Rebirth: Not Being a Waste - Chapter 74

That morning, over a thousand kilograms of washed spring potatoes are harvested. In the afternoon, Zhang Shu calls for workers to begin processing them.

Four people are hired to cut the potatoes, eight to operate the mill, five to wash the vermicelli, and one to fetch water from the front yard.

Meanwhile, more and more people arrive to sell their spring potatoes. Those coming to work are mostly from households with little land of their own. Once others finish selling their potatoes, even more workers are expected. Zhang Shu still has several sets of tools he hasn’t taken out yet.

His yard is spacious—despite the growing number of workers, they occupy only about one-third of it, leaving plenty of open space.

Of the three and a half rooms built earlier, one is used for scooping vermicelli, while the other two serve as storage rooms.

Hanging on the storage room doors are two heavy iron locks, each weighing two or three kilograms. Everyone assumes they are secure—after all, who could break them?

But that night, Li Yan arrives and, in front of the Zhang family, inserts the hairpin from Li Mujin’s hair into the keyhole. In just a few seconds, he opens both locks.

The Zhang family is stunned. Even Li Mujin has no idea his brother has this skill.

“I don’t think your setup is safe,” Li Yan says. “With so many valuable goods stored here, and you all sleeping in the front yard, you wouldn’t even know if someone took off with your pots.”

The Zhang family exchanges glances. “Then maybe we should have someone sleep in the backyard to keep watch?”

“No, that’s even more dangerous,” Li Yan objects. “You can’t have someone on guard 24/7. What if they doze off? What if multiple thieves come at once? It’s too risky.”

His words make everyone uneasy. They assume their backyard is safe, but they haven’t considered that money attracts unwanted attention. Even if their own villagers aren’t envious, outsiders might be.

Zhang Shu knows his brother-in-law wouldn’t bring this up without a reason. If he’s offering advice, he probably has a plan in mind.

“Brother, if you have a good idea, just tell us. You’re well-informed—you must have a foolproof solution.”

Li Yan grins. “I do have an idea. Dogs can do what people can’t. Keep a few at home, feed them scraps, and they’ll guard your place all day. During the day, lock them in the front yard so no one can sneak in while you’re busy in the backyard. At night, let them loose in the backyard. Anyone sneaking in then wouldn’t be up to anything good.”

The suggestion is tempting. But where can they find dogs?

There used to be plenty of dogs in the village, but a while back, a group of people who eat dog meat starts poisoning them. Afraid of growing attached only to lose their pets, many villagers stop keeping dogs.

Li Yan, noticing their hesitation, adds, “I know someone in the village behind the mountain. His family has a big dog that just had five puppies. His father says that if no one takes them, he’ll throw them into the mountains to fend for themselves. The mother dog supposedly has some wolf blood—she’s quiet most of the time but will bark immediately when strangers come. If anyone tries to enter, she’ll attack.”

“What if she bites someone?”

“What are you afraid of? Tie her up during the day—she’ll bark but won’t bite. At night, let her go. Any thief who still dares to come deserves to be bitten.”

Everyone starts to see the benefits of having guard dogs. Zhang Shu and Li Yan agree to fetch the puppies the next day.

That evening, Li Mujin turns to Zhang Shu. “Something about this feels off. My brother usually wants nothing to do with anyone, but now he’s going out of his way to help. Suspicious, don’t you think?”

Zhang Shu shares the same thought but doesn’t want to criticize Li Yan. “Maybe he just remembered this and decided to mention it. Why would there be anything suspicious?”

Li Mujin suddenly claps his thigh. “Wait a minute! Since when does my brother have a friend in that village? He’s never mentioned one before! He must have made this friend while I was away. Tomorrow, when you go, pay close attention. I want to know what kind of friend could make my brother go out of his way.”

Zhang Shu can only nod. Li Mujin has always been firm in his decisions, and now Zhang Shu finds himself following along without question.

The next morning, while the others stay home to work, Zhang Shu sets off with Li Yan, carrying a large empty basket on his back. Since the ox cart can’t pass through the terrain, they have to travel on foot.

First, they climb over the mountain behind their village, then navigate several winding paths. Fortunately, woodcutters frequently pass through and have cleared the overgrown thatch along the way. Otherwise, the grass would be waist-high.

After circling the mountain multiple times, they finally arrive at their destination around noon.

Zhang Shu is taken aback—this doesn’t look like a proper village. At most, there are a dozen families.

The houses are built from yellow mud and straw, appearing low and shabby. There isn’t a single well-irrigated field in sight. While the area has plenty of land, the soil looks dry and barren.

A small, dark-skinned child runs past barefoot, his clothes nonexistent below the waist. Villagers work nearby in rags so tattered they barely hold together.

Zhang Shu is stunned. Just one mountain apart, yet their lives are so different?

Shuitou Village is poor compared to the wealthier families, but even the poorest household there is better off than these people.

Li Yan stops in front of one of the more well-kept yards. A large dog and a group of puppies stare at them, their eyes wary. The dog doesn’t bark—perhaps it recognizes Li Yan. Even so, Li Yan doesn’t dare enter and instead calls out, “Zhou Nan, come out! I brought someone to pick up the puppies.”

A man steps out. His clothes are patched in many places but are freshly laundered to the point of being faded. He smiles at Li Yan, revealing a dimple. He’s tall and thin but looks sturdy. Unlike the other villagers, his complexion isn’t as dark.

More importantly, he’s a ger.

Zhang Shu immediately understands the situation. He turns to look at his brother-in-law, but Li Yan doesn’t spare him a glance. His focus is entirely on Zhou Nan.

Speaking in an unusually warm tone, Li Yan says, “See? I keep my word. I promised to find them a good home, so you can rest easy. My brother-in-law will take great care of them—they’ll be well-fed and grow fat and strong.”

Zhang Shu feels exasperated. Why does his brother-in-law sound like he’s arranging a marriage for the puppies? And “fat and strong”? These are just yellow mutts!

Zhou Nan clearly finds Li Yan’s words a bit unreliable as well. “Just give them leftovers. Xiaohu’s pups are easy to raise. They’ve been weaned and can eat anything now.”

Li Yan grins. “It doesn’t matter what they eat. You don’t have to worry about them surviving. They’ll be at my brother-in-law’s place. If you ever want to see them, just tell me—I’ll bring you over anytime.”

Zhang Shu finally understands. His brother-in-law isn’t just looking out for their storage—he’s solving Zhou Nan’s problem, too.

Zhou Nan looks at them for a moment before saying, “Don’t just stand there. Come inside.”

Zhou Nan leads them into the yard and tells Xiaohu and the others not to bite. Xiaohu obediently takes the puppies back to their den.

Zhang Shu secretly observes the dogs. They all share one common trait—they’re thin, but their eyes are bright and full of energy. At first glance, they look like good dogs.

“I wonder what your brother-in-law’s name is and what he does?” Since he’s giving the dogs away, Zhou Nan thinks he should know more about the person taking them.

“His name is Zhang Shu. His family runs a small workshop, and he’s taking these dogs to guard the yard. His place is quite large.”

The Zhou family’s walls are made of bamboo, only half a person’s height, and the door is just a simple wooden fence. In reality, there’s little difference between being inside or outside.

Still, Zhou Nan trusts Li Yan. He doesn’t believe they’ve come just to trick him out of his dogs for meat.

He looks at Li Yan and Zhang Shu. “You haven’t eaten yet, have you? We only have simple tea and a light meal, but if you don’t mind, you’re welcome to join us.”

His father happens to be out today.

Li Yan agrees immediately, afraid that if he hesitates, Zhou Nan will change his mind and send them home to eat instead.

Zhou Nan turns and goes into the kitchen, scooping out a large pot of soup and setting out three bowls and three pairs of chopsticks.

The soup has a bit of batter in it, but the rest is all wild vegetables. It tastes bland, with no oil or salt, and Zhang Shu finds it hard to swallow.

Zhou Nan smiles when he notices. “You’re not used to it? There’s only a little batter at home. I haven’t gone down the mountain to buy more these past few days. Sorry if it’s not to your taste.”

Li Yan shoots Zhang Shu a glare, then says to Zhou Nan, “I think it’s just right. Now’s the best time to eat wild vegetables. My family eats this often.”

Zhang Shu wants to protest—Don’t slander my father-in-law! You and your father are both meat lovers—missing even one meal without meat would drive you crazy! If you two didn’t know how to hunt, your family would have eaten itself into poverty by now.

He shakes his head at Zhou Nan. “We should be thanking you for your hospitality. How could we not be used to it?” Although this man’s family is poor, he’s generous in spirit, which leaves a good impression.

After the meal, Zhang Shu takes out a hundred yuan and offers it to Zhou Nan as payment for the dogs. But Zhou Nan firmly refuses. If he can’t afford to raise them, he wouldn’t have kept them in the first place. Now that he has found them a good home, why would he accept money?

Li Yan takes the money on his behalf. “They say dogs bring wealth, and there’s no tradition of giving away wealth for free. Just take it. If you really can’t, then next time you catch something, just bring a few over to his place.”

Zhang Shu chimes in as well, and in the end, Zhou Nan has no choice but to accept the hundred yuan.