Chapter 478: The Peasant Girl’s Splendid Manor
Chapter 478: Determination (2)
Chu Heng looked at Xiao Ruiyuan with astonishment, as if seeing him in a new light for the first time. He had never expected his usually reserved cousin to speak such words. On one hand, Xiao Ruiyuan had revealed his feelings for the woman he admired; on the other hand, he was also reminding Chu Heng—his cousin and the Crown Prince—that he was determined to marry that woman, and not even his status could stop him!
Thinking of this, Chu Heng's expression soured slightly. He knew his cousin's temperament well; if he were to obstruct this, his cousin might truly become estranged from him, which was not what he wanted.
After weighing his options, Chu Heng ultimately considered their brotherly bond and chose not to intervene further.
Seeing his cousin's expression soften, Xiao Ruiyuan secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
His words came from his heart and were indeed a reminder to his Crown Prince cousin. Having followed his cousin for over a decade, he understood some of his thoughts very well.
As the Crown Prince, with an unhealthy body and several adult brothers eyeing the position of heir, it wasn't easy to securely sit on that throne! As his cousin's right-hand man, if his future wife came from a powerful and influential family, her family would undoubtedly support him, aiding his cousin!
His cousin wouldn't forcibly meddle in his marriage against his wishes, but if he didn't express his stance, his cousin would likely think he didn't value Yan'er and might indeed take her as a concubine while marrying another noblewoman, as he had previously suggested. Now that he had revealed his determination, his cousin wouldn't do that.
Meanwhile, in the orchard where the spatial chickens were raised, Mo Yan, unaware of the fact that the Crown Prince of Da Chu, the future ruler of a nation, viewed her as a scheming woman, and her heart-throbbing confession, worked to clear the obstacles between them.
"Little miss, where did you buy such lively chickens? They look so energetic!" Aunt Tong praised as she watched the chickens bustling among the seedlings.
"It's all thanks to Yan'er's good eye! Not only are these chickens larger than ordinary ones, they also seem particularly smart. Usually, when chickens come to a strange place, they would be scared and huddle in a corner, but these chickens aren't afraid of people at all!" Auntie Cai, who came to help, praised Mo Yan as she opened the bamboo cages and released the chickens.
"Yan'er is blessed by the spirits, how could her eyes be wrong? Otherwise, she wouldn't be making money so easily!"
Xiong shi and Zhou shi joined in with smiles, deftly trimming the wings of the spatial chickens with large scissors. With a ring of thorns planted around the orchard last year and nurtured by the spirit spring water for a year, they had now grown to six feet tall. The new thorns densely surrounded the entire orchard, with only small gaps that allowed only one or two-month-old chicks to slip through, preventing the fully grown spatial chickens from escaping.
Despite having sold hundreds of them, there were still a lot of chickens left. Altogether, there were more than sixteen hundred roosters and hens. The orchard was large enough to accommodate these chickens comfortably, but their food consumption was somewhat substantial. Fortunately, the orchard grew grass and insects, and the leftover rice husks, bran, and other grains from the mill, as well as the earthworms bred in the soil, could be used to feed the chickens. It would not be a big problem to keep them.
The chicken coops in the orchard had been built a few days ago, with fifty to sixty of varying sizes, made of green bricks and green tiles. This was the largest expense for the chicken farm, and almost all of the money earned from selling roosters was spent on it. In bad weather or when hens needed to lay eggs, the chicken coops would come in handy. You couldn't just make do with a few mud bricks.
Usually, these chickens foraged in the orchard, eating weeds and insects, and the feces they produced were excellent fertilizer for the seedlings. This way, the cost of weeding was saved, and the orchard prospered, which was a win-win situation!
It took most of the day to release all the chickens. Watching them pecking at the tender green vegetables in groups, occasionally digging for ants and insects in the ground, and some clucking as they laid eggs in the dense grass, everyone felt good.
Aunt Cai, listening to the chickens, seemed to think of something and said to Mo Yan, "Yan'er, it's nice to raise chickens in the orchard, but it's a bit far from the village and close to the mountains. It's easy to attract 'Yellow Immortal'. Auntie thinks you should keep a few dogs in the orchard."
Mo Yan was stunned for a moment before realizing that "Yellow Immortal" referred to yellow weasels. Yellow weasels indeed loved to eat chickens. Not long ago, a family in the village had all their chickens destroyed overnight by these creatures, so it was necessary to be on guard around the orchard.
Mo Yan smiled and thanked Aunt Cai, "Thanks for reminding me, Auntie. Otherwise, I wouldn't have thought of this! Yellow weasels are a big trouble. I'll raise a few dogs to watch over these chickens."
Zhou shi's eyes lit up when she heard this and looked at Mo Yan somewhat embarrassedly, saying, "Yan'er, do you want to buy big dogs directly or raise small ones? Auntie's dogs gave birth to a litter a few days ago, and they'll be a month old in a few days. If you're satisfied, could you bring a few over to raise?"
Mo Yan was pleasantly surprised and smiled, "Dogs are best raised from a young age. If trained well when young, they'll be smarter when they grow up. Aunt Zhou, how many puppies do you have? I plan to take them all!"
"Really? That's great! This litter has five. If it's not enough, there are other families in the village with puppies about to be born. Auntie can help you inquire about them."
Aunt Zhou was also very happy. She had been worried about what to do when the puppies were a month old. It was pitiful to throw them outside, and there wasn't enough food at home. Now that she could give them to the Mo family to raise, there was nothing better than this.
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