They had about 100 chickens on the roof of their kitchen. Mr. Zhou takes a few into town now and then to sell them at market. The youngest chicks are kept on the landing of the stairs up to the kitchen roof. About 20 of them live in a basket with one hen. The hole in the basket is large enough for the chicks to get out and walk around, but the hen can only poke her head out to eat and drink.
The family's pigs are kept on the first floor in a little room that opens onto the street next to the typical double doors into the house. There was the mama sow, some juvenile pigs, and three little piglets. If the wind is just right sometimes you get a slight smell of the pigs while watching tv in the first floor family room.
Most, if not all, farming families in Guangxi have at least one water buffalo 水牛. They are one of the hundreds of varieties of cows around the globe, but are the only animal correctly called buffalo. Farmers become very close to their 水牛 as they work with them for a couple decades. They are really fun to watch playing in the mud, pulling a cart, or even with a farmer sitting on their back. This was the first time I was finally able to touch one of them. Mr. Zhou brought their 水牛 over to us. They don't name them though.
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