Lu Fangfang took her chopsticks and divided half of the sorghum rice from the lunchbox into her bowl.
She cut a tomato and mixed it into the sorghum rice.
This sorghum tastes very astringent, but it's easier to swallow if you mix it with sweet and sour tomato juice.
The tomatoes in the wasteland are now hanging heavy on the branches, and there are too many to eat. She plans to make some tomato sauce in the next couple of days to save for winter.
She has prepared many things to make the most of her first winter in the Qilian Mountains.
A sack of dried mushrooms, half a sack of dried eggplant and dried green beans.
Several strings of dried chili peppers, two dried rabbits, plus two sacks of potatoes—enough to last a month without leaving the house.
However, Lu Fangfang felt it wasn't enough. She had heard that the cold weather here lasted for almost half a year, so she needed to stock up on more.
She took a bite of sorghum porridge, nodded, and then said to Zhuang Mingcheng, "Mingcheng, do you want some tomatoes?"
"I'd rather have some soup."
Zhuang Mingcheng shook his head. He picked up the bowl and poured some of the leftover broth from the stir-fried potatoes into the pot.
There was butter in it; he stirred it and felt the sorghum rice became even more fragrant.
The two sat facing each other and began to eat, heads bowed.
Little Flower and Little Tibetan Fox ran around the yard like crazy, and now they were tired. They went back into the house, lay down under the table, and breathed softly.
Lu Fangfang looked down, smiled, and shook her head.
After eating the last grain of sorghum, she poured some hot water, stirred it with chopsticks, and drank it down.
Since arriving in this era, she has stopped leaving food behind when she eats.
Tonight was no different; she ate everything in her bowl, so clean that she didn't even need to wash it.
After dinner, Lu Fangfang went to the inner room and took out the dress that was not yet finished.
By the light of the lamp, she began to sew again.
This fabric was bought by her and Zhuang Mingcheng in the provincial capital. If it's not finished soon, they won't be able to wear it until next year.
Beside him, Zhuang Mingcheng reached out and touched it, feeling that the fabric was a bit slippery, just right for his wife's skin.
"Fangfang, when will this dress be finished?"
"It'll probably take another day or two."
Lu Fangfang looked up and saw her husband staring at her intently.
"Commander Zhuang, be patient, you must be patient."
Zhuang Mingcheng took a deep breath and turned to clear the dishes.
Lu Fangfang couldn't stop laughing at his expression.
She bent down to sew a stitch, then suddenly remembered something.
"Comrade Zhuang Mingcheng, our farm has hired someone, and now I'm free. When are you available? The regimental commander and political commissar said they'd give us both a few days off."
"A holiday? What do you want to do?"
Zhuang Mingcheng turned around and saw his wife staring at him intently.
His heart skipped a beat, and he couldn't hold back any longer. Just as he was about to say something, he saw his wife pull out the gold dog head she was wearing from under her neck.
Zhuang Mingcheng, "..."
“Gold panning! Mingcheng, you said you'd pan for gold with me, so let's search upstream together.”
Lu Fangfang was quite excited.
She's been wanting to strike it rich for a long time. Right now, she doesn't need the money, but in a few years, the market will open up.
She plans to use the gold she finds to buy up some courtyard houses in Beijing at rock-bottom prices and hoard them; that would be a highly profitable business.
She didn't just want to pan for gold; she also wanted to explore the upstream area of the stream.
When the time comes, we'll call Xiaohua and Xiaozanghu, have Xiaoyelu carry the luggage, and she'll carry the camera and gun; then we'll consider it a camping trip.
"The troupe is quite busy right now..."
"I'll wear a dress then, and we'll stay there for the night."
Zhuang Mingcheng was stunned for a moment, then his face turned red, and he said angrily, "Comrade Lu Fangfang, what do you take me for? You're insulting me!"
Lu Fangfang pursed her lips and put down what she was holding.
She got up and walked behind Zhuang Mingcheng, then hugged him tightly. "Mingcheng, are you going or not?"
"go."
"Hmph, that's more like it. Otherwise, I'll take Little Flower and Little Tibetan Fox with me and leave you behind."
Lu Fangfang let go of his hand and slapped him on the back.
Back in her seat, she picked up the dress, humming a little tune, and continued sewing.
She was really looking forward to the adventure, wondering if she could find another nugget of gold, or if all else failed, she'd be happy to hunt a bear, though she wondered what bear paws tasted like.
"By the way, Mingcheng, could you take me to see that litter of Pallas's rabbits? I want to take some pictures of them as a memento. I wonder if the mother rabbit needs any help."
Zhuang Mingcheng paused, glanced back at his wife, and felt a headache coming on.
If he were to raise five more Pallas's rabbits, his house would truly become a zoo.
His monthly salary of just over a hundred yuan is barely enough to support these little guys.
"Don't overthink it. They're a family of six, all doing well, and they don't need your help."
"That's hard to say, the wilderness is very dangerous."
...
The next day, Lu Fangfang went to the breeding farm early in the morning.
After Zhao Lanying arrived, she explained the work at the breeding farm to her sister-in-law, Lanying, in more detail.
The feed ratio, the incubation temperature, the brooder box temperature, daily feeding, hygiene, disease prevention, and the male-to-female quail ratio...
She told them everything at once, afraid that something might happen to the farm while she was away.
"Xiao Lu, you... speak slowly, I can't remember it all, I'm a little slow-witted."
Zhao Lanying scratched her head, looking quite embarrassed.
Lu Fangfang thought for a moment, then took out the small notebook from her pocket.
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