Chapter 156: Dad, Are You Buying Someone?

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For a long time afterward, whenever they had any free time during the day, Old Wen and Old Wang stayed out in the fields. They had nearly memorized every seedling there; even if a single leaf went missing, they would know.

Wen Yao wandered around for several days and even had Wen Xiu Yi try to persuade them, but to no avail. In the end, she simply let them be.

That day, after the family finished dinner, they sat in the courtyard of the old house chatting. Old Wen remembered that the ducklings had already begun to be raised in one half of the pond, and that several hundred ducks had been delivered in batches. The wives of his second and third sons, along with Iron Ox’s mother, spent all day there tending to them.

But nothing had yet been arranged for the other half of the pond, which still lay empty.

“Eldest, weren’t you planning to raise fish in that half of the pond? When are you going to start?” Old Wen asked Wen Xiu Yi.

At once, everyone turned to look at Wen Xiu Yi.

“I’ve been thinking about it these past few days,” Wen Xiu Yi said. “As you can all see, Mother and Little Aunt are busy with the fermented bean paste. Second and Third Uncle have been sent to work in the fields, and my two sisters-in-law are too busy dealing with the ducks to do anything else. The children are either at school or running the stalls.”

As he spoke, he spread his hands. “There’s no one left in our family.”

Was he supposed to rely on himself and Wen Yao? He could manage it. He had once heard colleagues talk about fish farming, though his knowledge was only superficial. Over the past few days, he had asked Wen Yao to buy several books on fish farming from her mysterious space, and he was currently studying them.

But Wen Yao? To be honest, Wen Xiu Yi could not bear to make his precious daughter suffer through such hard work. For the time being, the family simply did not have enough hands.

Old Wen took two puffs from his dry tobacco pipe. It was only now, when they actually needed people, that he realized how short-handed they were. If only he and his wife had had a few more children while they were young.

At that thought, Old Wen glanced at Madam Luo.

Madam Luo’s eyelid twitched beneath his gaze, and she immediately guessed what the shameless old man was thinking. If there had not been so many people present, she would certainly have struck him. All she could do was glare at him warningly.

Old Wen rubbed his nose and looked away.

“What about your second uncle’s sons, A-Jian and A-Li? Do you think they could manage it?” Old Wen asked.

The A-Jian and A-Li he referred to were the two sons of their second paternal uncle. They were about the same age as Wen Xiu Zhu and Wen Xiu Qing, and among all their relatives, that family was the closest to theirs.

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Madam Luo glanced at Old Wen. “A-Jian and A-Li are working in the city, aren’t they? Would they be willing to come back and raise fish?”

Old Wen tapped his tobacco pipe. “I heard Second Brother say a few days ago that their employers seem to be moving away, so they’ll no longer have work in the city. Second Brother has been worrying over it these past few days. He even asked me the other day, saying that Eldest is clever and might be able to think of something for his sons.”

Madam Luo curled her lips. Put nicely, it was asking for advice. Put less nicely, wasn’t he simply hoping Wen Xiu Yi would find his two sons a job? These days, everyone in the village knew that the Wen family had connections with the Drunken Immortal Restaurant.

Still, such a petty calculation amounted to no more than a few words of disdain from Madam Luo. She did not truly take it to heart. After all, when Wen Xiu Yi had been studying and their family had been penniless and desperate, they had borrowed money from Second Brother’s household, and the latter had been willing to lend it without making things difficult for them.

As for Wen Xiu Jian and Wen Xiu Li, she had practically watched them grow up. Their character was acceptable as well—nothing exceptional, but perfectly ordinary. It was just that they had spent all these years working as long-term laborers in the city. If they suddenly returned, they might well have complaints.

Before Wen Xiu Yi could say anything, Madam Luo spoke first. “Let’s wait and see. They haven’t come back much over the years, so it’s still uncertain whether they can do the work properly. If something truly goes wrong, the two families might not even be able to remain relatives.”

Old Wen wanted to say that his cousin was not that sort of person, but after thinking it over, he said nothing. His wife was right. When someone had been away for years, no one could know what thoughts might arise in his heart after he returned.

“Then we’ll discuss it later. But we can’t leave the pond empty forever. Eldest, think it over yourself. After all, the fish pond is a business belonging to you brothers,” Old Wen said, leaving the problem with Wen Xiu Yi.

As for Wen Xiu Zhu and Wen Xiu Qing, Old Wen had no intention of asking their opinions at all. As long as the two of them followed their elder brother and did their work properly, that was enough.

Wen Xiu Yi had been about to ask about the two men and see what his mother thought, but after looking at her expression, he ultimately decided to wait and see.

Ten days later, Qiu Rongrong sent over the final batch of ducklings. There were now a full six hundred ducks in the duck shed. Feeding them alone kept Madam Li and Madam Cai frantic every day, leaving them no time to help with the family’s other work. They barely even had time to tidy themselves up, and every day they returned home smelling like ducks.

Wen Xiu Zhu and Wen Xiu Qing were even worse off. With Old Wen watching them, they went to the fields at daybreak every day. By now, not a single weed could be found there.

Even Wen Ying and Wen Di—two girls who had originally planned to enjoy a pampered life alongside Wen Yao—had no choice but to help their mother cut grass and feed the ducks every day. Wen Yao herself had not escaped either.

“Father, tell Grandfather and the others to hire people. I really can’t stand these ducks anymore.” Whenever Wen Yao closed her eyes now, all she could hear in her mind was quacking.

She never wanted to see another duck again.

Who had come up with the foolish idea of making roast duck and raising ducks in the first place?!

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Seeing her like this, Wen Xiu Yi leaned closer and sniffed. His daughter, who had once smelled sweet and fragrant, now carried the scent of ducks every day. The thought amused him, and he decided to tease her.

“Sweetheart, did you fail to wash properly? Why can I still smell duck droppings?”

Wen Yao had been reclining in a chair, but at those words she shot upright. She raised one hand and sniffed first one side, then the other.

“Can you still smell it? Can you? I clearly washed twice! Ah! Father, I can’t take it anymore. I never want to see those ducks again. We have to hire people. We absolutely have to hire people. I’m going to find Grandma right now!”

Wen Xiu Yi grabbed her and pulled her back, then stuffed her into the reclining chair again.

“All right, all right. Father was only teasing you. But you’re right. If we keep this up, no one will be able to stand it. Look at your Second and Third Uncles and Aunts—they’ve all lost a great deal of weight recently. Your uncles have even been tanned several shades darker.”

“That’s right, Father. Our goal is to help the whole family grow wealthy. How can we have earned no money yet, while already working everyone half to death?” Wen Yao said dejectedly.

She could hardly bear to look at Wen Di’s hands. She still wanted to earn enough money to send her sister to learn the qin.

Wen Xiu Yi comfortingly patted his daughter on the head. “All right, don’t think about it anymore. I’ll speak to your grandfather tomorrow. There’s also something I want to discuss with you.”

“What is it?”

“I’ve already spoken to your Uncle Jian and your Uncle Li. They feel they’ve never raised fish before and are afraid they won’t be able to do it properly. I asked Tooth Broker Deng, whom we knew before, to find them another long-term laboring job. And don’t say your father is just being softhearted. Before I came here, your grandfather and the others owed them a favor. It’s time to repay it.”

Wen Yao nodded. Returning a favor was only right.

“So? What did you want to tell me?”

Wen Xiu Yi rubbed his hands together and sighed first. “I asked Tooth Broker Deng to find me a few people who were skilled at raising fish. As it happens, he really did know of a family. They came from the south and had raised fish before. Later, their home was flooded, and they had nowhere left to go, so they fled here with the refugees. Tooth Broker Deng bought them and gave them food and shelter. They signed contracts of servitude.”

Wen Yao suddenly sat upright, her face full of astonishment.

“Father, are you planning to buy people?”

After thinking about it for a moment, Wen Yao understood exactly what troubled Professor Wen. He had once been an advanced worker who held the core values of socialism close to his heart. Now he was being asked to take the feudal path of buying servants. It was only natural that Professor Wen would feel conflicted and distressed.

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