Chapter 68: The Ugly Ger’s Farming Story

“What kind of talk is that!” Uncle Xie gave a rare glare. “Our son has entered the Lin family now, and they treat our son well. Don’t bring up those past matters.”

Xie Ama also understood this reasoning. “But I can’t help but worry about him! If it weren’t for what happened back then! Sigh…” The more Xie Ama thought about it, the more guilty he felt. He shouldn’t have agreed to that marriage back then.

“However, that’s not to say it in that way. If it weren’t for that heartless person, our son wouldn’t have encountered this marriage.” Uncle Xie didn’t know that Lin Fangliang had already set his sights on Xie Yu when his leg was injured. If it weren’t for Ma Fugui’s interference at that time, Xie Yu might have already entered the Lin family’s door long ago.

“Knock, knock, knock, Uncle Xie, it’s Li Changfeng!” Li Changfeng knocked on the door while carrying a basket.

As soon as he heard the sound at the courtyard gate, Uncle Xie got up and opened the door. “Changfeng, what delicious food have you brought us this time?”

Upon opening the courtyard door, Uncle Xie smelled a special aroma and saw Li Changfeng carrying a basket. He didn’t need to think twice to know that he had brought them food.

Inside, Xie Ama listened to Uncle Xie’s loud voice and couldn’t help but sigh. How could someone live for so many years and still be missing a screw?

“It’s just a new dish made by Aqing. Try it, both you and Uncle Xie. I’ll be going back now.”

*(T/N: Putting the word “A” or “Ah” in front of a name is pretty much the same as the word “Xiao”.)

Li Changfeng handed the basket to Uncle Xie and hurriedly said goodbye. Xu Qing was waiting for him at home for dinner.

“Go on, go on, you rascal.”

Uncle Xie delightedly sniffed the contents of the basket, happily closed the courtyard door. It had been a long time since he had tasted Brother Qing’s cooking.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

In the evening, the spicy and fragrant tofu made Xu Qing and Li Changfeng feel satisfied. Before going to bed, Li Changfeng couldn’t help but scoop a few bowls of soaked beans, estimating that he hadn’t eaten enough and wanted to make something himself.

The weather was getting colder, and the nights came quickly. Half a month later, Xu Qing saw the first snowfall in this world.

“Let’s light up the kang and the fire wall today.”

Those things could keep them warm for a whole day. Xu Qing wore a thick new cotton jacket, wrapping himself up like a ball, a big-bellied ball.

Li Changfeng touched Xu Qing’s slightly cool hand, pulled him away from the window, and went to prepare lunch. He also opened the barrier between the kang and the fire wall so that there would be warmth.

Tired of eating tofu, Xu Qing thought of making dried tofu. When he got tired of dried tofu, he made tofu soup. Now, he didn’t even feel like drinking tofu soup. During this period, Xu Qing always felt that everything he ate lacked flavor, and even eating pickled vegetables didn’t bring freshness anymore.

Oh, right! Xu Qing suddenly remembered a tofu-based dish, fermented tofu!

Fermented tofu was appetizing and went well with rice. So after finishing lunch that day, Li Changfeng had something else to do. He cut the leftover tofu from yesterday into small pieces, let it dry for a while, found a small jar, and salted it. When the tofu turned bluish-gray, he would process it a bit more, and it would become fermented tofu.

Looking at the ten small jars arranged under the cupboard, Xu Qing had a satisfied expression. These were all his rations!

“By the way, my dear, let’s pick a day to slaughter the pig. It’s getting cold and snowy, and there’s less grass for the pig. It might get thinner.” Li Changfeng speculated that it was almost New Year’s, so maybe it was time to slaughter the fat pig in the pigsty, which had grown to a hefty two hundred catties.

“Alright, you pick a day and invite a few fellow villagers to help.” Xu Qing moved slowly and sat in the warm main room. He felt tired even with the slightest movement, and his hands and feet were starting to swell.

Li Changfeng gently held Xu Qing’s leg in his hands and massaged it slowly. Xu Qing had experienced several cramps last night.

“Okay, I’ll ask Uncle Xie, Second Wei, Uncle Wu, and Brother Qiu for help, along with Xie Ama.”

Xu Qing nodded in agreement. “By the way, after we finish slaughtering the pig, we should send some to my younger brother and the Li family, as well as Brother Xie’s place.” This pig had drunk some spiritual spring water when it was young, which was especially beneficial for the body. The Li family’s courtyard had to be given some, or else they wouldn’t stop pestering. Li Xiao’er was still in town, and he had visited Xu Qing’s house some time ago.

“Alright, you can rest assured.”

Three days later, Xu Qing’s family slaughtered the pig. This two-hundred-catty pig was considered quite large in the village. “How did you raise it? Why is it so fat?” Second Wei had never seen a pig grow this fat during a famine year.

Li Changfeng looked innocent. “Exactly, during those days, we fed it whatever we ate. How could we let it go hungry and become thin! This is our winter food!”

“Tsk tsk, it seems like you’re not just skilled in farming but also in raising livestock. Look at your dog, chickens, and donkey. Tsk tsk, they’re all quite hefty!” Big Brother Qiu was a lean butcher. Unlike Butcher Liu, he had the skill of slaughtering pigs. During this season, whichever family slaughtered a pig would invite him to help while giving him a small red envelope for good luck.

Li Changfeng chuckled and didn’t say much. He bent down and started scraping the pig’s hair, which was already lifeless. This pig was fat enough, and his wife would have plenty of meat to eat!

Although there weren’t many people, seeing a fat pig lifted everyone’s spirits. They quickly prepared the pig throughout the lively afternoon. After enjoying a feast of pork and drinking a few cups together in the evening, everyone happily departed.

After everyone had left, Li Changfeng and Xu Qing tidied up a bit and rested on the warm bed. “Today, everyone praised our fire pit and wall. Should we mention this to Village head?” Xu Qing asked.

Li Changfeng played with Xu Qing’s hair and thought for a moment. “Sure, I’ll talk to him tomorrow morning.” Since people already knew about it, it was better to address it directly. Otherwise, who knows what Village head and the villagers might think? It’s best to be straightforward and leave no room for speculation.

The next morning, Li Changfeng spoke to Village head about the heated kang. After having lunch, he took three pieces of meat and went to Lin Fangliang’s and Li Xiao’er’s houses in town. Then he went to the Li family. The Li family had been relatively calm during this time. When they saw Li Changfeng bringing back meat, they were also pleased. Their pig was too thin, and they were reluctant to slaughter it.

Back at home, Xu Qing and Li Changfeng rendered the pig fat and stored it properly. They only kept a few slices of meat for air-drying and used the rest to make cured meat. Making cured meat was much more convenient for rural families. They just needed to keep a fire burning for a few days and hang the meat over it. When the time came, they would take it down, wrap it in something, and store it in the storage room. This way, they would have meat to eat in the spring.

The villagers envied Xu Qing’s family for having a big fat pig to eat and a heated house. However, after Village head held a meeting and explained how they built the heated bed, mentioning that Xu Qing and Li Changfeng learned about it from elsewhere, the villagers had a very kind attitude towards them. Having warmth during the winter meant saving the elderly and children. In previous years, some children and elderly people couldn’t endure the winter and passed away.

Xu Qing didn’t have time to pay attention to the sounds outside. The child would be coming in just a month and a half, and during this time, Xu Qing was extremely restless. He often had nightmares in the middle of the night, fearing that he wouldn’t be able to give birth, or that it would be a difficult delivery, or even that the baby would be a monster or something. After these ten days, Xu Qing looked exhausted, and Li Changfeng looked even more worn out.

After Xie Ama found out, he quietly lectured Xu Qing. Li Changfeng didn’t know what Xie Ama said to Xu Qing, but since that day, Xu Qing started eating and drinking well, and there were no more issues. The nightmares also stopped occurring at night.

One night, a month and a half later, Xu Qing felt a bloating and discomfort in his belly. Sitting was uncomfortable, and lying down was also uncomfortable. Beads of sweat started forming on his forehead. Li Changfeng sensed something was wrong but didn’t dare to leave immediately. He could only comfort Xu Qing. But as the pain in Xu Qing’s belly grew more intense, and he felt a vague sense of downward pressure, he remembered what Xie Ama had said. Xu Qing anxiously asked Li Changfeng to find Xie Ama.

“I, I think I’m going into labor. Go find Xie Ama quickly,” Xu Qing could hardly speak due to the pain. Damn it, giving birth to a child was indeed an unpleasant task!

Li Changfeng didn’t even have time to put on his outer clothes. He ran barefoot outside.

“Why didn’t you wear clothes and shoes? It hurts so much!”

Xu Qing watched the fool rush out like that. It was snowing heavily outside, and he didn’t know if Li Changfeng would catch a cold!

Xie Ama and Uncle Xie were enjoying a deep sleep. Having a heated kang was really great; even with just a blanket at night, they didn’t feel cold.

“Bang bang bang! Bang bang bang! Bang bang bang!”

A loud knocking sound echoed from the courtyard gate, instantly waking up Xie Ama and Uncle Xie.

Then they heard the urgent cry, “Xie Ama! My wife is going into labor! My wife is going into labor! Xie Ama!”

Xie Ama quickly rolled out of bed and said, “Hurry! It must be Brother Qing experiencing labor pains!” Uncle Xie didn’t hesitate either, swiftly putting on clothes and following Xie Ama with their things as they headed out.

“You’re really something, young man!”

As soon as Uncle Xie opened the courtyard gate, he saw Li Changfeng wearing only his inner clothes and no shoes, barefoot in the snow.

“Changfeng! Why aren’t you wearing clothes or shoes? Be careful not to catch a cold!”

Xie Ama expressed concern, but Li Changfeng was oblivious to the cold. He felt both happy and flustered in his heart. “Xie Ama, my wife is going into labor!”

“I know, I know! Let’s go quickly! Look at how anxious you are. Why did you come out without wearing warm clothes or shoes?”

Thinking that Xu Qing, the pregnant ger, was alone at home, they didn’t bother with an umbrella. Braving the heavy snowfall in the night, they hurriedly rushed towards Xu Qing’s house.

“You two go and heat up some water. I’ll stay with Brother Qing. Changfeng, if I don’t tell you, don’t come in!” After admonishing Uncle Xie and Li Changfeng, Xie Ama entered the room with the things he brought along.

At this moment, Xu Qing was in so much pain that he couldn’t even scream. For women, childbirth involves abdominal pain and the opening of the cervix. But here, when a ger is giving birth, there’s a red line in the lower abdomen. The more intense the pain, the redder the line becomes. The redder it gets, the closer it signifies that the baby is about to be born.

“Endure a bit longer. It’s not time for the red line to appear yet. I’ll have Changfeng cook something for you to eat. Have a bite first,” Xie Ama carefully examined the red line a few times and estimated the time. He felt it was still early and wanted Xu Qing to eat something, otherwise, he would be too weak later.

Xu Qing had no idea about all this. All he knew was that he was in too much pain to even drink water, let alone eat.

“I don’t want to eat…”

Xu Qing held his stomach with both hands, moaning weakly. Xie Ama chuckled and said, “You have to eat, otherwise, you’ll have no strength later.” With that, he opened the door and called Li Changfeng. “Go cook something for your wife and let him eat first. It would be best if it’s sugar-coated eggs.”

Xie Ama knew that Xu Qing’s situation was relatively good, so he was sure they had eggs. He didn’t hesitate to ask Li Changfeng to cook them quickly.

Not long after, Uncle Xie brought the hot water to the door, and Xie Ama took it inside. He wet a cloth and, while it was still emitting hot steam, applied it on Xu Qing’s red line. Xu Qing didn’t feel a burning sensation, but rather, he felt the previous pain in his stomach reduce significantly.

“Don’t move, just keep it like this,” Xie Ama stopped Xu Qing from trying to move his body. “Xie Ama! The eggs are ready!” Li Changfeng’s voice came from outside the door. Xie Ama quickly responded, opening the door and taking the bowl. “How is my wife?” Li Changfeng leaned in and looked into the room, but he didn’t see any significant movements, so he asked Xie Ama.

“He’s doing fine. But you should go prepare a room. After giving birth, we’ll have Changfeng carry the baby over,” Xie Ama remembered this matter and told Li Changfeng.

Li Changfeng nodded quickly and turned to attend to the task. Xie Ama closed the door and sat next to Xu Qing, feeding him. Xu Qing had no appetite to begin with, but when the food was brought to his mouth, surprisingly, he felt a bit hungry.

There were six eggs in the bowl, and Xu Qing felt satisfied after eating four of them. “I can’t eat anymore. I can’t finish so much,” Xu Qing refused Xie Ama’s attempt to feed him more. He truly couldn’t eat anymore.

“Alright, I won’t force you. Rest for a while. I estimate there’s still an hour before the baby is born,” Xie Ama wiped the sweat from Xu Qing’s forehead with a handkerchief, moved the bowl aside, and sat by the bedside, waiting for Xu Qing’s contractions.

Initially, Xu Qing was still nervous, but on this particular day, he didn’t know why, but he felt surprisingly calm. He knew that this day would come sooner or later.

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

Thingyan: What do you think, is it gonna be a boy or a ger?