Chapter 16 Keep a Low Profile
"We have a vegetable garden at home too!"
"It's finally finished!"
Zhao Lixiang was also happy beside him: "Sister, Dad, can we plant some vegetables quickly? I want to pick some leaves to feed the chickens!"
Zhao Lin: "Yeah, yeah, I want to too!" He thought for a moment and said, "I can also help grow vegetables."
Zhao Lixiang: "I can do it too!"
Everyone laughed.
Zhao Liya rubbed Zhao Lixiang's little head. The two little siblings were really funny. When she and Aunt Eleven went into the house to have some tea and rest, the two little guys actually slipped out of the yard. They were not even as tall as the hoe when they stood up, but they tried to dig the ground with the hoe and almost fell to the ground, making her and Aunt Eleven come out and see them in a state of laughter and tears.
Zhao Liya asked Aunt Li Shiyi with a smile: "Aunt Li Shiyi, what vegetables are suitable to grow at this time of year?"
Aunt Li Shiyi really wanted to say that it was actually not suitable for sowing, and that the crops would not grow well even if she planted them.
She thought for a moment and said, "How about growing some eggplants, beans, cucumbers, peppers, and corn? Chives and green onions are no problem!"
Zhao Liya nodded and smiled: "Okay, let's give it a try. I also want to build a rack in the corner and grow some pumpkins, winter melons, and loofahs."
Aunt Li Shiyi: "Hey, this is not bad either!"
Hu Ling: "Tomorrow I'll go cut some wood and bamboo to build the scaffolding."
Zhao Liya said hurriedly, "Don't worry, brother. It'll take a while for the melon seedlings to grow and climb the trellis. Let's plant other seeds first. I'll go up the mountain with you in a couple of days. Aren't there a lot of wild bamboo shoots and various wild mushrooms at this time of year? It's perfect to find some to cook. There are also wild vegetables like dandelions. I think we can still find some tender ones, right?"
Their family’s current external image is that they “drained their savings to build a house”, so they can no longer spend money on vegetables, which would be too conspicuous.
You need a reason to "get money" before you can buy land to farm or do business.
What better way to launder money than to find treasure in the mountains?
As a family of exiles, they could not buy land and could only reclaim wasteland and cultivate crops on their own within the boundaries of Yan Village. The reclaimed land could not be traded.
But this is easy to solve, isn't there Hu Ling? He is a good citizen with a clean record.
Aunt Li Shiyi said hurriedly, "There are indeed a lot of bamboo shoots and mushrooms at this time of year, but the wild vegetables are old. I'll go with you. I know everything about the mountains!"
Zhao Liya smiled and nodded: "It's even better to have Aunt Eleven leading us. Thank you, Aunt Eleven!"
"Hey, you're welcome."
Zhao Xiang was about to speak, but Zhao Liya hurriedly said, "Dad, you and mom should stay home with Xiang'er and Lin'er, and do the ritual while you're at it."
Zhao Xiang had no choice but to nod: "That's fine, you guys should be careful when you go up the mountain."
It is true that he cannot leave his wife and two children at home alone. His wife is too weak. If anyone causes trouble, the three of them will suffer.
After a few words, everyone made plans for tomorrow and started sowing.
They are all spot-seeding. Dig a small hole in each vegetable patch, sprinkle a few seeds, and then plant them next to each other.
Water a little while planting.
The vegetable garden is about one and a half acres, and a small area is reserved in the corner to build a melon shed. At the end of the day, all the seeds have been sown.
In the evening, Zhao Liya specially asked for some leeks and green onions from Widow Qu's family, dug them up from her vegetable garden and planted them directly.
It won't be long before more will grow, and there will be another crop after one is cut.
Widow Qu gave it to her generously and personally took her to the vegetable garden to dig it.
After a slight hesitation, Widow Qu quietly reminded Zhao Liya: "Aya, the people in the Gu family are not easy to deal with. They hold grudges! You still have to be more careful on weekdays. You never know when they will come to you. Do you understand what I mean?"
Zhao Liya thought to herself, you’ve explained it so clearly, of course I understand.
She nodded: "Aunt Qu, thank you! Don't worry, I will never tell anyone about these words you kindly reminded me, not even my parents."
"Hey, you kid!" Aunt Qu smiled a little embarrassedly, but her heart felt much more at ease.
If she didn't really have a good impression of the Zhao family, and if Zhao Liya wasn't so sweet-talking, and if she didn't buy a lot of vegetables from their family when they were building the house, and gave more money than she gave to others, Widow Qu would never have said these things to Zhao Liya.
Zhao Liya's words put her mind at ease. After thinking about it, she couldn't help but tell Zhao Liya a lot of weird things that the Gu family had done in the past.
Zhao Liya's mouth twitched when she heard this, and she thought to herself that it was a good thing that she had a good brother like her. Next year, when she bought land, she would definitely move a little further away from Yan Village.
The weather was very good during this period. At dawn the next day, they ate the leftover rice from last night and fried eggs and cabbage for breakfast. Then Zhao Liya, Hu Ling and Aunt Li Shiyi went out with axes, backpacks and sacks.
Yancun and a large area around it are flat land and slightly undulating hills, but the wild forests are still lush. The grass and trees in the south are not only diverse in variety, but also tall, and many wild grasses are taller than people.
They walked quite a distance, and it took them almost an hour to stop.
It is difficult to find wild mushrooms nearby because they have all been found. You have to go further away.
Aunt Li Shiyi was more experienced. She saw a fir forest in the distance and took them there.
"The fir forest has the most wild mushrooms. Let's go look for them!"
"Okay, Aunt Eleven."
They arrived just in time, when a batch of fir mushrooms and red mushrooms were growing to the perfect size and were perfect for picking.
If you come two days earlier or later, you probably won't be able to see him.
Aunt Li Shiyi was overjoyed. "We must have picked at least thirty or fifty kilograms of mushrooms, right? It's rare to see so many mushrooms! You must be lucky!"
Zhao Liya and Hu Ling both laughed, and Hu Ling said, "Aya is lucky!"
Zhao Liya smiled and said, "Let's pick them all and take them back. If we can't finish them, we can dry them in the sun. When Aunt Eleven goes back, she can bring some back to try."
Aunt Li Shiyi was even happier after hearing this and cheerfully declined, "No, no, I'm not really helping you much by living here. You have so many delicious foods every day. I'm embarrassed. How can I take any of them away?"
"I want it, I want it. Let's keep it to ourselves. Whoever sees it gets a share!"
"Hey you kid!"
Zhao Liya smiled again and said, "But Aunt Eleven, please don't be anxious to go back. With you here, our house is more lively. We all hope you can stay longer."
Aunt Li Shiyi burst into laughter. "If you don't mind, I can stay as long as you want!"
"Don't mind, don't mind! We can't wait to welcome you!"
Another burst of hearty laughter.
The three of them moved quickly and picked up a lot of things.
The main problem is that these fir and red mushrooms grow in large patches, and they only take three or four days from the time they emerge to the time they become old and rotten. Either you are lucky enough to pick them, or they all go bad.
(End of this chapter)
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