Chapter 9: Raising Pigs?

Chapter 9: Raising Pigs?

Back home, Wulan asked about the money in meticulous detail, just as expected. Every time Song Tan reported an item, the vein on Wulan’s temple would twitch in sync.

The twitching made Song Tan feel flustered: she didn’t want to be a "mama’s girl," but she really had no choice!

At this moment, she needed to use the strategy of "besieging Wei to rescue Zhao": "Mom, I want to raise a few pigs. Do you think that’s okay?"

Nowadays, pork prices fluctuate, but regardless of the price, farm-raised pigs are never hard to sell. Logically speaking, raising them is a sound idea.

"A few?"

Wulan let out a cold snort, feeling that her daughter truly had never done a day’s work in her life: "Pork is expensive right now, and buying piglets is expensive too—several hundred yuan each. Once they’re back, you have to set up a stove to cook pig feed for them. In this cold weather, you’d also have to buy bran, rice husks, and corn kernels..."

Not to mention, those pigs would squeal the moment they got hungry. A few pigs oinking away, plus the need to build a pigsty... as if there wasn't enough farm work already!

Song Tan’s current attitude was clearly wanting to fly before she could walk; in Wulan’s eyes, it was highly unreliable.

"Besides, 'a family with a fortune doesn't count the furry ones.' What if they get sick..."

But Song Tan was craving it!

Now that she could cultivate, if nothing else, she could at least improve the quality of her food. Who knew how delicious home-raised pork could be!

She said, "Mom, raising pigs at home is safe and tastes better. The stuff you buy outside doesn't taste as good as what we had when I was a kid. Plus, since pork is so expensive, we can sell some if we raise them ourselves..."

"When we slaughter a pig, we can make a 'slaughtered pig feast,' fry up a pot of lard cracklings, and later make steamed buns with cabbage and pork—how delicious would that be!"

That was true. Fresh pork—how delicious!

As a qualified farmer who had raised pigs for many years and only stopped in the last few, Song Sancheng was also clearly tempted. He completely forgot his earlier refusal and chimed in

"Yeah, yeah, maybe we should raise one..."

Song Qiao, who was sitting nearby looking at Peppa Pig on his phone, suddenly looked up: "Mom, you are my Pig Mommy!"

"Sister, can I live with Peppa?"

Wulan quickly took a deep breath—*Oh, this silly boy, he’s such a headache!*

Then, thinking about how much money it would cost to support her silly son in the future, and acknowledging that pork was indeed expensive these days, she gritted her teeth

"Raise them!"

"The village doesn't allow pig raising at the front door. At worst, we’ll build the sty secretly behind our house. Our place is tucked away at a fork in the road anyway, so it won't affect the aesthetics. But the sty will be small—two pigs at most."

That wouldn't do at all!

A rural pigsty is usually a square-walled courtyard with a shed in the corner, a pit for manure, and then a small space for the pigs to move around...

Their house was a single-story building, and the bedroom window faced the back mountain. If they built a pigsty there, the smell... it would be unbearable!

Song Tan quickly spoke up: "Let's use some wire mesh or something to fence off a part of the back hillside and just let a few more pigs run around in the mountains."

Domestic pigs aren't that destructive; a simple fence would do, and the hillside was big enough for them to roam.

"Besides, the back mountain is close, so we’ll hear if there’s any commotion."

At this, even Song Sancheng looked at Song Tan with an incredulous expression: Who raises pigs like that?

Letting white pigs run all over the hillside—forget about whether they’d fall and break a leg or get eaten by snakes, insects, rats, or ants—just the fact that they’d be running around everywhere meant they wouldn't put on any fat!

"No white pigs, let's get black pigs! They’re a bit more active and don't grow as much meat, but they’re more expensive and taste better!"

Wulan was about to object again, but Song Tan grabbed her hand

"Mom, let me try! I really have a plan!"

She then looked at Song Sancheng: "Dad, I’ve been obedient my whole life. Just this once, listen to me, okay?"

Silence spread through the room.

After a long while, Song Qiao suddenly whispered, "Listen to me, okay?"

Song Tan almost laughed out loud!

Wulan was also amused to the point of anger: "Fine, I’ve raised two debt collectors! Listen to you, I’ll listen to everything you say!"

She turned away, huffing: "I’m going to make some calls and ask what the prices are this year! Old Song, you go clear out the back mountain!"

Once she left, Song Sancheng added: "Tantan, if you raise pigs on the mountain, you’ll need to raise two big dogs to watch over them, otherwise you won't be able to protect them."

It wasn't just about guarding against weasels or wild dogs; it was mainly about guarding against people.

Don't think the village is all peace and harmony. Years ago, people even stole cabbages from others' fields!

And a few years back, in the neighboring village, there was an incident where a dispute over a pumpkin led someone to poison all of their neighbor's pigs!

Having dogs meant they would hear if there was any disturbance while they were at home. It was safer!

Song Tan was silent for a long moment, then suddenly asked: "Dad, since we’re getting dogs and raising pigs on the mountain, should we raise some chickens and ducks too?"

The ducks could have their own area, and they could go play in the front pond every day. It wouldn't take much effort... right?

Song Tan thought to herself, it was hard enough to convince her parents; if she didn't do it all at once, it would be a hassle to add things bit by bit later!

Song Sancheng:!!!

Nothing was even set in stone yet, and now there were pigs and dogs?

Song Sancheng remembered how his daughter was spending money today, and even the ten-yuan pack of Dihao cigarettes in his hand felt expensive. He grunted and struggled for a long time before sighing

"You’re grown up now, do whatever you want. As long as we can still move, we can support you even if you lose money."

"But there’s one thing: use your own money, plus the sixty thousand we can scrape together. You are not allowed to borrow money! Not a single cent!"

He sighed again: "Otherwise, I’m afraid that if you lose it all, your old man won't even be able to afford cigarettes."

Song Tan sighed: "That’s not easy for me either. Dad, why don't you quit smoking? You could save one or two hundred a month, and by the end of the year, you’d have saved two thousand yuan for me!"

She had long wanted Song Sancheng to quit smoking, but that was something she had tried for years without success—not to mention, her grandfather had smoked his whole life, and even after his lungs were found to be in bad shape, did he quit?

No!

He chose cigarettes over his life!

Her dad was the same.

Song Sancheng felt bad for his daughter, but... but these cigarettes...

He whispered: "I only smoke half a pack a day. Sometimes when I’m exhausted from work, smoking one helps me relax..."

Once he said that, Song Tan had no choice.

But quitting smoking was definitely a must!

Song Tan thought it over: "Then Dad, save a bit more. One pack every three days. That’s one hundred yuan a month—that’s reasonable!"

Everything else was negotiable, but not this.

Song Sancheng’s eyes widened: "What’s reasonable? Do I need you to support me? Look at your grandpa; he smokes dry tobacco now just to save money! Why don't you talk about how that’s even more harmful?"

Song Tan thought to herself that they were both as bad as each other. Whether it was dry tobacco or cigarettes, could either be good for you?

She kept this in mind and went to look for the snacks she had bought in town

"I’m going to see Grandpa and Grandma."

"Qiaoqiao, come with me!"

Song Sancheng nodded: "Go ahead. They aren't in very good spirits lately... they’re getting old."

He then instructed

"If your grandparents give Qiaoqiao snacks, keep an eye on them. He can take them, but he can't eat them!"

When Qiaoqiao heard "snacks," he looked up: "I want to eat..."

"No!" Song Sancheng refused flatly: "Your grandma hides things away. Every year she gets new ones, but she keeps eating the old ones—the last time she gave him some, they had been expired for over half a year. He can't eat them!"

(End of chapter)