stingy landlady

Chapter 118 Sows in Heat (1)

Guizhi is a little worried about Guixiang:

"Big sister! I think what second sister said makes a lot of sense! Our family is all girls, we must be strong! If we can protect ourselves, we won't have to rely on our father for everything!"

"Big sister! Don't just focus on embroidery! Come practice your skills and calligraphy with us! Now we don't have to work endlessly every day! Learning something new is better than knowing nothing!"

Gui Xiang felt she hadn't done anything seriously wrong. She said:

"But Mother said that my second aunt's daughter, Taozhi, used to embroider in her room every day and could even make money by selling handkerchiefs! All the young ladies from well-to-do families wanted to learn embroidery!"

Gui Hong snorted coldly:

"Hmph! Back then, it was only because there were a few of us doing the housework and my second aunt was so capable that Taozhi was able to learn embroidery every day!"

Now that no one helps with housework, I still have to go out and dig for wild vegetables, do laundry, and cook. My hands probably wouldn't even be able to hold a needle anymore!

Guizhi nodded:

"Big sister! If Sister Taozhi's embroidery is really profitable, do you think Grandma and Second Aunt would be willing to let her do embroidery? They would definitely treat her like a treasure!"

Gui Xiang hesitated a little:

"But I also really enjoy embroidering. I can embroider my favorite flowers and grasses on the edges of my clothes! They look so beautiful!"

My mother also said that needlework is a skill every woman must learn in this world! It's a skill for making a living!

Gui Hongdao:

"If everything Mother says is true, how could she be bullied by Second Aunt? If Mother were even slightly more powerful, would Second Aunt, who is younger than her, dare to bare her teeth? You'd better learn to be a little more cunning in the future!"

Gui Xiang was unconvinced:

"Like you, always grabbing a knife? Just to scare people! If you encounter someone really tough, they can take the knife away from you, and you'll still be helpless."

And your mouth, it only offends people!

Guizhi thought for a moment and said:

"Eldest sister, second sister! Shouldn't we hire a female tutor to properly teach us?"

Even if you can't be like a lady from a wealthy family, you should still learn some skills.

Of the four arts—music, chess, calligraphy, and painting—let's start by practicing calligraphy well, at least to be able to write! I've heard that reading cultivates character! "In books, you'll find beauty like jade, and in books, you'll find houses of gold!"

The embroidery that my eldest sister mentioned, and needlework are also considered needlework, and these are things we should all learn! Second sister, no matter what happens in the future, at least having these skills will give you confidence!

You should also learn some etiquette so that you won't be impolite when guests come to your home or visit you!

Speaking of this, Guizhi thought of someone.

"Madam Zhou studied etiquette in an official's household before. Let's go back and ask her. See if she can give us some pointers!"

Gui Hong gestured a couple of times, "I still think that if I learn kung fu, no one can bully me!"

Gui Xiang said, "I'll try learning to write! This swordplay is really not for me! I'd rather learn proper etiquette so that no one can find fault with me in the future!"

"Big sister! Just treat writing like drawing! No one will criticize you for whether it's good or bad! If you like embroidery, you have to know how to draw flower patterns, right? It's all about the same thing!"

Guizhi then said to Guihong:

"Second sister! Learn some manners and etiquette, just like eldest sister said, then no one can find fault with you."

Gui Xiang asked, "When will we start learning? We're always busy with this and that, I'm afraid we won't have time!"

Gui Hong said:

"No need to get up so early in the morning, practice your kung fu with Guizhi and the others first! Hey! Guizhi, I always feel hungry after practice! Why don't we talk to Dad and ask Madam Zhou to cook us breakfast this morning!"

Guizhi nodded: "Okay! How about we ask Zhou Qiong to boil some eggs and make us a bowl of noodles in the morning? As long as we can fill our stomachs, that'll be fine!"

"In the afternoon, Uncle Wu won't be home, but we can look at the books in his living room! We can go there and practice calligraphy together! Big Sister can also draw! We can also read books."

As for learning etiquette and rules, we'll ask Madam Zhou when we get back!

Madam Zhou was also looking for Guizhi. As soon as Guizhi got off the carriage, she rushed over anxiously, her face showing worry, and said:

"Third Miss, several sows refused to eat this morning and just stood there motionless. I don't know what's wrong with them! They haven't eaten all day, and they ate very little last night!"

Are you sick?

Guizhi calculated the time and said:

"Okay! I understand! It's probably not an illness, I'll go check on him!"

Osmanthus fragrance and red osmanthus tease osmanthus branches:

"What happened to practicing calligraphy? Did you skip another day?"

"That's right! Guizhi, if you don't practice calligraphy and read books, and we sisters go to practice calligraphy, then you'll fall behind!"

Guizhi waved her hand and said as she walked:

"Big sister, second sister! No slacking off! I'll be checking later when I have time!"

Guizhi and Zhou Niangzi arrived at the pigsty together, and sure enough, there were three sows standing there refusing to eat! Guizhi jumped into the pigsty, pressed her hand against the sow's back, and carefully observed. The sow's vulva was red and swollen; pressing hard on the sow's back, she saw white discharge coming out of the vulva.

"Aunt Zhou! The sow is in heat! We need to find a boar to breed her right away!"

"Aunt Zhou, don't worry! I'll go ask my grandpa if anyone has a breeding boar!"

After Guizhi finished speaking, she went to the field to find the old man.

The old man was sweating profusely as he dug a hole in front of him! Da Bao planted the seeds, while Lao Si buried them with a hoe and piled soil on the ridge.

Guizhi looked at the old man, so old and still toiling in the fields for a living. She said with heartache:

"Grandpa! Didn't you give Grandma some coins so she could find someone to help? In this heat, how long will it take the three of you to finish? It's too tiring!"

The old man straightened his back and said, somewhat embarrassed:

"Your grandma thinks I spend too much time sitting around! That's why she wants me to do more work!"

Da Bao and Lao Si caught up and took the opportunity to catch their breath and rest for a while.

Da Bao has gotten a tan too, and looks much stronger. He still called out when he saw Gui Zhi:

"Third sister!"

The fourth brother also looked at Guizhi.

"Why are you in the field, Guizhi? We can talk about it when we get back tonight! It's so hot today, the sun is blazing in the field, don't get sunburned. That wouldn't be pretty! Hehe!"

"Grandpa! Fourth Uncle! Brother Dabao! It's hot and you're sweating a lot! Drink plenty of water! Don't get heatstroke!"

"It's alright! We've all gotten through this! Taozhi brought us water! Is there anything you need, Guizhi?"

The old man asked.

"Grandpa! Our sow is in heat! Do you know where we can find a boar? If I go and get one, will I have to pay a coin?"

The old man wasn't quite sure.

"They've never kept breeding pigs before! Why don't you ask your grandma? She'll probably have to pay her a few dozen coins, otherwise why would she keep breeding boars!"

Guizhi thought for a moment:

"Grandpa, where did you buy our little pig?"

The old man knew, "In Nangang Village!"

"Hehe! If a village raises breeding sows, it must also have breeding boars! I'll have my dad hitch up the oxcart and go get one!"

The old man laughed and said:

"Go find two farmhands! You need to get them to bring that boar back! You're too much of a girl to handle a boar!"