Chapter 5 Private Plots
Xie Yun listened to the noise outside. While Xie Shen was lighting the clay stove, she picked up the bowl and went to Zhang Ruifeng's room. She grabbed two handfuls of millet, went to the yard, washed it twice, washed off the dirt, carefully picked out the gravel inside, and finally washed it again.
The rice washing water will not be wasted and will be used to feed the pigs.
When Xie Yun was washing rice, she smuggled some millet from the space into the room and mixed it all in. She didn't dare put too much, just a little bit.
After washing the rice, she added a little bit of spiritual spring water and poured it into the earthenware jar together with the millet.
Xie Shen said to her, "Sister, stop busying yourself and go back quickly. I'll call you when the food is ready."
"good."
Xie Yun put down the bowl and went back to his room.
The original owner was hesitant to let Xie Shen wash the rice. This was mainly because the rice nowadays was not as clean as the polished rice sold in supermarkets in later generations. It contained all sorts of things: dirt, gravel, and husks. If you didn't wash it carefully, it could hurt your teeth.
Xie Shen's work was rather rough, and the rice he washed tasted unpleasant.
After she left, Zhang Ruifeng said to Xie Shen, "You should show your respect. Next time when you wash the rice, wash it more thoroughly. Don't let your sister have a bad taste in it. Then she won't have to rush out to wash the rice."
Xie Shen grunted and hesitated, "I washed it pretty clean, didn't I?"
Zhang Ruifeng laughed and said, "I don't know whose tooth was knocked out."
Xie Shen was furious. "Stop talking! That tooth of mine should have fallen out anyway!"
That happened last year. He was washing rice to make porridge and he ate a stone in it, which knocked out one of his baby teeth, which was already a little loose.
Zhang Ruifeng smiled and said nothing more. Besides, her son would be embarrassed.
I also made stewed eggplant in the pot with pancakes. I put a drop of oil, a little salt, two hand-torn long eggplants, and a little vinegar in the pot and stewed them. Then I served them with the pancakes. It tasted very good.
She traded an egg for the eggplants from her neighbor. The neighbor had eggplants planted in his private plot and had so many that he couldn't eat them all. She exchanged her egg for a basketful of eggplants.
Twenty minutes later, the meal was ready.
In fact, Zhang Ruifeng and Xie Shen were only busy for a short while. Most of the time, they just sat there watching the fire, stirring the pot to prevent it from burning. They rested while cooking.
Xie Yun, back in her room, wasn't idle either. She flipped through the original owner's books, thinking about finding a way out for herself. The original owner was a good farmhand, so she should be able to adapt, but it would be better to take it easy. Or, if she could earn more, then she would.
"Sister, it's time to eat."
Xie Shen called her in the yard.
"Here I come."
Xie Yun closed the book and walked out.
The weather now is just right for eating in the yard.
Zhang Ruifeng had already moved out the small dining table and served the rice and millet porridge. Xie Yun took the chopsticks and Xie Shen set up the benches, and the three of them sat there and started eating.
When Xie Yun eats pancakes, he likes to eat the soft part on top first, leaving the crispy hard shell at the bottom, and then put some vegetables on the shell and eat it. It is fragrant and crispy.
She ate one and a half. Xie Shen had already eaten the leftover one and ate a new one. Zhang Ruifeng ate two. Everyone drank a bowl of rice soup, and the meal was over.
After dinner, Xie Shen took the initiative to wash the dishes, while Xie Yun and Zhang Ruifeng moved the table and chairs back to the kitchen. Then, everyone took the opportunity to lie down on the bed and take a nap. When the gong for the production team to start work sounded, they hurried to get up and go out.
In the afternoon, after Zhang Ruifeng and Xie Shen left, Xie Yun also started to work. He broke off all the corn in his private plot and piled them in the yard. He moved a bench and sat down to peel off all the corn husks. He spread the peeled corn flat to dry in the sun, and also spread the peeled corn husks flat to dry in the sun, saving them for use as firewood later.
The original owner was used to doing farm work, and Xie Yun didn't feel tired at all despite being busy, and he didn't feel annoyed at all.
She wore a straw hat, long trousers and a long gown, and covered her face tightly with a cloth, for fear of being scratched by the corn leaves. Every scratch would leave a red mark, which was painful and itchy, just like being whipped.
During this time, Xie Shen came back, bent over and carrying a large basket of pig grass. He ran to Xie Yun and took out two cucumbers from the basket and gave them to Xie Shen. He began to mutter, "Sister, wait for me to come back in the evening to pick some corn. Aren't you tired?"
As he muttered to himself, he ran to feed the pigs and rabbits, then took out a small wooden jar from the bottom of the basket, opened the stopper on top, and poured the earthworms inside into the chicken coop. He watched the chickens scrambling to peck at the food, with a smile on his little face, as if he saw an endless supply of eggs.
Xie Yun washed the cucumbers, took one for himself, and handed one to Xie Shen. The child took it and took a big bite. As he ate, he said to Xie Yun, "Mom said we'll have pumpkin and egg buns tomorrow. Sister, I'll work harder in the future. Let's pay back the overage quickly, and we can eat eggs every day from now on."
Xie Yun patted his hairy little head and said with a smile, "Okay."
After eating the cucumber, Xie Shen poured himself a bowl of boiled water and drank it. He then carried the wicker basket on his back and walked out. He still had to go get another basket of pig grass, otherwise the pigs would have nothing to eat tomorrow morning.
After he left, Xie Yun continued to work, digging up half of the corn stalks and sticking them against the wall to dry in the sun. She looked at the land in front of her, breathed a sigh of relief, put the hoe aside, and decided to do the rest tomorrow.
In the next two days, I will dig up all the corn stalks and the soil. I can also plant some autumn potatoes and cabbage in this private plot.
Xie Yun sat in the yard, looked up at the sky and down at the ground beneath her feet. To be honest, although she seemed to have integrated well into the environment, she was a little confused in her heart.
She was stunned for a while before she stood up, did a few stretching exercises, and rubbed her waist and arms.
Getting used to doing something doesn’t mean you won’t feel tired or uncomfortable, it just means you’re used to it.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened them again, the confusion in her eyes had disappeared.
Now that you are here, you must live well.
She diligently dug into the original owner's memories, trying to understand a little more about this world. When it was almost time, she went to prepare dinner. Cooking didn't require any culinary skills these days; just cook until it was cooked.
They had two meals during off-seasons and three during busy periods. Dinner was a simple affair: a pot of salty soup with some mixed flour, salt, and some vegetables, and two bowls per person. Xie Yun added some protein powder, as everyone was protein deficient given the current diet.
When it was getting dark, Zhang Ruifeng and Xie Shen came back together. After Xie Shen finished his own work, he ran to Zhang Ruifeng to help her.
Xie Yun heard the noise and said, "Mom, Mumu, you two should wash your hands and take a break. The meal will be ready soon."
"Why."
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