Witty Wife, Better Life-Chapter 68 - 66 Reply to a Letter

The two piglets adapted very well to their new home, eating and sleeping well every day. Perhaps due to being fed sheep’s milk, they grew quickly and robustly, ballooning in size each day. Brother Dashuan’s wife constantly praised her for her pig-rearing skills, to which Shen Yunfang responded in silence, supposing that was a compliment.

Thanks to the good feed, the family’s three old laying hens also began laying eggs in mid-March.

Since the earthworms had not yet begun to reproduce en masse and would need another month to do so, Shen Yunfang fed the hens bran mixed with cabbage leaves for the moment.

Shen Yunfang collected the eggs, not planning to sell them just yet. She thought in about a month, she would see if she could hatch a new batch of chicks.

The initial attempt to hatch thirty eggs on the kang had not been successful, not because Shen Yunfang was unskilled, but because she simply did not have the time. She didn’t have the opportunity to continuously heat the kang at home, nor the time to frequently turn the eggs, resulting in a failed hatch. She ended up throwing the eggs into the stove pit to cook and eat them.

Since she would be too busy in the coming period, Shen Yunfang decided not to try hatching chicks herself for a while; instead, she planned to buy some ready-to-go chicks at the market.

What Shen Yunfang needed to do now, however, was to start the seedlings for sweet potatoes and potatoes.

Since pigs were being raised at home this year, Shen Yunfang definitely intended to plant sweet potatoes. But since she had no experience in growing them, she went to seek advice from Brother Dashuan’s wife.

Brother Dashuan’s wife generously shared her knowledge and even provided hands-on guidance. Basically, it was she who went to Shen Yunfang’s home to help start the seedlings for the sweet potatoes and potatoes.

All Shen Yunfang had to do was water them every day, and by late April, they could be planted in the ground.

When she had spare time, she also prepared some mushroom sticks, placing them on the top shelf in the west room, waiting for mushrooms to grow.

All these tasks kept Shen Yunfang as busy as a spinning top, working from dawn to dusk.

That day, Elder Shen stopped Shen Yunfang as she was finishing her work and handed her a letter.

Shen Yunfang knew it was from Li Hongjun as soon as she took it, thanked Elder Shen with a smile, and was about to leave.

But Elder Shen had more to say.

“Yunfang, it’s not good for you to be at odds with your Second Aunt all the time. Regardless of who was right or wrong, it’s all in the past. You are the younger one; if you take the initiative to apologize, the tension between you might ease,” Elder Shen said, frowning.

As the head of the Shen Family, he naturally hoped every member of the Shen Family would get along harmoniously. If there were issues, they should be addressed at the moment, but there should be no holding grudges behind someone’s back. Things had to be handled the way they ought to be.

But Shen Yunfang didn’t see it that way. When she had first arrived through time, she only saw her second aunt once. After that, several months had gone by without a glimpse of her, and when she did show up, it was just to covet Yunfang’s money. Why should she associate with such a person? Besides, she wasn’t her real relative, so she avoided her as much as possible.

“Uncle, you don’t need to worry about this matter, I don’t hold a grudge against my second aunt.” Not holding a grudge meant not wanting to associate.

“Then why haven’t you visited your second aunt’s place in several days?” Shen Yeqing didn’t believe her.

Shen Yunfang laughed, “Uncle, you know how annoyed my second aunt gets with me. The last time I went, I hadn’t even entered when Zhao Peng threw a clod of earth at me. How could I dare to go again? Besides, if I were to go there all the time, they would think I’m looking for a free meal; it’s best to stay away.”

“But this not visiting back and forth isn’t good either.”

“It’s fine, last year my second aunt ignored me for three months, and I still lived just fine. Uncle, I believe my second aunt knows what she’s doing. Whenever she feels better about me, her niece, she’ll reach out to me first. Alright, Uncle, I’m heading home now.”

Shen Yunfang waved her hand and went home.

Once at home, she didn’t bother cooking. She’d been busy recently, so she’d cook a big pot of food and store it in her space. When mealtime came, she’d just take it out to eat.

After a simple meal, she went into the west room to get busy. She watered all the plants and fed some rotten leaves to the earthworms before returning to the east room, lying down on the kang bed. She then took out the letter from her pocket and began to read it under the dim light of the kerosene lamp.

This chapt𝓮r is updat𝒆d by ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom.

Comrade Shen Yunfang,

Shen Yunfang curled her lip, the writing giving her goosebumps.

I’ve arrived safely at the military base, and everything is going smoothly. Have you returned home? Is everything fine with you?

As soon as I returned to base, I started collective training. I might be out for a few months and won’t be able to send letters every month as before, but I will make up for it when I return. You don’t need to worry about me; just send your letters every month, and I’ll read them all when I get back.

The letter then went on and on with trivial talk, essentially detailing his daily life, without any intimate language that betwixt fiancés.

The letter urged her to write back four times, ending with a note stating he didn’t send money this time but had wired it instead. Fearing she would need money while he was away for several months, he had decided to send his salary of forty-two yuan a month, keeping only five for himself and wiring the remaining thirty-seven to her. Considering the considerable sum of money, he thought mailing it would be risky, hence the decision to wire the funds.

He specifically reminded her to check with the team frequently to see if the remittance slip had arrived and to go to the post office in time to withdraw the money.

Shen Yunfang held her chin with both hands, staring blankly at the letter, her mind wandering off somewhere.

After quite a while, she let out a long sigh and then got up to rummage through a chest. She pulled out a notebook and a pencil.

Fiancé Comrade,

I’ve received your letter; I’m glad you trust me so much. I will take good care of the money for you, don’t worry.

Now, let me report to the organization about my recent work.

The production team has already started work, and I’m still tending to the sheep (my uncle said that next year I won’t be doing this anymore and will need to work in the fields). Since coming back this year, I’ve found my flock has grown, with several ewes giving birth to lambs, very adorable. I’ve taken advantage, and now I have sheep milk to drink every day (sheep milk is very nutritious and good for health).

Also, I’ve caught two piglets, snatched from Uncle’s place, costing me twenty-three yuan. There’s a little story here: my second aunt thought I got swindled by my aunt… Yunfang then went on and on, summarizing the scuffle with her second aunt and her learning session with Li Hongjun.

It’s time to start planting again, and I feel that working in the fields is challenging for me now, so I’ve asked Brother Dashuan and his wife from next door to help me, naturally showing my gratitude (with the money you sent).

I have assessed my physical strength and find that raising chickens and ducks is more suited for me. So, this year, I plan to expand my livestock farming…