Chapter 70 - Growing Vegetables (1/2)
Yu Hai’s eyes lit up and was the first to understand, “Do you really know a way to grow vegetables at this time?”
Yu Xiaocao patted her chest and vouched for herself, “I can guarantee that there’s absolutely no problem! Father, Mother, you can rest assured!”
On the next day, Xiaocao spent twenty copper coins to buy two ox carts of straw from a villager who came from a village with more farmlands. She personally taught Yu Hai and Madam Liu how to weave a straw thatch. Although Little Divine Stone had promised that the vegetable seeds that were soaked in the mystic-stone water would definitely be able to overcome the severe cold of early spring, Yu Xiaocao was still worried. Straw thatches were widely used in greenhouse farming in her previous life to keep the vegetables warm. It was better to be prepared than to feel sorry later!
With the help of the skeptical Madam Liu, Xiaocao scattered the seeds that she had soaked last night in the plowed field. In the half an acre of land in the front yard, they planted vegetables with relatively shorter growth periods, such as bok choy, spinach, and mustard greens. They strived to earn their first bucket of gold by taking advantage of the fact that other people hadn’t planted their vegetables yet.
After sowing the seeds, Madam Liu took Xiaolian to loosen the land in the backyard. Madam Mao, who was tending the ducks by the pond, saw them and reminded them, “You’re turning up the soil so early? It’s not suitable to grow crops beside the pond. The water level will rise during the rainy season of late spring, so they will drown in the flood.”
Madam Mao had a sharp tongue, but she didn’t have bad intentions. Madam Liu smiled at her and said, “We’re preparing to grow some bok choy and mustard greens, and then harvest them before the water level rises.”
Madam Mao nodded and said, “Then you should enclose the field with a fence. We usually breed our ducks in the pond, so if they ate your vegetables, I’m not going to compensate you!”
As expected, Madam Mao spoke in an unlikeable manner. She was obviously reminding them out of kindness, but why did she have to say it in such an annoying manner?
Madam Liu smiled good-naturedly and said, “Thank you for reminding us, Madam Mao. I’ll set up the fence tomorrow.”
By evening, Xiaocao and her father had complied more than ten straw thatches after working for the entire afternoon. Yu Hai had woven mats before. A straw thatch was easier to weave than a summer sleeping mat since he didn’t need to be too meticulous. He learned very quickly and had even woven two more thatches than Xiaocao.
Xiaocao and Madam Liu spread the straw thatches over the vegetable fields, as if they were covering the field with a blanket. Little Shitou, who had also helped a lot, asked with slight concern, “Second Sister, can we keep the vegetables warm like this?”
Xiaocao caressed his little head and laughed, “Don’t you feel warmer when you cover yourself with a blanket in the winter? It’s the same logic. The ground absorbs the heat from the sun at noon, so when we cover it with the thatches, the heat won’t dissipate during the evening. Thus, the vegetables won’t be afraid of the cold now.”
The little fellow nodded in realization and exclaimed, “So we’re covering the vegetable fields with blankets! But, won’t the areas without the straw thatches be freezing?”
“It’s okay. The seeds were just scattered and haven’t sprouted yet, so it won’t be cold. We’ll make more straw thatches tomorrow, and then cover all the fields with blankets so that the veggie will swiftly sprout and grow up!”
Xiaocao vaguely remembered her younger brother of her previous life when she looked at the six year old Little Shitou. When her younger brother was the same age as Little Shitou, he wasn’t as obedient and clever. Her parents were still alive at that time, so as the only son in the family, he would act like a spoiled child in their mother’s arms…
It took them three days to cultivate all the lands in the front and back yards. When the water level increased, a lot of black mud would accumulate on the land beside the pond. After cultivating the soil, it would be a good fertile field. Unfortunately, there was a lot of rainfall every year at the end of June. The water in the pond would also rise, so they couldn’t grow crops that had a long growth period.
With four months to go before the rise of the water level, Xiaocao planted crops with around two or three months of growth period on the land beside the pond, which had about one acre of land. So, winter melon, string beans, eggplant, and kidney beans were planted beside the pond. In the backyard, she planted chives, cucumbers, garlic, and chili pepper. There were also sponge gourds and pumpkins on the edge of the fence.
The whole family worked overtime for exactly three days before they finished making all the straw thatches that they needed for the vegetable garden. Little Shitou had also woven several smaller thatches. Although the density and thickness weren’t as good, they were still useable.
During these past few days, the meals at home were just coarse grain pancakes and bean paste soup. For vegetable, they only had cabbage, radishes, and pickled vegetables. They had to carefully chew the coarse grain pancakes because the pancakes might scrape their throats when swallowing. The bean paste soup also had a strong bean smell. If they weren’t hungry, they seriously wouldn’t be able to eat them at all. Boiled vegetables that lacked oil and seasonings really gave Xiaocao a headache during mealtime.
With the current living conditions of Xiaocao’s family, even with such meals, they still needed to carefully ration their meals for fear of using too much food. If their current food supply wasn’t enough to support them until they could harvest the vegetables, their whole family might have to starve.
Apart from washing clothes every three days, Madam Liu also got sewing jobs from an embroidery shop. So, she burned the midnight oil every day to work on her needlework. Yu Hai asked Hunter Zhao, who lived at the foot of the West Mountains, to help him cut down some bamboo and bring them back for him. He made bamboo baskets and hampers, and then put them up for sale in the general store in town.
Xiaocao become idle after she finished planting the vegetables in early spring. Xiaolian had took on all the housework at home and didn’t let her interfere. Little Shitou followed the youngest son of the Qian Family from next door, going up mountains and exploring the river. However, he wasn’t just purely playing and would bring back some eggs at times. He would also tactfully bring back two bundles of firewood every day.