Today we have another challenging task: harvesting potatoes!

Potatoes have a relatively short growth cycle; in some places, three crops can be grown in a year. The potatoes were planted at the beginning of spring, and now their leaves have turned yellow and withered. If they are not dug up soon, they will sprout in the ground!

Xu Han took a basket and a hoe and went to the wasteland outside, where she began to dig potatoes.

Pull the potato vines up by the roots, then dig out the potatoes left in the ground and pile them all on the ground. After digging them all up, sort them by size and collect them.

Digging potatoes is relatively strenuous, but after so much practice, Xu Han is now able to harvest potatoes on her own and doesn't need Lu Chuan to stay home and help her.

Furthermore, we can't rely on Lu Chuan for everything; we should do as much as we can ourselves as possible.

Xu Han spent the whole day digging potatoes. It was a slow process to dig potatoes on her own, even though it was less than an acre.

When Lu Chuan returned in the late afternoon, he saw Xu Han digging potatoes in the field and quickly took the hoe from her.

He asked, "Why didn't you wait for me to come back? I can do these heavy chores! Next time, just tell me directly, don't do it yourself!"

"It's okay, digging potatoes isn't too tiring, I can do it! You go ahead and dig! I'll go pack the potatoes up." Without waiting for Lu Chuan's reply, she quickly ran off, mainly because she was afraid Lu Chuan would continue to scold her!

Xu Han carried the basket, first picking out the larger ones, and then starting to pack the smaller ones.

We worked until dark before we finished processing all the potatoes and put them all in the cellar, where they won't sprout for now!

For dinner, Xu Han made a spicy stir-fried cabbage, a chicken and mushroom stew, and seaweed and egg soup.

Another delicious meal! Food tastes especially good after a day's work!

The next day, Lu Chuan went to collect the game as usual and would come back early today to help Xu Han plant the scallion seedlings she had cultivated.

After Xu Han finished cleaning up, she planned to cook the lamb trotters first. Lu Chuan had hunted the lamb trotters earlier, but they hadn't eaten them yet. There were still some lamb heads and tripe left, which hadn't been finished.

I'll take advantage of the time I have today to make some spicy lamb trotters and lamb head!

First, put the prepared lamb trotters into a pot, add scallions, ginger, and cooking wine to remove the gamey smell, and blanch them.

After blanching, remove the sheep heads and set them aside. Then blanch the two sheep heads in the same way!

In a separate pot, heat oil, add scallions, ginger, and fermented bean paste and stir-fry until fragrant. Add water, star anise, cinnamon, bay leaves, and other spices, then add chicken bouillon, oyster sauce, salt, and vinegar to taste.

Vinegar is added because it makes the bones fall off more easily during the later cooking process.

Add plenty of Sichuan peppercorns and chili peppers. After adding everything, put in the lamb trotters and lamb head, bring to a boil over high heat, then simmer slowly.

After adding firewood, Xu Han went to the wasteland outside the yard and pulled out the scallion seedlings she had sown earlier. Because of the upcoming drought, and considering that scallions and ginger are necessities for cooking, Xu Han planted a lot of scallions and ginger.

Pulling scallion sprouts is also a very stress-relieving activity. Xu Han especially likes and is particularly addicted to any harvest she gets.

As you pull them up, tidy them up. Pick out the larger scallion seedlings separately, and set the smaller ones aside to plant separately later. That way, you can harvest them all together when it's time to harvest.

When Lu Chuan returned, Xu Han had not yet finished pulling up the scallion seedlings.

"First, dig the furrows for planting the scallions! Dig them deeper, because you'll need to mound soil around them later, so the white parts of the scallions will grow longer!"

"Okay, I'll go dig the ditch first!"

Lu Chuan returned home, put away the day's prey, went to the tool shed to get a shovel and a carrying pole, and went to the backyard. He first shoveled some earthworm castings to use as base fertilizer when planting scallions later.

We have quite a few chickens and ducks at home, which produce a lot of droppings every day. With the two of us and our two dogs, we've accumulated quite a bit of organic fertilizer recently.

Besides fertilizing the vegetables, there's usually a little left over.

Lu Chuan carried a shoulder pole to the wasteland, took out a shovel and began to dig a ditch. He dug it very deep and then put a thin layer of base fertilizer in the ditch.

The base fertilizer has been fermented well after being processed by earthworms and can be used directly. However, you shouldn't add too much, or it will burn the scallion seedlings.

When it was lunchtime, the two hadn't even started planting yet! So they decided to go home for lunch first, and then rest in the afternoon before continuing.

As soon as I entered the courtyard, I smelled the aroma of braised lamb trotters. It smelled so good that it made my mouth water.

Xu Han took the sheep's trotters and head out, broke off the large bones inside, and put them back into the pot to heat them up again.

On the other hand, I took out the flour and started kneading the dough. I'll make some simple vegetable noodles for lunch today.

The noodles are ready, and the sheep's head and trotters can also be taken out of the pot.

It tastes even better when eaten with a garlic sauce; it cuts through the greasiness and adds a wonderful aroma.

After lunch, the two rested briefly, took a nap, and avoided the scorching sun outside.

When I woke up again, it was almost three o'clock. I washed my face, cleared my head, and went out to plant scallions.

After Lu Chuan finished digging all the scallion ditches, Xu Han had already prepared the scallion seedlings, and they were ready to be planted.

First, place the scallion seedlings evenly into the scallion furrow, then cover them with a layer of soil, water them to help them settle, and then cover them with another layer of soil. That's it.

The two of them didn't finish planting until sunset.

At dinner, Xu Han had no appetite after a long day, so she made two vegetarian dishes: scrambled eggs with tomatoes and cucumber salad.

Then take out the pickled cucumbers I made earlier, and pair them with rice porridge for a refreshing and cooling treat!

"We've finished the salted eggs we made last time, so I'll make some salted duck eggs tomorrow! I'll also make some chili sauce, which will be delicious with porridge in the morning and evening!"

"Okay! You can make it however you like! My wife's cooking is always delicious!"

“The Dragon Boat Festival is over now. Didn’t you want to go cattle hunting? I’ll take you to see it in a while!” Lu Chuan suddenly said.

"Really? Can we go now?" Xu Han asked expectantly.

"Okay! We can go now. I've been hunting in the mountains lately and haven't noticed anything unusual. The incident with the sheep was probably because of that tiger. Now that the tiger is gone, we shouldn't encounter any major dangers when we go to the cattle herd!"

"That's great! When are we going? What do I need to prepare?"

"It's been so hot these past few days, it looks like it's going to rain soon. Let's wait until it rains before we go, otherwise we'll easily get sick if we get caught in the rain on the mountain!"

"We don't need to prepare anything special, just like when we went to the reed marshes last time! But the cattle herd is quite far from here, so it might take us a bit longer to get there!"

"Okay, I understand. I'll take care of things at home for the next couple of days, then I can go to Niuqun's place!"

As Xu Han spoke, she mentally calculated what she needed to bring!