"It's true what they say, 'People die for money, birds die for food...'"
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What right do you have to call me fat? Have you ever treated me to a meal or even just soup? Think about it...
The quirky ringtone started ringing again, interrupting Xu Milu's train of thought.
"Hey? Rice? Could you go to the yard and feed the dog and chickens? I need to get an IV drip this afternoon. The key is on the coffee table in the living room. If you don't see it, look for it in Xiaomi's room."
Liu Hongmei's strong voice came over.
"No, it's on the coffee table. Have you eaten yet?"
Xu Milu found the key, casually stuffed the plastic bag of black grass into her pocket, and went straight out the door.
Her husband, Ms. Liu Hongmei, had done all sorts of jobs in her early years: cosmetics salesperson, hairdresser, kindergarten teacher, and even roasting sweet potatoes on the roadside. She eventually stopped because the city restricted the use of carbon-based vehicles and she couldn't buy carbon.
Ms. Liu Hongmei is not only experienced, but also has a unique vision. In 2001, when others had not yet realized the terrifying rise in housing prices that would follow, Ms. Liu Hongmei asked someone to buy a small house with a yard in the suburbs.
Although it is an earthquake-resistant house, it is conveniently located and has fresh air.
Most importantly, Liu Hongmei borrowed 40,000 yuan to buy this house with a yard that year, and most of the vegetables in the breakfast shop were grown by Liu Hongmei herself.
In her words, "Vegetables that haven't been sprayed with pesticides are absolutely safe for customers to eat."
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...
"Woof woof woof, woof woof woof, woof woof woof!!"
"Woof woof woof!! Woof woof woof!!!"
Even from a distance, Xu Milu could hear a dog barking wildly.
She pushed open the iron gate to the yard and, sure enough, saw a ferocious-looking dog barking wildly at her. If it hadn't been chained, it probably would have charged at her already.
"Kaka, stop barking! It's me, you stupid dog!"
Xu Milu locked the door, went straight into the house, filled Kaka's food bowl, brought over the bucket from the corner of the kitchen, filled Kaka's special water bucket with water, and then patted Kaka's head.
It's the height of summer, but there's not a trace of heat in the yard.
As soon as you enter, the lush green pumpkin vines climb the trellis, blocking most of the summer heat out of the yard.
Beside the pumpkin trellis, a plum tree stands tall and proud, its emerald green plums hidden among the leaves, tempting one to lift the leaves and explore.
The vegetable plots, divided into rows, are arranged in an orderly fashion, with each type of seedling—soybean, pea, or chili pepper—occupying its own plot.
The young bok choy, chives, and romaine lettuce, these leafy greens that have already grown, show signs of having been harvested several times.
Slender cowpeas hang from the trellis, cucumbers with blossoms at the tips are covered in thorns, yet their tenderness is evident, and plump, half-green tomatoes are hidden among the trellises, evoking only a sense of joyful harvest...
A rabbit cage stood in the corner next to the chicken coop, while the big dog Kaka lay under the walnut tree in the corner, its thick tail swishing back and forth, its tongue lolling out as it licked the water in the bucket intermittently.
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This big dog was picked up by Xu Milu when she was a child. No one knows what breed it is. People who have seen it say that it is a mix of Tibetan Mastiff and other dogs and is not worth much money.
Don't let its fierce appearance fool you; it's actually quite silly. It only looks scary, but it's actually more timid than a rabbit. Even a chicken can scare it so much that it hides behind Xu Milu and howls loudly.
"Clang—clang—"
Kaka grumbled and complained as he ate, seemingly annoyed that Xu Milu hadn't come home for so long. He barked twice more before burying his head in his food.
A few fluttering sounds came from the chicken coop. Xu Milu fed the chickens and rabbits one by one and added water. She then found a pair of pigeons huddled in the corner of the cage. She couldn't help but roll her eyes. Ms. Liu Hongmei really couldn't stay idle for a moment.
After Xu Milu turned on the water pump and thoroughly watered the vegetable garden in the yard, she finally felt her stomach rumbling.
She was too tired to move, so she simply picked a big tomato from the ground, rinsed it briefly with water from the jar, and took a bite.
Nowadays, very few people like to eat raw tomatoes and cucumbers, probably because vegetables treated with hormones and ripening agents in the market just don't taste very good.
When she was in school, Xu Milu bought tomatoes once. They looked ripe and tempting red on the surface, but when she bit into one, it was not only dry and without any juice, but also had a strange sour taste.
Ms. Liu grows the most common kind of tomatoes, but from sowing to harvesting, she uses only chicken and rabbit manure compost. Even the watering is done with sweet groundwater pumped by a water pump. The taste is completely different from those grown with chemical fertilizers.
One bite and your mouth is instantly filled with abundant tomato juice, sweet and sour. You have to suck the juice as you eat, otherwise it will drip all over you. It's also delicious in a cold salad; just add a little bit of sugar and it will be sweet to your heart.
"Hmm?"
While looking for paper to wipe her hands, the bag of black grass leaves in Xu Milu's pocket fell out. She wiped her hands, found a pair of plastic gloves in the kitchen, and carefully opened the plastic bag.
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