stingy landlady

Chapter 180 Swine Fever

"Alright! Uncle Xu Hong, you'll have to go through the trouble! You handle the arrangements! I'll go check out the workshop!"

Gui Xiang and Ju Shuang are currently in charge of the handicraft workshop. Wan Rou is heavily pregnant, and it's her first child. Everyone is trying to keep her from worrying too much. She occasionally comes by for a stroll, just like taking a walk!

Xu Hong found Guizhi in the evening.

"Miss! I've taken a look around. I think we should have our sofas made in Changping Village! Transporting the planks from here to there won't be a problem! And it won't interfere with Huanghua Village selling planks!"

The place is so far away, people who come to buy planks won't notice it! Changping Village is building houses right now, so let's build two spacious furniture workshops!

There are also separate rooms inside, and a kang (heated brick bed) or similar structures. In winter, when it's cold, a stove is installed.

While making furniture, they also set up the finished pieces, making it convenient for women to make cotton-padded sofas and chairs.

On one side, there's a workshop making furniture, and on the other side, there's a small workshop making sofa covers, cushions, and chair upholstery!

Guizhidao:

"We have enough male workers, but we still need a lot of female workers! Let's recruit more from the nearby villages!"

Guizhi thought it over carefully. Her fourth aunt was quite relaxed, staying home to take care of the children. Her second aunt's second child was a bit older, so she should be able to take care of him. But Taozhi was already working here, and someone needed to cook and do housework at the old house.

Go home and ask around! No matter how much you think about it, it's useless! Even if you want to help the old family, they have to be able to stand on their own two feet first.

Without further ado, Guizhi had Ping'an drive the carriage home. Upon arriving home, she found Old Man Zhou and his wife both looking worried. Madam Zhou saw Guizhi as if she were her savior.

"Third Miss! You're finally back!"

Guizhi asked in confusion:

"Yes! I've been busy with things on my end too! Has anything happened at home?"

As she spoke, Madam Zhou began to cry.

"Third Miss! Our pigs are sick! They won't eat or drink! Now more than twenty are sick, and several have died!"

Guizhi became anxious upon hearing this.

"Let's go! To the pigsty now!"

When they arrived at the pigpen, they found the piglets lying haphazardly, looking listless.

Of course, there are also healthy pigs, but the sick pigs are still kept in a large enclosure even though they are supposed to be isolated.

"Aunt Zhou! So many pigs! Didn't you tell my dad to build a pigsty? It's so crowded!"

Madam Zhou sobbed as she spoke:

"I mentioned to my wife that the sow had given birth to piglets, and the pigpen was too small to accommodate them. My wife said she would talk to my husband about it! It was cold then, and the frost hadn't thawed yet. We also thought that since the piglets were small, it wouldn't hurt to cover them up when it got warmer."

"I've been busy planting and selling vegetables lately. Third Miss! There's always something going on, and it's been delayed until now without being finished!"

"What did my father say?" Guizhi asked Zhou Niangzi while carefully observing the surrounding environment.

The bok choy in the garden is growing very well! Winter has just ended, and the sight of these lush green vegetables makes my mouth water!

Madam Zhou looked sadly at the sick pig and said:

"The master has come to see them and also called a veterinarian. The veterinarian said it's swine fever! Third Miss! Do you have any ideas? There are still more than thirty healthy pigs left!"

Third Miss, please save these good piglets first!

"Let them out! Let the healthy, non-sick pigs out!"

Gui Zhi emphasized.

"Huh? Let them out? Where to let them out? There are so many little pigs!"

Madam Zhou didn't understand and asked in confusion.

"Aunt Zhou! It's too crowded here! Let's move the good pigs to the vegetable garden!"

"But! But Third Miss! That food will be ruined! Master and Madam will scold me to death if they find out!"

Gui Zhi insisted:

"Unless you want all the pigs to get sick, then listen to me! Put the healthy piglets in the vegetable garden!"

Guizhi said she was about to open the pigsty door herself. Zhou Niangzi hurried to help her.

"Miss! I'll put it in! If Master wants to scold me, he can scold me instead! Just say I didn't close the door properly!"

"So many pigs are sick, such a serious matter, aren't you going to come and see for yourselves?"

"The master has come and also called a veterinarian! The veterinarian said there's nothing he can do!"

The lady said she needed to rest and recuperate! She was worried about the possibility of swine fever infecting humans. The lady refused to come!

"Aunt Zhou! Have you heard how my mother and Aunt Lan's relationship is going?"

As soon as Madam Zhou opened the pigpen gate, the little pigs grunted and ran and jumped into the vegetable garden! The poor vegetable garden suffered, with the little pigs eating the vegetables and rooting around in the soil.

There aren't many good plots left!

"Third Miss! I heard that Madam has been making Aunt Lan set rules for Madam every day! She must serve Madam food during meals! She must keep watch over Madam during her rest time!"

During the day, Aunt Lan had to cook and do laundry. Only after Madam fell asleep could she rest at night!

Guizhi pouted and said:

"Where did my mother learn all this? Making trouble out of nothing!"

Madam Zhou dared not respond.

"Aunt Zhou! Has the sow been bred yet?"

"Third Miss! The sow hasn't returned to estrus this month. She must have mated!"

Guizhi continued to ask herself the questions she was concerned about:

"How are they eating? Have they caught any diseases?"

"Third Miss! The sow is eating normally!"

"Hmm! That's good! Let them out quickly!"

Looking at the devastated vegetable garden, Madam Zhou hardened her heart and released the sow as well.

Now only the sick piglets are left in the pigpen.

Guizhi instructed Zhou Niangzi:

"Close the pigpen door! Aunt Zhou, the pigs outside can't come into the pigpen anymore! Now that the weather is warmer, it's fine for them to move around more during the day!"

Go and move some bundles of straw into the vegetable garden; the pigs will build their own nest tonight!

I'm going to find my dad! I'll send someone to find some radish greens, roots and all, to feed the sick piglet and see if we can save it!

Guizhi walked out and said to Ping An:

"Ping An, take the carriage to the clinic now. See if they have any Fuzheng Jiedu San (a traditional Chinese medicine formula). If the doctor asks, you can tell him it's used to treat viral swine diseases."

If you don't have a pre-prepared Fuzheng Jiedu San (a traditional Chinese medicine formula), then buy Banlangen (Isatis root), Huangqi (Astragalus), Yinyanghuo (Epimedium), Lianqiao (Forsythia), Jinyinhua (Lonicera japonica), etc., and tell the doctor that they can help strengthen the body's resistance, eliminate pathogens, replenish qi, protect the liver and kidneys, and detoxify!

I'll write it down for you, so you don't forget.

Just then, Madam Zhou was closing the garden gate and hurriedly went to get paper and pen. Seeing Guizhi's decisive and efficient actions, Madam Zhou couldn't help but feel relieved!

Dazhu was watering the wheat field. This year, they saved some seeds, so they planted it earlier than usual! Although there were farmhands to help, Dazhu was the type who couldn't sit still. Guizhi saw Dazhu watering and called out from afar:

"Father! Father!"

When Guizhi, panting, saw Dazhu, Dazhu said disdainfully:

"This young girl is already out of breath after running just a few steps, which means she doesn't exercise regularly!"

Guizhi thought about it and realized it made sense. She always forgot about exercising when she got busy!

"Dad! Our pig is sick. I heard that feeding pigs with radishes, roots and all, can cure it! Should we give it a try?"