Transmigrating with a Five Million Dollar Retirement Life

Chapter 18 Little Rabbit

"Oh, Auntie, I just went to Third Uncle's house," Song Jiaojiao said with a smile.

"Wang Chi's wife, I think a bullock cart went towards your house yesterday. Is that a relative of yours?" Aunt Sun, the most gossipy woman in the village, asked.

"Aunt Sun, just call me Jiaojiao. These are some things I bought in town yesterday. We're short of everything at home, so I asked the shopkeeper to deliver them to me," Song Jiaojiao said indistinctly.

Aunt Sun said with a disbelieving look, "How much stuff is that? A whole oxcart full."

An auntie standing nearby chimed in, "Oh, what could it be? They might be going the same way. It's not all Jiaojiao's business. Let me tell you, I saw the Wang family's children and grandchildren come back today. They even came back in a carriage. I thought they were some rich relatives."

"Yes, yes, I saw it too. They brought back quite a lot of things. I went to listen in, and it seemed like Wang Dashan's eldest son, Da Niu, rescued the other family's youngest son."

An aunt who lived near the Wang family's old house was talking, and Aunt Sun heard this and said, "They saved someone's son, that's a life-saving favor, they should give a lot of money."

"Of course! Books often say that a drop of kindness should be repaid with a spring of gratitude. It seems the Wang family is going to make a fortune." The aunt said, glancing at Song Jiaojiao, thinking of the time a few days ago when she broke off her ties with the Wang family.

Upon hearing this, Song Jiaojiao said, "Aunties, you can chat anytime. I have to go back and cook. It's getting late."

"Okay, let's sit for a while longer." Song Jiaojiao nodded and left.

"Do you think Song Jiaojiao will regret this? The Wang family has already made a fortune right after the marriage was severed." Aunt Sun nudged the person next to her with her shoulder while eating sunflower seeds.

"I don't know if Jiaojiao will regret it, but I do know that even if she doesn't break off the marriage, the Wang family won't give her a son or daughter," Aunt Sun said, pursing her lips. Another aunt chimed in.

"I think so too. I doubt anyone would give it to Song Jiaojiao. Sigh, never mind, it's getting late. Let's go home and cook, otherwise the men at home will complain when they get back and there's nothing to eat." The aunties scattered and went home to cook.

Song Jiaojiao was unaware of what her aunts behind her were saying, and even if she did, she wouldn't care. Whether the Wang family was rich or poor in the future was none of her business. She should use this time to think about what to do next.

When Song Jiaojiao returned home, Mu Qing had already steamed the rice; only the stir-fried vegetables were left. Song Jiaojiao put down her basket, went to the kitchen to wash her hands, and asked, "Big sister, what did you make today?"

"Mom, you're back. I steamed some mixed grain rice, but I haven't cooked the vegetables yet. I found two eggs when I fed the chickens this morning," Mu Qing said, looking up from the stove.

"Okay, you go and rest for a while. I'll take care of the rest. This afternoon, clear out that empty space in the yard and pick up some vegetables or something," Song Jiaojiao said, taking over the task from Mu Qing.

"Okay, it's still early, I'll go get it ready." With that, Mu Qing went out to get a hoe and start digging.

Seeing that Mu Qing had gone out, Song Jiaojiao took out the pork she had bought in town, intending to stir-fry it with dried chili peppers, and then take out the eggs to stir-fry with scallions.

Take out the meat, cut off some fat, and stir-fry it until it's rendered. Cut the lean meat, add seasonings and set aside. Mince the ginger and garlic, and cut the dried chili peppers into sections. Heat the wok over high heat, add the fatty meat and stir-fry until the oil is rendered. Add the ginger and garlic and stir-fry until fragrant. Add the dried chili peppers and stir-fry briefly. Then add the chopped lean meat and stir-fry for a few moments before removing from the heat. Because her family doesn't eat much chili, Song Jiaojiao added less, and the large bowl looked like it was all meat.

Next, scramble the eggs, heat oil in a pan, and when the oil is about 50% hot, pour in the egg mixture. When it has slightly solidified, stir it with a spatula until you can no longer see the liquid. Then add the chopped scallions, sprinkle with salt, and it's ready to serve.

"Big sister, second sister, wash your hands and it's time to eat," Song Jiaojiao called out as she placed the dishes on the table.

Mu Qing and Mu Xue put the hoe down, washed their hands, and placed the bowls and chopsticks on the table. "We have meat and eggs today."

Mu Xue looked at the dishes on the table and said happily. Mu Qing, who was scooping rice, heard that there was meat and asked in confusion, "Mother, didn't we finish eating all the meat that my older brother bought last time?"

Song Jiaojiao said, "Oh, I bought this when I went to town last time, but I didn't tell you." Feeling guilty, she changed the subject, "How's the soil clearing? Is it ready for planting vegetables?"

Mu Qing didn't dwell on the meat issue. Hearing Song Jiaojiao's words, she replied, "I've opened some, that should be enough for planting vegetables. I'll open more later if it's not enough."

"Okay, okay, we'll plant the vegetables in a bit, and we'll have vegetables to eat in a while. Let's eat." Song Jiaojiao breathed a sigh of relief. Luckily, she got away with it. Next time she goes to town, she'll buy more vegetables to smoke, so she won't have to worry about eating meat with such anxiety.

At the beginning of the hour of Wei (1-3 PM), Song Jiaojiao dug a hole in front, Mu Qing threw seeds behind, and Mu Xue watered the seeds with a small ladle. The seeds were planted in half an hour.

Song Jiaojiao clapped her hands, straightened up, and said, "Alright, we'll have vegetables to eat soon."

"Mother, I'm back." Wang Hefan's voice came from outside the courtyard.

"Big brother is back!!!" Mu Xue put the ladle into the bucket and ran out.

"Big brother, big brother, what did you bring back?" Wang Hefan's basket contained grass, and there was movement inside.

Wang Hefan patted Mu Xue's head, took her hand, and led her into the courtyard. "Come on, let's go into the courtyard and take a look."

Song Jiaojiao looked at the pheasant in Wang Hefan's hand and said, "Oh, we caught a pheasant! We were wondering what to eat for dinner, so we can make a chestnut stew with chicken."

Mu Qing took the chicken from Wang Hefan, put it in the bucket, and went to boil water.

"Not only that, look what this is." Wang Hefan put down the basket and lifted the banana leaves on top. Inside were two small gray and white rabbits.

"Oh, it's a little rabbit, Mom, can I keep it?" Mu Xue looked at the cute rabbit and asked Song Jiaojiao.

"Second Sister wants to raise one? Raising a rabbit means cutting grass for it and cleaning up its droppings. If you can do that, it's not impossible," Song Jiaojiao said with a smile.

"Yes, yes, Mom, I can do it. When the rabbits grow up, we can eat meat," Mu Xue said happily.

Upon hearing Mu Xue's words, Song Jiaojiao burst into laughter, "Haha, Second Sister, you raise rabbits just to eat them!"

“Yes, they’re too small now and don’t have much meat. They’ll have more meat when they grow up,” Mu Xue replied innocently. Song Jiaojiao looked at the two trembling rabbits in the basket and thought she had encountered a kind-hearted god. She didn’t expect that the god disliked them because they didn’t have enough meat and wanted to raise them until they were bigger before eating them.

"That's true, it's so small, it's not even enough to fill a tooth gap. Okay, put the rabbit in the pigpen, and remember to bring some grass." Song Jiaojiao smiled and patted Mu Xue's head, urging her on.

“Mother, Uncle Cheng and I encountered a deer on our trip into the mountains. I didn’t bring it back. Uncle Cheng said he’ll take it to town to sell tomorrow. He knows the town well and knows who buys them.”

"Okay, you decide. Did you encounter any danger on this trip into the mountains?" Song Jiaojiao looked Wang Hefan up and down, and apart from the bloodstains on his trousers, she didn't see any other wounds.