Chapter 18: Catching a Chicken

The women weaving nets nearby couldn't help but shake their heads. These few brats were idle all day long, just like children who hadn't grown up, knowing only how to play. This time, they actually wanted to kill the family's chicken?

Truly prodigal sons. If they were in their families, they would have been beaten to death. However, they hadn't seen less of their nonsense over the years, so they were used to it!

As long as they didn't come to harm other people's families, that could barely count as their only merit.

Ye Yaodong rubbed his nose, feeling a bit awkward. Looking at her angry expression, he really felt a bit bad inside.

Little Whistle said with a grin, "Dongzi, you've learned to feel bad for your wife? It's fine, just coax her well when you come back tonight."

"That's right, just coax her when you come back tonight. Walk faster, we still have to kill the chicken. It's already past two o'clock, and it still needs to stew for half a day. If it's too late, we'll starve to death."

Ye Yaodong was dragged along by the two of them. Thinking that it was too late to turn back now, he decided he would just coax her when he returned tonight. He would go pan for seafood with her tomorrow and perform well, striving to win back her heart.

After making up his mind, he cast aside his worries and happily went with them.

Their Bai Sha Village wasn't big, but it wasn't small either. Azheng's home was closer to Dongqiao Village, and the back door of his house led directly to the fields.

Although he had spoken righteously about catching the chicken, he felt a bit guilty when it came time to actually catch it, fearing his mother would see them while weaving nets at the door. He deliberately led them to take a detour, wanting to pass through the fields at the back door and then climb over the fence.

Who knew his mother would actually be sitting at the back door weaving nets today!

And the moment she looked up, she saw the three of them on the side of the road...

"What are you few up to again?"

Azheng gave a dry laugh and poked his hand forward. "Mother, I want to discuss something with you. See if it's okay..."

"No!"

The three of them: "..."

Before they could even speak, they were blocked back!

Azheng's mother raised her eyelids, scratched her hair with a shuttle needle, and started weaving again after scratching the itch. Then she said, "Whenever you few get together, nothing good ever happens. Don't discuss it with me; even if you ask, I won't agree!"

"Mother, hasn't Father been saying his hands and feet have been weak lately..."

"What, you want to buy a green crab to nourish your father?"

People by the sea whose hands and feet are weak and need nourishment generally choose to eat green crabs.

"That's not it..."

Ye Yaodong stood to the side, finding it a bit funny. He had been so righteous at his own door just now, but now that he had run into his mother, he had actually turned cowardly. How many years had it been since he had seen Azheng like this?

Azheng thought that sticking his head out was one cut, and shrinking it was also one cut, so he simply said directly, "A-Guang caught a cobra this morning. I thought I'd kill a chicken to take over and stew it together, and then pack a bowl back for you and Father to nourish yourselves. Hasn't Father been saying his hands and feet have been weak lately?"

His mother raised her eyebrows. She had originally intended to start scolding, but swallowed it back upon hearing the second half of the sentence. He still had some filial piety, thinking of his father.

Seeing that his mother didn't scold him immediately, Azheng knew there was a chance. He pressed on, "Mother, look, I paid for the eggs to hatch this chicken, and I'm usually the one who feeds them the most. Look, give me one, you don't seem to have any loss, right?"

"Do you think I'm stupid? You're still eating my food, wearing my clothes, and living in my house. How do you have the nerve to say the chicken is yours?"

"Hehe, you raised it, you raised it. Then if you don't object, I'll catch it?"

Azheng's mother glared, and just as she was about to scold him, he had already excitedly called for Ye Yaodong and Hearing Xiao Xiao to catch the chicken.

Not objecting, not scolding, didn't that mean she agreed?

"Get out, get out, get out! Once you catch it, get out of here! You can only catch a rooster." Having given birth to four daughters and only this one son, how could she not love him?

"Which one to catch?"

"That one! That big rooster is fat! Hearing Xiao Xiao, you go first!" Ye Yaodong pointed to the big rooster with colorful feathers pacing leisurely in the corner, ordering them to go first.

With chicken poop all over the ground, he didn't really want to step in it.

After a short, sharp sound of a rooster's clucking, "Damn it, didn't catch it!"

"Over there, over there... Dongzi..."

"I'll come... I'll come..."

The three of them ran around the courtyard, and the chickens flew around the courtyard. After a flurry of chaos, they still hadn't caught the chicken.

"Damn it, why can it fly so well? You guys go over there, I'll go over here, let's surround it!"

Ye Yaodong hurriedly stopped them. "Wait, wait, Azheng, you go grab a handful of rice bran, and we'll stand in the corner. It's easier to catch them when they're eating."

"Alright~"

Azheng's mother felt a pain in her liver. These few stinking brats! It was a good thing she reacted quickly and moved the fishing net into the house, otherwise, it would have been a mess.

After sprinkling a handful of rice bran, those chickens were still very vigilant, wandering around and testing, not daring to get close.

After a good while, feeling there was no danger, they finally came forward to peck.

"Go, Dongzi, you go."

If he had to go, he would go. Ye Yaodong stepped forward with light steps, aimed at his target, and pounced directly.

"Caught it!"

He was full of joy, gripping the two wings tightly. "Bring the straw rope over, I'll tie it up, otherwise it'll fly away again in a moment."

"Here, tie it while walking, take it to A-Guang's house to kill."

This big rooster was full of vitality. Even after being tied up, it kept struggling, tilting its neck and squawking.

Ye Yaodong handed it to them after tying it up. Seeing that the tips of his shoes were covered in chicken poop, he grabbed a handful of straw to wipe it, and ground his feet hard on the ground a few times to clean the soles before happily following them to A-Guang's house.

A-Guang's mother had passed away, and his father had gone out to sea on a big boat, which would take several months before returning. There was no one to manage his home, and no girl would marry him, so he wasn't married yet. There were only him and his two younger sisters at home, so they always chose A-Guang's house for their daily gatherings.

Everyone was gathered at his house playing cards, just waiting for the three of them to come and start the fire.

"Damn, A-Guang, don't you know what your name means? You actually dare to play cards in the afternoon?"

"Hahaha, Pei Guang, lose everything!" Ye Yaodong also thought of the bad luck A-Guang's name brought him, and slapped his thigh in laughter. He hadn't seen A-Guang for quite a few years either.

In his previous life, his father had saved enough money to buy a boat and took their whole family to move to Zhoushan to process dried shrimp, and they rarely came back.

A-Guang looked at them with disdain. "It's rare that I didn't lose today, okay?"

"Then who lost? Who won? Whoever won the most, go to the pier and buy two bowls of seafood. Azheng brought a chicken from home. We'll cook Dragon-Phoenix Soup tonight, let's make it a bit more sumptuous!"

A-Guang shook the small bills in his hand and said triumphantly, "I won against three families, the first time in history. I'll go to the pier to see what's there now, you guys go kill the chicken first!"

They would play cards daily and gamble a little. They were all friends, and the money they won would basically be used to buy food, and everyone would eat, drink, and brag together.

Although they were all a bit useless, they all had a very good relationship. Ye Yaodong was also exceptionally excited and volunteered, "You guys play your game, give the chicken to me to kill, I'll clean it up."

"Alright, then it's yours. I'll play cards for a while. Call me when you're done cleaning it, I'll come cook!" Hearing Xiao Xiao felt as if he had been granted amnesty, handed the chicken to him, and gathered around the table.