LIGHTNOVELSTORY Chapter 35: Raising Dogs to Guard the Orchard
Su Danhong watered all the saplings on the mountain with spiritual spring water. It was not much, but each tree was sprinkled with almost a bowl of water, which was enough.
Currently, it looked like the sapling’s growth was very good and there were no major problems.
Of course, it was also because it had been a short while. Only time would tell whether the saplings could grow or not.
When she came back with the kettle, she ran into Mother Ji, who was waiting at her door.
“Danhong, did you go up the mountain?” Mother Ji asked.
“Yes, mother. What are you doing here?” Su Danhong nodded and opened the door to let her in.
“Mother just wanted to come over and ask what kind of vegetables you want to grow in your yard. You have your own land, so you don't have to go out and buy vegetables,” Mother Ji said.
“Anything is fine, mother. You can plant whatever you want,” Su Danhong said. She did not have any big requests. She liked to eat all kinds of vegetables, and she even liked cilantro.
Upon hearing this, Mother Ji smiled and said, “All right, mother will show you the seeds later.”
Then, she warned Su Danhong before she left, “Remember to have Xiao Hei accompany you next time you have to go up the mountain.”“Okay.” Su Danhong nodded in response. She knew that Mother Ji was thinking about her safety.
Time went by and more than half a month passed.
Life in the village was always quiet and dull. However, there were some things that happened to some of the villagers, such as how so-and-so saw a man going in and out of the widow's house at the end of the village; and so-and-so also saw which family the man was from.
These were common affairs in the countryside, but it didn’t disturb Su Danhong’s simple life.
Now who in the whole village didn't know that Su Danhong raised a big, intelligent, and fierce black dog? Su Danhong would take him out from time to time without a rope; and everytime he went out with her, he would not go anywhere and followed her the entire time.
When someone approached Su Danhong, the big black dog would bare his fangs. In addition to the dog’s shiny and smooth fur coat, he really looked like a baby calf.
Some people in the village even had bad intentions, and tried to tempt Xiao Hei before he grew up to be Da Hei. However, what made the eyes of the other dogs in the village glisten, Da Hei simply did not even glance at it.
One day, a bachelor in the village whistled at Su Danhong. The current Su Danhong was really reborn. Her skin was so tender that water would come out if it was pinched. Additionally, her features were much more delicate. Although she wore ordinary clothes, it would always look different on her.
She was so pretty that she attracted the attention of some young men in the village. Those uneducated bachelors also had glistening eyes.
The first time the whistling happened, Su Danhong ignored it. The second time, she continued to ignore it. The third time, Su Danhong immediately let Da Hei bite the person.
The bachelor that was bitten almost lost his leg, and the matter went to the village head.
But in the end, it went nowhere and Su Danhong didn't lose a cent.
The bachelor was well known for fooling around in the village. He had some kung fu skills, but he was not an opponent for the tough Da Hei. In fact, if Su Danhong did not give the order to stop, then Da Hei would have killed the man alive.
Although he was a domestic dog, he was not very different from a wild wolf.
Furthermore, there was Jianyun's military background. He was a strong man, and many people had seen his formidable aura during the New Year. Whoever dared to mess with his wife was waiting for catastrophe to happen when he came back.
On this day, Su Danhong came to learn how to make shoes from Aunt Yang. She could make clothes and what not, but she couldn't make shoes. Thus, Aunt Yang taught her and they were neighbors anyways.
“How are the saplings on the mountain?” Aunt Yang asked.
“Everything is growing well.” Su Danhong smiled.
Aunt Yang’s eyes lit up and she asked, “Growing well?”
Su Danhong nodded. “Yes, all of them are growing more or less, and are still considered alive.”
“That’s a good thing. Your orchard is the only one we have here. If it can grow, then there will be a bumper harvest in the future,” Aunt Yang said.
Su Danhong chuckled. “I'm not sure whether there will be a bumper harvest. I just wanted to grow something on that mountain. I can't leave it unused all the time, can I?”
“That's right. Your mother-in-law’s side spent a lot of effort in the past, but they didn't grow anything. Sure enough, a lucky wife is different. Things grow once it is in your hands,” Aunt Yang praised her.
Su Danhong said, “Aunt Yang, don't joke with me. What do you mean lucky wife?”
Aunt Yang whispered, "Danhong, aunt knows you are a good person, but you should make a clear distinction about how things are separated. Can you tell which land behind the mountain belongs to the other family members? If you don't make a clear distinction, then you have to hurry up so that your work will not be in vain later on. Your three sister-in-laws are not easy to deal with either!”
"Thank you, aunt, but this land is already owned by me and Jianyun. If not, I wouldn't be able to plant the saplings on it myself,” Su Danhong responded and smiled.
Aunt Yang nodded and said, “That’s good.”
“The land in the back mountain is not small. When the orchard grows in the future, you will need manpower. Oh, by the way, you will need to raise more dogs like Da Hei so that no one will ever dare to carelessly touch the orchard,” Aunt Yang added.
Su Danhong was stunned, but she listened to this advice.
It was true that the orchard was not small. Even though Father Ji had begun to prepare the fencing for the back mountain, she did need to keep a few more big dogs to keep things under control!
When Mother Ji came over, Su Danhong told her what Aunt Yang had suggested.
Mother Ji said, “You don't have to raise so many dogs! Do you want to spend a lot of money on food?” Da Hei was very good, but she has also seen Da Hei’s meals, and he ate almost as much as two adult men!
“It’s all right, mother. Go ahead and ask around if there are dogs. Bring me three to raise first,” Su Danhong said.
Mother Ji thought that if the orchard was ready, then there would certainly be incidents with thieves and her husband would go guard it. However, people were not as smart as dogs, and they would know when troubled brew where the grass moved in the wind.
Thus, she hesitated and then nodded.
After a few days of trying, she came back with three dogs: two males and one female.
“This female will be Da Hei’s wife in the future. Let them take some time,” Mother Ji explained.
Su Danhong was a little shocked. Is this the next step in Da Hei’s development?
Da Hei welcomed the three new members of his family, even though the three new members were afraid of him and did not dare to go near him at all.
Su Danhong gave each of the dogs a home, and their own dog bowls. As for the water, she did not separate it. She said to Da Hei, “You can drink the water here.”
“Ah-woo!” Da Hei barked at her.
Su Danhong knew he understood her.
Her home raised three more dogs: two yellow and one brown. She cooked a meal for the three little dogs, and let them settle down in the home.
In the future, Su Danhong would have them guard the orchard and she would not treat them badly.
That evening, the town mailman delivered a letter. It was from Ji Jianyun.