In Hangzhou, at the entrance of the City God Temple on Wushan Mountain, there is a couplet that perfectly captures the essence of the relationship between husband, wife, and children.

The couplet reads as follows: The first line reads, "Husbands and wives are bound by predestined fate, whether good or bad; those without fate cannot be together." The second line reads, "Children are debts from past lives; they are debts owed and repaid; they only come when there is a debt."

At this moment, Li Jin and Zhao Sufang had the same feeling: their children were all debts from their past lives!

Even if you now feel that your eldest son, whom you have doted on for more than ten years, has flaws in his character, how can you really just abandon him?

He lent him three hundred yuan and promised to help with the wedding arrangements, and Li Weijun left satisfied.

As for whether Li Weijun will be willing to use his year-end bonus to pay it back, only he himself knows.

Li Xiangdong had been a father to someone else before he knew his children weren't his biological children. He was so full of love for them that he would have been happy even if they had squeezed him dry.

Therefore, he did not express any dissatisfaction with Li Jin and Zhao Sufang's actions.

"Xiangdong, the money you gave to build your older brother's house was for your mother. I'll pay you back when the money is distributed at the end of the year!"

One thing at a time; there's no reason for an older brother to use his younger brother's money to build a house and get married.

Li Xiangdong nodded to indicate that he understood.

His mind isn't on that right now. The corn and watermelon harvest is almost complete, and next he'll plant a new high-yield wheat variety called "Bainongmai." He also plans to resume operations at his fish and shrimp ponds.

Because there are fewer fish in winter, the cannery's canned food output has decreased by half.

Li Xiangdong thought that he should take advantage of the cheap price of cabbage in winter to pickle winter vegetables and sell them during the Chinese New Year.

Also, when I used to eat hot pot, there was a type of bok choy that was particularly delicious, especially after it had been exposed to frost and snow.

The dark green stem and thick leaves, arranged in whorls with outward-curving tips, resemble a green chrysanthemum.

Xiao Ba Ye – a variety of Tatsoi

Bok choy in the field

Tatsoi

Chinese cabbage (also known as bok choy) is a vegetable native to my country, a variant of the cruciferous Chinese cabbage, and is widely cultivated in provinces along the lower reaches of the Yangtze River. This vegetable is not only highly ornamental but also has a sweet and tender taste. It can be eaten raw in salads, stir-fried, or used in soups, and can also be added to hot pot with mutton.

In Shanghai, it's called "auspicious vegetable," in Nanjing it's called "piao'er vegetable," and in Jiangsu Province it's called "black peach pudding."

Currently, there is no such vegetable as *Vegetable aralia* in Huichuan County or even the entire northern region. It wasn't until after 2010 that farmers began to cultivate it.

Tatsoi is cold-resistant. Seedlings are cultivated in greenhouses in late autumn and early winter and then transplanted to the ground. As long as the temperature is above -10 degrees Celsius and there is sufficient sunlight, it can be sold during the Spring Festival.

The variety they initially selected here came from Shanghai. It is relatively short, with a drooping plant shape, and leaves that lie flat in layers. The leaves are round, dark green, and glossy, with flat, light green petioles.

This is the most cold-resistant variety of bok choy, with less fiber and a tender, sweet taste.

"Dad, could we please stop planting wheat on those 300 acres of land that were originally planted with Chinese cabbage?"

What do you want to do?

"Let's plant some vegetables!"

Li Jin chuckled, “In the dead of winter, no vegetables grow. The earliest you can plant them is before the Awakening of Insects.”

Li Xiangdong explained, "There's a type of leafy vegetable in the south called 'Wuta Cai.' We're currently cultivating seedlings in greenhouses, and once planted in the ground, they'll be ready for harvest around the Spring Festival."

Li Jin had a sudden inspiration. Vegetables are scarce and expensive during the Spring Festival. If he could grow 300 mu of greens, he would have a large income.

Do you know how many kilograms are produced per mu (unit of land area)?

Li Xiangdong thought for a moment, "It seems to be between 1500 and 3000 jin!"

“Alright then!” Li Jin slapped his thigh. “Even if it sells for five cents a pound, let’s take a middle ground and say two thousand pounds. That’s one acre…”

"100 yuan is 300 mu of land!"

Li Ping has a very quick tongue and calculated the total immediately.

Li Jin praised his daughter, saying, "Xiao Wu is good at math!"

"However, I don't know much about growing bok choy. I plan to go to Shanghai tomorrow to see it in person, learn a bit, and buy some seeds. Dad, remember to open the letter of introduction for me this afternoon."

After hearing his son's words, Li Jin quickly said, "The brigade will give you some money for travel expenses and seeds!"

Li Xiangdong thought for a moment, "I'll get reimbursed when I get back."

Looking at Li Jiabao and Li Ping, who were staring at him expectantly, he said, "Xiao Wu, come with me to Shanghai!"

Li Ping put down his chopsticks and cheered. Li Jiabao's little mouth was so pouty that it could hold an oil bottle.

He knew that his second brother always favored his fifth sister, and his mother always said otherwise. Just wait and see!

Li Xiangdong said to Li Jiabao seriously, "Didn't I tell you two last time to study hard, and whoever gets a little red flower for good grades will get to take you out next time we go out?"

Li Jiabao muttered under his breath, "You actually believed it!"

"Nonsense! Of course it's true!"

Li Jiabao was at a loss, but his frustration quickly turned into a burst of energy. "I'll definitely get a little red flower next time! Second brother, where are we going next time?"

"Next time, I'll take you to Yanjing (Beijing) to eat Peking duck and Zhajiangmian (noodles with soybean paste)!"

Li Jiabao sniffled excitedly, "Mom, you're my witness!"

Without further ado, Li Xiangdong asked his father to spare some people to build a greenhouse, while he himself rode his bicycle to Lanshui Village to find the educated youth Feng Yucai.

The two haven't seen each other since they brought the combine harvester back.

After asking around for a long time, Li Xiangdong finally found Feng Yucai, who was spreading manure in the field.

"Hey, Brother Feng, have you been rolling around in the dung heap?"

Feng Yucai's hair was disheveled, his face was covered in bruises, and he smelled terrible.

He was carrying a half-sack of cow dung in his left hand and a handful of cow dung in his right. His fingernails were black, and he was a far cry from his previous dashing appearance.

Here's a photo of Indians during the dung-throwing festival, hehe.

Hearing Li Xiangdong's exclamation, Feng Yucai scattered the cow dung he was holding on the ground and said weakly, "Why are you here?"

Li Xiangdong was genuinely curious, "You and Yu Chengfen broke up?"

Feng Yucai's hand froze.

"Did your brigade leader's sister-in-law find out about your affair with Yu Chengfen? What was her name again? Right, Zhao Di?"

Feng Yucai's eyes widened as if he had seen a ghost.

How did you know?

Li Xiangdong said to him, "You're just asking for trouble. Scumbags never end well! You were cheating on three women at once, and being sent to shovel manure is the least of your worries!"

Without the help of those two combine harvesters, it would have been much harder for Feng Yucai to leave Lanshui Village!

Feng Yucai hung his head dejectedly. Last time he went to the state-run restaurant in the county town with Yu Chengfen, he ran into the head of the company. Before they could even exchange two words, they ran into Lan Shixing, the head of Lanshui Village!

It's truly amazing how coincidences happen!

Lan Shixing is thirty-two years old this year. His wife died in childbirth when she gave birth to their third child. So his father-in-law sent his sister-in-law Zhaodi over to help his mother-in-law take care of her two nieces and her newborn nephew.

My sister-in-law is eighteen years old this year. Although she is not a beauty, she is in the prime of her youth.

The father-in-law sent his sister-in-law over with a different intention. Their Wulipu brigade was relatively poor, while Lanshui Village had more land and grain. He hoped that his daughter could find a partner in Lanshui Village.