Chapter 281: The Chicken Coop is Completed
At eleven in the morning, Ning Xiyue and the team leader drove the calf back to the Daliu production team.
Carrying three little chicks on her back, Ning Xiyue returned to the educated youth courtyard and headed straight for the kitchen. On purpose, she passed by Chen Ye Chu’s kitchen and, as expected, saw her cooking lunch inside—
a bamboo winnowing tray in her hands as she washed vegetables.
Ning Xiyue called out from the doorway, “Yechu!”
“Xiyue, you’re back.” Chen Ye Chu quickly put down the tray of vegetables and came out to meet her.
She grabbed Ning Xiyue’s hand and led her toward the kitchen door. “Here, the flatbreads we talked about last night—I’ve packed them for you.”
“Perfect, I’ll take them with me on the way back.”
At the kitchen door, Chen Ye Chu let go of her hand and went back inside to fetch them.
While waiting, Ning Xiyue secretly took a jar of black sesame balls out of her “first aid kit”—actually from her storage space—and held it in her hand.
The two of them met at the kitchen entrance, each carrying something.
Chen Ye Chu handed over a cloth bag. “There are seven flatbreads in here, and one bottle of seasoning. Have a look.”
“This is the sesame balls you wanted—a full jar. When you finish them, come find me, I’ve got plenty more sesame. I’ll roast another batch later. They’re good to keep on you—if you ever get hungry, just eat one. I met an old man today who fainted from hunger; good thing I had these with me.”
While talking, Ning Xiyue opened the bag and saw seven neatly stacked round flatbreads inside. She smiled in satisfaction.
“Alright, I’ll keep some on me too. When I finish, I’ll trade for more.”
Chen Ye Chu, delighted with the jar of sesame balls, opened it right away and popped one into her mouth.
Both of them were very pleased with their exchange.
“Okay, I’ll head back first. I’ve got chicks in my basket.” Ning Xiyue patted the bamboo basket beside her.
“Oh! No wonder I heard chirping. You got them from the Big Banyan Team?”
“Yeah. I helped them castrate a pig, so they traded me chicks. They’ll start laying eggs in about two months, and I even got a rooster. If you want to raise chickens too, when mine start laying, I can hatch chicks for you. You can trade for some later.”
She lowered the basket and lifted a corner of the cloth so Chen Ye Chu could peek inside.
Her plan was simple: once the hens stopped laying, she’d hatch a new batch, butcher the old hens, and keep three chicks plus the rooster. That way, she’d always have a steady supply of eggs and meat.
Any chicks hatched in her storage space would stay there and be raised for food.
This way, she’d never run short of chicken meat or eggs again.
Chen Ye Chu looked at the three little chicks and could practically see three roasted chickens and a pile of eggs in front of her.
“Deal! When you hatch new chicks, save three for me. Then I won’t need to trade with the team aunties anymore when I want chicken or eggs.”
“It’s settled then. I’ll go now—let’s have lunch early, and after that, we’ll go catch ducks.”
Ning Xiyue glanced at the time. If she went back and cooked right away, she’d have plenty of time afterward for duck catching.
“Sounds good! I’ll hurry up and finish lunch too.” Chen Ye Chu waved and went back to her kitchen.
Ning Xiyue nodded and carried the chicks toward her own kitchen.
When she arrived, she immediately noticed a change— in the corner of the left wall under the eaves, a small square chicken coop had been built.
It was fenced with woven branches, and the roof was covered with wooden slats and straw.
Her second brother, Ning Qingyuan, was squatting beside it, applying a mixture of mud and water over the woven fence. More than half of it was already done.
It was a proper little coop—warm in winter and cool in summer.
“Second Brother, I’m back,” Ning Xiyue called, putting down her medicine box and walking over with the basket of chicks.
“You’re back, little sister! Come look—how’s my handiwork? Think this coop will do?”
His hands were covered in wet mud. One hand smoothed the wall while the other waved her over.
“I even laid stone slabs inside so it’s raised a bit higher than the ground. When it rains, the water won’t flow in. I’ll add a layer of dry straw and reeds on top—it’ll be nice and cozy for the chickens.”
“It looks great! Brother, you’re amazing—you even learned how to weave fences, and they’re so sturdy!”
Ning Xiyue tugged one of the woven panels; it didn’t budge an inch.
“I’ve seen you and that educated youth next door weave them so many times, I picked it up.”
As he plastered more mud on the walls, Ning Qingyuan glanced at the chicks in the basket. “These chicks look healthy. We’ll need to dig up more worms for them—helps them grow fast and lay better later.”
“I’ll leave that to you. I’m going to cook lunch.”
She pushed the basket toward him, acting like a carefree boss.
“No rush!” her brother called out. “Lunch is already cooked—the rice is steamed, and the dishes are prepped. Just need to stir-fry them and we can eat.”
“That’s great! Having you around makes everything easier. I’ll get to frying then.”
She carried the medicine box inside and jogged into the kitchen.
When she lifted the lid of the pot, fragrant steam rose up—inside was perfectly cooked rice, with a bowl of tender steamed egg on top.
On the counter lay sliced cured pork and soaked pickled bamboo shoots.
Perfect for a hearty meal.
While lighting the stove, she noticed a large bag in the cupboard. Curious, she opened it—
“Eh? Fresh wood ear mushrooms?”
Peeking out the kitchen door, she called in surprise, “Brother! Where did you get these? They’re so fresh!”
“On the way back earlier. I saw some growing on a dead locust tree. Must’ve sprouted after last night’s rain. Looked just like wood ears, so I picked a bunch. Dried some on the roof already—there’s still some left here. Should we eat them or keep drying?”
He pointed toward the basket drying on the roof beside the kitchen.
“Wow, your luck’s amazing! You go fetch something and come back with a whole bag of food. But let’s not eat fresh ones—they can be toxic if not handled properly. Better dry them all.”
She really was surprised; they looked great—but her brother’s luck impressed her even more.
She actually loved eating wood ear mushrooms, but fresh ones contained too much porphyrin, a photosensitive compound that could cause dermatitis or even skin necrosis when exposed to sunlight.
Both fresh and dried wood ears could be dangerous if handled wrong—fresh ones shouldn’t be eaten raw, and dried ones could grow bacteria if soaked too long.
Delicious as stir-fried wood ear with meat was, one had to be careful.
She took the chance to explain all this to her brother.
“Good thing you know about this. I’ll dry them all after lunch, and next time, I’ll watch the soaking time. Maybe I shouldn’t pick any more,” he said seriously.
“They’re still great food though—good for the body. If I’m around, it’s fine; I’ll handle them properly,” she smiled.
“If you like them, we can go gather more. That tree still has lots of small ones. After the next rain, there’ll probably be a fresh batch.”
He washed his hands and started setting up a fenced area for the chickens to roam.
“Alright, I’ll go fry the dishes,” she said cheerfully.
Foraging for mushrooms was one of her favorite outdoor activities—so relaxing and rewarding.
In another month or two, mushrooms of all kinds would be sprouting on the mountain again. She’d definitely collect a big batch this year; last year’s supply was almost gone.
They were delicious stir-fried, in soups, or stewed with meat.
Just thinking about it made her mouth water.
She swallowed hard, lit the stove, and began cooking.
Cured pork with sour bamboo shoots didn’t take long. As soon as the fire flared up, the fat melted into oil, and with a toss of ginger, garlic, and chili, the aroma filled the air.
When she carried the dish to the table and looked outside, she saw that her brother had already fenced off a high pen for the chicks. The three of them were happily exploring their new yard.
Having family around really did make all the difference—everything got done perfectly, and she didn’t even have to lift a finger.
