Chapter 151: Dad, Get Us a Couple of Flashlights
Wang Yuan and Wang Yong certainly lived up to Old Madam Luo’s high expectations. The two brothers had managed to set up a thatched shack out in the fields on their very first day, and they hadn’t stopped working since. When they weren’t weeding, they were hauling water to irrigate the crops alongside Wen Xiuzhu and Wen Xiuqing. They asked about everything, no matter how small, making sure they understood exactly what needed to be done with every single plot of land.
That evening, when Wen Xiuzhu and Wen Xiuqing returned home, they reported the situation to Old Madam Luo and Old Man Wen.
Old Madam Luo nodded in approval. “Mm, I see. When you boys have free time during the day, head over there more often to see how you can help. We can’t just dump all the work on them and wash our hands of it.”
“Aye, Mother, don’t you worry. We’ll keep that in mind,” the brothers replied in unison.
Only then did Old Madam Luo drop the subject, turning instead to discuss the ducklings with her two daughters-in-law.
“Lady Xie helped us secure two hundred ducklings this time. They’ll be delivered as soon as the duck coop is built. Over the next few days, the two of you need to head over to Tie Niu’s mother’s place more often to learn the ropes. Make sure you fully understand the ducks’ habits, how to tend to them, and what to watch out for when feeding and free-ranging them. Commit it all to memory,” Old Madam Luo instructed thoroughly.
The two daughters-in-law nodded repeatedly. “Mother, rest assured. Since this is about making money, we will definitely be meticulous.”
“Good.” Old Madam Luo trusted her daughters-in-law’s work ethic. After a moment of thought, she added, “As for Tie Niu’s mother, if she’s willing, let her raise a few more as well. When the time comes to sell, she can sell hers along with our family’s ducks.”
Since the woman was helping them out, Old Madam Luo wasn’t the type to forget a kindness.
Over the next few days, Old Man Wen went to check on the progress of the pond every day. The duck coop adjacent to the pond was also gradually taking shape. By the time the pond was fully filled with water, it would be just about finished.
However, at the crack of dawn on the fourth day, Wang Yong came knocking frantically on their door.
Old Man Wen and Old Madam Luo, both light sleepers, woke up immediately at the sound. Tossing on a cloak, Old Man Wen hurried out. The moment he saw Wang Yong, his heart skipped a beat.
“What happened? Did something go wrong in the fields? Was it stolen from?” Old Man Wen asked anxiously.
Still panting heavily, Wang Yong nodded, then shook his head. “Yes—no, Uncle Wen! Someone came to steal the seedlings, but my brother and I caught them. They didn’t manage to take anything, but we couldn’t catch the thief.
Uncle Wen, I’m so sorry.”
Old Man Wen’s heart had jumped into his throat when he heard someone had come to steal, but he breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing the theft had failed.
As for not catching the thief, they couldn’t really blame the brothers.
“It’s fine. The area is so massive; you wouldn’t have been able to catch them if they wanted to run anyway. Did you catch a glimpse of them, though? Could you tell who it was?” Old Man Wen asked.
Wang Yong shook his head. “It was too dark to see clearly. We just saw a shadow running off toward the hill. By the time my brother and I chased after it, the person had vanished.”
Old Man Wen and Old Madam Luo exchanged a glance. Running toward the hill meant they would cross over right into the village. It seemed it really was someone from their own village.
Old Man Wen opened his mouth to ask more, but Old Madam Luo cut him off.
“We understand. Go back and get some rest first. There are plenty of people working during the day, so no one will dare try anything. You and your brother should also head home and see if your father needs help with anything. You can’t just focus on our fields and neglect your own family’s chores,” Old Madam Luo said.
Wang Yong gave an honest, simple smile. “Auntie, it’s no trouble. My wife and the others are taking care of things at home. I’ll head back to the fields now; there are still a few mu of land that haven’t been watered yet.”
Old Madam Luo’s lips twitched slightly. She had known these brothers were capable, but they truly were incredibly diligent.
“Hold on.” Old Madam Luo signaled for him to wait and stepped into the kitchen. She took down a piece of meat from the rafters—roughly a catty or so—and walked back out. Stuffing it straight into Wang Yong’s hands, she said, “Take this home first. Give the kids and your father a little nourishment.”
“This—Auntie, I can’t possibly accept this.” Wang Yong tried to hand it back, but Old Madam Luo dodged away and glared at him. “If I tell you to take it, you take it. Hurry up and go. Making such a racket so early in the morning—you’re going to wake everyone else up in a minute.”
Wang Yong’s eyes rimmed with red instantly. He accepted the meat, and just as he turned to leave, Old Madam Luo spoke again. “Keep this matter to yourself. No matter who came to steal, without catching them red-handed, it’s not good to spread rumors. You and your brother will just have to work a bit harder these days. When the crops are harvested in the future, I’ll save some seeds for you.”
A promise of saved seeds was worth far more than the piece of meat in his hands. Wang Yong’s tears spilled over immediately. He wiped them away hastily and nodded vigorously. “Auntie, don’t you worry. My brother and I will definitely keep a flawless watch.”
“Alright, enough with the dramatics. A grown man crying all the time, hurry up and get out of here.” Old Madam Luo waved her hands to shoo him away and slammed the door shut with a loud bang.
At this hour, the rest of the household was still asleep; only the elderly couple was awake. Old Man Wen sighed helplessly. “Look at you. You clearly mean well, yet you just have to act so fierce.”
Old Madam Luo shot him a sideways glance and snorted. “Are you that free? If you’re so free, come help me stoke the fire.” With that, she marched into the kitchen.
Old Man Wen merely smiled and followed right behind her obediently.
By the time the others got up, Old Madam Luo and Old Man Wen had already prepared breakfast. They had steamed a massive basket of buns, which smelled incredibly fragrant and piping hot.
“Take these to your eldest brother and the others. And these are for Xiao Jun and the kids to eat on the way. Hold onto them tight. Your father has already fed Da Huang, so get moving. The three kids will be late for their lessons in a bit.” Old Madam Luo stuffed the wrapped buns into Wen Xiuzhu’s hands and walked away immediately after speaking.
Left with no choice, Wen Xiuzhu munched on his own bun while holding the rest, driving the ox-cart pulled by Da Huang toward the new house to pick up the others.
As for the attempted theft in the fields, neither Old Man Wen nor Old Madam Luo mentioned it to anyone else. It wasn’t until they saw Wen Yao and Wen Xiuyi that they brought it up.
“It’s definitely someone from the village. As for who it is, Wang Yong said it was too dark to see clearly. Eldest, you make the call. If you want to pursue this, we can go find the village chief. We’re bound to ferret them out,” Old Man Wen said.
Wen Xiuyi knitted his brows. Sigh. No streetlights, no surveillance cameras—this really was a massive hassle.
“Let’s drop it. We didn’t catch the person anyway. If we rashly go to the village chief without catching them red-handed, it’ll only make the villagers think our fields are growing some kind of priceless treasure. Then even more people will start coveting it. Dad, Mom, let’s leave it at that for now. I’ll think of another way, so don’t worry about it.”
Since Wen Xiuyi put it that way, the elderly couple stopped pressing the matter. Just as he said, if they made a huge scene, everyone in the village would know for sure that their fields held something valuable. If even more thieves came after that, what would they do?
The moment the elderly couple left, Wen Xiuyi pulled Wen Yao into a corner.
“Daughter,” he whispered, “do you think you could get us a couple of flashlights?”
Otherwise, in that pitch-black darkness, if a thief tripped and fell, they deserved it. But if the Wang brothers fell into a pit or a ditch, he would feel incredibly guilty.
Wen Yao stared at Wen Xiuyi. “Dad, are you serious?” Two flashlights? Those were products of high technology. Bringing them out at a time like this? Was Professor Wen not afraid of getting himself killed?
