When the squad leader and his companions left, Ningxia hadn't left much meat. The five or six grown men consumed quite a bit every day, so Ningxia even dried a lot of meat for them to take with them. In the end, all they had left were three arm-length strips of bacon from the beam and a can of jerky. As for the fried crispy pork, Ningxia hadn't been home to cook these days, so she gave it to the brother and sister as a dish. She'd finished making it a day earlier.
There is also several kilograms of dried meat that was exchanged from the Dawn Base before. The dried meat that has been completely dehydrated is different from fresh meat. Although it is only a few kilograms, it is enough for them to eat for a long time.
There were still about ten pounds of fish fillets left, and only two whole dried fish. The chestnuts, walnuts, and other things Monkey had taken were almost all gone, and since Ningxia was strict about dried fruit, they hadn't let the siblings take too much, so there was still a good half left. But the dried bamboo shoots and eggplants they'd painstakingly saved were gone. Now their only source of vegetables was the carefully tended vegetables in the bathroom sink and the occasional handfuls Lin Yi brought back from his outings.
Ningxia flipped through the large bags of grain again, holding the heavy weight in her hands. At her feet was a pile of cassava still covered in mud and spread out to dry. Ningxia breathed a sigh of relief.
There was a large pile of dried sheep grass in the corner of the stairwell. Together with the ones in the yard, Ningxia didn't know if it would be enough for Maomao to survive the scorching sun month. It seemed that he had to prepare some more just in case.
Maomao hadn't caused Ningxia any trouble during his entire trip. Instead, he was a hero to the family and had a very good temper. He had to chew hay for three months straight, and Ningxia felt sorry for his watery eyes.
"Sister Xia Xia, come here." Lin Yi came to the stairwell with a lit candle in his hand.
"what?"
"I'll take you to see the vegetables we grow." Lin Yi's tone was full of excitement.
Ningxia was confused, but she still followed him. She hadn't visited him for a few days and had left it to Lin Yi.
"Sister Xia Xia, look!"
Following the candlelight, Ningxia looked over and saw that the bok choy was already half-ripe! !
This astonished her. She'd known for years of drought that plant growth rates changed, but she hadn't expected such a dramatic change! It had only been about ten days since they'd sown the seeds, and judging by the growth in Ningxia, it would likely be fully mature in another five or six days. Previously, it would have taken a month to reach this size, meaning the growth rate had been cut in half!
Ningxia looked at the lush green cabbages in the large flowerpot in front of her. The candlelight made the leaves' colors a little distorted. Ningxia estimated that when they were all ripe, she could pick four or five pounds. She grinned. In the past, she had to rely on bartering for food outside. This was her first time to do it herself, and she was worried about not getting any harvest. As long as Lieyangyue could still eat some vegetables, she would be relieved.
Without waiting for Lin Yi to share, Ningxia took the candle and carefully observed the vegetables in the other pots. The peppers and wild ginger planted had already sprouted not-too-short seedlings and were growing well.
Two pots of green onions were sprouting up. Ningxia estimated that in ten days or so, they would be ready for harvest. The most surprising thing was the vigorous growth of the chives Xiaojie had brought back. They were already quite large to begin with, but within a few days, their leaves had already drooped over the edge of the pot.
It was obvious that Lin Yi took good care of the vegetables. "Tomorrow, bring some more soil back from home and we'll plant some more."
Lin Yi nodded excitedly. Ning Xia looked at him and reached out to touch his furry head. "Very impressive."
That night, the three siblings slept soundly. Perhaps the vitality in the bathroom gave Ningxia confidence, and she rarely let go of her anxiety, feeling infinite anticipation for the future.
The next day, Ningxia brought back fresh sheepgrass with Maomao. The three of them gathered the dried lavender, patchouli, and hay from the yard and laid out fresh grass to dry in the sun.
It was still early, so Ningxia took her two children to eat something quickly, then went to the bathroom and started growing vegetables in full swing.
Ningxia carefully separated the roots of the giant chive, splitting them into two smaller ones and planting them in separate pots. Lin Yi had dug the soil from the river, which had been exposed to the sun for most of the day and was now slightly moist. He didn't need to water it for the next few days, waiting for the roots to take root.
Ningxia looked at the cabbage with an extremely loving gaze. She couldn't remember how long it had been since she had eaten cabbage properly. When she was at the Shuguang base, there were plenty of wild vegetables for sale everywhere, but it had been a long time since she had the heart to eat real cabbage.
Everyone was huddled in a small space, with no room to grow crops. Seeds were expensive, and only a few powerful figures and officials could afford them. Ningxia smiled and carefully spread the seeds in two more pots, hoping for a future of cabbage freedom.
Ningxia also looked at the small pepper tree in the yard. It didn't change much, but it looked very healthy. But it must survive the scorching sun, Ningxia prayed secretly.
"Sister Xia Xia, are you going out tomorrow?" The three of them were lying on the bed. It was rare that no one was asleep at this time, and they were chatting idly.
Ningxia pinched Sangsang's arm and said, "Don't go out for now. Maomao's fodder should be almost done. I'll take you to the river to wash tomorrow."
When Sangsang heard this, she immediately turned over and sat up, "Can I bring a water gun?" The pitch-black night could not hide her sparkling eyes.
Ningxia smiled and said, "If you can memorize the initial consonant table tomorrow, I'll let you take it with me."
Sangsang suddenly slumped like a frost-bitten eggplant, lying down weakly, holding the dinosaur beside him back in his arms, "Then I'd better not take it with me~"
Ningxia pinched her face in anger, "What a waste! Your brother can memorize the initial consonant table, the final consonant table, and the whole syllable table, but you can't even write an initial consonant table!"
Sangsang felt wronged, "Then...then I just can't learn..."
"Can't learn? Didn't you play with the dinosaur when your brother was teaching you?"
Sangsang didn't reply. Her cheeks puffed up with anger. After thinking for a while, she raised her foot and kicked Lin Yi, but the force was so weak that it was like scratching an itch. Lin Yi calmly held her foot and put it back in its place.
Sangsang turned her face away and buried it in the pillow, refusing to communicate. Soon, the sound of even breathing could be heard. Ningxia, fearing she might feel suffocated, turned her face away and stroked her delicate face with a smile. What a college scumbag!
The brother and sister hadn't been out for a few days, and when they did, they'd just look for things around the house. As for the river, Ningxia had a strict ban on going there without permission, so the two of them had just fetched a little water and washed themselves casually at home.
"Sister Xia Xia, let's take Maomao with us tomorrow and bring some water back."
Ningxia was puzzled, "Aren't there more in the tank?" The chest-high ornamental tank placed in the yard had been carried into the kitchen by the brother and sister. No one knew what material it was made of, but it was lighter than expected. Even so, it took a lot of effort to carry it back home.
"I figured I could prepare some extra, since I have to go to the river anyway."
"That's fine. Heavy rain is coming soon. It won't be convenient to go out in the next few days. It's okay to prepare something first."
The brother and sister discussed it for a while and then fell into a deep sleep.
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