Chapter 282: You’re Absolutely the Most Impressive One!
Ning Xiyue lifted her voice with a bright smile and called out, “Brother, lunch is ready!”
“Coming!”
Ning Qingyuan dusted off his hands, fetched a basin of water to wash them, and then sat down at the table, proudly showing off his work. “Sister, what do you think? I did a pretty good job, huh? Even when the chickens grow up, they won’t be able to fly out.”
Ning Xiyue scooped a spoonful of egg custard over her rice and nodded approvingly. “Very nice. Now all that’s left is to get them feeding bowls. I think two sturdy bowls will do—one for water, one for food.”
Ning Qingyuan passed his bowl over so she could scoop him some egg custard as well, waving a hand. “No need. I’ve already gone to the team’s stonemason and had two little stone troughs made. Once I put them in, they’ll be ready to use.”
Ning Xiyue froze mid-bite, genuinely impressed. “Wow, Brother, you really thought of everything! You even had the stone troughs made already—amazing!”
At that moment, she had complete faith that leaving the chickens to her brother was the right choice. With how meticulous he was, she believed he’d raise them plump and healthy, laying plenty of eggs.
“Just wait,” Ning Qingyuan said, patting his chest confidently. “You’ll have more eggs than you can eat. And when they’re fat, we’ll eat the best chicken you’ve ever had.”
“I’ll hold you to that,” Ning Xiyue said with a grin. “But first—let’s eat seriously. We’ve got plans after lunch.”
The siblings ate their meal with focus. Afterward, Ning Qingyuan washed the dishes while Ning Xiyue took a handful of cracked corn and scattered it in the little chicken pen.
The three chicks were full of energy. Despite being cooped up in a small basket for the entire trip, they weren’t the least bit droopy. After pecking up the corn and drinking some water, they strutted around the pen, occasionally lowering their heads to peck curiously at the dirt.
They adapted so quickly that Ning Xiyue couldn’t help but feel these chicks would be easy to raise. She crouched outside the pen, watching for a long while—until Chen Ye Chu called from next door. Then she stood up, shaking her numb legs, hobbling a little as she complained, “Oh! My legs are so numb—they’re killing me, ah—”
“That’s what you get for squatting there so long,” Chen Ye Chu teased, chuckling. “So, should we go now? I’ll go get the others.”
“Let’s go, right now,” Ning Xiyue replied without hesitation. “Those ducks aren’t easy to catch. The earlier we start, the more time we’ll have.”
“Alright, let’s head out then.”
Chen Ye Chu turned to call the others from the educated youth courtyard, while Ning Xiyue shook out her tingling legs and ran to the kitchen to shout for her brother.
By one o’clock in the afternoon, the tall green reeds by the river swayed in the breeze, rustling with a rhythmic shh-shh-shh.
From within the dense reeds came a louder rustling sound—then five straw-hatted heads popped up.
It was Ning Xiyue, Ning Qingyuan, Chen Ye Chu, Liu Yao, and Yu Zhiyu, who had snuck into the reed marsh to hunt wild ducks.
After wandering around for a while, the five regrouped in a drier area where the reeds were thinner, all of them drenched in sweat.
Ning Xiyue sat down on the ground, took off her hat to fan herself, wiped her forehead, and unscrewed her canteen for a big gulp of water. Holding the open canteen, she asked the others,
“How’s it looking? Any luck—see any ducks or duck eggs?”
“No big ducks, but I did find a few eggs,” Ning Qingyuan said, taking out a single egg and shaking it. “Only one’s good, though. The rest were spoiled.”
“That’s not bad—you’ve got one more than me. My luck’s terrible. Didn’t find a single one.”
Liu Yao slumped down, dropped her basket, and shrugged in defeat before gulping from her own canteen.
“My dear Comrade Liu,” Ning Xiyue said, hugging her with exaggerated sympathy, “I didn’t find a single one either! We’re in the same boat!”
Liu Yao gave a fake sob. “At last, I’ve found my people.”
The dramatics over, they both laughed and turned to the others.
“I actually found a whole nest,” Yu Zhiyu said, taking off his basket and placing it in the middle. Inside, nestled in straw, were ten duck eggs—some white, some bluish-green.
“Wow, that’s amazing!” the four others exclaimed together, all giving him a thumbs-up.
“I picked up twenty eggs,” Ning Qingyuan added, grinning as he took a few from his basket. Looking at Ning Xiyue and Liu Yao, he teased, “Want me to share? I’ll give you five each so you’re not empty-handed.”
“No need,” Ning Xiyue said proudly, refusing. “I believe in self-reliance. I’ll find my own eggs!”
Liu Yao shook her head too, determined to have her own haul next time.
Then Ning Xiyue turned to the only one who hadn’t spoken yet. “Yechu, what about you? Any luck?”
Chen Ye Chu smiled quietly, set her basket down, reached both hands inside, and carefully lifted out a tiny wild duckling—eyes closed, nodding sleepily, head drooping to one side.
She looked at everyone with a helpless little huff of laughter. “A duckling.”
The fuzzy little thing didn’t even peep, still fast asleep in her palms.
The other four stared for three seconds before bursting into laughter all at once.
“This one wins! This one’s the best!” they chorused.
Ning Xiyue laughed so hard she nearly doubled over. “Yechu, yours is absolutely the most impressive one of all!”
