Liu Guilan's words made sense, but it really wasn't Wang An's fault.
After all, if those little striped brats were left in the mountains, not a single one would have survived; they would have been one hundred percent dead.
While bringing them back didn't guarantee they would live, at least there was a glimmer of hope. If even a few could be raised to adulthood, it would be a profit—not just a profit, but a massive windfall.
So, after Liu Guilan finished speaking, Wang An said with a face full of rogueishness
"Ma, then what do you want me to do? I'm out of ideas. I can't exactly throw these little things back into the mountains, can I?"
Seeing Wang An acting like a rogue, Liu Guilan was suddenly infuriated. With a "slap," she hit Wang An's arm and said irritably
"Every day you're bringing me more trouble. You're the one who brought them here, you raise them yourself."
How could Wang An possibly raise these things? Mainly because his mother's hit didn't actually hurt, he said with a beaming smile
"I'm not raising them. Where would I find the time? I'm so busy every day, I've got no time."
It must be said that at this moment, combined with his expression, anyone who saw Wang An would want to give him a thorough thrashing. The key was that he was just too damn infuriating.
And Liu Guilan was absolutely the person who wanted to thrash him the most—without a doubt.
Because although the Wang family had many livestock, Wang An rarely participated in chores like feeding the animals and didn't put much heart into it; he only glanced at them occasionally when he remembered.
Of course, Wang Dazhu's couple and Mu Xueqing didn't require him to.
Actually, this kind of situation was very common in every household, as each family member had their own responsibilities; it was impossible for one person to do everything.
In Wang An's house, tasks like feeding the mules and horses, cleaning their manure, feeding the sheep, and cleaning the sheep pen were usually handled by Wang Dazhu.
Feeding the pigs and chickens, cooking, and washing clothes were usually handled by Liu Guilan and Mu Xueqing.
However, this was the general rule. If Wang Dazhu wasn't home, Liu Guilan and Mu Xueqing would be the ones tending to the mules, horses, and sheep.
So, unsurprisingly, the task of raising these little striped brats that Wang An brought back fell entirely on Liu Guilan and Mu Xueqing.
But Mu Xueqing was pregnant, so her workload had to be significantly reduced. Consequently, the pressure on Liu Guilan was easy to imagine.
As soon as Wang An finished speaking, Liu Guilan's palm slapped his arm again. Then, perhaps feeling she hadn't vented enough, she slapped him once more.
Only then did Liu Guilan scold him crossly
"You little brat, as if your mother has nothing better to do."
Wang An just grinned, neither dodging nor arguing. Basically, she could say whatever she wanted while he did whatever he wanted; as long as she vented her anger, it was fine.
It had to be said that with Wang An's arrogant attitude, no one knew how to deal with him.
After a while, Liu Guilan walked forward helplessly. She looked at the little striped brats in the sack, picked one up to observe for a moment, and then said with a furrowed brow and a conflicted face
"These damn things are like giant rats. How the hell are we supposed to keep them alive!"
As soon as Liu Guilan finished, Wang An instinctively started to laugh. Unfortunately, Liu Guilan quickly shot him another fierce glare, and Wang An forced the laughter back down.
To be honest, the feeling of holding back a laugh is actually quite uncomfortable.
Noticing that the women hadn't taken the meat down yet, Wang An said to his second aunt, Yao Ping
"Second Aunt, hurry up and take the meat down with my sisters-in-law and stew it. Is there no meat in tonight's dishes?"
Hearing this, Second Aunt Yao Ping immediately replied
"It's too late to put the meat in now. The vegetables are already stewed, and we certainly didn't skimp on the lard."
Hearing this, Wang An thought for a moment and said
"Then don't stew it. Instead, divide the meat by head—half a jin per person—and let them take it home to stew themselves."
After Wang An spoke, Second Aunt Yao Ping said in surprise
"Is that necessary, Xiao An? It's fine to have one meal without meat; no one will gossip."
After Yao Ping finished, First Aunt Xu Yongfeng chimed in
"Besides, we've eaten meat for three days straight. The Wang family has been generous enough. It's quite a stretch to live like this regardless of the occasion."
Although First Aunt Xu Yongfeng and Second Aunt Yao Ping were quite reasonable—after all, the Wang family's diet wasn't poor even without meat—Wang An noticed the hopeful looks in the eyes of Widow Li and Widow Zhao. After thinking it over, he said with a smile
"It's fine, First Aunt, Second Aunt. Just do as I say. For everyone who came to help today, regardless of how far they live or whether they are adults or children, give them half a jin of meat per person."
Once Wang An finished, Widow Zhao and Widow Li both showed expressions of joy, while the others didn't care much.
Mainly, among the women present, everyone except those two widows was a member of the Wang family.
Shen Wei could barely be considered part of the Wang family, though no one mentioned it openly.
Whether it was the families of Wang An's first and second aunts, his three sisters-in-law, or Shen Wei's family, they were all living reasonably well now, thanks to the lead or support of Wang An's household.
At the very least, they were far better off than the vast majority of households in the village.
Most importantly, every time Wang An, Wang Li, and Mu Xueli brought back meat, they would share some with these relatives, so these families weren't lacking in terms of meat.
Liu Guilan didn't care about Wang An's decision because, for her, the most worrying thing right now was these little striped brats.
Suddenly, Liu Guilan called out to Wang An
"Xiao An, do you think we can raise this uninjured sow?"
Hearing this, Wang An pinched his nose and said
"Raising her is fine, but can one sow raise all these little striped brats?"
Liu Guilan rolled her eyes at Wang An and said
"There's no other way. We'll just see how many survive. Who told you to bring back so many 'ye hu'?"
The word "ye hu" was the local dialect pronunciation for "nie guo" (sinful fruits/burden), referring to things that require great effort and worry but may not yield satisfying results.
Wang An wrinkled his nose and said with a grin
"Well, you're the head of the house. If you say we raise her, then we raise her!"
Hearing this, Liu Guilan immediately rolled her eyes at him
"Get lost, you! You damn well infuriate me every single day."
Wang An grinned and didn't engage. He turned and called to Wang Li
"Fifth, didn't you hear your aunt? Let's get this pig to the pen."
Wang Li, who had been enjoying the spectacle of the mother and son, smiled at Liu Guilan and then responded to Wang An
"Alright, Fourth Brother."
With that, Wang An led the horse toward the pigpen.
(End of Chapter)