Chapter 212 Greenhouse Vegetables
The greenhouse is very long; I couldn't even see the end of it from the entrance.
The two people managing the greenhouse were squatting in the middle weeding when they saw someone come in. One of them stood up and walked towards the door.
"The base commander asked me to bring her here to get some vegetables."
Before the man could even get close, Taozi spoke first.
The greenhouse manager asked in a businesslike manner, "Okay! How many vegetables do you want? Do you have a slip of paper?"
A police officer? You need something like that?
Oh no, the base commander forgot to give it to me.
While I was still fretting about this, Taozi actually pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket.
The note clearly displayed six large characters: "As much as you want, I'll give you."
That's really direct.
Upon seeing these large characters, the managers frowned and gasped: "It's like the sun has risen in the west! When has our base commander ever been so generous? Could it be that this young lady saved his life?"
Taozi laughed heartily: "You're late. This girl really did save our base commander's life, and she saved the entire base as well."
The managers immediately lost their previous businesslike demeanor and became friendly and approachable.
"Oh dear, why didn't you say so earlier? Girl, hurry up and come inside, let's see what dishes you want."
I smiled and nodded sheepishly. Taozi was exaggerating a bit; I felt a little guilty using this savior persona.
The vegetables in the greenhouse are well cared for; the temperature and humidity are just right, and there's even a row of supplemental lights. It seems the base manager has really gone all out.
This large greenhouse doesn't have a wide variety of vegetables, but the quantity is huge. It seems that the farm's original intention was to ensure that everyone could eat fresh vegetables.
This shed contains cabbage, radish, celery, garland chrysanthemum, and spinach.
Each type of vegetable took up a large area; some areas were sparse, indicating that a crop had just been harvested, while others were very lush.
"No need for cabbage and radish, but give me 5 catties each of celery, garland chrysanthemum, and spinach."
We still have plenty of cabbage and radishes at home, and we're getting tired of eating them. Let's get some fresh leafy greens so we can have hot pot with Mancang when we get back. They're also delicious stir-fried.
Looking at the lush, tender vegetables covering the ground, I couldn't help but drool.
"Surge now?"
The manager gestured with a sickle, indicating that he needed to squat down to start harvesting the vegetables.
"I'm not leaving until tomorrow, how about tomorrow morning?"
"Oh, why are you in such a hurry if you're leaving tomorrow? I'll get it for you tomorrow morning, so it'll stay fresh for another day when you take it back."
After agreeing on the vegetables with this greenhouse, Taozi and I headed straight for the second greenhouse.
The second greenhouse is planted with eggplants, peppers, potatoes, sweet potatoes, and cucumbers.
We don't need potatoes and sweet potatoes, but we ordered 5 jin of eggplant, 5 jin of peppers, and 3 jin of cucumbers, which we'll pick up tomorrow morning.
My heart is already bubbling with happiness. I can't even imagine how wonderful it would be to take these fresh vegetables home and cook them into a delicious stir-fry.
Entering the greenhouse is like opening a blind box; you only find out what kind of vegetables are inside once you're inside.
As soon as I entered the third greenhouse, the manager was standing at the entrance. Upon closer inspection, I realized it was Brother Liu.
Brother Liu was very enthusiastic: "Hey, isn't this the girl! It's freezing cold, how did you get here?"
I smiled and replied, "I came with Brother Liu's car, and I'm here to get some fresh vegetables."
"That's great! Did you tell the base commander? I'll secretly get you a little extra, but don't tell him."
Brother Liu's voice grew softer and softer, and when he mentioned secretly giving me extra food towards the end, it was almost inaudible.
Taozi grabbed Liu Erge's arm and pulled us apart.
"The base commander said my sister can put on whatever she wants, so there's no need for you to secretly make more, second brother."
Taozi was being sarcastic today, but luckily Brother Liu was easygoing and didn't take it to heart.
"Let's go, let's see what dishes we want."
I followed Brother Liu forward, and Mancang, who was standing behind me, finally showed his face.
Brother Liu turned around to talk to me, and just then he saw this little radish head. He was startled: "This! You gave birth to him? Oh my god, Taozi must be heartbroken!"
I'm tired. I've already explained that I'm tired.
If an older single woman has a child, people will automatically assume that the child was born to me.
“My name is Mancang. I am Aunt Cheng’s little brother. Aunt Cheng takes care of my food, sleep and literacy. I help Aunt Cheng with cooking and chopping wood.”
Mancang's clear voice rang out, his logic impeccable.
Upon hearing Mancang's words, Liu Erge exclaimed in surprise, "My goodness, she's so shrewd! Mancang, don't go back with your Aunt Cheng, come live with me, okay?"
Although Brother Liu was a bit simple-minded, he still didn't forget to tease the children.
Mancang shook his head, pursing his lips tightly: "That won't do. If I leave, no one will light the fire for Aunt Cheng, and she won't be able to stay in bed."
Brother Liu was amused by Mancang and burst into laughter: "Hahaha, this little thing."
But I feel that Mancang is much smarter than Liu Erge.
After waiting for so long, we finally turned the topic to vegetables.
The last shed had a lot of good stuff: zucchini growing densely, as well as tomatoes, green beans, and broccoli.
It just so happens that Brother Liu is in charge, so this has turned into a buffet for me.
I bought broccoli seeds before, but I don't know how to grow them, so I haven't eaten them for many years.
I made an appointment with Brother Liu for 10 zucchini, 10 tomatoes, and 8 large broccoli, to be picked up tomorrow morning.
This trip was worthwhile. Fresh vegetables are extremely precious during the coldest period of winter. We traded four rabbits for so many, purely out of respect for the base manager.
However, my rabbits have a high reproductive rate, and for the farm manager, four rabbits might bring in even greater profits.
Having reassured himself in this way, he walked towards Brother Liu's house with a clear conscience.
As soon as I arrived at the courtyard, before even entering the room, I could smell the aroma of farm-style stew cooked in a large pot.
It's just like the smell I smelled when I first entered my grandma's house after playing outside all day as a child, right after the sky had turned gray.
I can even guess what we're having for dinner from the aroma. There's green beans and braised pork stewing in the pot, and the pot is covered with a rim. It smells amazing.
"Aunt Cheng, it smells delicious! Is it time to eat?"
Mancang took a deep breath of the fragrance in the air and asked me like a little glutton.
"Yes, it's time to eat. Come in quickly."
I pushed the cart full of food into the house, and the aroma became even stronger as soon as I entered.
Aunt Liu, wearing an apron, was setting bowls and chopsticks on the table.
"You're finally back. The food's ready, come and eat."
As soon as Aunt Liu saw me enter the room, she quickened her pace.
Mancang stood in front of the stove and skillfully gathered the scattered firewood together.
"Aunt Liu, let me help you."
"What a thoughtful baby! Let's eat first, and then we can do the work later."
Seeing Man Cang working so hard, Aunt Liu was overjoyed.
She lifted the lid of the pot, and a delicious aroma wafted out.
The pot contained cured pork stewed with dried green beans, and sure enough, there was a buckwheat noodle pan stuck to the side of the pot.
I've made this dish before, and it was delicious, but I always feel that Aunt Liu's dishes smell better.
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