Chapter 246 Expansion
Two days later, after my careful care, the bean sprouts grew vigorously.
They grew lushly in the bamboo basket, with each bean sprout reaching over ten centimeters in length. It was time to start cultivating this pot of bean sprouts.
I don't like eating the root, so I cut it off above the root and rinsed it twice in clean water.
The remaining bean sprout roots were pulled out and placed in the rabbit pen. Several half-grown rabbits chewed on the bean sprout roots, their mouths bulging, looking like they were enjoying their meal.
Cut some pork into strips and stir-fry in hot oil until the pork changes color. Then, throw in a handful of bean sprouts and stir-fry together.
Steam rose from the pot, and the bean sprouts became softer and softer as they were stir-fried. What started as a large pot was reduced to just a small plate in the end.
Add various seasonings, and a generous amount of aged vinegar, and the spicy and sour stir-fried shredded pork with bean sprouts is ready to serve.
Take out the cornbread buns that are warming in the iron pot, break them in half, and you'll find shredded meat and bean sprouts sandwiched inside. Take a bite and you'll experience a refreshing sour and spicy flavor, with a crunchy texture that's delicious and not greasy.
A few days later, winter had fully arrived, and when I went to the platform again to look at that courtyard with binoculars, no one was there anymore.
Perhaps they are not in a hurry to move here, but just want to take advantage of the off-season to tidy up.
We've been raising more and more rabbits at home, and we can't eat them all.
We currently have around 50 rabbits, and the enclosure is really too crowded. I plan to expand it while the weather is still relatively cool.
Since the pigsty is located inside the threshing ground, and expansion to other areas is blocked by mountains and walls, it can only continue to encroach on the area of the threshing ground.
Use a small stick to mark out the area to be built on the ground.
The original pigsty had three areas. I plan to raise only pigs and sheep, and expand it with new rabbit pens and chicken pens so that all the animals can have plenty of space.
Building it once is a lot of trouble, so this time we need to build a larger area to avoid having to make changes and expand it again later.
The threshing ground was marked out with wooden sticks, a passageway was left at the entrance, and the remaining space was divided into three areas.
After planning the layout, red bricks were moved from outside the courtyard.
These red bricks were sent by Taozi earlier. He said he had collected quite a few more red bricks in town and was sending me some in case I needed them.
This is exactly what I need now.
They took a bundle of straw and mixed it with mud and sand, layering red bricks and mud and sand, and started building the rabbit pen.
The layout this time is similar to the previous pigsty, with half open and half covered.
This area is a bit large, so it needs a few more roof beams for support.
I pulled a cart with a chainsaw up the mountain to find suitable timber. I finally selected eight thick and straight trees, sawed them, and hauled them home in one go.
Following the diagrams in the book, we carefully installed the roof beams, but we didn't use all eight prepared beams; we only used six.
The rest is fine too; we can keep them for later use.
Although the level of formality is almost the same as building a house, the circle I built is still a bit smaller, not as tall as a house, otherwise it would be impossible for one person to complete it.
It took 10 days to finally complete this new rabbit hutch.
There were still quite a few wooden planks left in the west wing. I took out a batch of large planks and prepared to make a few new chicken coops and rabbit burrows, following the shape of the previous rabbit and chicken cages.
Since we've replaced the chicken coop and rabbit pen with new ones, we should also replace the burlap sack with a new one.
There's no rush to make the new cages; the newly built enclosures need to air out to release some moisture.
In the morning, I take the sheep, chickens, and ducks out for some fresh air. Around noon, when the temperature is high and the sun is out, I put them in cages in the yard.
It took me eight days to finish, following my own leisurely pace.
By this time, the newly brought chicken coop had almost dried out.
Place the cage in the corner, add some straw inside, and you have a soft chicken coop or rabbit burrow.
The three-sided enclosed space, with soft straw underneath, not only provides a sense of security and comfort but also keeps you warm.
Finally, the flocks of chickens, ducks, and rabbits were moved into the new pen.
Not only do chickens, ducks, and rabbits live comfortably, but sheep can also have a whole large sheepfold.
After working hard for half a month, I looked at myself in the mirror and found that I had lost a lot of weight.
I walked to the west side of the kitchen, squatted down and shook the earthenware jar for brewing vinegar. The liquid inside was grayish-brown, and it looked like it had fermented almost completely.
The book states that it can be eaten after fermenting for half a month.
Based on the time it took to make the vinegar, it has already been more than half a month.
I lifted the lid and took a closer sniff; it was indeed very sour, so it seemed to be fermenting almost completely.
Use a clean, dry spoon to scoop up a little bit and put it into a bowl.
There are still a dozen or so frozen dumplings left in the refrigerator. Boil the water and cook them.
I dipped the plump white dumplings in a little homemade aged vinegar and tentatively put them in my mouth.
After carefully chewing and savoring it, I nodded in satisfaction.
This vinegar has a very fragrant aroma with a hint of sweetness. Although it tastes somewhat different from the aged vinegar I bought, it's still delicious and has a unique flavor.
I was very satisfied and ate all the dumplings, dipping them in homemade aged vinegar.
I'll never have to worry about not having enough aged vinegar again.
Before we could even put the bowls and chopsticks down from the table, the satellite phone rang.
Satellite phones can only be made from Baizhen Base or Xiong Ying Base, so anyone calling me must be someone I know.
I answered the phone with lightning speed.
It was Taozi on the other end of the phone.
"Sis, do you remember when you asked me to keep an eye out for that little donkey? Brother Wang's donkey had a calf a while ago, and it's all grown up now. If you want it, hurry up and come and exchange it, or someone else will snatch it up in a while."
I've always wanted to raise a donkey, and finally, my dream has come true.
"Yes, I want it."
I quickly agreed.
What do you need to change a donkey?
However, I don't know what I can use to trade for this donkey. Donkeys are very valuable nowadays; they can plow fields and pull carts.
"Hmm... I'll go and find out for you, and I'll call you back in a bit."
I clipped the heavy satellite phone to my waist and kept it with me while cleaning, in case I missed a call.
About half an hour later, Taozi finally called and said that Brother Wang's family needed live poultry, chickens, ducks, or rabbits, all of them, and they needed 20 adult ones.
In addition, you need 10 packets of salt or sugar. If you can't get salt or sugar, you need 10 bags of grain.
I was shocked when I heard that; this donkey was really too expensive.
One donkey was worth 20 chickens, ducks, and rabbits.
Moreover, they were determined to get salt or sugar; a bag of salt was equivalent to a bag of grain.
However, upon closer examination, it makes sense. After all, a donkey only gives birth to one offspring at a time, the cycle is relatively long, and reproduction is slow, so having more is not a problem.
I agreed and said I would bring the things over in the afternoon.
We happened to have a wire cage at home, so we caught 5 chickens, 5 ducks, and 10 rabbits from the chicken coop and rabbit pen.
With a wider variety, Brother Wang will like to take more. If we share some among the family members, we won't be too short of food.
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