Chapter 44 Digging Lotus Roots
Farm work in the countryside is usually done in the early morning or evening, because it is hottest and sunniest near noon. Several people decided on the time to dig lotus roots, and decided to do it at dawn.
In summer, the days are long and the nights are short, so the sun rises very early. As soon as the alarm rang, Liu Wangxue woke up, but Wenxi's biological clock was holding her back in her dream.
There was no way. Since they had made an appointment, they couldn't be late. Liu Wangxue had to lift Wenxi's quilt and pull her off the bed.
Before leaving, Wenxi seemed to have not come to his senses yet: "I came here to appreciate the Return to Garden and Fields, not to really work in the fields. You organized the event without my permission. Did you ask for my opinion? You arranged me clearly without my permission."
Liu Wangxue stuffed the bag of cat and dog food and gifts into Wenxi's hands, then locked the gate: "Madam, please don't confuse right and wrong. You took the initiative to participate in the event, and you agreed to the wake-up time. Wake up quickly and stop talking nonsense."
Wenxi slapped his face and tried hard to open his eyes, trying to wake himself up quickly.
Xiao Ci squatted aside, looking up at Liu Wangxue. It had also formed a conditioned reflex, thinking that as long as it left the yard, it would go for a run, and immediately tried to pull up Liu Wangxue's trouser legs.
After being picked up, he climbed onto Liu Wangxue's shoulders very skillfully and squatted.
At this time, Xu Qingsong and Du Yunkai also came out, both of them holding gifts.
Tao Huayu’s home is just at the edge of the village, not far away, and it only takes a few minutes to walk there.
Du Yunkai saw Wenxi's dull eyes and waved his hand in front of her. Wenxi didn't respond, so she asked Liu Wangxue, "What's wrong with her?"
Liu Wangxue glanced at Wenxi, feeling a little helpless: "My biological clock hasn't come yet, and I'm in a bad mood when I wake up."
Du Yunkai smiled slightly and thought, how cute and adorable she is.
When the four of them arrived at Tao Huayu's house, they found that there were already quite a few people standing in the yard, talking and laughing and making a lot of noise.
Tao Huayu came back last night. Li Yu came with him and stayed at his house for one night. Yue Cheng and Lan Xiaoxi also came to participate after hearing about this event. They just arrived not long ago.
Since we had agreed to have a "lotus root feast" at Tao Huayu's house at noon, his sister and brother-in-law also took time out to come over and help out.
All the equipment had been prepared, mainly waterproof jumpsuits. It was not enough, so Dad Tao went to the town to buy a few more sets.
In addition, he also took a few small bamboo baskets that can be hung around the waist. Tao Huayu said: "Maybe we can encounter crayfish. If there are any, we can catch them and make a dish."
The lotus pond of the Tao family should be called the lotus field to be more precise. When an adult stands in it, the water just reaches his knees. The area is not very large, less than one-third.
Hetian was at the other end of the village. My brother-in-law drove an electric tricycle with the tools there first, while Tao Huayu led everyone there along a small path.
Pengpeng and Xiaoci also went there. Tao Huayu originally suggested leaving them at his home so that their parents could help take care of them, but the two refused.
Tao Huayu and the others finally saw Xiaoci, and they were so curious that they wanted to hold her in their arms. Xu Qingsong didn't remind them and just watched the fun from the side.
Sure enough, no matter who stretched out their hands, they were attacked by the cat's little fists. Everyone laughed and felt overwhelmed by the cuteness.
Xiao Ci licked his paw proudly.
When they reached the lotus field, they put on waterproof clothing and gloves, tied small bamboo baskets around their waists, and walked down one by one.
Among this group of people, the only one who has mastered the skill of digging lotus roots is Xu Qingsong, besides Tao Huayu and his sister and brother-in-law.
Before college, he would come back to live with his parents every winter and summer vacation. After becoming familiar with Tao Huayu, he would participate in digging lotus roots every year, just for fun.
Tao Huayu's sister did not go down. When the lotus roots were dug out, she also took them to the tricycle and helped Liu Wangxue look after Peng Peng and Xiao Ci. Xiao Ci, a clean cat, refused to go down, fearing that her beautiful paws would get stained with mud, so she had to lie on Peng Peng's back.
So there are exactly three masters and six apprentices.
The mud in the lotus field was soft, and Liu Wangxue felt herself sinking as soon as she stepped in. When she raised her foot to walk forward, she forgot that there was suction under her feet, and she almost stumbled and fell. Fortunately, Xu Qingsong helped her up.
Pengpeng on the shore looked at Liu Wangxue nervously and barked a few times. Xiaoci also stared at this side.
Liu Wangxue turned around and waved with a smile: "It's okay, don't worry, you two just be good."
Xu Qingsong carefully protected her from the side. After Liu Wangxue took a few steps, she got used to it: "It's not that difficult."
Xu Qingsong suggested: "If you have the chance, you should try transplanting rice."
Du Yunkai disagreed: "What's wrong with planting rice? It's all mud, isn't it?" He could see the surrounding rice fields, the water in them was much shallower than this.
Liu Wangxue looked at Xu Qingsong's expression and asked, "Is it still different?"
Xu Qingsong said: "It's really different. The mud in the rice fields is much stickier than here. If you wear this, you may not be able to pull it out."
"Oh," Liu Wangxue remembered, "No wonder the people in the video were all barefoot when they went to the fields to plant rice."
"I suddenly had an idea." said Du Yunkai.
"No, you didn't." Xu Qingsong thought that this young master was having another crazy idea and was planning to experience transplanting rice.
"I mean, about the idea of the game." Du Yunkai said, "For the farming part, you can have a physical value. For example, when transplanting rice, how much physical value is consumed by stepping on it, and how much physical value is consumed by pulling it out. The transplanting task is limited in time, so if you can't complete it, you have to pay."
Liu Wangxue was stunned. Xu Qingsong clenched his fist as if it were a microphone and handed it over: "Dear player, would you like to try this game setting?"
Liu Wangxue's answer: "As a non-paying player, if the mission is not that important or the reward is not attractive enough to me, I will feel annoyed and give up."
Xu Qingsong glanced at Du Yunkai and said, "You heard it, right?"
But Du Yunkai was unmoved. He thought this was a good idea and discussed it further with Xu Qingsong.
Tao Huayu, who was standing nearby, overheard this and whispered to Wenxi and Li Yu, "No wonder the rich are always so rich. They never forget to think about how to make money even when they go to the fields to dig lotus roots."
"Capitalists are just cutting leeks in various ways," Wenxi said. If she becomes a capitalist in the future, she will also cut leeks, but she will do so with a clear conscience.
As they were talking, they walked to an area where lotus leaves were densely distributed.
Xu Qingsong demonstrated first: "Just like this, feel down along the lotus stem, and be careful not to prick yourself. After you touch the lotus root node, feel to both sides along the direction of its growth."
He felt around for a while and continued, "Push aside the silt and pull it out slowly. Be careful not to break it, otherwise the silt will get in and it will be difficult to wash off when you eat it."
As he said this, he pulled out the whole thing and washed off the mud on the surface in the water. This one has four sections, and each section is basically round. Then he put it on the foam float he had just brought down.
Tao Huayu and his brother-in-law were also demonstrating and teaching, and successfully dug out a long one.
(End of this chapter)
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