do, which is a waste of time. Now, with the chicks and rabbits, people will have something to occupy their free time. Otherwise, they just wag their tongues all day, which easily leads to conflicts and arguments, affecting neighborly relations.”

”Heh heh, it really is just a case of idle hands. When people have work to do, they certainly don’t have time to gossip about this family and that,” Zhao Nuanyue said with a laugh. She then looked at the willow branches by the ditch, as fine as strands of yarn. ’This is perfect material for weaving handicraft baskets!’