Ye Nuan suddenly became curious about what kind of owner could raise such a rogue bird.
As she took the jade, she reached out to untie the letter barrel on the falcon's feet. The letter barrel was made of light and compact bamboo. She unscrewed one end and gently pushed it forward, and a yellowish roll of paper was pushed out.
Ye Nuan unfolded the note, and on it were written two words in a flamboyant style: leeks!
The character was written with such force that it penetrated the paper, and the last stroke was so long that one could imagine the carefree and unrestrained manner in which the person wrote it. Writing the word "leek" with such a character always felt a bit funny.
Ye Nuan put the note away and said to the falcon that was flapping its wings back and forth, "Did your master eat the leeks? He still wants more, right?" So this jade is considered as money to buy vegetables?
Falcon naturally couldn't answer her, but instinctively moved closer to her right wrist. Ye Nuan went to the kitchen to get a knife and walked towards the vegetable garden. Halfway there, she was surprised to find that all the vegetables in the garden had grown very tall, and the cucumbers that were originally only the size of a thumb were ripe now.
Surprised and delighted, she walked over to the cucumber vine and reached out to pick one.
Ding Dong! The metal panel, silent for a long time, chimed crisply. A green progress bar appeared in her mind, followed by a cold female voice mechanically saying, "30% of energy has been harvested. The host has earned the title of Cucumber Expert! Come and get a cucumber to celebrate!"
Cucumber Master? What the hell?
The green progress bar is between level one and level two, which means it only needs 70% more energy to upgrade?
Ye Nuan was a little excited. Lingquan could not only upgrade by eating jade gems, but also by eating various vegetables that matured?
Her mind was racing, wondering how she could make the plants and animals in the yard grow quickly without attracting attention from the villagers.
A falcon fluttered behind her, and seeing her dazed, it leaped over to peck at the cucumber in her hand. Ye Nuan regained consciousness, separated the falcon, and plucked two cucumbers and cut three bunches of leeks. Worried the falcon wouldn't be able to hold it, she found hemp rope to tie the cucumbers and leeks together. Worried the falcon's owner wouldn't know how to eat the cucumbers, she ran to the kitchen to pick up a half-burnt piece of firewood, sharpened it, and wrote on the back of a piece of paper how to eat the cucumbers.
After tying the food to the falcon, he patted it and chuckled angrily, "Let's go."
The falcon rubbed her wrist and hesitated to leave. Ye Nuan washed her hands and went back to the house. The falcon walked back and forth in the yard with its head tilted. Seeing that no one paid any attention to it, it grabbed the vegetables on the ground and flew away.
The moon rose in the east and set in the west, its last ray of light fading into darkness. Corn buds began to form. In the misty morning, roosters began to crow, indicating that someone had risen early to work. Passing by the Ye family's house, I noticed a lush, leafy morning glory climbing up the walls. The pale purple and pink blossoms stood in the breeze, delicate and dripping with morning dew, creating the brightest scene in Dahuang Village.
The wasteland was mostly covered with dead grass, so where had such a profusion of dazzling flowers been seen? Word spread from village to village, and at daybreak, many people rushed to the Ye family's courtyard to see the flowers. Even more bizarre was the discovery: the Ye family's vegetables had grown taller. The leeks, just harvested, were blooming again, and the corn was beginning to form buds. The beans and cucumbers on the vines were laden with fruit, their vibrant green and tender yellow colors tempting.
Su was first awakened by the noise outside the yard. After pulling her son's head out from under the quilt, she got dressed and stood up. When she saw the lush green fruits and vegetables in the garden, she was shocked again! Every time she saw the speed of growth in the vegetable garden, she tried to convince herself, but every time the growth rate refreshed her understanding.
Could it be that our family really occupied the dragon vein?
When the people gathered outside the yard saw her come out, they all greeted her warmly, and then started asking, "Ah Nuan Niang, what are those long green things? Why are your corn buds already in bloom?"
"I just saw your chives were cut the day before yesterday, how come they've grown so tall again?"
"When were the morning glories outside planted?"
Questions came one after another. It was not that Su didn't want to answer, she also wanted to know!
Fortunately, Ye Nuan came out with Ye Xiaohu. Seeing so many people, she wasn't panicked. She actually introduced the beans and cucumbers to them one by one, from their nutritional value to their taste, and how to make them more delicious. She also shared some of her experience in growing and cultivating vegetables. Each one was explained clearly and easily understood. Finally, she said, "We can't finish all these beans and cucumbers at home. If anyone has soy sauce, vinegar, or seasonings, please bring them in."
Stir-fried beans, stir-fried beans with soy sauce, pickled beans; raw cucumbers, stir-fried cucumbers, hand-smashed cucumbers—these dishes all sound delicious. Dahuang Village has little food and vegetables, and Ye Nuan's descriptions of them make the villagers salivate. When they hear they can exchange them, they all rush home to search for them.
Ye Nuan first picked two large handfuls of beans and seven or eight cucumbers and put them away. She then exchanged the rest with the villagers for soy sauce, vinegar, and sugar, but not salt. Salt was a precious commodity in the wilderness, and ordinary people had little of it, let alone exchanging it for vegetables.
The villagers who didn't get any beans and cucumbers immediately fell down, and begged Ye Nuan to give them some next time. Ye Nuan agreed without hesitation, still thinking about what happened last night. If she wanted the villagers to stop focusing on their own vegetables, she should let them grow their own vegetables.
As long as she regularly dripped a small amount of spiritual spring water into the ancient well, ensuring that the villagers' vegetables would grow well, it would be understandable that her vegetables grew faster and greener. As long as the spiritual spring space was upgraded, the seeds unlocked could grow things that were not available in the wasteland, and she could still use them to exchange for what she needed.
Being rich alone cannot last forever. We must properly lead the villagers to achieve common prosperity!
After Ye Nuan figured it out, she smiled more. She washed the cucumbers, broke them in half, and handed them to Su and Xiao Hu respectively.
"Here, this is a cucumber. You can eat it raw."
The cross section of the cucumber was tender green and juicy. Su took it and took a bite. Crunch, her mouth was filled with crispness, tenderness, and sweetness. It tasted much better than any cucumber she had eaten before. She couldn't resist and took several bites in succession. Soon, there was not much left of the half cucumber.
As she ate, she said, "This cucumber is crisper than melon and tastes better."
"Sister, it's delicious!" Ye Xiaohu smiled happily as he ate.
Ye Nuan smiled and said, "I'll make some hand-slapped cucumbers for you guys later."
"Clap the cucumber with your hands?" Su stared at the cucumber in her hand and asked doubtfully, "Clap it with your hands? Won't it hurt?"
"It doesn't hurt. Cucumbers should hurt." Ye Nuan laughed out loud after she said that. Su Shi looked puzzled. Cucumbers should hurt?
A fire lit in the kitchen, and brown rice tumbled in boiling water, a thick mist rising with the aroma of rice. Ye Nuan stood by the stove, cutting off the top and tail of a cucumber. With a quick movement of the knife, she shaved the cucumber and placed it on a clean plate.
Su watched from the side and asked curiously, "Aren't you clapping with your hands?"
Ye Nuan wanted to laugh again and explained, "This dish is called Hand-Smashed Cucumber, but you don't have to smash it with your hands. You just have to smash it until it's broken into pieces. It's easier for the flavor to absorb."
Su was puzzled: Why is the hand-clapping cucumber called this if it doesn’t require clapping with hands?
Ye Nuan minced the garlic cloves, added salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and some sugar, and tossed the scallions into the cucumbers. Once each cucumber was evenly coated in the sauce, she set them aside to marinate. The cucumbers, still vibrant green, looked incredibly tempting.
Ye Xiaohu leaned over the stove and looked into the plate, then looked at the cucumber and then at Ye Nuan, and said softly, "Sister, eat."
"You can't eat it yet. It will be ready after the porridge is cooked." The cucumber will be crisper and more flavorful after being mixed and left for a while before eating.
Ye Xiaohu stared at the plate of cucumbers, feeling uneasy and uncomfortable. When the porridge was ready, he immediately reached out happily, pinched a piece of cucumber and put it in his mouth.
It was crispy and fragrant when eaten, and the juice filled his mouth as he chewed it. Ye Xiaohu's eyes widened as he looked at Ye Nuan, "Sister, it's delicious."
Ye Nuan slapped his hand away and said with a smile, "Use a spoon." If there were chili peppers, he wouldn't dare to grab it like this.
Su picked up the chopsticks and took a bite. Her eyes widened immediately and she praised, "It's very crispy, more refreshing than fried food, and very appetizing." The sour, sweet, salty and fragrant taste is very special, which she has never eaten before.
The three of them drank porridge and ate crispy hand-slapped cucumbers.
For a while, there was a constant crackling sound.
They were enjoying the meal, but the chef at the City Lord's Mansion in Luomu City was in a difficult situation.
Do you really need to slap the cucumber with your hands?
The servant who delivered the message said that this long green thing was called cucumber, and the city lord wanted to eat hand-slapped cucumber today, so he asked them to do as the note said.
Since this thing was precious and there were only two of them, the chef was afraid that they would be damaged, so he personally took the cucumber note to the city lord for confirmation.
Qi Wuze was grabbing his brother Qi Ya to write big characters. No matter how stern he was, his brother's characters were still no different from those of a dog paddling. He couldn't hit or scold him, so he could only hold his breath. When the cook asked him about smashing cucumbers, he was about to scold him, but he changed the subject and stretched out his hand and said, "Give me the cucumbers, I'll smash them!"
Just a good time to vent.
Fortunately, the chef was smart and brought a cutting board with him. He placed the cucumber on the cutting board in front of Qi Wuze and handed him a note, saying, "Would you like to see how it's made first, City Lord?"
Qi Wuze sneered: "Just pat the cucumber with your hands, no need to look." He stood up, gathered his strength with his hands, and used all his strength.
Snap!
The cucumber was almost shattered into pieces, and the juice splashed everywhere, splashing all over his face, and also all over Qi Ya's face beside him. The cook dodged quickly, looking at the cucumber that was so broken that it couldn't be picked up, and said embarrassedly: "City Lord, how can we make a cold salad with this? Or you can eat it raw?" After all, the note said it could be eaten raw.
Qi Ya, who had been silent, carefully licked the cucumber foam at the corner of his mouth. The sweet cucumber juice seeped into his mouth. He was stunned for a moment, threw away the brush in his hand, and while his elder brother was not paying attention, he picked up another cucumber and started to eat it.
When Qi Wuze looked over, he stepped onto the desk, took a few steps to the window, and then climbed up the tree. Huajuan, who was squatting next to him, howled and chased after him excitedly, running back and forth under the tree.
Qi Wuze only managed to grab a piece of his brother's clothes in time. His long patience finally broke. Veins popped out on his forehead. He chased him to the tree and raised his head and shouted sternly, "Come down!"
The half-grown boy on the tree had dark, pure eyes. He paid no attention to what he said and was chewing a green cucumber in his hand.
Qi Wuze pursed his lips, his fingers itching. It wasn't that he didn't want to climb trees to catch people. Qi Ya wasn't good at reading or writing, but he was incredibly fast at running and jumping. This was probably because he grew up with wolves.
If he really wanted to catch the man, it was not impossible, but he always felt that he owed Qi Ya, so he couldn't help but relax towards him.
When the cook saw his two masters had run away, he quickly chased them out and asked hesitantly, "City Lord, what should we do with the smashed cucumbers?"
Qi Wuze had a headache and said angrily, "Leave it alone!"
What could he do? That night, Qi Wuze had a dream. The dream was filled with emerald green cucumbers still drenched in dew. Beneath the long cucumber vines squatted a woman in coarse cloth, with black hair like a waterfall and delicate hands. He tiptoed to look across. The woman put away the cucumbers she had picked and slowly stood up...
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
