pjbooks Chapter 168 This place is no longer safe.
Chapter 168 This place is no longer safe.
There are many chickens in the residential compound, but it is rare to see a rooster with such beautiful feathers.
The two children enjoyed watching, and Bao Ya didn't rush them, letting them watch as much as they wanted.
I glanced at the road beside me and realized that I wasn't far from home. I just needed to make it back before dinner.
Bao Ya's gaze fell back to the chickens in the yard, and she was stunned when she saw what the chickens were eating on the ground—whole corn kernels.
Corn is a staple food. In rural areas, chickens are usually raised on wild vegetables and bran. What kind of family is so rich that they feed their chickens with perfectly good corn kernels?
Thinking this, Bao Ya began to discreetly observe her surroundings. This area was right next to a grove of trees, with the residential area in front and very few people coming here.
The neighbor's backyard is full of vegetables, and they also raise a few chickens, but they're kept in coops. This family doesn't grow any vegetables, and their chickens are free-range.
The rooster gently scratched away the soil with its claws, bringing out a small gray feather. It didn't look like a chicken's feather, and it was a bit far away, so she couldn't see it very clearly.
Bao Ya's heart skipped a beat; those looked like pigeon feathers. Could it be that the pigeons had come to this house?
Thinking this, my heart started racing. I felt like I'd stumbled upon a spy's hideout. It was exactly what I feared.
She glanced down at the time on her watch, then picked up the two children and brought them down from the wall.
"I'm not watching anymore, it's time to go home for dinner. Let's have a race to see who can get home first. I'll give you a two-minute head start. If you run faster than me, I'll buy you popsicles this afternoon."
"good!"
The two little ones were about to say they didn't want to leave, but when they heard that there would be popsicles for them in the afternoon, they immediately agreed and turned around to get into starting positions.
"Ready, go!"
As soon as Bao Ya shouted "Start!", the two little ones shot out like little cannonballs.
Watching the two of them run away, Bao Ya turned around and stared at the feather in the yard, hesitating about what to do.
Should we report it first or go in and check? What if it's not pigeon feathers? If we just tell people that there's a spy in our family, won't everyone know about it?
Finally, I steeled myself and went in to take a look. What kind of human being would a Chinese person not arrest a spy?
Thinking this, he nimbly climbed over the wall and walked toward where the rooster had just pried out its feathers.
Just as I was about to pick up the feather from the ground, there was a sudden noise inside the room.
"Who's outside?"
As the sound rang out, someone inside tried to open the door and come out; that person had already seen her.
"Hey, what are you doing in my house?"
Bao Ya's heart skipped a beat in fright. Without thinking, she grabbed a handful of ground, and with her free hand, she picked up a hen nearby, ran to the wall, and quickly flipped over.
"Ugh, you damned thief, stealing my chickens in broad daylight!"
The man chased after them, cursing under his breath.
Without thinking twice, Bao Ya grabbed the chicken and ran home. She quickly caught up with Wang Muchen and Jiang Boyang.
When the two little ones saw her chasing after them, they ran even faster, laughing all the while.
People in the military region saw a young woman carrying a chicken, running wildly with two little children.
There were people behind her calling her a chicken thief; the scene was quite embarrassing.
Bao Ya led the two little ones on a wild run, and as soon as they got home, she rushed into Jiang Tao's room, shoving the things she was carrying into his hands. Then she pointed outside and said:
"Get that person away! Quickly!"
Then she squatted in a corner of the house, holding the chicken, panting. The two little ones ran in and squatted in the corner with her, giggling.
Shh, don't make a sound.
Bao Ya gestured for the two children to be quiet, then hugged the chicken tightly and shut her mouth. Wang Muchen and Jiang Boyang followed suit, covering their mouths with their little hands.
Jiang Tao, who was resting inside, was startled at first. But when he saw what they were holding, his pupils contracted and he immediately understood what they meant.
He immediately picked up his cane and slowly made his way to the outer room.
"Chicken thief, come out here..."
"Sister-in-law, calm down. The child is just being silly; he probably just wants some chicken. How about I pay for the chicken?"
"What do you mean 'immature'? How old are you? Still stealing chickens..."
"Sister-in-law, I'm so sorry, I'm really so sorry!..."
Jiang Tao bowed and scraped outside, apologizing to the woman who had chased after him. The woman kept shouting at the door for a while, but in the end, she took the money Jiang Tao gave her and went home.
Once she knew the person had left, Bao Ya breathed a sigh of relief and plopped down on the ground.
It's over, it's all over. Her lifelong reputation is ruined. She can't stay here anymore.
Liao Chunhua looked at Bao Ya with disbelief. She really couldn't understand why her daughter-in-law would run around stealing chickens in broad daylight. If she was going to steal, she should have done it at night.
"Baby? You want to eat chicken?"
Liao Chunhua sent the two children away, squatted down, and spoke to Bao Ya.
Bao Ya didn't say anything, she just handed the chicken in her hand to Liao Chunhua.
"Mother, let's kill the chicken later."
"Okay, I'll go get ready right away. I'll stew some chicken for you later."
Liao Chunhua took the chicken, weighed it in her hand, and thought, "This chicken is really fat."
Bao Ya had just stood up when Wang Xiao strode in like a whirlwind, pointed at her, and said:
"What are you doing, stealing someone's chicken in broad daylight with two kids? You're really too much..."
This girl is getting more and more outrageous. She took two children to steal chickens in broad daylight and they were chased to their doorstep and yelled at.
"Shh... what are you shouting for? You don't know anything."
Bao Ya rolled her eyes at him, pulled up a chair and sat down, picked up the teacup on the table, and gulped down a few mouthfuls.
Before Wang Xiao could continue speaking, Jiang Tao came in on crutches, closed the door behind him, and walked to the bedside, placing his injured leg on the bed.
"Old Wang, have a seat."
Wang Xiao thought Jiang Tao was going to lecture Bao Ya, so he grabbed a stool and sat down, intending to say a few words later.
Jiang Tao took out the thing Bao Ya had just given him from his pocket, held it in his palm, and asked Bao Ya.
"Where did you find this?"
"It's that house we just saw. They have three chickens and they feed them corn kernels. Those corn kernels look like they were freshly harvested last fall. Who feeds their chickens like that?"
Wang Xiao noticed a pigeon feather, two corn kernels, and a bit of dirt in Jiang Tao's palm. He reached out, picked up a corn kernel, and chewed it.
"Yes, it's last year's new grain."
His actions disgusted Bao Ya, who thought there might be chicken droppings on it, but decided not to tell him.
"You mean, those pigeons might be going to her house?"
Jiang Tao continued to ask.
"Yeah, I think so. She doesn't grow vegetables in her yard, she only raises three chickens, and they're free-range. Besides, these days, who would feed chickens such good feed?"
Jiang Tao nodded, agreeing with her point. The pigeons weren't kept in the military area; they were attracted by corn kernels, and then chickens were used to clean up the remaining kernels.
"Old Wang, take these to the division commander and the others this afternoon."