Chapter 128
Chapter 128
It took the group two days to drive the herd back to Black Pine Valley.
The cattle’s arrival threw the valley into an uproar once more.
As the herd entered the valley, everyone gathered around to marvel at the sight.
“So many cattle! Good heavens, I’ve lived most of my life and never seen this many.”
“Isn’t this more cattle than the entire Northern Frontier has?”
That was hardly an exaggeration.
Because farmers in the Northern Frontier spent half the year confined indoors for the winter, they could barely feed themselves, let alone raise cattle.
The imperial court had once kept some cattle and rented them out during the spring planting season.
Later, when it discovered that no one could afford the rent, the court reduced the number of cattle by half.
They then turned their attention to the landowners.
Those wealthy landowners held at least several hundred mu of land apiece.
Using cattle would greatly increase their farming efficiency.
But they discovered that raising or renting cattle cost more than hiring seasonal laborers, so they simply stopped keeping them. After all, spring planting lasted only a few days.
As a result, draft cattle were pitifully scarce in the Northern Frontier.
Compared with the south, where draft cattle could be seen everywhere, cattle were both loved and hated in the Northern Frontier.
It was a classic case of wanting a bull to work without wanting to feed it grass.
But none of that posed a problem for Jin Bao. With a daily wave of her little hands, she could turn all of Black Pine Valley into a lush green meadow.
That grass would feed the herd for several days.
Xiao Jingmo had not expected them to bring back so many cattle, so he had not planned anywhere to house them.
Fortunately, the valley had plenty of workers. Building a temporary cowshed was no problem.
The cattle were among the valley’s most important assets, so Xiao Jingmo set aside a site for their shed behind the market.
He also enclosed the entire area. If they raised goats, spotted deer, or other animals in the future, they would not need to find another place.
Moreover, animal manure made excellent fertilizer. Keeping the livestock together would make it easier to process.
With so many workers in the valley, Xiao Jingmo only needed to mark out the open ground.
Old Han voluntarily led a group in constructing the entire cowshed, along with feeding troughs and water troughs for the cattle.
They completed everything in a single day.
Meanwhile, Xie Chengyan finally returned after spending some time away.
He brought back more than a dozen blacksmiths.
With all those blacksmiths working together, they should be able to forge the plows within a few days.
Everything in the valley was now falling into place and beginning to operate on a considerable scale.
Jin Bao resumed her idle days as the valley’s little wanderer.
One afternoon, shortly after Jin Bao woke from her nap, her little squirrel returned after disappearing for some time, looking like a lump of coal.
“Squirrely, where did you go? You’re so dirty.”
Jin Bao stood at a distance in disgust.
The little squirrel tried to climb onto her shoulder, but Pei Wanqing reached from behind, seized its tail, and lifted it upside down.
“Where have you been running wild these past few days? How did you end up like this? Come with me and get washed.”
Pei Wanqing held the squirrel high. Unable to protest with its tail trapped in someone’s hand, it could only obediently play dead.
Its four short legs stuck straight out, exposing its little belly as Pei Wanqing carried it away.
Watching from nearby, Jin Bao covered her small mouth and giggled at the little squirrel’s appearance.
A spring lay beside the Xiao Family’s courtyard, but the water emerging from underground was rather hot.
Pei Wanqing carried the squirrel downstream.
People greeted her from time to time along the way.
“Madam, what are you doing?”
“My daughter’s pet got filthy, so I’m taking it to wash.”
“Goodness, isn’t that the little squirrel who’s practically become a spirit?”
The little squirrel was famous in Black Pine Valley, and many people recognized it. Clever and mischievous, it was irresistibly lovable.
It could beg people for food and even bow with its paws together. Its large, perpetually moist eyes especially had the valley’s women and children utterly captivated.
Now that people were watching, the little squirrel became conscious of its appearance. It hurriedly covered its private parts with its paws, making everyone burst into laughter.
“Of course it’s the same one. It ran wild for a few days, and I have no idea where it rolled around until it turned into a lump of charcoal. It’s filthy.”
Pei Wanqing sounded disdainful, but affection filled her eyes.
Jin Bao skipped behind Pei Wanqing to the stream.
Pei Wanqing slowly lowered the little squirrel into the water.
It was clearly accustomed to bathing and showed no fear of water. It even slapped the surface repeatedly with its two tiny paws, sending up sprays of droplets.
Pei Wanqing scrubbed for a long time before finally getting it clean. She lifted it out and set it on the grass.
“Jin Bao, watch it until its fur dries before letting it run off. Otherwise, it’ll leave the valley like this and freeze into a lump of ice.”
Jin Bao hurriedly nodded her little head.
The moment the little squirrel saw Pei Wanqing leave, it zipped onto Jin Bao’s shoulder, soaking her padded jacket with water.
“Squeak, squeak!”
The little squirrel extended one tiny paw and pointed outside the valley, urging Jin Bao to leave with it.
Remembering her mother’s instructions, Jin Bao tapped the squirrel’s head with one small finger.
“Mommy said you have to dry off before you can go out, or you’ll freeze into a lump of ice.”
The little squirrel crouched helplessly on Jin Bao’s shoulder. As its fur gradually grew fluffy, it became restless again.
“Squeak, squeak!”
Jin Bao stroked its sleek, glossy fur. Only then did she grin and run out of the valley with the squirrel.
“Squirrely, where are you taking Baby?”
“Squeak, squeak!”
The little squirrel jumped straight down from Jin Bao’s shoulder and led the way.
Following it, Jin Bao reached a hillside twenty li northwest of the valley.
The little squirrel squatted on a shiny black rock and refused to move. Pointing at the object beneath its bottom, it gestured to Jin Bao.
Curious, Jin Bao walked over, crouched down, and carefully examined the black rock.
As she looked at it, a vision suddenly appeared before her eyes.
A great fire.
A blazing crimson fire, burning hotter than the bonfires in Black Pine Valley.
The black rock lay within the flames. It slowly turned red, then brightened, finally becoming a searing mass of red light.
Jin Bao blinked her large eyes and quickly drew back her hand, only to find the black rock still lying quietly where it had been, with the little squirrel perched on top.
Jin Bao grew even more curious. Could this rock burn? It had no flames, yet worked better than firewood?
She tilted her little head and thought hard, but could not find an answer.
Then another scene appeared before her.
Many people stood around a huge fire pit filled with these black rocks.
Red light illuminated their faces, which shone with sweat, smiles, and anticipation.
In the distance, a large piece of iron slowly softened in the fire and was hammered into different shapes – knives, hoes, plows…
Jin Bao had seen many of those farming tools before. She had lived in Sanjiacun, and Sanjiacun had farming tools.
But the large object gleaming coldly, which the people in the vision called a Moldboard Plow, looked especially useful.
So these black rocks could heat iron until it softened. They had to be something valuable.
Jin Bao hugged the little squirrel and kissed it soundly. Then she picked up the black rock from the ground and raced back toward Black Pine Valley.
She had to hurry back and show this treasure to Daddy. One black rock seemed to work better than an entire pile of firewood.