LGSLAW : Chapter 7 – Dabai

The next day, under Miao He’s suppressed excitement, Yang Dalang left for the mountains. Not just for collecting leaves, he also needed to check the traps he had set previously. Usually, Yang Dalang would spend three to five days in the mountains, as the nearby areas had been mostly hunted out. He needed to go deeper into the mountains to find any prey. However, since Miao He’s foot hadn’t fully healed, Yang Dalang planned to return the same day and didn’t need to prepare much. With his basket on his back, he set off.

 

Once Yang Dalang left, Miao He, like a happy bird, dashed to the backyard.

 

He randomly picked a seed from the ones Yang Dalang had bought and planted it in the magic soil. Then, he turned his attention to the green onion seeds he had collected the day before, carefully planting them one by one in the loosened soil. Each seed was placed into its own hole to ensure none were wasted, as these quality seeds were guaranteed to sprout.

 

After planting, Miao He checked the magic soil and found that he had drawn a small cabbage. Small cabbages matured faster than onions, so he sat next to them with a stool, harvesting them as they matured every half hour. He managed to harvest seeds from seven to eight rounds before moving on to the next batch.

 

However, he didn’t plant the cabbage seeds immediately. He had promised Yang Dalang to rest at home and not move around unnecessarily. If he planted everything at once, Yang Dalang might get suspicious.

 

For the rest of the day, Miao He stayed by the magic soil, “cultivating” seeds. He didn’t even take a break for lunch. When he harvested some tomatoes and found them large and plump, he picked two and made lunch. The sweet, juicy tomatoes sliding down his throat made Miao He feel hopeful about life.

 

Unfortunately, by the time Yang Dalang returned, Miao He had only managed to gather seeds from six types of vegetables: small cabbages, tomatoes, cucumbers, bok choy, lettuce, and onions. Among these, tomatoes and onions had the longest growing periods, with the former taking about five months and the latter a year. The rest matured in about a month, with cabbages and bok choy being the shortest. Miao He collected more seeds from the latter two.

 

There were still many opportunities to use the magic soil, and Miao He reminded himself not to rush. The seeds he had gathered would be enough to plant the entire vegetable garden. He didn’t plan to fill the entire plot immediately but would start with small cabbages and bok choy as the main crops for sale. The longer-growing vegetables would be used to improve their diet.

 

He replaced the purchased seeds with the ones he had harvested. He also tore up the original plants from the magic soil into small pieces and buried them in different corners of the garden, hoping they would enrich the soil.

 

Miao He paid close attention to the time, stopping his work as the sun began to set. He didn’t want another scare like before.

 

When Yang Dalang returned at dusk, he found a well-behaved Miao He waiting at the doorway, greeting him with, “You’re back.” Yang Dalang felt a faint, indescribable warmth in his heart.

 

Seeing the two live wild chickens Yang Dalang carried, Miao He’s eyes lit up. “You caught something?”

 

“Yes. Two chickens and a small wild boar.”

 

“You even caught a wild boar? Isn’t that dangerous?” Miao He’s eyes widened.

 

“It fell into a pit. I was lucky.”

 

“That’s great! You can sell it for a good price.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Go wash up. I’ll make dinner. We can deal with the rest later.”

 

Miao He prepared gluten soup for dinner. He mixed some white flour with millet flour, added salt, and kneaded it into a dough. After letting it rest for forty minutes, he washed it several times to make smooth, homemade gluten.

 

Once Yang Dalang returned, Miao He cut the gluten into small pieces and cooked it in boiling water, added some dried bacon, cracked in an egg they had exchanged for the day before, and threw in some dried green onion from the kitchen. It wasn’t the most flavorful, but it was a hot meal with meat.

 

When dinner was ready, Yang Dalang came in, freshly washed and changed. He carried a small covered bamboo basket with him, which seemed to have something moving inside it.

 

He placed the basket on the bench and lifted the lid to reveal a tiny, almost mute black kitten with a white nose, curled up in a cloth nest and mewing softly.

 

Miao He was astonished. “A kitten!?”

 

“Qiangzi’s cat had a litter recently. I got one. When it grows up, it can catch mice.”

 

Miao He stared at the kitten, then at Yang Dalang.

 

Yang Dalang looked as if he had done something completely ordinary, without any change in expression. But this kind of thoughtful care was something Miao He had only experienced from his deceased grandparents.

 

City life was busy, with work, commuting, and socializing taking up most of people’s energy. Even neighbors were distant and indifferent.

 

Miao He was at a loss for words. “What does it eat? I need to prepare something.” He stood up to go to the back room.

 

Yang Dalang stopped him. “Sit. I know what to do.”

 

Miao He sat there dazed, feeling the warmth from where Yang Dalang had touched his hand.

 

But wasn’t Yang Dalang always this way with the original owner?

 

He was just very good at taking care of people. Miao He was probably overthinking things.

 

The next day, after much reassurance from Miao He, the bandage on his foot was finally removed, and he managed to stop Yang Dalang from calling Uncle Lin for another check-up. Miao He insisted that he knew his own body best and wouldn’t risk permanent injury by pretending to be healed. Yang Dalang eventually agreed but insisted that Miao He not walk much for the next few days.

 

Miao He felt like a prisoner released, relieved from the burden of pretending to be sick. He readily agreed to stay home, especially since Yang Dalang planned to sell the wild boar and chickens that day.

 

With the yard now converted into a vegetable garden, there was no room for livestock. Besides, without crops to feed them, keeping pigs would be smelly and inconvenient. However, they decided to keep one of the wild chickens, hoping to get some hens later for eggs.

 

Taking advantage of Yang Dalang’s absence, Miao He hurriedly used the magic soil to grow more seeds.

 

He planted the small cabbage and bok choy seeds collected the day before, aiming for a harvest in about half a month. He also checked the compost pit outside the yard. The leaves Yang Dalang brought back had only filled a third of it, requiring several more trips to complete.

 

While cultivating the seeds, Miao He didn’t forget to tear off a few tender leaves from the plants grown with magic soil and feed them to Dabai, the little kitten.

 

Dabai, named for its white nose, eagerly ate the leaves. Miao He didn’t know if cats ate raw vegetables, but Dabai seemed to enjoy the magic soil leaves.

 

Around noon, someone called from outside the gate. Miao He tensed up, recognizing the voice.

 

It must be the original owner’s mother.

 

“He Ge’er, are you home? Your mother is here!”

 

In the countryside, visits were common, and rules about in-laws visiting were less strict. Miao He quickly tidied up the backyard to avoid any surprises and went to answer the door.

 

Miao He’s mother, called Li Zhaodi before marriage and now known as Zhao Auntie, was a typical woman from a patriarchal family, always longing for a son.

 

As soon as the door opened, Zhao Auntie’s sharp eyes scanned Miao He up and down before she pushed her way in. “What took you so long? Don’t you want to open the door for your mother?”

 

Miao He mentally prepared himself, maintaining the original owner’s cold demeanor. “Do you need something?”

 

“Why are you giving me that attitude?” Zhao Auntie scowled. “You look well-fed. Isn’t Dalang good at hunting? I made you marry him for your own good!”

 

This casual remark glossed over the fact that the original owner was forced into marriage. On the wedding day, his mother had drugged him with a mild sedative, enough to keep him groggy and unable to escape, ensuring the ceremony was completed.

 

This harsh method left the original owner with mixed feelings of love and hate towards his mother.

 

The original owner was Zhao Auntie’s eldest child, pampered before his younger brother was born. As a handsome ger, he wasn’t considered a burden. Zhao Auntie didn’t let him do much labor, hoping for a good dowry in the future.

 

But after his younger brother was born, he became the center of the family’s attention and resources. The original owner, having been spoiled for years, felt jealous when the best food and care went to his brother.

 

The issue with Miao Yuan made things worse, turning a once desirable ger into someone no one wanted, tarnishing the family’s reputation. Although Zhao Auntie initially tolerated some entanglement with Miao Yuan, when it threatened her younger son’s future, she treated the original owner harshly.

 

After being forced into marriage, the original owner once ran back to his mother’s house, resulting in a heated argument.

 

Zhao Auntie’s response was straightforward and hurtful, “Do you think I wanted you to marry Miao Yuan? If you could make him marry you, I’d have agreed! But you kept pestering him, making a fool of yourself. I’m doing this for your own good, so you can give up on him and stop ruining yourself!”

 

Her words were harsh but true. In this era, marriages were decided by parents, and the original owner’s feelings didn’t matter. Frustrated and powerless, he reluctantly returned to Yang Dalang’s house, becoming cold towards his mother, feeling like burnt-out firewood.

 

“Stop talking about that. What do you want?”

 

Zhao Auntie glanced around and lowered her voice. “Is Dalang home?”

 

“No.”

 

A hint of joy flashed across her face. “I heard Dalang has paid off half of his debts recently. Do you know about this?”

 

Miao He frowned. “I didn’t know. Why?”

 

“You know it’s customary in the village. If a ger without brothers gets married, he should help his family. Since Dalang seems to have some money now, it’s reasonable for him to help us occasionally. After all, we didn’t ask for much dowry because we knew his family was struggling. Now that things are better, shouldn’t he make up for it?”

 

Compensate the dowry? That’s new.

 

Besides, wasn’t the original owner practically given away?

 

Miao He’s expression was strange. “Isn’t there Ah Di? Is Xiao Bao a girl?”

 

“Don’t talk nonsense! You’re his brother. How can you curse your brother like that?”

 

Calling someone a girl was a curse? Miao He rolled his eyes inwardly.

 

“Xiao Bao is only three. He doesn’t count. You should ask Dalang to help us. He won’t refuse. If he does, the Yang family’s reputation will suffer, especially with their third son still unmarried. Why make things difficult?”

 

She thought everything through, even the threats.

 

Miao He was silent for a moment before asking, “How much money do you need?”

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Rain : Starting next monday, it’ll be 1 chapter / day  but for now… 3 chapters everyday ! (?????o?????)