Chapter 75 Taking the Little One Along

Ah!

Shao Hong let out a cry and hurried into the house, his shout breaking the strange scene unfolding outside.

The yellow weasel set down the rabbit, picked up the eggs, and darted away in a flash. The Pallas’s cat did the same, leaving with its injured companion.

Woof woof!

Yu Sheng sat on the ground, waving his front paws and barking twice, as if bidding farewell.

Damn! Not only Shao Hong, even Zhong Di was startled by this—such a human-like display was truly unsettling.

“Yu Sheng, quick... get inside.”

Muttering under his breath, Zhong Di went to pick up the rabbit and followed Yu Sheng indoors.

“Zhong Di, are you sure there isn’t anything weird going on here?” Shao Hong glanced nervously at the door and whispered.

“What are you thinking? This is the new era. Is it so strange that they come to our yard? Our eggs are so delicious, and yellow weasels are naturally intelligent—this is normal.”

“And as for the Pallas’s cat, among wild animals, they’ve always been considered highly intelligent; otherwise, they wouldn’t have survived until now.”

“Yu Sheng is with us every day, so it’s perfectly normal for him to know a few simple greetings. Not just our dog—even other dogs can be quite clever.”

Zhong Di forced out these explanations. Shao Hong could have his doubts, but he himself could not; he had to say these things. Deep down, Zhong Di understood what was happening and had his own answers.

“I suppose you’re right. Maybe it’s just that all three appeared together and acted so harmoniously that it felt uncanny.”

They chatted a bit more before each went to rest. Lying in bed, Zhong Di saw a message from Sun Miaomiao—she would come for lunch the next day, which wasn’t surprising. Then his elder sister sent a message as well.

She said there would be six guests in the afternoon, new customers who had heard about them from others and wanted to reserve a table.

After reading, Zhong Di replied to Sun Miaomiao: “There are guests in the afternoon; is morning all right? How many people?”

He wanted to stagger the reservations. These days, there was just one table each day, but this was the first time they’d have two at once. Splitting up the customers would make things easier and less chaotic.

“No, I insist on coming in the afternoon.”

Zhong Di was baffled by her reply. Why insist on the afternoon? She hadn’t even mentioned how many would come.

Never mind, he thought. Hosting both tables together would work, though he wasn’t sure if they’d manage.

He replied with a simple “Okay” and told Shao Hong about it. Shao Hong didn’t mind; an extra table was no problem.

The next morning, Zhong Di got up early, a habit he had developed since returning home. He no longer stayed up late and always slept well, so he woke naturally at dawn.

He first went to check on the Desert Sage Sprout. Compared to before, its life signs had obviously improved; it was no longer half-dead but had begun sprouting new shoots.

This was a good sign—the plant was recovering and would soon yield more leaves. Around it, Zhong Di had transplanted some shrubs, including red goji berries, which provided cover so no one could see what was hidden there.

He had also planted under-forest medicinal herbs, all sprouting and flourishing. The place was gradually turning into a small medicinal herb plantation.

After his inspection, Zhong Di joined Shao Hong in the daily chores—even the pigeons had started hatching chicks.

“Zhong Di, come here! There’s a chicken that’s been sitting on the eggs in the corner and won’t move. Is it going broody?”

Shao Hong was collecting eggs when he noticed a hen nestled on a pile of eggs, refusing to leave. Strangely, the other chickens were voluntarily giving her space, which was unusual.

Normally, if a hen went broody within the flock, the others would disturb her, making it hard for her to settle. In the countryside, people would usually move a brooding hen to her own spot.

“Looks like it,” Zhong Di said, recognizing the signs from his years in the village.

“So what should we do? Should we take the eggs away?”

“No need. If none of the other hens are bothering her, let her be. There are only a dozen or so eggs; it’s fine to leave them.”

Letting her hatch the chicks would add new life to the farm.

“All right, I’ll finish collecting the eggs. Later, you can deliver them. I’m off to make another pigeon nest—several are hatching at once and there aren’t enough nests.”

Shao Hong placed the eggs down, weighed them, then fetched tools from the shed to build a nest.

There were only small tasks to do these days—picking dates, weeding.

“Got it.”

When Dongyang’s van arrived, Zhong Di handed over the free-range chickens and eggs. Now, they produced about a dozen chickens a day—not a small number. It was peak egg-laying season, and with the Desert Sage Sprout, they gathered over twenty kilos of eggs daily, sending fifteen kilos to Dongyang and keeping the rest for themselves or for sale.

Soon, Dongyang’s van came, picked up the goods, and left in a hurry—their ingredients had become indispensable.

Sometimes, he’d send some vegetables too, but only when there was a surplus.

Since changing his business model, Zhong Di was no longer keen to supply one restaurant with a large amount of vegetables. He was content with his current arrangements.

After a while, it was eight o’clock. His elder sister arrived, bringing along his niece, Xiaoxi.

“Zhong Di, you’ll have to look after Xiaoxi today. I’ve got something urgent and couldn’t find anyone else.”

“Don’t worry, sis. Go ahead. I’ll take care of Xiaoxi.”

Zhong Di’s eyes lit up. He loved looking after Xiaoxi, his adorable niece—big bright eyes, all the best features from her mother’s side, truly a little beauty in the making.

After a few words from her mother, Xiaoxi’s elder sister left in haste.

“Uncle, hug me!” Xiaoxi blinked up at him sweetly.

Ah! I can’t resist this cuteness. I must restrain myself—don’t spoil her too much, or she’ll be ruined.

“Come on, let uncle give you a hug.” Zhong Di bent down, scooped her up, and held her in his arms.

So soft and sweet.

“Shao Hong, my sister’s not here today so I’ll be watching Xiaoxi. I’ll call two aunties to help you with the guests. Can you manage two tables?”

With Xiaoxi in his arms, Zhong Di went to Shao Hong. He hadn’t expected his sister’s emergency when he planned for two tables of guests.

“No problem,” Shao Hong replied. Normally, Zhong Di and his sister only helped out with prep and small tasks; two hired helpers could do the same.

“I’m thinking we might hire a professional chef so we can diversify our menu.”

Zhong Di watched as Shao Hong finished a pigeon nest—beautiful and practical, since they not only sold meat pigeons but provided birds for viewing too. Presentation mattered, and he felt bad making Shao Hong cook every day.

“No, not yet. A proper chef costs at least six thousand a month, and a cheaper one might not cook as well as I do. I’ll handle it for now. Once our customer base is stable, then we can reconsider.”

“Don’t always worry about cost. Now that your debts are paid, making money is just a matter of time. Besides, providing jobs may be trivial for us, but for others, it’s their livelihood.”

From the beginning, Zhong Di hadn’t aimed to maximize profit. Early on, he had to count every penny, but as things improved, he preferred to provide some jobs for others.

“No rush, let’s keep going as we are,” Shao Hong replied.

“Fine, as you say. We’ll hire more help later.”

After their talk, Zhong Di began making calls. He reached out to Zhang Xiaohua, who had already formed a small team thanks to frequent work from Zhong Di. These aunties made a living from odd jobs, working a day or several at a time.

“Auntie, I need two younger, quick-handed women today—just picking and prepping vegetables, nothing hard, one hundred twenty for the day. Can you find two?”

It was already after eight; they’d arrive around nine or ten. It cost him more, but he paid a day’s wage regardless.

“Sure, no problem.” Not long after, Zhang Xiaohua replied and started recruiting in their group. This was good work—easy and well-paid. Everyone wanted the job, and Zhong Di always paid promptly, never delayed or withheld wages as other bosses might.

In less than an hour, two women arrived. Strictly speaking, they were in their thirties, which was already impressive for rural help.

Seeing them settle quickly into their tasks, Zhong Di felt at ease. He picked up Xiaoxi and went for a stroll.

“Xiaoxi, how about uncle takes you fishing at the reservoir?”

He imagined the sight: his cute niece would instantly draw the envy of the old fishermen nearby. The thought was delightful.

“No, no! I want to see the bunnies.” Watching rabbits was much more fun than fishing.

“But Xiaoxi, fishing is really fun. Don’t you like shrimp? Uncle could catch you some, and you could dip the meat in sesame sauce—so delicious.”

As Zhong Di spoke, he felt something wet on his hand. Looking down, he saw his little niece already drooling.