Granny Lu kept praising Xu Di for his ambition, but in her heart she was sighing. How easy was it to become a Jinshi? There were so many prefectures and counties in the country, and the exam was only held once every three years. Only a few people became Jinshi each time. It was not an easy task. But the boy was ambitious and had already set up a chessboard to show his determination. What could Granny Lu do but encourage him again and again?

Last year, when he first came to Hexi, Xu Di was filled with anxiety as winter approached. This year, however, he felt much more relaxed. Xu Di had come to terms with things. He was so close to Yanmen Pass. Although Yanmen Pass was an important military stronghold, it was not an easy task to break through it without strong forces. Most importantly, the garrison at Yanmen Pass was the Wei Family Army, which was the golden brand of the Great Liang.

Xu Rao was busy with guard duty and patrols again, while Zhang Zhaoci was busy studying medical knowledge with the military doctor and making various medicines. This year, the heir of the Marquis of Jingbei had stockpiled a lot of medicinal materials, and Zhang Zhaoci made many pills based on the prescriptions in his memory, such as those for treating colds and fevers. They were all basic symptomatic medicines. The pills were kept in the general's mansion. Since there were many people in the army, they could take the medicine when there was an epidemic of colds.

Xu Di stayed with Xu Zhi, guarding the greenhouse every day, watching the seeds take root, sprout, and slowly grow leaves in the fertile soil. By the time December arrived, Xu Di had already built trellises for some climbing vegetables with hemp ropes. The cucumbers were covered with small yellow flowers along the trellises, and the tomatoes were tied to the trellises with hemp ropes, some of which already had small green fruits hanging on them.

Even though Granny Lu was very knowledgeable, she was amazed by Xu Di's greenhouse. She never expected that in such a cold place, these vegetables could flower and bear fruit through such a method.

The greenhouse is very warm. During the day, sunlight shines through the sheepskin roof into the greenhouse. At night, Xu Di has to light the fire wall to control the temperature inside. Ideally, the roof should be covered with thick straw mats at night, but that's not an option right now. So, he can only use the fire wall to keep the vegetables in the greenhouse warm at night. But the fire wall can't be too strong. Because of this, Xu Di hasn't slept well for several nights, just thinking about how to find a suitable temperature.

Xu Di's poor sleep worried Granny Lu. This is a crucial time for a child's growth, and how can he grow tall if he doesn't sleep well at night?

Xu Di was no longer concerned about growing taller; he was focused on growing the vegetables in his greenhouse, as this was not only his family's future livelihood but also his source of income.

Putting everything else aside, just take the chili peppers. Once they're grown and dried, they're easy to store and can be used to make a lot of delicious dishes. Just thinking about the taste of spicy hot pot makes Xu Di wish the chili peppers in the field could be grown right now. If he could promote dishes or products made with chili peppers, would he still have to worry about making money in the future?

Furthermore, once these vegetables are grown, they should be promoted locally so that the people have a way to make money. Xu Di has considered all of this. These cucumbers, cabbages, and radishes can be pickled. Once pickled, they can be stored for a long time in cold weather. They can then be taken to the trade market to exchange for goods. Isn't the goal to make the people on the grasslands economically dependent on Daliang?

That evening, Xu Rao and Zhang Zhaoci carried lanterns into the greenhouse. Both of them were busy during the day and were so tired when they got home that they didn't want to move. But they were in a good mood today, so they came over after dinner.

It was so warm inside the greenhouse that Xu Rao and Zhang Zhaoci took off their outer cloaks and walked around the not-so-large greenhouse. Looking at the vegetables that had already borne fruit, they felt very proud of the achievements Xu Di had made.

Xu Di tore down the roof of the house allocated to him and turned it into a greenhouse. He currently lives in the east wing of Zhang Zhaoci's courtyard. Qingmiao and Qingsui moved to the west wing. After dinner, Xu Di would practice writing on the kang (a heated brick bed) in Zhang Zhaoci's room, talk to his parents and sister, and then go back to his own room to sleep.

After soaking her feet, Xu Rao lay comfortably on the kang (a heated brick bed) and said, "Oh, it's so much more comfortable to be back at home."

Zhang Zhaoci said, "That's right. I'm looking forward to going home when it gets dark. I'm so tired these past few days. I really don't know when this will end."

Xu Rao said, "I guess it will be after the New Year and the beginning of spring again. I hope that the weather will be good and the crops will be plentiful. I also hope that the winter on the grassland will not be too cold. If it is too cold, the livestock will freeze to death, and those people will come and rob us."

Xu Di said, "This kind of thing isn't scary; what's scary is the Jurchen people who came here."

Zhang Zhaoci said, "Didn't I hear that we've already signed an alliance with the Jin people?"

Xu Rao sighed and said, "Those are all the things that are out in the open. There are many things that happen in the shadows. For example, there are robberies every winter. They will say they know nothing about it. What can you do? You can only guard your own house and prevent them from coming over."

Xu Di said, "When we have money, we will repair the city wall of this county properly. I won't feel at ease unless it is as solid as Yanmen Pass."

Xu Rao said, "That would cost a lot of money. Besides, Yanmen Pass is right in front of us. Why would you need to build a sturdy city wall? You'd be better off using that money to properly strengthen the border defenses along the Yanmen Pass line."

Xu Di said, "What should we do? Build a Great Wall like Qin Shi Huang? I don't have that kind of ability. Your son here can only manage to keep busy in my own little corner of the world. By the way, I think a lot of my vegetables will be ripe before the New Year. Shall we pick some and send them to the Crown Prince?"

This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!