Chapter 32: Having a Daughter Is Truly a Blessing!

"Fangfang, I'm going into the mountains to hunt with Tang Xingde tomorrow morning. Just letting you know."

Back home, while eating dinner, Tang Jiancheng informed Liu Fangfang of his plans for the next day.

Liu Fangfang felt a bit unaccustomed to this. In the past, whenever Tang Jiancheng did anything, he never told her, nor would he allow her to interfere. Although he didn't exactly mean to discuss it with her this time either, at least he had told her.

Liu Fangfang paused for a moment before saying, "Going hunting in the mountains during such a heavy snow—won't it be too dangerous?"

Tang Jiancheng smiled. "Don't worry, I'll be extra careful. My daughters are still so young; what would happen if I got hurt? Look at Tang Xingde. His family was once well-off, but ever since he was injured, his wife passed away, and now he’s become one of the village's most impoverished households!"

"Exactly, so since it's so dangerous, why don't you just not go?" Liu Fangfang whispered, bracing herself for a scolding. But after waiting for a good while, no scolding came.

Instead, she heard Tang Jiancheng speak in a rare, consultative tone: "The reason I want to hunt isn't to make a living from it, but to seize the opportunity of the heavy snow, when the game is hiding away for the winter, to make some quick money."

"Then, I plan to use that money as startup capital to launch a new venture. What do you think?"

"A new venture? What kind of venture?" Liu Fangfang looked at him, bewildered. A mere farmer talking about a business venture? Was he bragging a bit too much? Tang Jiancheng had never been the type to boast before.

Just as Liu Fangfang was feeling puzzled, she heard Tang Jiancheng give a mysterious smile. "I'll tell you later. It’s definitely a business that will make big money! If it succeeds, let alone raising nine daughters, I could raise ninety!"

Listen to that boasting—it was practically reaching for the heavens!

"Dad, where are you going to get ninety daughters? Do you have other daughters besides us? Where are they?"

That one sentence from the 'show-off' Seventh Daughter almost made Tang Jiancheng choke on his rice. Liu Fangfang nearly burst out laughing. *Hahaha, my Seventh is the best. Let’s see how you answer that, Mr. Boaster! Serves you right!*

"Nonsense, just eat your food!" Tang Jiancheng, feeling flustered, stuffed a large piece of meat into her mouth.

The Seventh Daughter’s mouth was blocked, yet she kept making muffled noises, causing the other children to erupt in laughter. The Eighth Daughter, not understanding anything, joined in with a silly giggle, then deliberately grabbed a piece of meat and stuffed it into her own mouth, mimicking the Seventh Daughter’s muffled noises.

"Silly girl! Can't you learn something sensible?" Tang Jiancheng picked up the Eighth Daughter and set her on his lap.

"Mm." The Eighth Daughter nodded, then asked with a straight face, "Dad, what kind of egg is a 'silly egg'?"

Tang Jiancheng was dumbfounded, but the Seventh Daughter said with a haughty air, "Eighth, you're so silly! A 'silly egg' must be an egg laid by a silly! Just like chicken eggs are laid by chickens. Dad, am I right?"

"Right, you're absolutely right!" Tang Jiancheng didn't even want to talk to them anymore; children’s worlds were truly unconstrained. A 'silly egg' is an egg laid by a silly! No errors there!

After a joyous dinner, Tang Jiancheng began preparing for the hunt the next day. He had never hunted before, but having lived to seventy in his previous life, he knew the saying 'the longer you live, the more you see.' He understood the basic common sense required for hunting. Once everything was prepared, he went to bed early.

The next day, just as the sky was beginning to brighten, Tang Jiancheng woke up.

"Jiancheng, last night your eldest, second, third, and fourth daughters stayed busy half the night. They roasted sweet potatoes, cooked porridge, and steamed buns for you. Take them with you to the mountains later," Liu Fangfang said sleepily. At night, she had to nurse the ninth daughter, help her use the potty, and change diapers, so she hadn't slept well at all.

"I know," Tang Jiancheng said nonchalantly, though his heart was already overflowing with emotion. Having daughters is truly a blessing!

After washing up and dressing, Tang Jiancheng went to the kitchen. Sure enough, he saw a large iron pot on the stove containing sweet potatoes, buns, porridge, and a piece of cured bacon. There were still embers in the stove, so everything was still warm.

As Tang Jiancheng reached out to take them, he saw his eldest daughter walk in, eyes heavy with sleep. "Dad, are you awake? Did the sweet potatoes and porridge get cold? My sisters and I took turns tending the fire, but the second sister forgot to wake me, so I just woke up now. I'll fire it up to warm it for you right away."

"No need, it's still warm."

Listening to his eldest daughter, the old man Tang Jiancheng felt his voice choke with emotion. In his previous life, when had he ever experienced such thoughtful, filial piety from his daughters? Fearing the food would get cold, four daughters had stayed awake all night, taking turns to add wood to the fire. Who wouldn't be moved by such actions? No wonder they say daughters are a father's little quilted jackets. With such jackets, the old man Tang Jiancheng felt warm in body and soul.

"Eldest, go get some more sleep. I'll leave as soon as I've eaten."

"Okay, Dad, stay safe."

As the eldest daughter turned to leave, Tang Jiancheng finally let his tears of happiness flow freely. After a while, he composed himself, brimming with energy. He took the remaining sweet potatoes and buns, grabbed his wood-chopping knife, tied his pant legs and sleeves tightly, put on a thick Lei Feng hat, donned his military boots, and set off.

When he reached Tang Xingde's house, he saw him busy in the kitchen. His main house had collapsed, so the family of six was squeezed into a cramped side room, and the kitchen was a makeshift, crude structure.

"Brother Xingde, why aren't your five sons here to help?" Seeing Tang Xingde busy all by himself without a soul to assist him, Tang Jiancheng felt even more that having daughters was a blessing.

"Those little rascals would be lucky not to cause trouble, let alone help! Dream on!" Tang Xingde grumbled. He looked back at Tang Jiancheng's attire and nodded. "Not bad, Jiancheng. Looking at your gear, have you been thinking about hunting in the mountains for a long time?"

Tang Jiancheng chuckled. "Just messing around."

Once Tang Xingde finished breakfast and gave his eldest son a few instructions, the two shouldered their bird guns and began trekking into the mountains, stepping over the snow. Despite his crutch, Tang Xingde’s speed was not slower than Tang Jiancheng’s.

"Brother Xingde, I heard that you can get prosthetic limbs in big cities. Are you interested in getting one?" On the way, seeing Tang Xingde limping along, Tang Jiancheng asked quietly.

Tang Xingde’s eyes lit up. "Is it true? You can get prosthetic limbs? Who did you hear that from? Is it expensive?"

"I heard it from someone while I was drinking alone in town. It's true they have them in big cities. As for the price, it depends on the material—plastic, stainless steel, or ceramic..." Tang Jiancheng said. "Each has a different price, depending on what you prefer."

"Alright, then I’ll work hard to make money. I’ll try to get one fitted as soon as possible so I can keep hunting and support those five boys."

Tang Jiancheng could feel that Tang Xingde was significantly more motivated now than he had been before.