Yang Yufen drove her tricycle straight to the cafeteria entrance.
"Old Zhou, is the hot water ready? I’ve brought the chickens back."
Yang Yufen called out but didn’t see Old Zhou—instead, she spotted Shen Xianjun.
"What brings you here?"
"Mom, I’m on a three-day leave. I got back yesterday and brought the kids to pick you up today. Isn’t Lianxiang’s wedding tomorrow?"
At Shen Xianjun’s words, Yang Yufen suddenly slapped her thigh.
"How could I forget? I still have to make another trip. Take these chickens back with you—I’ve got things to do. Let the kids play in the orchard for now."
The wedding banquet was tomorrow, and these white-feathered chickens were plump and reasonably priced, perfect for adding another dish to ensure Gui Xiang’s niece had a grand send-off.
Old Zhou still hadn’t appeared, so Yang Yufen left again, heading straight to the chicken farm, where a group of children immediately surrounded her.
"Grandma!"
"Granny Yang!"
"Hey, good, good! You kids play—Grandma’s got work to do. Stay for lunch at noon."
Yang Yufen responded cheerfully.
"Old friend, I’m taking these ten chickens to Gui Xiang first for tomorrow’s banquet. It’ll add another dish, and since we’ve invited so many neighbors, we can also see how they react to these white-feathered chickens."
"Good idea. Why didn’t I think of that? You’re sharp. Go ahead, but be careful on the road."
Aunt Wang agreed immediately.
Yang Yufen hurried off again. Since she was preparing for Lianxiang’s banquet, her noodle shop was closed for three days—something all the neighbors already knew.
To save money, the banquet was being prepared in-house. At this time, few people cared much about formalities—as long as the dishes were hearty and filling.
"Gui Xiang, look what I’ve brought you!"
Yang Yufen entered with a smile, carrying a burlap sack.
"Chickens? Why are they white? You went out of your way to bring these?"
"These are white-feathered chickens. How’s the preparation going? These are plump—more meat than the ones you’d find at the market. Have you slaughtered the ones you bought earlier?"
"Not yet. I was planning to do it tonight since it’s getting hotter—didn’t want them to spoil."
"Perfect timing, then. These white-feathered chickens are said to be tender and meatier."
Yang Yufen set the sack down, and Gui Xiang pulled one out—it was heavy.
"These chickens are so fat—they must’ve cost a fortune?"
Gui Xiang held the chicken, marveling at it.
"About the same as the ones you bought. What do you think?"
"I can’t just take them for free. Lianxiang’s my niece—as her aunt, I should pay. How much? Let me get the money."
"No need. Just give me the ones you bought earlier—it’s not convenient to keep chickens here anyway."
"But I only bought eight."
Gui Xiang counted—there were more chickens in the sack than she’d purchased.
"It’s a joyous occasion—don’t fuss over the details. Xianjun’s on leave and took the kids to the orchard. I’ve got to hurry back, so no dilly-dallying."
With Yang Yufen insisting, Gui Xiang had no choice but to keep the chickens and hand over the ones she’d bought earlier.
Shen Xianjun helped slaughter the chickens while a group of kids gathered around, fascinated.
"Wow, the feathers are white! They’d make pretty shuttlecocks!"
Li Wu’s eyes lit up at the sight of the feathers, already imagining crafting a shuttlecock.
"Since they’re white, can we dye them? Make colorful shuttlecocks?"
Yaoyao, seeing pure white feathers for the first time, held one in her hand, delighted. The idea slipped out casually.
"I think we can."
Wang Xing chimed in.
"Then the colorful shuttlecocks would be one-of-a-kind!"
Yaoyao couldn’t help but say.
"Could we sell them for money?"
Hu Zhenghao, the oldest of the group, was already aware of the value of money. If no one else had them, they’d be unique!
The children’s eyes sparkled as they huddled together, brainstorming.
Li Wu had the least pocket money among them—but he had the most things he wanted to buy!
"People would definitely buy colorful shuttlecocks, but there aren’t enough feathers to make many."
Yaoyao, with a girl’s attention to detail, pointed out the key issue. Making shuttlecocks wasn’t hard—they all knew how.
"No, there’ll be lots more white feathers! I went to the other chicken farm earlier—the grandpa there said all the chicks inside are white-feathered."
Wang Xing interjected.
"But you said they’re chicks. It’ll take forever for them to grow up, won’t it?"
Yaoyao had raised chicks before.
"We can ask Grandma where to get more feathers."
Li Wen suggested.
When kids couldn’t solve something themselves, they should ask adults for help—that’s what their grandma had taught them.
"Then let’s go find my grandma!"
Yaoyao brightened at the idea.
Shen Xianjun hadn’t noticed what the kids were up to. By the time he looked up again, they’d already run off.
But the one-eyed elder had been watching them the whole time.
"Kids these days are so clever. Good, good—they’re the future of our country."
"Grandma, where can we find more white feathers?"
Yaoyao asked.
"What do you need white feathers for?"
Aunt Wang asked gently.
"We want to dye them and make shuttlecocks!"
Yaoyao answered.
"Colorful shuttlecocks!"
Miaomiao added excitedly.
"Aunt Wang, we want to make colorful shuttlecocks to sell."
Hu Zhenghao explained.
Aunt Wang was aware of the kids’ money-making ventures, though she hadn’t let Yaoyao participate—girls faced too many risks.
"You’re all so smart to come up with such a wonderful idea! There aren’t more feathers right now, but we should have plenty in a few days. I’ll save them all for you, okay? You can earn money, but don’t neglect your studies—you’ve only got one day off today."
"Really? Thank you, Grandma!"
"Thank you, Aunt Wang!"
The children were overjoyed. The adults’ approval was the best support they could ask for.
With their answer, the kids ran back. Even if they’d have to wait a few days, they couldn’t waste the feathers they had now—one chicken’s feathers, carefully selected, could still make a few shuttlecocks.
But Aunt Wang had been inspired by the children’s idea.
They raised white-feathered chickens for self-sufficiency—why not make use of everything? Even the feathers could be repurposed, leaving nothing to waste.
Yang Yufen finally returned just before lunch.
After the meal, Aunt Wang pulled her aside to discuss.
"Yufen, I’ve been thinking—these chickens are too big. Roasting them would take too long, and we’d need a proper oven. The meat’s milder than our local chickens, but there’s definitely more of it—very filling."
"True. And in this heat, cooked meat won’t keep well."
Yang Yufen nodded. They’d eaten some at lunch—it was decent, thanks to Old Zhou’s cooking skills.
"Years ago, I had a dish where the chicken was marinated, then smoked. It tasted great even cold. But I only ate it—never learned the exact spices or smoking method."
Aunt Wang remembered that dish vividly—she’d had it as a young woman, decades ago, and never forgotten it.
