stingy landlady

Chapter 119 Sows in Heat (2)

The fourth brother chimed in:

"These are from nearby villages, we can just urge them on! If they're from far away, we'll have to borrow the butcher's pigpen to catch them!"

"Grandpa, Fourth Uncle! I have to go right now! You guys keep working hard, but don't overwork yourselves! Take a break every now and then!"

"This kid, it's obvious he's never done any work! He rests too much, the more he rests, the more he wants to rest, and the less energy he has to work!"

After the old man finished speaking, he continued digging the hole, and his son and grandson followed behind, planting the seeds, filling the hole, and adding soil!

When Guizhi found Dazhu, Dazhu wasn't idle either. While the farmhands were planting, he was also helping out with the planting! After Pan Qiang returned, he also came over and joined in the planting!

They are all skilled farmers and can't stay idle during the busy farming season!

Dazhu saw that Guizhi's face was flushed and she was panting heavily!

With a pained expression, she asked her, "You silly child! It's so hot! Why couldn't you have said something tonight? You had to run around until you were out of breath!"

"Hehe! Dad! Good news! Our sow is in heat! We can breed her!"

"Oh? Is that so! But that's no reason for you to make a trip under the scorching sun!"

Guizhi's radiant smile influenced the group of people farming, and they all teased her.

"Third Miss! I thought the master's sow had given birth! Why are you so happy? Haha!"

"Third Miss! If you get tanned, you'll be the same color as us. You won't be able to find yourself if you fall on the ground. You'd better be careful! Hahaha!"

Guizhi wasn't angry. She smiled at the farmhands and said:

"Don't worry! It's healthy! Now breed it with my sow, and she'll give birth to piglets by Chinese New Year!"

By this time next year, we'll be able to eat pork!

"Haha! Master! Miss San has really set her sights on this, she's holding it up until next year!"

Everyone burst into laughter! Guizhi wasn't annoyed.

"Don't worry! We'll have pork to eat this year! Next year, with more pigs raised, we'll have more opportunities to eat meat!"

After chatting and laughing for a while, Guizhi quickly said to Dazhu, "Dad! We need to find a boar to breed with the sow! I asked Grandpa, and the piglets we bought in Nangang Village probably have boars there!"

"Dad, you need to find someone to go to Nangang Village with you and bring back a boar to breed with the sow!"

At this moment, one of the farmhands spoke up:

“Master! The Third Miss is right! Sows are only in heat for a few days, and once that's over, we'll have to wait until next month! I'm familiar with Nangang Village, which the Third Miss mentioned! Let's go there together!”

"Dad! I'm afraid one person won't be able to get back in time!"

"Master! Miss, I'll go too!" Pan Qiang said from the side.

Dazhu looked around, in a good mood! His family wasn't planting a large amount of land for the second crop this time! There were quite a few people, so he figured they'd finish planting by tomorrow. He then said:

"Alright! Let's all go together! Let's go to Nangang Village to catch the breeding boars! The rest of you can continue farming! If we work hard tomorrow, we should be done by tomorrow evening!"

Dazhu then said to Guizhi:

"Such a small matter, any young boy or girl could have just relayed the message! Why did you have to make the whole trip yourself! If you get this tanned, when will you ever get your fair skin back? You're already quite dark!"

Guizhi felt a pang of hurt, stomped her foot hard, and said in a spoiled tone:

"Dad! Even you talk about your daughter like that? If you get tanned, just have Dad go buy some flour. I'll roll around in it, and I'll become fair again!"

Everyone burst into laughter again!

When Dazhu and the others returned with the boars that evening, the moon was already high in the sky!

After eating, Guizhi was really worried because Dazhu and the others had not returned yet, so she waited at Zhou Niangzi's place.

While waiting, Guizhi asked Zhou Niangzi:

"Aunt Zhou! You know our family's situation! I heard you used to work for an official's family! I wonder if you could teach us sisters some manners and etiquette so we won't be laughed at when we go out!"

Madam Zhou was filled with trepidation and said:

"Third Miss, you flatter me! I think your manners and etiquette are even better than those of the young ladies who have specially studied them!"

The servants learn the rules and etiquette of serving others, which are very different from what the young ladies learn!

Besides, this servant believes that the men the young ladies will marry in the future will be of different social classes, and it shouldn't be forced!

Those words were a wake-up call! Yes! Gui Xiang and Gui Hong will take different paths from now on, so why confine them within rigid frameworks?

As long as you are polite, you can say and do whatever you want no matter who you marry!

Guizhi suddenly understood! She smiled at Madam Zhou and said:

"Thank you for reminding me, Aunt Zhou! I was mistaken!"

"The Third Miss is just stuck in a rut right now! Given time, she will figure it out!"

Da Zhu and the others finally managed to drive the boar into the pen! Actually, once it reached the entrance of the vegetable garden, there was no need to drive it anymore! The boar just darted off to the sow pen on its own!

Everyone says pigs have a very sensitive sense of smell, so it must have smelled something! It started squealing anxiously and nudging the pigpen door with its head! Dazhu, worried it might break the door, quickly went over and opened it! Pan Qiang, from behind, poked the boar with a stick, and the boar darted inside!

Dazhu said to Zhou Niangzi and Guizhi:

"My father heard from someone who owns boars that you shouldn't feed sows too much during the two days before mating, and they should eat less after mating as well. Don't feed them too much at once! Don't fatten them up when they're pregnant! You need to control their diet!"

If the animal goes into heat again next month, it means it didn't mate, so you'll have to mate it again! Sister-in-law Zhou, please remember the mating time!

One cycle is twenty-one days! Sister Zhou carefully observes the sows during those two days to avoid missing their estrus cycle!

As she listened, Madam Zhou secretly memorized the information. Upon hearing Da Gui's arrangement, she quickly agreed.

"Yes, sir! I will be careful!"

"Dad! You guys go eat! This boar's hard to shoo away!"

"That's for sure! It won't walk along the road! It'll run off to a side road or burrow into the haystacks! Luckily there were a lot of people around! If there were only one or two people chasing it, we would have wanted to cry!"

It even recognizes its home! As soon as it gets dark, it always tries to run back!

Guizhi chuckled:

"Dad! People always say even plants and trees have feelings! Boars are raised by humans, and they still think about the sows and piglets at home!"

Dazhu invited Pan Qiang and the farmhand to dinner:

"You must be starving! We ate late today! You two should eat more!"

"Thanks to the two of you coming along, I don't know how long I would have endured if I had gone by myself!"

"Guizhi! There's a lot to talk about when it comes to raising pigs! The people in Huanghua Village have no experience! You should arrange for someone to go and give them some guidance!"

Your Uncle Xu Hong went to the farm in the prefectural city to order piglets! You bought so many piglets at once, Dad was worried sick!

"Father! I understand! Tomorrow, have Ping An take me to Huanghua Village in a carriage! I'll talk to Uncle Lin Qian about it! If Zhu Miao comes back, I'll stay with Aunt Zhou for a couple of days! We must bring her out!"

That's all money! We can't squander it all! Father! How could I have been so inconsiderate! Father, you must teach me!