Jiang Hu left earlier today, and without any delays in town, he went straight to the restaurant to sell the wild chickens and rabbits.
Just like the wealthy gentleman said yesterday, wild chickens and rabbits fetch a decent price, twenty copper coins per kilogram!
The shopkeeper didn't make things difficult for him and weighed them right away; the wild chickens and rabbits sold for a total of over three hundred copper coins!
The only regret was, after asking the shopkeeper, he found out that the family of three had already left early yesterday morning, just half an hour before he arrived.
He initially thought of gifting them a wild chicken or rabbit to repay their kindness from yesterday, but in the end, he had to sell all of them.
With the copper coins in his pocket, Jiang Hu felt much calmer than yesterday. First, he went to the fabric shop to buy needles, thread, and coarse cloth, and then he planned to check out the vegetable market.
Passing by a snack shop, he thought for a moment and bought a few pieces of the cheapest mung bean cake.
The family has worked hard for so long, and now that there's finally some income, Jiang Hu wanted to reward his family a bit.
Arriving early today, the market was still bustling. Jiang Hu bought a pound of pork fat for just a dozen copper coins and was very pleased.
He was preparing to go home when he saw someone selling chicks and immediately decided to buy five!
Eggs cost one copper coin each, but these chicks cost two copper coins each; a bit expensive, but worth it!
When the chicks grow up, they can lay eggs and even hatch their own chicks.
Even though it's still a bit cold outside now, it's okay. There's an empty room nearby where he can keep the chicks.
Besides, there are plenty of insects in the vegetable garden; they can catch them or chop up the weeds to feed the chickens.
After buying these things, Jiang Hu also bought ten kilograms of grain, satisfied with his purchases, he headed home, happier than yesterday!
After all, yesterday's earnings were a stroke of luck, a one-time deal, but today's different. As long as he could catch game, he could keep making money!
Even if he went up the mountain every few days, it didn't matter. With the high price of game, he would definitely save enough money before winter!
Today he got home even earlier than yesterday. Since his house was at the end of the village, he had to pass through the whole village.
The villagers already knew from Liu Yang that Jiang Hu caught wild rabbits and chickens last night, and they also knew Jiang Hu asked Liu Yang's wife to dig worms near their house.
So when they saw Jiang Hu returning with a basket on his back, everyone gathered around without any prior agreement.
"Jiang Hu, did you really catch wild chickens? You must have made a good amount of money, right?"
Jiang Hu was in a good mood today, and since he left in the morning with a bamboo canteen of water and also had breakfast, he wasn't as tired as yesterday, so he stopped to chat.
"Yes, uncle, wild chickens and rabbits are indeed valuable. Recently, they're coming back to the mountains. If you have time, you should look for them. Catch one, and you can sell it for dozens of copper coins!"
Jiang Hu didn't hide anything; he never intended to. Instead of being secretive, it's better to be open and honest.
"Really? Then you must have made a fortune today!"
Saying this, they tiptoed to look into Jiang Hu's basket, hearing chirping sounds underneath, instantly recognizing what they were and rejoicing.
"These are chicks! You bought chicks!"
Raising chickens, for any farmer, who doesn't keep a few chickens!
But they were just settling down with nothing at all, barely surviving was already a great fortune; raising chickens? Everyone was struggling even to feed themselves.
No one expected that Jiang Hu's family, initially not looked upon favorably, with doubts about their ability to even raise two kids, would be the first in the village to buy chickens!
Jiang Hu carried coarse cloth, pork fat, mung bean cake, and the grain he bought. He wrapped everything carefully in oilcloth, and the five chicks were placed in the basket.
Worried about the chicks getting cold, he picked up some dry leaves on the way home and put them in the basket.
Seeing several people gathered around, Jiang Hu tilted the basket to let them see: "Yes, I bought five, they're not cheap, two copper coins each."
"Really, they are chicks!"
"Jiang Hu, you have such good luck! Today some villagers went to town to sell fish, but nobody wanted them, so they brought them back, just getting home a bit before you."
"I just heard Liu Yang say that your kids, Xiaomi and Tiedan, are like heavenly blessings, seems true. Since they were born, your family's been doing better and better."
The crowd murmured with envy and admiration, but they all remembered not long ago, Jiang Hu was giving away sparrows and fish, teaching them how to catch fish and sparrows with gratitude.
That was truly like giving charcoal in snow, and it was the sparrows and fish that lifted everyone's spirits, filling their lives with hope.
So even if someone felt a little envious, they wouldn't say it out loud.
Jiang Hu realized that Liu Yang probably visited his home this morning, and seeing the expression on everyone's faces, he could guess most of it.
But he didn't say much, just smiled and said, "Haha, I was just casually saying, wasn't it mentioned once by the villagers, joking with kids, but indeed since Xiaomi and Tiedan were born, things have gotten better and better at home."
"However, Xiaomi and Tiedan are not just my children but the children of Fuan Village. I won't go up the mountain for the next few days, anyone needing bait can come dig some worms at the barren land next to my house."
"Haha, Jiang Hu, my wife mentioned it to me in the morning. I sent my Wang Xiang to dig some; look, I also caught a wild chicken!"
Liu Yang excitedly ran down from the mountain nearby, holding a fine-looking wild chicken.
"There was another rabbit, but it got away."
Jiang Hu was surprised to see Liu Yang suddenly rush down the mountain and immediately felt happy for him: "Congratulations, congratulations! If you're not tired, you should take it to town; there are three restaurants there. I sell to Tongfu Restaurant; the shopkeeper is very nice."
"Not tired, not tired, I'll go back for a drink, and then head there." Liu Yang grinned with eyes nearly squinting in joy.
"Brother Jiang, your wife is still in confinement; you might not manage everything alone. I'll come help you pull weeds in the afternoon!"
He said this and then ran off as quickly as he did when coming down the mountain.
Throughout it, he hardly had a chance to exchange words with others.
And the others, obviously, were entirely captivated by the wild chicken in Liu Yang's hands.
Twenty copper coins a kilogram, a wild chicken must weigh two or three kilos, maybe three or four, that's sixty or seventy copper coins!
And Liu Yang went up the mountain just an hour ago; they saw him going up themselves!
For a while, everyone grew envious, asking Jiang Hu about the barren land beside his house.
As for whether Xiaomi and Tiedan were really heavenly blessings, nobody cared anymore. They only knew that worms dug at Jiang Hu's house could catch wild chickens!