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墨書 Inktalez
The actions of Black Treasure carrying and hugging people spread throughout Zhoujiatun. Being popular often brings trouble, and every day after work, it is teased by the old and young men alike. "Black Treasure, carry me!"
"Black Treasure, take me home!"
Zhou Xiaomu and a group of little ones tugged at Black Treasure's pants, saying, "Black Treasure, let us ride you."
Every day, Black Treasure was exhausted like a dead dog, but when everyone surrounded it, it foolishly complied with their requests. Niu Niu laughed at its foolishness, while Spots unusually grew close to Black Treasure. Yezhi asked it about its thoughts, and it replied that being ugly was one thing, but not being smart was another... That sighing tone of sympathy left Yezhi at a loss for words. She wondered if Smart Beans should stop teasing it... but Black Treasure was an exception; that kid was still foolish.
Niu Niu was unaware that Yezhi planned to revoke its benefits and was sound asleep on Yezhi's head.
The Wetland in Late Autumn was desolate. Red-crowned cranes, gray geese, white storks, swans... had flown away to who knows where. The heavy colors and light mist made it hard to breathe yet evoked a subtle sadness. Zhang Ling's eyes turned red as she pondered something.
"The sky is vast, the wilderness is boundless; the wind blows low over the grass revealing cattle and sheep..." Yezhi's loud voice disrupted the deep sadness.
"That... Sister Ye, 'vast' means blue!" Zhang Ling said subtly. "Really?" After graduating, Yezhi returned her knowledge to her teacher but rarely displayed poetic talent; now she felt embarrassed and struggled to recall other meaningful phrases.
She slapped her forehead in frustration and said, "Reiko, you really know how to ruin the mood!"
"Sister Ye, you're not so bad yourself!" After saying that, the two burst into laughter.
Once they had laughed enough, Yezhi asked her, "What were you looking at just now that made your eyes red?" Zhang Ling was taken aback; she thought Sister Ye hadn't noticed!
"I suddenly felt very small and realized life can be tough!"
Yezhi had similar feelings before; it happened in autumn on a hillside filled with cold light as the wind blew the cold rays in all directions...
"Reiko, do you know when I last had thoughts like yours? It was back when I was still fresh and tender, living alone after my parents divorced."
Zhang Ling was taken aback; it was the first time she heard Ye Zhi talk about her parents. "People who are unhappy are particularly prone to feeling sentimental in autumn." Ye Zhi plopped down on the grass and patted the spot beside her. "Reiko, I can't help with anything else, but I can be a listener and a trash can for your complaints. Look at this place, the sky is vast and the wilderness is endless, perfect for you to vent."
Zhang Ling was dumbfounded, and Ye Zhi urged her, "Hurry up, time is precious."
Under pressure, Zhang Ling hesitantly began to talk about the troubles with Xiao Huang's family. "I have some minor conflicts with his sister-in-law. He always sides with them and says I'm spoiled. His mom sometimes eavesdrops outside our room."
"Wait a minute, Reiko, don't say it so formally. Say it like this: When I was fresh like a flower, that scoundrel Xiao Huang would always surround me. After picking my flower, he treated me like nothing and called me spoiled. If I'm spoiled, then I'll show him what spoiled looks like." Ye Zhi put her hands on her hips and pointed at Zhang Ling, advising, "By the way, save your salary for yourself."
Zhang Ling twitched her lips. "Sister Ye, do you really talk to Brother Lin like that?"
Ye Zhi brushed her hair back. "Pretty much!"
"I often say that this fresh flower being placed on his stinky dog poop is his blessing!"
Zhang Ling laughed so hard she trembled. "Sister Ye, you and Brother Lin are really great together!"
"Reiko, when two people from different families live together, there will always be adjustments and conflicts. Brother Lin and I are also adapting to each other. In our family, I'm responsible for making jokes; we choose to laugh off many things. Why don't you try changing your image? For those conflicts, let's just laugh them off first!" Ye Zhi shared her limited experience.
After listening, Zhang Ling said, "But I really can't stand his mom eavesdropping."
Ye Zhi couldn't stand it either. "For his unsatisfied mother, let's find her something to do. I have a deer whip at home; you can take some tiger whip wine from Village Uncle's house as a gift for your father-in-law."
Zhang Ling wasn't deterred by Ye Zhi's mischievous suggestion; her big eyes sparkled with interest. As time passed and they talked more, she felt increasingly relaxed. It turned out that some things could change just by talking about them with someone else.
Niu Niu lazily lay beside Yezhi, and suddenly its squinted eyes widened. It jumped up and dashed forward.
Yezhi and Zhang Ling were mostly hidden behind the tall reeds, the moist air mixed with the fresh scent of the reeds. As the wind blew, the reeds swayed, and the flower heads clashed, producing a light rustling sound.
Reeds are valuable; reed leaves, flowers, stems, roots, and shoots can all be used for medicine. They can also be made into paper, mats, or used for building houses. This year's reed flowers bloomed a bit late, and many people in the village filled their pillows with the fluff and made brooms from the flower heads. These two ordinary items were so common that Xiao Fang immediately took a liking to them and insisted on selling some at "Earth's Rarity."
At first, no one bought them until a guy with a wild idea posted a photo of a broom in a vase on "My Home," which sparked countless jokes from home fans. Suddenly, villagers' new brooms were sold out thanks to Yezhi; if it weren't for road construction, she figured everyone would still be soaking in the Wetland.
A broom and a photo of Black Treasure had become new star products at "Earth's Rarity." The rustic wooden jewelry boxes also captivated many middle-aged women from Bodoria. Currently, the jewelry boxes were mostly made by her two apprentices, while Little Mu's Father had gone south to buy wood with his bedding rolled up. After all, the ancient furniture book Yezhi gave him was filled with redwood and rosewood. For a carpenter with dreams and aspirations, good wood is the soul of furniture, while fine craftsmanship gives it spirit.
After Yezhi encouraged him a bit, Little Mu's Father left without hesitation, making Yezhi feel embarrassed to meet Xiao Mu's Mother. Fortunately, Xiao Mu's Mother wasn't sentimental; instead, she felt a bit vain and proud that her husband was the first in the village to go south.
Aprons, cloth jackets, New Year pictures, and couplets served as decorations for "Earth's Rarity," while sales continued. Now only VIPs among the old residents could buy locally grown fruits from Earth—Yezhi's pickled peaches and fruit wine.
Today she went to Wetland partly to let Zhang Ling get some fresh air; after all, they couldn't have someone helping them build roads every day. Secondly, she needed to stock up on fodder for Spots to survive the winter. Thirdly, there was high demand for brooms; she wanted to gather some reed flower heads so everyone could earn some money for the New Year.
After venting her pent-up feelings, Zhang Ling felt refreshed as she cut reeds and began to sweat. "Sister Ye, look! Niu Niu is dragging a rabbit!"
Yezhi, who was bundling reeds, didn't even lift her head; bringing Niu Niu along was just to catch small animals in this patch of reeds to fatten up for autumn.
She was already thinking about how to prepare this rabbit: if it was roasted, she would cook it with wood until medium rare before adding pine cones and hazelnut shells for smoking; if it was stewed fresh, she would simmer rabbit meat with Monkey Head mushrooms. Just thinking about it made her feel overwhelmed with anticipation.
"Reiko, do you want it roasted or stewed?"
Zhang Ling swallowed hard and greedily said, "I want to eat both." She hadn't spoken so willfully in a long time, and now that she did, it felt refreshing.
Yezhi didn't respond, picking up Niu Niu and giving it a light kiss on the forehead. "Dear, go catch a few more." Yezhi's gentle approach was more effective than a command; Niu Niu, energized by the kiss, darted into the reeds like lightning.
Zhang Ling felt her vision blur for a moment. "Sister Ye, your animals are truly remarkable!"
"Not bad, just average!" Yezhi humbly replied, though her modesty felt insincere.
"Dogs, cows, bears, chickens, geese—Sister Ye, what else do you want to raise?"
Although Zhang Ling was joking, Yezhi actually had some cute animals in mind. "I plan to dig a big pond in front of my house."
"To raise fish?"
"Pfft~ Raising fish is so unambitious; I want to raise hippos. When I was a little kid, I insisted on calling out to the hippos at the pool, 'Hippo, hippo, come out!' Even if my throat was dry and my voice hoarse, I never got tired of calling out a thousand times for just one glimpse... Anyway, my love for hippos is absolute."
"Hippos? Raising horses in the river!" Zhang Ling exclaimed. Sister Ye is so impressive; even raising horses is done differently.
Yezhi chuckled softly. "Yeah, something like that!"
The two of them walked towards Zhoujiatun, stepping deeper and shallower through the reeds. The fog had completely cleared now; the sky was deep blue without a cloud in sight, and the clear water blended seamlessly with the distant horizon—a breathtaking view.
Beautiful scenery always cleanses the soul. Yezhi called out to Xiao Fang and began taking pictures of the stunning landscape. Zhang Ling was asked to pose. "Quickly make a peace sign and shout 'cheese'!" At first, Zhang Ling was reluctant but eventually let go of her reservations. The two laughed and played as they made their way home just before noon.
Just getting out of bed and feeling sluggish, Zhang Dou perked up upon seeing the three plump rabbits in Yezhi's hands. "Sister, let's have rabbit hot pot today!"
Elder Brother Yu had an opinion. In order to welcome Zhang Ling, he specifically bought mutton from Sheep Farm, and they hadn't finished eating it yet. Why eat rabbit?
Sheep Farm had only started construction in spring and now had just 60 sheep, of which 40 were ewes. Zhou Da and Zhou Xiao's father was the newly appointed sheep commander. Economically speaking, Sheep Farm couldn't compare to the two duck farms, but its contribution to Zhoujiatun was significant. The milk produced there had strengthened the entire Zhoujiatun. Village Uncle even stated that starting from the autumn harvest until the Spring Festival, they would slaughter one sheep each month and sell the meat cheaply to villagers. The offal and bones would be used to make soup for the children of Everyone during the autumn harvest, improving the lives of those working on road construction.
“Zhang Ling is leaving tomorrow; let’s eat rabbit tonight and send her home with the leftover mutton.” Fixing the roads had left the villagers of Zhoujiatun impoverished, and Yezhi's family was no exception. As the head of his household, Elder Brother Yu had even more to consider.
“Sister Ye, I don’t want it!”
“Why are you leaving so soon?” Sister Luo said reluctantly.
Initially advocating for a planned meat consumption, Elder Brother Yu took the rabbit and began preparing it while saying, “How can you not want it? Take it home for Xiao Huang; let your dad and them taste it. Our sheep roam all over the mountains, eating not just grass but also mountain delicacies. The flavor is different from other places.”
Yezhi felt a bit embarrassed; whenever Zhoujiatun's products were mentioned, the people from Zhoujiatun became particularly self-important.
At that moment, Zhang Dou suddenly remembered his parents and rushed out. When he returned, he was carrying a whole lamb leg. “Don’t forget to say this is my tribute!” Laughter erupted from Everyone in the yard as Xiao Shuan entered behind Zhang Dou, still holding onto some meat.
Zhang Ling thought it was quite uncouth for an older brother to compete with a child for meat. “Xiao Shuan, this meat is for you!” Xiao Shuan held onto the meat he thought he had lost and nearly cried out in joy. “Thank you, Reiko sister!”
Yezhi found it amusing. “Xiao Shuan, is it really worth it for just one leg of meat?”
Xiao Shuan sighed deeply. “Sister Ye, this last leg of meat was clearly mine first, but as soon as Zhang Brother came in, it was snatched away. My mom wants to use this meat to entertain our family's God of Wealth; he’s the big landlord in our village. If I don’t bring this meat back, how am I supposed to live?”
God of Wealth? Big landlord? Who had such insight to discover Zhoujiatun as a treasure?
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