After rubbing the bruises, Xiao Yunying got dressed and went out of the house to the backyard.
Her father was chopping wood, and her mother was collecting eggs with several children.
"Mom, my second sister-in-law said I have a crescent-shaped, dark red birthmark on my left shoulder, and there's a scar on the birthmark. What's going on?"
Mu Lianrong picked up the eggs and put them in the basket, then closed the chicken coop door: "You've had this birthmark since you were born. Ask your father about the scar on it."
"father?"
Xiao Shanhai stopped chopping wood:
“It’s all my fault. On the day you were born, I was too excited and didn’t hold you properly. You slipped out of my swaddling clothes and got cut on your shoulders by the bamboo strips from a half-woven basket on the ground. Luckily, I grabbed your legs in time so your head didn’t hit the ground.”
Xiao Yunying was speechless.
What's that saying again? Dad is safest when there's danger, and most dangerous when there's no danger.
Basket?
"Dad, my basket is still on the western hill. Did you forget to bring it back for me?"
"The basket must have been trampled to pieces by a big insect and was unusable, so I didn't take it."
"Ah, what a pity."
Her little basket has been with her since the first day she arrived, serving as her substitute for chanting Amitabha Buddha on the Western Hill.
"It's alright, Dad will make you a new one."
"Then Dad, hurry up and make it, I need it."
"I'll weave it for you after I've chopped the firewood."
Xiao Yunying told her mother and then took a group of children to the construction site to ask about the progress. She also went to Aunt Yang's house to see the furniture she had ordered.
Then I had nothing to do again.
Back inside, she filled two basins with bubble solution for the children and let them go out to play. Xiao Yunying prepared brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones, intending to draw a few pictures.
Design drawings for a vegetable greenhouse.
If we could build vegetable greenhouses, we could openly enjoy fresh vegetables even in the dead of winter.
Luo Yang knocked on the open door: "Mother, may I come in?"
"Come in."
Luo Yang walked over: "What is Mother drawing?"
Since they opened up to each other, Xiao Yunying has completely let loose in front of Luo Chen and Luo Yang, doing whatever she wants.
The two of them, on the other hand, were always worried that she would give herself away, and often tried to find various reasons to explain her unusual behavior and words.
Especially with the mentally mature Luo Yang, she didn't treat him like an ordinary seven-year-old child, but rather like a peer.
"I'm drawing a structural diagram of a vegetable greenhouse, something like a flower house, so that fresh vegetables can be grown even in winter."
"Mother even understands this?"
Xiao Yunying bit her brush, thought for a while, and then wrote down her revisions: "I don't quite understand, but it shouldn't be too difficult. Just make sure to keep warm and maintain the temperature and humidity."
Since there are no high-tech materials like polycarbonate sheets available here, waterproof tarpaulins can be used instead. Window-like holes can be cut into the tarpaulin, and on sunny days when the temperature isn't too cold, the tarpaulin can be rolled up to let the vegetables dry in the sun. It can then be taken down at night.
As for the temperature, it can be maintained by lighting a stove and using cotton quilts for insulation.
Theoretically, it's possible; we'll just have to wait and see the results in practice.
Luo Yang watched quietly from the side, occasionally offering his own opinions and views.
After finalizing the construction plans for the vegetable greenhouse, Xiao Yunying began drawing the design for the stove.
She also needs a barbecue grill, a frying pan, and a small wok.
By the time all the drawings were finished, it was almost noon.
The task of fetching meat from Old Man Zhang at the village entrance every day was left to the children. They would run back with the meat, cut some for the two sisters-in-law to cook for the craftsmen, and Xiao Yunying would cook for their own family.
With only these few types of vegetables at home, Xiao Yunying could only cook them in different ways.
I stir-fried cabbage with sliced meat, fried eggs according to the number of people, made sweet and sour poached eggs with tomato sauce, stewed two pheasants with mushrooms, and finally made a simple version of yam and meatball soup.
During the meal, everyone was saying how delicious the poached eggs were. Zhang asked how they were made, and Xiao Yunying replied:
"It's a sauce made from a vegetable called tomato, with sugar and vinegar. I bought the seeds, but it's not the right season to plant them now. Dad, do you think it's okay to grow vegetables on that empty lot behind our house? I want to build a greenhouse to grow vegetables."
What is a greenhouse?
"It's also called a greenhouse. Wealthy families in the city use greenhouses to grow flowers. I thought flowers are much more delicate than vegetables. If flowers can survive, vegetables should be fine too."
Xiao Shanhai thought it was feasible: "Growing vegetables on that land is fine. If you have any ideas, you can give it a try."
Xiao Yunying was quite confident: "If it succeeds, Dad, would you like to join me in growing vegetables? My vegetable seeds are all bought from overseas merchants. We don't have them here. Once we start selling them, our family will be the first to get them. It's fine in other seasons, but if fresh vegetables appear in winter, wealthy families in the city will definitely be willing to buy them at high prices."
Xiao Shan Hai was tempted: "Have you tried those dishes? Are they good? Don't be fooled."
Luo Yang said, "My mother planted some in the backyard before, and they are really delicious. Not only do they taste good, but there are also many varieties. The chili peppers we've been eating lately were seeds we bought from traveling merchants."
Xiao Yunying gave Luo Yang an approving look: "Dad, you don't need to rush to build the greenhouse. Let me grow the vegetables and let you taste them. If you think they're good, it's not too late to plant more in the spring."
Xiao Yunbai said, "Little sister, how did your brain develop like this? You're much smarter than before. How come no one else thought of growing vegetables in a greenhouse?"
"You were lucky; no one in our village except you encountered that overseas merchant, and you were unharmed even after meeting the tiger, but the tiger died."
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