Chapter 72 Cabbage Storage Cellar
If this is the case, purchasing these lands is naturally the best option.
After all, when you step into the countryside, land and food are the basis of survival. Both are crucial, but the Tu Su family has nothing at the moment.
Tu Subo drove a borrowed mule cart to the county town alone, while Gu Yuexuan found the eldest sister-in-law of the Hu family under the pretext of buying some snacks.
Unexpectedly, as soon as she mentioned this topic, the eldest sister-in-law of the Hu family asked in surprise: "Xuanxuan, do you want to buy the idle land at the foot of Qiushan Mountain?"
Gu Yuexuan opened her mouth but before she could say anything, Mrs. Hu nervously shook her hands repeatedly, like a rattle: "Oh, that's absolutely not possible. You should give up this idea immediately."
Gu Yuexuan smiled softly and asked curiously, "What do you mean?"
Mrs. Hu's eyes dodged, and she said doubtfully, "You may not know that those abandoned lands are not idle for no reason."
"Just think, if that land was intact, why would they let it go to waste?" She changed the subject, her expression darkening. "In fact, that land is cursed, and the crops it produces are all tainted with deadly toxins."
"No one is spared. Anyone who touches it will suffer misfortune! Just a few years ago, someone, skeptical of evil, took the risk of planting wheat. After four seasons, just as the harvest was about to begin, the newly harvested wheat poisoned the entire family. Since then, no one has dared to covet that land..."
When Mrs. Hu mentioned the tragic events of the past, there was still a deep sense of fear on her face. The elders in the village also shared the same view.
The vast land at the foot of the hills carries countless tragedies of the past and has become a cursed place that the villagers are terrified of.
If it wasn't for a terrible curse, how could the crops grown in the land take people's lives for no reason?
Gu Yuexuan walked into the house carrying the small dish she had bought in exchange for a copper coin. As soon as she put down the item in her hand, she heard her grandfather call out, "Bo's daughter-in-law."
"Hmm?" she responded.
The old grandfather frowned and said slowly, "The idea you proposed earlier is indeed a good one, but I'm afraid the land in the hills will be difficult to use."
Naturally, the old grandfather also heard what she was thinking.
Thinking of those convincing curse legends, the old grandfather was hesitant, but in order not to waste his energy, he finally decided to back out.
Before discussing whether the land is vast or not, we must first ensure that the harvest from the land can sustain people's lives. This is the true meaning of farming.
If the crops dug out of the earth are inherently toxic, then any speculation is futile.
Gu Yuexuan was not surprised by this. Instead, she said with a bitter smile, "Grandfather, except for the small piece of land at the foot of Qiushan Mountain, we seem to have no vacant land."
The old grandfather frowned, looking somewhat worried. "There really isn't any suitable land right now, but we must remember the old saying, 'Better to have nothing than to have something of poor quality.' We shouldn't take risks like this lightly."
In the village, the cheapest plot of land cost two taels of silver, and even with the combined efforts of everyone in the family, their monthly income only managed to maintain around five taels. The huge expense of purchasing land, coupled with the uncertainty of future harvests, made this matter particularly important and could not be ignored.
Gu Yuexuan noticed the hesitation in her grandfather's eyes, so she thought for a moment and asked, "Grandfather, do you believe in those curse legends?"
The grandfather answered without hesitation: "Scholars shouldn't talk about supernatural things. Why take those unrealistic words seriously?"
“Actually, I don’t believe it either.”
She gently fiddled with the cabbage in her hands, lost in thought: "The land itself is harmless. If there is no human intervention, why would the crops grown in the fields contain toxins?"
"If the rumors of the curse are untrue, then the problem is most likely with the harvest, or rather, the seeds themselves."
The land nurtures all things, which grow and restrain each other. There are abundant crops that nourish mankind, but there are also plants that are harmful to humans.
A vague thought flashed through Gu Yuexuan's mind, and she slowly said, "I've always felt that the poisonous grain isn't closely related to the land, but to understand the exact situation, I need to personally visit the foot of the hill to see for myself."
Tu Suminfei stood by and listened to their conversation silently.
As soon as Gu Yuexuan finished speaking, an imperceptible gleam flashed in his eyes.
This sister-in-law, who was supposed to be unknown, is like a deep and boundless treasure. Every layer of excavation reveals countless breathtaking surprises.
What my mother said is true, my eldest brother is indeed blessed with good fortune.
An inscrutable smile crossed his lips. When his grandfather remained silent, deep in thought, he slowly spoke, "Grandfather, my sister-in-law's good advice is indeed true."
"I've happened to read a few ancient books and seem to have similar records. Why don't we carefully consider it and thoroughly investigate the cause before making a decision?"
Only the truth of things can serve as conclusive evidence, and rumors should not be believed.
The grandfather's doubts were much lessened after their analysis, but he still felt a little uneasy. He pondered, "Don't act rashly. Let's wait and see."
It was inconvenient to go deeper into the topic at this point, so Gu Yuexuan turned her attention to the cabbages piled up like a mountain in front of her.
She bought all these cabbages yesterday by visiting villagers' homes in person. There were 200 kilograms in total, but she only spent the equivalent of 10 kilograms of pork.
The old lady was puzzled by her buying so many cabbages at once, and said in a heavy tone, "There are only a limited number of people in the family. Isn't it a waste to buy so many at once?"
Aren’t you afraid that you won’t be able to finish the food and it will all be wasted?
Gu Yuexuan's eyes fell on Tu Suminxu's hands holding the cabbage, gritting his teeth to suppress a smile. She coughed lightly and explained, "Grandma, these are not all for immediate consumption."
She pointed to the dark clouds in the sky and continued, "I heard from the village elders that this weather indicates the accumulation of snow clouds, and a heavy snowfall is coming soon. We must store our vegetables in the cellar before the snow falls, otherwise we will have trouble enjoying fresh green leafy vegetables once the snow starts."
In Fangling Village, almost every household has a cellar for storing vegetables. Gu Yuexuan had already started urging her family to clean out the backyard cellar a few days ago. Once the cabbages were properly sorted, they could be moved into the cellar one by one for future use.
The old grandfather had fought on the battlefields of the outer world in his youth and had witnessed the mysteries of the cellar firsthand. Seeing the old lady about to burst into even stronger discontent, the old grandfather quickly took over the conversation, saying in a calm tone, "Indeed, it should be so."
"I see that every household in the village is storing food, so we should also prepare some."
"Did you only buy Chinese cabbage?"
"There are still a lot of radishes, but we have to wait until tomorrow to go to other people's fields to pick them."
Although the vegetables in the village are cheap, in order to get them, you have to go to the fields and work hard.
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