Chapter 2 The Return
The next morning, Chen Zi'an had the driver, Xiao Zhu, take the Su family back to Hongxin Village.
Before they left, Chen Zi'an and Su Manxiu brought many good things for Grandma Su and Grandpa Su.
Grandma Su and Grandpa Su refused, but they couldn't resist the enthusiasm of their daughter and son-in-law, who insisted they take them. In the end, they took everything.
Xiao Zhu drove quickly and steadily, and by the time Su Xiaotian and the others returned to Hongxin Village, it was not yet noon.
Getting out of the car, Su Xiaotian didn't wait for anyone else and rushed into the yard.
"Mom!"
Su Xiaotian's soft voice made Liang Xiu, who was cooking in the kitchen, immediately drop her cleaver and run out.
Hugging her daughter tightly, Liang Xiu was extremely excited, almost in tears.
"You child, you've been gone for such a long time, I missed you so much!"
"Mom, I missed you too!" Su Xiaotian stretched out her short arms and hugged Liang Xiu's neck, acting spoiled.
With her daughter acting spoiled, Liang Xiu's heart melted even more, and she gently stroked her daughter's back.
"You still remember to miss your mom. You've been gone for so long, I thought you'd forgotten about me!"
"How could that be? Mom, you don't know, I dreamed of you several times!" Su Xiaotian said sweetly.
Qi Liangying also came out of the kitchen, greeted Grandma Su and Grandpa Su, and then watched Su Xiaotian acting spoiled in Liang Xiu's arms with a smile. She was so envious!
Looking at Su Xiaotian and her mother like this, Grandma Su felt guilty.
She wondered if she shouldn't have taken Xiaotian away for so long.
Although Xiaotian had been with her since birth, the mother and daughter had never been separated for so long.
After a while, Su Xiaotian let go of Liang Xiu's neck and then softly embraced everyone in the family.
She solemnly told everyone: "I, Su Xiaotian, miss you all!"
The several half-grown boys in the family blushed at their sister's actions.
But undoubtedly, they felt warm inside.
Even though their sister had been gone for so long, she still thought of them.
Joy, joy!
"Where's Auntie? Why isn't she here?"
After greeting everyone, Su Xiaotian noticed that Wang Xianghua was not there.
"Your Auntie now eats and lives at the chicken farm," Qi Liangying said with a smile. "She's more attentive to those chicks than to your brothers."
The innocent brothers who were caught in the crossfire...
They had no defense. Their own mother was indeed closer to the chicks than to her sons!
This statement was teasing, but it was also the truth.
Ever since the chicks arrived, Wang Xianghua had devoted all her attention to them.
Her efforts paid off. The chicks grew well under Wang Xianghua's persistent care, with very few losses.
Even the village head said that Wang Xianghua was the right person to be the chicken farm attendant. Others might not have been able to raise them so well.
"Is Auntie cooking at the chicken farm herself?" Su Xiaotian asked curiously.
"We'll cook and bring it to your Auntie!" Liang Xiu wiped the water off her hands with her apron and said with a smile, "You go deliver the food to your Auntie later and make her happy!"
Su Xiaotian immediately agreed, "I'll go. I haven't seen Auntie for almost a month, and I miss her too!"
After all the fuss, lunch at the old Su family's house was a little later than usual.
After lunch, Su Xiaotian picked up the food prepared by Liang Xiu to deliver to Wang Xianghua, but she heard Grandpa Su speak.
"Invite Professor Chi and the others over for dinner tonight! Old woman, think about what to eat."
They had brought a lot of meat back this time, so they could all have a good meal tonight.
"Let's have dumplings. The smell won't travel far," Grandma Su considered.
If they made braised pork or sour pork, the smell would be too strong. The conditions in every household in the village were not good. If only their family ate well, it would easily arouse jealousy in others.
On this point, Grandma Su had always been very cautious.
"Okay!" Grandpa Su nodded.
"I have to visit Grandpa Chi and Grandpa Du this afternoon," Su Xiaotian immediately offered to invite them.
"You just got back and you're going to the cowshed?"
Su Ciliang, who was holding a book and about to go read under the tree in the yard, grumbled upon hearing Su Xiaotian speak.
Did he not know? Starting from the third day after Xiaotian left, that kid Chi Yiyuan had been pacing back and forth at the intersection.
That kid Chi Yiyuan clearly had ulterior motives and was becoming more and more displeasing.
But he had too many questions that he needed to ask Chi Yiyuan, so he couldn't complain about him too much.
Su Xiaotian heard him but pretended not to.
Her brothers were good in every way, except for their jealousy. What should she do?
"Xiaotian, aren't you going to the village head's house this afternoon?" Su Laosan asked slowly.
Su Xiaotian slapped her forehead and said, "That's right! How could I forget such an important matter!"
Upon hearing that Su Xiaotian had something to do this afternoon, Su Ciliang immediately volunteered, "I'll go to the cowshed to invite Grandpa Chi and Grandpa Du!"
Su Shouwen glanced at Su Ciliang with disdain.
He really didn't know what his second brother was thinking.
Whether Xiaotian went to the cowshed or not, Chi Yiyuan would come over in the evening anyway.
"Third Uncle, Xiaotian, why are you going to the village head's house?"
As the accountant of the village, Su Shouwen felt that he should have the right to know about some things.
"Big Brother, it's great news! Soon, our chicken farm will have many more chicks!" Su Xiaotian said cheerfully.
After saying this, Su Xiaotian remembered that she still had to deliver food to Wang Xianghua and quickly said, "I'm going to deliver food to Auntie. I'll talk later when I get back."
Su Shouwen quickly said, "Let's go together."
As he spoke, Su Shouwen considerately took the basket from Su Xiaotian's hand and then took her hand, walking out the door.
Walking on the country road, Su Xiaotian skipped along, very happy.
Although the city was good, Su Xiaotian still preferred the yellow earth where she was born and raised.
In her previous life, during the most difficult times, her greatest dream was to return here!
However, she never realized it before she died.
Su Shouwen asked as they walked, "Xiaotian, did you really get chicks? My mom will definitely be happy!"
"Of course! The commune only gave us two hundred chicks, but I negotiated for a thousand chicks this time, and my uncle also promised to help find some," Su Xiaotian said, swinging her little head proudly.
Su Shouwen almost dropped the basket containing the food.
My heavens, so many?
Two hundred was already difficult, how did Xiaotian get a thousand?
"Really?"
Su Xiaotian said with a smile, "Of course it's true, I don't lie! However, Director Li said that the thousand chicks won't be delivered all at once, but in three batches!"
"As long as they can give them to us, even ten batches are fine!" Su Shouwen was very happy.
The commune only gave them two hundred, and her mother was already planning to incubate some eggs herself.
"Xiaotian, when a thousand chicks grow up, how many eggs can they lay every day?"
"There should be six or seven hundred," Su Xiaotian estimated roughly.
She didn't know if her uncle could get the bean dregs and bone meal she needed. If not, the yield would be at most this much.
After hearing Su Xiaotian's number, Su Shouwen immediately started calculating, but then he became worried.
"What if we can't sell so many eggs?"
Six or seven hundred eggs a day means twenty thousand eggs a month. At eight eggs per jin, twenty thousand eggs is over two thousand jin.
That's too much!
"Someone will come to buy them, don't worry, I'm afraid it won't be enough!"
Su Xiaotian continued to skip along confidently, not forgetting to greet the trees and flowers on both sides of the road.
She had consulted Chen Zi'an, and the egg cake factory could consume at least two thousand jin of eggs per month.
After the chicken farm was built, a large portion of the eggs would definitely need to be supplied to the supply and marketing cooperatives to ensure the supply for the citizens.
Not much would be left for the egg cake factory.
The Hongxin Village chicken farm was not enough.
Of course, if it were expanded further, it might be enough.
Su Shouwen didn't dare to imagine that someone would come to their poor village to buy eggs.
But Su Xiaotian was very confident that they were in a seller's market now, with supply falling short of demand, so there was no need to worry about no one coming.
At least Director Li would definitely come.
The siblings chatted and arrived at the chicken farm.
Su Xiaotian had been gone for nearly a month. When she returned to the chicken farm, she saw that the chicks had grown from fluffy little balls to the size of a bowl, and she couldn't help but smile.
Wang Xianghua was cleaning the chicken coop with Su Xiaomei. Seeing Su Xiaotian, she was surprised and rushed over, dropping her broom.
When she reached Su Xiaotian, she remembered that she had just been cleaning chicken manure and was dirty, so she stopped abruptly.
"Oh, my child, you're back! I missed you so much!" Wang Xianghua said with a smile.
"I thought Auntie had forgotten me with these chicks," Su Xiaotian said playfully. "They're fatter than me!"
Su Shouwen, standing nearby, was dumbfounded. What kind of comparison was this?
Su Xiaomei laughed unceremoniously.
"Xiaotian, who compares themselves to chickens? Chickens are fatter than you, but you are cuter than chickens!" Su Xiaomei said after laughing.
Wang Xianghua had already washed her hands and face and hugged Su Xiaotian.
"Auntie, eat first, then we can talk. Otherwise, the food will get cold!" Su Xiaotian urged Wang Xianghua after a moment of affection.
"Xiaomei, come and eat some food," Wang Xianghua called to Su Xiaomei.
"Auntie, I've already eaten. Please eat quickly," Su Xiaomei said, then continued to clean the chicken coop.
To avoid disturbing Wang Xianghua's meal, Su Xiaotian followed Su Xiaomei to look at the chicken coop.
The chicken coop, which had already been cleaned, was spotless. There was only dirt dug up by the chickens, no droppings or other debris, and lime had been sprinkled around.
She nodded with satisfaction.
"Sister Xiaomei, you're so meticulous!"
"Auntie taught me," Su Xiaomei said with a smile.
At first, she didn't understand why Wang Xianghua insisted on cleaning the chicken coop every day. Who cleans a chicken coop every day? Cleaning it every few days should be enough.
But Wang Xianghua insisted, saying that Xiaotian had said that a clean chicken coop every day, with lime sprinkled, would prevent the chickens from getting sick.
Su Xiaomei had also heard that some brigades had built chicken farms before, but they failed because the chickens got sick.
So, she also followed Wang Xianghua in cleaning the chicken coop every day until it was spotless. Even the wild vegetables that the chicks ate were washed by the river, then dried and chopped before feeding them to the chickens.
Wang Xianghua also led Su Xiaomei to pile up a large pile of vegetable leaves mixed with soil by the chicken coop to raise earthworms.
Earthworms reproduce quickly, and now there were a considerable number of them.
Su Xiaomei couldn't understand why they needed so many earthworms; they looked quite scary.
But Wang Xianghua said that when the chicks grew a bit bigger, feeding them earthworms every day would result in more eggs.
Su Xiaotian listened to Su Xiaomei's chatter about the chicken coop during this period, and a smile never left her lips.
"Actually, there are other methods. You don't necessarily have to feed them earthworms."
For large-scale farming, how could feeding earthworms alone be enough?
She had already asked Chen Zi'an to help her figure out how to buy bone meal, bean dregs, and other such items.
"Are there other methods?"
"Yes, but I don't know if we can get them," Su Xiaotian said briefly and didn't say more.
"However, Xiaotian, feeding earthworms really can increase egg production!" Su Xiaomei said with a smile. "My two chickens are laying more eggs now than before!"
"Lay more eggs, so you can nourish Auntie Taohua," Su Xiaotian said with a smile.
A hint of bitterness crossed Su Xiaomei's lips. "How could I bear to? We only have two chickens at home, and we rely on them for oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar."
"Sister Xiaomei, once our chicken farm's eggs are sold, you'll earn more money. Perhaps by next year, you'll even have sugar coupons and cloth coupons."
Factory workers in the city had these things, and their chicken farm would have them in the future.
Su Xiaomei covered her mouth and smiled, "I dare not even think about it. I just hope to help my family a little."
Before, her father was an accountant, and although their family's situation wasn't great, it wasn't bad either.
Now, relying solely on her mother, the pressure was too great.
Her eldest brother would need to get married in a couple of years, and that would cost money.
Perhaps this was why the village head gave this opportunity, which many coveted, to her.
"Sister Xiaomei, I'm serious!" Su Xiaotian smiled brilliantly!
There would be bread, there would be milk, and there would be various coupons.
In an instant, such a brilliant smile made Su Xiaomei feel that such a day would truly come.
Su Xiaotian told Su Changjiu about the expansion of the chicken farm. Su Changjiu was speechless for a long time, clearly unable to suppress his joy at the good news Su Xiaotian brought.
"Xiaotian, are you telling the truth?"
"Yes, Village Head. I wouldn't joke about something like this!"
The village head still didn't believe her, a little child!
Su Xiaotian herself knew that without Chen Zi'an's endorsement, Director Li would not have agreed so readily if she were just a child.
But because her uncle vouched for her, Director Li would definitely not lie.
Especially since Director Li's wife had behaved poorly at her uncle's house yesterday, and her uncle was clearly displeased. If Director Li didn't want to offend her uncle further, he could only behave better.
Seeing Su Laosan nod, the village head finally believed that what Su Xiaotian said might be true.
"Xiaotian, you've really helped our Hongxin Village a lot," Su Changjiu said with a smile.
"It's not me who helped, it's my uncle who helped!" Su Xiaotian immediately said.
At her age, taking all the credit could be a disaster, so it was better to be low-key.
Anyway, having a good uncle to rely on, she would definitely lean on him when she could.
Upon hearing that Chen Zi'an had helped, Su Changjiu immediately understood.
The Su family had found a good son-in-law. Manxiu was truly fortunate, much more fortunate than Taohua.
Just as they were talking, someone outside called out to the village head.
"Village head, village head, a car has arrived, and they say it's here to deliver chicks to our village!"
Su Changjiu was stunned. Speak of the devil, and here they are?
He looked thoughtfully at Su Xiaotian. This child was truly a lucky star.
"Let's go and see!" Su Changjiu immediately got up and said to Su Laosan and Su Xiaotian.
Meanwhile, Su Shouwen had already led people to unload the chicks from the tractor.
Su Xiaotian saw that Director Li had also come with the car.
She was a little surprised by this.
"Director Li, why have you come in person?" Su Xiaotian asked in surprise.
Director Li felt a moment of awkwardness. Why had he come? It was because he had offended Chen Zi'an because of that woman!
But he couldn't say that. Director Li was a smart man, and he quickly found a reason to come.
"I'm here to inspect! To see your chicken farm! So many chicks have been delivered, I need to have a clear understanding!"
Su Xiaotian quickly pulled Su Changjiu over and introduced him, "This is the village head of our Hongxin Village. If you have anything, you can ask the village head directly."
For matters like this, it was better for adults to communicate. After she, a child, had made the connection, she didn't need to worry about it anymore.
"Hello, Village Head! Your chicken farm is built at such a timely moment. Once it starts producing eggs, it will solve a big problem for our factory!"
When the factory was first built, they thought that the market for egg cakes was large and would definitely be profitable.
But they forgot to consider the supply of raw materials first, which resulted in the factory often having no work to do.
Because of this, the workers had caused trouble several times.
Although he had the intention of pleasing Chen Zi'an this time, he also had the intention of solving his predicament.
"Hello, Director Li, thank you! You delivering so many chicks is also helping our Hongxin Village!" Su Changjiu said, shaking hands.
Chicks were hard to get. The commune had only allocated two hundred for their chicken farm.
But he didn't expect Director Li to deliver so many at once, there were at least three to four hundred!
"You're welcome, you're welcome. I'm still waiting for the eggs from your chicken farm," Director Li Qing said politely, without any airs of a city factory director.
Before coming, he was actually unsure.
But after a brief look at the Hongxin Village chicken farm, he suddenly became confident.
Such a clean chicken farm, with plump and glossy half-grown chicks, showed that a lot of effort had been put in.
With such dedication, they would surely raise the chickens well.
As long as the chickens were raised well, the eggs would not be a problem!
"Director Li, how many chicks did you deliver this time? I'll have Accountant Su settle the accounts for you!" Su Changjiu said this with a distinct lack of confidence.
The village's accounts were empty, but he couldn't say that.
He didn't know if the old Su family still had money. If their own money and the Su family's contribution were enough...
He was troubled when there were no chicks, and he was still troubled when there were chicks!
Su Changjiu truly felt a pang of sadness. Hongxin Village was too poor. Otherwise, why would they have to go through all this?