Chapter 666: Chapter 438: Fishing
The conversation elder brother had with her before seemed to have no impact on Xiaomi; she continued her daily routine as usual.
However, her interest in hunting diminished, and she wandered around the fields often.
The waterwheel at the village entrance was repaired, the river water flowed, turning the waterwheel, directing water into the field’s canal.
The canal has ponds dug out at intervals, which have been cleaned up now; they’re so clear you can see fish inside.
After all, they’ve just moved here, and only Jiang’s family has raised some chicken, ducks, and geese; Commander Yang bought a dozen piglets nearby, so there isn’t much manure.
And all the little manure was filled into the wasteland so that when autumn comes and they plant crops, the land will be more fertile.
The canal’s water is currently used for watering the vegetable fields, or to wash hands and feet after work, and for feeding chickens and ducks.
There are now less than a hundred chickens, ducks, and geese combined at home, far from enough for a village, not to mention selling.
Luckily, when Jiang’s family settled here, they didn’t immediately aim to make money but just thought of development first.
Now there are a few hens sitting on nests, all the eggs bought from outside were hatched into chicks, which the villagers can later buy.
As for gifting, there’s no need now. The people clearing the land are all working for Jiang’s family, earning wages daily, and meals are also handled by Jiang’s family.
Later, when they want to manage their own land, raise some chicken, ducks, and geese, and develop their own business, Jiang’s family will sell seeds or chicks at a low price.
Jiang Hu had mentioned all this to them initially.
Xiaomi worked in the fields for several days and got a bit bored; after all, whether she’s there or not won’t make much difference. So she found a bamboo pole, made a fishing rod, and went to the river to fish.
While fishing, she placed a fish basket beside her, and she dumped many small fish into the canal. In a year or two, there would be plenty of fish in the canal.
The float moved a few times and then sank directly.
"Got one!" Xiaomi quickly raised the rod; it felt heavy, seems like it’s a big fish.
She followed the current and pulled the big fish close, capturing a three to four-jin black fish with a net.
"Looks like the Fourth Miss has had another big catch; her fishing skills are unmatched by others."
Commander Yang came over from behind, helped her carry the large wooden basin, and put the big fish inside.
In no time, there were already five big fish in the basin.
Blackfish, silver carp, grass carp, each type had one or two.
Additionally, there were many lively crucian carp, some the size of a palm, others two fingers wide.
"Commander Yang? Why are you here? Did my parents send you?"
Most of the time, Commander Yang is with her parents; even if it’s farm work, he’s with them.
Right now, Commander Yang was in casual clothes, with a sword hanging at his waist, but both sleeves and trousers were rolled up, and there was a lot of dirt, clearly just coming from the fields.
"Yes, the madam asked Master Liu to buy fabrics, and they’ve arrived. The Fourth Miss should come back to see if there’s anything she likes."
Although it’s only August now, autumn has officially arrived, and after another hot month, it’ll start to cool down.
A few days ago, her mother asked Liu Ze to find several Imperial Guards and go to the city to help buy thicker fabrics.
The village has six to seven hundred people, even if it’s just ordinary coarse cloth, they need a lot, and some cotton cloth for making intimate clothing.
From now on, the village women temporarily stop working, focusing on making clothes, rushing to have warm clothes ready before the temperature drops.
Of course, Jiang’s family provides these benefits to everyone, so making clothes also earns wages.
Xiaomi packed up her fishing rod, picked up the two small fish baskets at her feet, and Commander Yang was already carrying the large wooden basin, ready to return.
Just coming back from the riverbank, she saw several ox carts in the village, surrounded by many people, and a few bold women were measuring the Imperial Guards’ sizes.
It’s been over two months since they settled in Anning Village, and everyone’s mental state was good, unlike the beginning, where they were like startled birds.
Second Aunt and Xiao Xue were checking the fabrics; several large carts full, yet unsure if it’s enough.
All five hundred Imperial Guards are men, all big and tall, and making clothes uses more fabric than for regular people.
Actually, Commander Yang said they didn’t need to prepare, as they rotate every six months to protect Jiang’s family, and everyone brought some spare clothes.
But Second Aunt felt they shouldn’t treat them unfairly; after all, the family wasn’t short of money, so each person got prepared for.
Worth mentioning is that the Imperial Guards also help with farm work; Jiang Hu pays them wages, and because of their strength and labor, the pay is a bit higher.
Xiao Xue was the first to see Xiaomi and waved her over: "Xiaomi, come here, how about this color? It’s dirt-resistant, you don’t have to worry about how you play."
Besides the clothes everyone wears for work, naturally, Liu Ze also purchased some fabrics suitable for the two family girls.
No need to mention Xiao Xue; even if she wears a light pink or yellow dress and walks through the fields, it hardly gets dirty.
So, Liu Ze bought fabric for his fiancée based on looks, choosing what’s most beautiful.
For Xiaomi, well, it required careful selection.
In Xiao Xue’s hand was a piece of grayish-black fabric, which felt nice to the touch, thick, soft, no matter if made into a dress or pants, should be comfortable.
The most important trait is dirt resistance!
Even if Xiaomi gets blood on it while hunting; after washing, it wouldn’t show traces.
"I’m fine with anything, as long as there’s something to wear, I’m not picky."
Despite saying that, she still walked over.
"Mom, I’ve caught a lot of fish again. Who gets to eat them?"
The family had gotten tired of eating fish over the past few days, and everyone unanimously said they really didn’t want fish anymore.
But Xiaomi’s enthusiasm for fishing hadn’t waned; today again she brought back a large basin of them.
However, with so many people, figuring out who gets to eat the fish seems a bit tricky.
Just as Commander Yang also brought the basin over, he heard Xiaomi’s words.
"Fourth Miss, why not keep them in the canal for now? I think, keeping them in the canal for a few days makes the fish taste better."
Xiaomi thought to herself, of course. She also poured some Spiritual Spring water into the canal every other day; the canal watered vegetables and fields, after all.
On the surface, she nodded: "Sure, I’ll catch more fish over the next few days, and then everyone can have a meal together."
With so many people to feed at once, the biggest worry might be this: when it comes to eating, even a little adds up, and everyone’s share must be sizable for just a taste.