"How about you just drink the spiritual spring water?"
Mrs. Su quickly shook her head: "Forget it, mother is fine like this." She didn't know how much spiritual spring water her daughter had, so she must not waste it.
Ye Nuan leaned closer to her mother and lowered her voice, "The water we use every day and the vegetables we eat all contain spiritual spring water. If you eat it, it will also have a skin-beautifying effect. I guarantee that in ten years, even if Ye Ling becomes an old man, you will still be as fresh and youthful as ever."
Now her mother was happy.
Roasted lamb and pig dishes were served one after another. The villagers gathered around Ye Nuan in a lively atmosphere. The aroma of food wafted through the air, and the firecrackers, set off only for Chinese New Year, rang continuously. Ye Nuan half-experienced that this was a rural feast in the future.
In fact, this can indeed be considered a banquet.
Ye Nuan sat alone at the top, with her mother and Xiao Hu sitting on the left. In previous years, they were the objects of everyone's pursuit - Village Chief Jin could only sit on the right.
Everyone was waiting for Ye Nuan to start the meal. Ye Nuan felt quite pressured sitting at the top, but she couldn't refuse the hospitality, so she took the chopsticks handed to her by the villagers and tasted the garlic pork in front of her.
After the pork is cooked, cut it into large slices and eat it directly with the sauce made from mashed garlic. The original flavor will make you taste more fresh.
The pork from the countryside is still delicious!
"good!"
Ye Nuan praised them, and the villagers seemed to be greatly encouraged and were beaming with joy.
The roasted lamb chops were crisp and tender, the bok choy was slightly sweet, and the tomatoes and leeks she had exchanged from her family were all on the table. It was a rich and delicious meal, though a little hot. Ye Nuan looked up at the sky. It was a deep blue, and the sun was shining brightly, but this group of people seemed oblivious to the heat.
When the banquet was almost over, villagers came forward one after another, and Ye Nuan knew that the climax was about to begin.
"Goddess, please lead us all in reclaiming wasteland and cultivating the land!"
"Yes, Goddess, we are not afraid of hardship, as long as we have enough food and warm clothes."
"Our Great Wasteland Village has the protection of the goddess. It is no longer the most desolate place. As long as the goddess blesses us, the Great Wasteland Village will definitely be better than Luomu City in the future."
Isn't it just a Luomu Mountain? As long as the goddess is there, she can grow it on any number of mountains!
The villagers calculated this, offering Ye Nuan their entire fortune as a gift, forcing her to agree. Ye Nuan had no intention of refusing. She believed that helping everyone else prosper would ensure her family's well-being, and she needed more energy.
Her family had limited land and labor, so they could only grow a limited number of fruit trees, and their spiritual springs were slow to upgrade. If everyone worked on the land, would she be able to gain more energy by the time the fruit trees matured, and would her spiritual springs be able to upgrade to a higher level?
When the level is higher, in addition to spring water, seeds, land, and storage items, will the spiritual spring have more powerful uses?
Ye Nuan wanted to give it a try to see how far it could go!
She didn't say anything, and the villagers were a little nervous. The sunlight made Village Chief Jin's eyes squint into slits. He sat in the crowd watching this scene, smoking his pipe more and more, as if he could also ascend to heaven.
The anxious villagers were about to kneel down, but Ye Nuan quickly grabbed the nearest woman and said, "I agree. Everyone's tired today, so pack up and go back to rest. Tomorrow, send someone to count the arable land in and around the village, and then draw a simple map for me. I'll plan it for everyone."
Everyone was very happy to get the accurate information, but the problem was who would be responsible for counting and drawing the chart.
Village Chief Jin was a man of high moral character and prestige. He immediately declined the moment anyone opened their mouths, saying, "I haven't farmed in my entire life, so I don't know much about these things. Besides, I have to go to the Creation Pavilion several times a month, so I'd better let the goddess handle this herself."
This is very embarrassing!
Although Ye Nuan knew that Village Chief Jin was not happy, she did not expect that he would offend her on the spot. After all, she was still known as the goddess.
"That's right. The village chief is old and his legs are not in good condition. Everyone should be considerate of him. Sun Erniu, I see that your legs are in good condition, so you should do this job."
The old village chief Jin was so angry that he was puffing his beard and glaring. Sun Erniu was so happy when his name was called that he was at a loss of what to do. He said excitedly with a red face: "Yes, I will do it well." The Sun couple's faces were flushed, and the other villagers looked envious.
Everyone cleared away their pots and pans and divided up the remaining dishes. Finally, they insisted on giving the remaining half of a lamb leg to Ye Nuan. A goddess couldn't carry a lamb leg, and neither could her brother. Then another villager volunteered to deliver it directly to her home.
When I saw her dilapidated house before leaving, I thought: All gods have temples to worship them, so how can a goddess live in such a shabby place? Why don’t we discuss it with everyone and spend some time to build a better house for the goddess?
The goddess herself was shoveling stove ash, applying fertilizer, loosening the soil, and pulling weeds...
Su followed and asked, "A Nuan, will the lamb leg really not go bad if we put it in there?" Her family had already smoked a lot of bacon, and the lamb leg would not taste good after being smoked. The weather was hot and they didn't know where to put it. Then Ye Nuan waved her hand, and the large piece of lamb disappeared.
"Don't worry, Mom, it's fresh and won't go bad for several months."
Then her mother suddenly had another idea: "A Nuan, do you think I won't grow any older if I go in?"
Her mother was still thinking about going to the space? Ye Nuan smiled with her eyes curved, "Mom, you don't want to be my sister, do you?"
Su patted her with her hand and said seriously, "It's not impossible."
Ye Nuan laughed so hard that she fell backwards. She pulled Ye Xiaohu over and taught him, "Come on, Xiaohu, I'll call you Sister Su!"
"Sister Su..." Ye Xiaohu listened to Ye Nuan very much and would call her whenever she asked him to.
Su pretended to hit someone and chased Ye Xiaohu around the yard for a long time.
Having eaten too much during the day, and with too many meat dishes, Su said, "Why don't you cook some porridge?"
Ye Nuan thought about it and realized that her stomach was still full, so she simply said, "How about making some pork rib porridge?"
"Can spare ribs be used to make porridge? Will it be fishy?"
She used to think so, but she fell head over heels for Chaoshan pork rib congee. The salted pork rib congee, the sliced fish congee, the preserved egg and lean meat congee, the casserole crab congee—all nourishing and delicious, warming and comforting.
“It’s not fishy, guaranteed to be delicious.”
Ye Nuan retrieved the spare ribs she'd exchanged with the villagers. They were genuine, local pork, with evenly distributed fat and lean meat on the bones, and the meat was firm and firm. Simply rinse them with water, chop them into small pieces, and salt them for later use. Then, soak the rice in spiritual spring water until softened. Porridge is best cooked in a clay pot, and true clay pot porridge should be cooked in an unglazed clay pot.
Bring to a boil over high heat, then add the rice. Raw rice tends to stick to the pot, so stir constantly. The white rice grains absorb the water and then burst open, while the softer, mushy rice sinks into the pot, forming a thick rice slurry. As the rice aroma becomes stronger, quickly add the pork ribs and shredded mushrooms.
The ribs were wrapped in rice, and the salty aroma of the meat wafted through the steam, mingling with the fresh fragrance of the mushrooms. Half an hour later, she added the shredded vegetable leaves, seasoned them, and served.
She brought the whole casserole to the table. The porridge was still steaming. Ye Xiaohu followed her and climbed onto the table. He reached out to grab the spoon, but was suddenly scalded. He quickly put his hand into his mouth and sucked it.
Su came up and slapped his hand: "Serves you right, you're so impulsive!"
She handed the bowl to Ye Nuan, who began to serve the porridge before passing it to her brother. "Blow on it before eating, it's very hot."
Ye Xiaohu learned his lesson this time and knew to blow slowly, but he still couldn't wait and ate while tilting his mouth and slurping.
"Sister, it's delicious!"
Is this the only thing her brother can say?
Su tasted the porridge first. It was different from the usual porridge. It had the aroma of meat, rice, and vegetables mixed in. It was fresh and sweet without being fishy. She then took a bite of the spareribs. The meat was very tender, delicate and not greasy. The porridge on the surface was very delicious.
"This pork rib porridge is delicious. Is this also a recipe in the space?"
Ye Nuan nodded: "Yes, there are many more recipes. The preserved egg and lean meat porridge is also delicious."
She knows about lean meat, but what is preserved egg?
Seeing her mother's puzzled look, Ye Nuan knew what she wanted to ask, so she said, "Pidan is a delicacy made from duck eggs. I'll make it for her when I have the chance."
It was still dark when the three of them finished their porridge. Su asked Ye Xiaohu to help herd the chicks back into the utility room, but he came back screaming shortly after. Ye Nuan thought they had encountered a snake again, so she and her mother ran over to see that ten goose eggs had hatched.
The fluffy little yellow geese lined up in a row, chasing after Ye Xiaohu and calling "goose, goose, goose." Ye Xiaohu excitedly pulled his mother's hand and said, "Mom, little geese, little geese!"
The goslings seemed to recognize him as their mother and followed him around.
Ye Nuan asked, "Xiao Hu, did you grab the hen to see if the goslings have hatched?" Newborn chicks, ducklings, geese, and other poultry tend to mistake the first creature they see for their mother. They were chasing after Xiao Hu, so it was obvious that he was the first one they saw.
Ye Xiaohu did indeed do this, and she did it every day when her mother and elder sister were not paying attention, and she just happened to catch them today.
He hung his head and said nothing, while the little yellow goose was still calling at his feet.
Ye Nuan said, "The goose now treats you as its mother. Remember to feed it when you have time during the day."
Su was so shocked that she stared and asked in disbelief: "Your brother? As a mother?" What the hell is going on!
Ye Nuan nodded and explained the chick plot to her. Su was even more surprised after listening to it.
Ye Xiaohu was very happy, and he took Su's hand and shook it: "Mom, I am a mother now, and you have grandchildren!"
Su's face turned black. She didn't want to have a grandson at all!
Then the mother and daughter watched Xiaohu and a group of geese running back and forth in the yard, sometimes east, sometimes west. The whole yard was filled with Ye Xiaohu's laughter and the discordant chirping of the geese.
At night, the goose still followed, and finally Su had to lock it up. Ye Xiaohu was a little panicked when the goose left, and kept shouting "goose, goose, goose" all night. The three of them were quarreling all night, and only Ye Xiaohu was still smiling.
The next day, Su Shi got up yawning, her eyes still dark blue. As she put on her clothes, she said, "Ah Nuan, what if this happens again tonight? Should we let Goose sleep with Xiao Hu?"
Ye Xiaohu clapped his hands in agreement. Su glared at him and yelled, "I'll make a small bed for you. Go to the utility room and sleep with the little goose."
There were sheep, chickens and geese raised in the utility room, and the smell was not pleasant. Ye Xiaohu gritted his teeth and dared not smile anymore.
The three of them squatted in the corridor, washing up, looking half asleep. They hadn't even had breakfast yet, and Sun Erniu was already peeking out from outside the yard. When he saw Ye Nuan looking at him, he was so scared that he immediately squatted down again. Su wiped her face and sneered, "Do you think we're blind?"
Probably because the noise was too loud, Sun Erniu stood up awkwardly again and nodded towards Ye Nuan and said hello: "Good morning, Goddess Ye."
"Good morning, Brother Sun."
He hadn't expected Ye Nuan to reply, and smiled flattered. Ye Xiaohu ran to open the door, and he immediately walked in, handing Ye Nuan the yellowed rice paper in his hand: "I can't read, so I asked Jinbao to write this for me. The map was also drawn by Jinbao."
Ye Nuan took the map and looked at it. The fields were clearly marked and the number of acres was also recorded.
"Jinbao is still very powerful!"
Sun Erniu quickly followed suit, praising him: "Yes, Jinbao is very smart, but he's just too lazy to learn." He added: "There's actually quite a lot of land inside and outside the village, but the fields outside the village can't be cultivated because of wild beasts and horse bandits. So we can only cultivate the wasteland inside the village and in the back mountains."
There is a lot of land in the wasteland, but most of it could not be cultivated before Ye Nuan came.
Ye Nuan put the map away and said with a smile, "It doesn't matter. If we can't grow crops outside, we can grow trees and flowers."
Sun Erniu was puzzled: "Why plant trees and flowers?"
Ye Nuan explained, "The reason why nothing grows on wasteland is because of a lack of water and severe desertification. As long as we plant trees, the land around the village will improve quickly, conserve groundwater, and improve the weather."
Sun Erniu was confused and scratched his head but didn't dare to say he didn't understand.
Fortunately, Ye Nuan said, "It doesn't matter if you don't understand, as long as you know how to plant trees. Go and gather all the laborers in the village. Oh, and have them bring hoes and shovels."
Sun Erniu was very obedient and ran out immediately. After a while, all the men in the village who were able to work came, each holding farm tools and working excitedly.
"Goddess, where should we go? What should we plant?"
The peasant women and children rushed over to watch and began to discuss the situation. Ye Nuan led them out of the village and stopped in front of a stone bridge. At the end of the stone bridge was an endless expanse of barren yellow wasteland.
Ye Nuan pointed at the wasteland and said, "First we need to plant trees, all around the village."
The villagers looked at each other, and none of them understood why they had to plant trees.
"Goddess, we can't leave the village casually. If we run into bandits, it will be troublesome."
"Yes, the Jin family is the only one in the village who can go out."
As for why only the Jin family could go out, they didn't know either.
Ye Nuan motioned for everyone to be quiet and said loudly, "I know what you're worried about, but don't worry, the bandits can't guard Dahuang Village every day. You guys just keep planting, and I'll be on the lookout. If any bandits approach within a hundred miles, I'll be notified."
Some villagers were a little skeptical and asked quickly, "How did the goddess know?"
Ye Nuan smiled slightly, put two fingers on the corners of her lips and blew them. Everyone stared at her hands in confusion, and then they heard a hissing sound in the dry grass. Someone shouted, "There's a snake." The sound was like thunder, and everyone huddled together in fear. Some people even wanted to pick up a hoe to kill the snake.
"Don't move!" Ye Nuan soothed, "All things have spirits. I summoned these snakes. They will help check the movements around them and notify me as soon as there is any movement." She also accidentally discovered that these snakes can be summoned with a whistle.
She whistled again, and the snakes scattered, swimming away in all directions. The villagers were relieved of their alarm, and their eyes looked at Ye Nuan with even more surprise. Someone excitedly said, "If the goddess can summon snakes, can she also summon other beasts? I heard before that the animals in the wasteland will not attack you. It's amazing."
She hadn't tried this before, but if she did, it would be awkward if she couldn't summon them. So, she said in a vague, ethereal voice, "All things reproduce and thrive, and they have their own things to do. Even gods can't be summoned at will. Everyone, hurry up and plant some trees. It'll be hot when the sun comes out."
Ye Nuan took out chestnut and poplar saplings from the space and distributed them to everyone. "Twenty saplings per person, with each one ten feet apart. I'll have someone bring water. Rest when you're tired. Just finish planting these saplings before noon."
The villagers divided the trees and, in pairs, excitedly headed for the wasteland at the village entrance. The land outside the village was nothing like the land inside. Years of neglect had hardened it like red rock. Their enthusiasm was extinguished after just two shovelfuls of work. Digging a hole felt like mining; it was incredibly strenuous.
Fortunately, the saplings were small, so the hole didn't need to be very large. But filling it with hard soil made me worried about whether it would survive, especially with the sun so strong.
Ye Nuan sat under a dead tree near the stone bridge. Worried about her getting sunburned, everyone had built a makeshift thatched hut beside the tree. A short while later, Jin Qiu arrived, leading Ye Xiaohu. Behind them were two donkey carts, and Jin Bao and a few other boys were driving them.
A group of goslings followed the wheels of the car, calling "goose, goose, goose". Jin Bao and his friends were afraid that they would be crushed to death, so they called Ye Xiaohu to take his geese away.
Ye Xiaohu was holding two big meat buns in his hands. As soon as he saw her, he immediately let go of Jinqiu and ran over.
"Sister, buns."
Jin Qiu said angrily, "You little heartless thing! Just now you were calling me Sister Qiu, Sister Qiu, but as soon as you saw Sister Nuan, you ignored me."
Ye Nuan had arrived in such a hurry that she hadn't had breakfast yet, and she was already starving. Xiaohu's two buns arrived just in time. As soon as she took a bite, Jinbao came over and stared at her in surprise. "Goddess, you eat buns?" It was like he was meeting her for the first time.
Nonsense, the goddess doesn’t need to eat or drink!
"I thought goddesses only ate flowers and drank dew."
Ye Nuan wore only a veil that fell above her eyebrows, her raven-black satin hair draped over her shoulders. Although her full appearance couldn't be seen clearly, her slender figure gave off a glimpse of her beauty. Remembering Ah Qiu's words about her beauty, Jin Bao's heart ached again, and he asked curiously, "Ye Nuan, why are you wearing a veil while eating buns? Isn't that inconvenient?"
This guy's old problem has come back again!
"convenient."
"Brother Jinbao, do we need to carry the water down?" asked a few boys beside the donkey cart.
Jin Bao said impatiently: "Stop making noise, carry her down by yourself." He got angry just talking about this. Among this group of people, he was the only one who had not seen Ye Nuan's appearance after recovery, which made them laugh for a while.
Seeing that beating around the bush was futile, Jin Bao simply said, "Ye Nuan, can you take off your veil again and let me see it?"
Ye Nuan didn't even look at him: "No!"
Jin Bao was dejected. Ye Nuan finished a bun and suddenly said, "It's not impossible."
Jinbao immediately perked up, "What do you want?"
Ye Nuan looked him up and down and said, "If you lose weight, I'll let you see it." Everyone in the village had seen her, so there was no need to hide it. But she didn't like people staring at her face, and she also found the wind and sand in the wilderness too strong. If Jin Bao wanted to see it, he could show it to him. It wouldn't make him lose weight, but she hoped Jin Bao would lose weight, at least to be healthy.
Jinbao lacks exercise and is weak. If he wants to lose weight, he must exercise. This is also for his own good.
Jin Bao himself had a bitter face. It wasn't that he didn't want to lose weight, it was that everything he ate made him gain weight, even just drinking water. If Jin Qiu knew about his complaints, she would definitely laugh at him. When had her brother ever controlled his mouth? He was either lying around at home or hanging out with some of the guys from the village.
“I can’t lose weight.”
"How will you know if you don't try?" Ye Nuan raised her chin towards the busy villagers. "You can go and help plant trees."
"Planting trees?" Jinbao looked incredulous.
The guys behind him all burst out laughing: Jinbao is okay at planting trees, but as for him planting trees, come on, he has never even held a hoe at home.
Jin Bao shouted behind him, "What are you laughing at? Come with me and carry the water over. I'll go water the plants."
Ye Nuan stood up, touched each bucket of water, and said, "One scoop of water for each tree is enough." Under the cover of his sleeves, each bucket of water dripped into the spiritual spring, and the water quality became clearer in an instant.
Of course, the naked eye can't see any difference.
Jin Bao took a few boys and carried heavy buckets of water, and began to run back and forth under the scorching sun. Sweat oozed from the top of his head. It didn't take long for this man who seldom worked to be unable to bear it, but when he thought of Ye Nuan's words, he gritted his teeth and persevered.
Jin Qiu came close to Ye Nuan and asked mysteriously, "Sister Nuan, were you casting a spell on the well water just now?" She had just seen very tiny ripples on the water.
"Hush!" Ye Nuan put a finger to her lips, her smile bright and clear. Before, due to labor, her palms always had calluses, but now, thanks to the spiritual spring, her skin was white and smooth, and even her hands were slender and soft like spring onions.
The small and delicate nails were soft and pearly, which made Jinqiu extremely envious.
"Sister Nuan, I wish you were my sister."
Xiaohu immediately became alert, rushed over to hug Ye Nuan, and declared domineeringly: "She is my sister!" Although Sister Jin Qiu is also a good person, she always wants to grab him to be her brother, and now she wants to snatch his sister away. He is very unhappy.
Ye Nuan was almost knocked down by this little cannonball, and smiled helplessly: "Okay, it's your sister!"
Jin Qiu rolled her eyes and asked, "Sister An Nuan, my mother asked me to ask you if you have planted the roses?" She was also helpless because her mother kept nagging her in her ear every day.
“I planted it.”
The two chatted idly. At noon, after planting the trees Ye Nuan had distributed, the villagers gathered under the dead tree to rest. The village women came to deliver lunch, all of them beaming with joy, except Hu Ya, who had a sour face and didn't even look at Ye Nuan.
Ye Nuan naturally didn't bother to pay her any attention. After noon, everyone moved on to continue planting trees elsewhere. When they rested at night, their backs and waists ached, but they were happy, so this little pain was nothing. The moon was dim and the stars were sparse. The saplings planted during the day began to sprout, curling outwards, and finally fully unfurled, facing the moonlight and the thick fog, dripping their last drops of dew in the morning glow.
After five days of hard work, the village was completely covered in chestnut and poplar trees. The villagers, leaving early and returning late, chatted and laughed, rested together when tired, and ate and drank together when thirsty or hungry. The scene was a bit like the days of the Great Production Campaign of the Supply and Marketing Cooperatives.
Five days later, when everyone gathered together again waiting for Ye Nuan's next instructions, Ye Nuan brought out a large basin of steaming and fragrant sweet potatoes.
Everyone looked at each other, with confusion in their eyes.
"Goddess, what's in this bowl?" It looks a bit like food.
The Ye family's courtyard was packed with people, the shorter ones hopping to see what was going on. Ye Nuan placed the large basin on two benches, then picked up a steaming sweet potato, broke it in half, and spilled the golden, sweet, and sticky flesh.
"This is sweet potato. You can steam it or roast it. It can be used as a cooking dish or a staple food. Would you like to try it?"
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