It had been a long time since she last visited the family’s farmland. At this time of year, the crops in every household’s fields were lush and green, stretching far and wide like a vast expanse of vibrant life.
In her memories from her previous life, the last time she returned to her hometown, much of the farmland had been left barren. Some plots had been returned to forest, others were overgrown with weeds after being abandoned, and some had been planted with fruit trees. By then, no one worried about going hungry anymore.
The young people in the village all yearned for the outside world. Those who could move had gone out to work, leaving only the elderly and children behind in the village.
Now, this scenery was truly something to cherish!
“Second Brother, you’re really amazing! You even planted pumpkins over there. Have they started bearing fruit yet? And this year’s rice looks great too—plump and large!”
The younger sister’s sincere praise made the second brother a little embarrassed, though it was hard to tell because his skin was so dark, almost as if it had been baked to a glossy sheen.
“Ahem, maybe it’s because the seeds were good this year. I’m not that amazing—I just followed Dad’s lead. Where he dug with his hoe, I dug with mine. And the weather this year has been kind.”
As he modestly spoke, his gaze occasionally drifted toward Jin Miao beside him, hoping she might say something. Unfortunately, Jin Miao had no thoughts on the matter and no intention of joining the conversation. She simply stared obediently at the cornfield.
At that moment, Jin Miao’s mind was completely at ease, as if she had been healed by the fields.
Jin Yan wasn’t discouraged. He beckoned his siblings into the field. The two brothers carried the family’s two baskets on their backs, while the two sisters stayed outside to pick a few ears of corn.
Suddenly, inspiration struck him, and he took the lead in starting a conversation.
“Big Brother, I heard that Mom and you are planning to do business in town. I’m actually a bit envious. You’ll be able to earn some money for the family, and I’d like to do the same.”
Jin Sen patted his shoulder. “Second Brother, don’t overthink it. Look at how well you and Dad have taken care of the crops in the fields. A bountiful harvest is also a way of earning money for our family. Others have to buy grain from the supply and marketing cooperative, but we don’t need to. That saves us a lot of money. And if we’re saving money, doesn’t that mean we’re earning it?”
Jin Yan was momentarily caught off guard by this reasoning. He felt his big brother was becoming more and more eloquent, even capable of making persuasive arguments. But, come to think of it, what his big brother said did make sense!
“That’s true,” he said, his expression briefly downcast. “But I still want to earn some money. Like Mom said, both of us will have to start families someday, support our wives and children, and eventually take care of a whole household. We can’t keep relying on Mom and Dad forever, can we?”
With a crisp snap, Jin Miao broke off a tender ear of corn and tossed it into the basket on her second brother’s back.
Inwardly, she couldn’t help but chuckle softly.
【Jin Miao: Hah, how strange. Has this old workhorse suddenly had an epiphany today? Could it be because he was inspired by Big Brother and Mom planning to start a business?】
Jin Yao knew it was time for her to step in.
“Hey, Second Brother, our family’s crops are growing so well this year, and you planted plenty of corn. How about raising a couple of pigs this year? That way, we can have our own pork to eat during the New Year!”
After saying this, she couldn’t help but let out an embarrassed little laugh.
Jin Yan pretended to ponder, his brow tightly furrowed. After several seconds, he slowly spoke, “The idea is good, and pork can fetch a high price by New Year’s. But your second brother here has never raised pigs before. This isn’t like raising chickens or ducks—I’m not confident at all. Besides, even if I knew how, I wouldn’t dare. If someone found out and reported it, we’d be in big trouble.”
For a moment, the siblings fell silent. In the village, many households still raised chickens and ducks privately, but pigs were large livestock. Their eating, waste, and noise were not small matters.
Once discovered, wouldn’t they just become communal property, belonging to the whole village? Who would willingly work hard only to hand over the fruits of their labor to others?
They all seemed to be pretending to be troubled, but in reality, they were waiting to hear Jin Miao’s inner thoughts.
Jin Miao did not disappoint. Her inner voice soon rang out.
【Jin Miao: What’s there to be afraid of? Just find a hidden spot to raise them. Those with guts have already secretly started pig farms, raising who knows how many. And here we are, hesitating over one or two pigs. As long as we pick a good spot, what would those people know?】
That’s right! Things weren’t as strict as before. Everyone was raising livestock secretly. As long as they found a hidden enough spot, why couldn’t they raise a pig or two?!
Just as they were having this epiphany, Jin Miao’s gaze swept over the wasteland patches by the cornfield, and beyond that, the woods leading into the mountains.
【Jin Miao: These fools, such a perfect spot for raising pigs is right in front of them, and they don’t even realize it. Those two patches of wasteland are perfect. If it were me, I’d expand the area a bit more, plant some fruit trees, build pigpens—kill two birds with one stone. The fruit can feed the pigs and be sold, and the pig manure can be used as fertilizer. How great is that! When policies loosen up later, we could even contract the woods directly. How perfect!】
Jin Yan’s eyes lit up. How had he not thought of that?!
Third Sister is so clever!
Jin Sen had already filled his basket almost halfway with corn. Hearing this, he was pleasantly surprised too.
This idea is great!
“Second Brother, why not raise pigs near the woods? Then you wouldn’t have to worry about how many pigs you raise, and you could even expand the woods further. How great would that be!”
Jin Miao: Huh?
Has the eldest grown a brain? Had an epiphany?
“That’s right!” Jin Yao clapped his hands, as if struck by an idea. He grew excited and animated. “Second Brother, why not dig up a few trees to plant? They could provide some shade.”
Jin Sen waved his hand again, not entirely convinced. “If we’re planting trees, why not plant fruit trees? When the fruit ripens, we can sell it or eat it ourselves. The bad fruit can be fed to the pigs. How great is that!”
Jin Yan nodded vigorously. “Yes, Eldest Brother makes sense.”
The fourth sibling grabbed Jin Miao’s arm, smiling as he asked her, “Third Sister, what do you think? How’s this idea?”
【Jin Miao: What do I think? Of course, I think it’s great! Wang Erwazi from the neighboring village raised pigs in the woods that used to belong to the landlord’s family. He did it secretly and even lost a few pigs. The conditions there aren’t nearly as good as here, but didn’t he still make a huge profit by year-end? That was his first pot of gold. Later, he contracted most of the village’s land, expanding his business and even marrying your beloved Dahua. Could it be that this time, it’s Second Brother, this big fool, who’ll raise pigs and marry Dahua?】
Under the teasing gazes of Jin Sen and Jin Yao, Jin Yan’s dark face flushed so deeply it seemed about to bleed. He truly couldn’t withstand it—he really wished his third sister would stop thinking about it. Although he did indeed like Dahua, she shouldn’t keep saying it out loud so blatantly, over and over again. How embarrassing…
“I think this idea is quite good. We can mention it to Mom and Dad and see what they say.”
【Jin Miao: They’d have to be ghosts to agree!】