Chapter 20 Nai Li
Zhao Xuan still decided to spray pesticides on the crops.
Strictly speaking, neither she nor Lu An had any experience in planting crops themselves. That's why she was amazed at how many pests appeared in crops grown without pesticides. Not to mention the rice that was just starting to head, even the vegetables in the vegetable garden were eaten by insects first, leaving them scarred before they were picked and eaten. Cabbage and bok choy were the insects' favorites. The tender leaves could turn into delicate paper-cut window decorations in just a few days. Compared to the lush weeds that the insects never visited, Zhao Xuan was furious.
Vegetables grow continuously, but rice does not.
After discussing it with Lu An, Zhao Xuan finally decided to spray pesticides on the rice. The pesticides were just a few bottles of different colors that he had scavenged from the farmers' market in Taiping Town.
The two studied the jars for a long time, and then frowned and pondered for a long time.
—The instructions for pesticides are very clear: ingredients, effects, and methods of use.
But what are aphids? What do spider mites look like? What kind of insects are hemiptera? What's the difference between fungicides and acaricides?
Zhao Xuan saw confusion in Lu An's eyes, and Lu An saw helplessness on Zhao Xuan's face.
In the end, Lu An waved his hand and made a bold decision without holding back: "Then let's fight them all!"
The process of spraying pesticides is relatively simple. Dilute the pesticides according to the ratio, and then Lu An puts on long sleeves, trousers, a mask, and gloves, carries the sprayer on his back, and sprays the rice.
The Yao family next door looked on curiously and came over to ask them what they were making.
Zhao Xuan replied nonchalantly: "Pesticides that expired two years ago!"
A faint, foul odor lingered in the air—the smell of pesticides. To prevent accidental ingestion, even colorless and odorless pesticides are sometimes mixed with an unpleasant stench.
Spraying pesticides doesn't require much effort, but the work quickly left Lu An drenched in sweat. After spraying the pesticide, the clothes she took off were soaked with water. Zhao Xuan carried a small basket on her back and stuffed Lu An's clothes into it, planning to go upstream to rinse them first.
Even with his shirt off, Lu An insisted on going.
It was still that same stone staircase used specifically for washing clothes, with thousands of willow branches hanging down beside it, soft and gentle, covered in a deep, lush green.
Zhao Xuan was swinging his clothes, and Lu An was squatting beside him watching. He picked two willow twigs, twisted them around to make a grass ring, and put it on his head.
The insects are most venomous this season. They are tiny, shiny black insects, only the size of sesame seeds. They fly silently and are even harder to spot than mosquitoes. Lu An had to stay still for a moment before he was bitten several times.
Zhao Xuan glanced at him and said, "You should go home. There are no other girls here, so showing off your muscles won't do you any good."
Over the past few months, Lu An has noticeably become more muscular. He's gotten a bit tanned, but he's gained a lot of muscle in his arms and body, and since he's already tall, some of his muscles look even more proportionate and attractive.
Zhao Xuan herself has also gained some weight. Long-term farm work has also made her much stronger, but she hasn't developed the kind of nice muscles that Lu An has.
Compared to their previous days as homeless people, both she and Lu An were much healthier. For the past six months, they had maintained a light diet and a regular lifestyle, so little fat that they couldn't even afford a pimple on their faces. Lu An had become even more beautiful, a healthy beauty radiating from within. As for Zhao Xuan herself, she secretly glanced at her reflection in the water and sincerely exclaimed: "Hehe, I'm beautiful too..."
Because of the power line installation, Lu An and his companion became increasingly familiar with the Yao family. They met not only during the free afternoons but also when patrolling the fields in the early morning. At these times, Yao Yuan would copy down some problems he encountered in an old notebook and discuss them with Lu An in a shady place. Sometimes Yao Yuan would also chat about everyday matters. Later, Zhao Xuan even traded six newly hatched chicks with Yao Yuan for a bottle of soy sauce and a bottle of vinegar.
The soy sauce and vinegar were brought back by the Yao family from their camp. The stock was running low, but Yao Yuan said that his family planted a lot of soybeans this year, so they could make their own soy sauce next year.
Zhao Xuan didn't plant many soybeans. Her original plan was to just plant a few and grind them into soybean powder to eat with glutinous rice cakes.
Perhaps her eyes were too sharp, for Yao Yuan noticed something amiss and said, "When the sauce is ready, I'll share half with you."
A few days later, the rice in Zhao Xuan's field had filled out, and she and Lu An prepared to drain the excess water from the field so that the rice could ripen to a golden color. Just then, the Yao family came to their door, wanting to make plans for entering Taiping Town.
That day, Yao Yuan rode a small tricycle with his wife and children on it and knocked on their door.
Zhang Xiaohe was holding a bulging cloth bundle in her arms. Yao Yuan stopped the tricycle, took the bundle from her arms, helped her down with his other hand, and then scooped up the dog and carried it off the vehicle as well.
460 was already very familiar with the Yao family, but its thinking was strange. Even though it knew that the Yao family was not in danger, it still ignored them. In the past, when it saw them, it would just glance at them and then continue to doze off.
The dog thinks 460 is very smart and has its own preferences, which makes it impossible for him to understand why Zhao Xuan said 460 is a stupid dog.
The dog really likes 460 and always wants to pet it whenever it sees it. 460 lets the dog pet it, but it's indifferent.
Lu An explained that 460's indifference is not a sign of being an indifferent dog, nor does it mean that it is a smart dog with its own preferences. Rather, it is a sign of poor acceptance. Just wait and see, in a few months, its brain will be able to process signals, and it will start to like dogs.
After all, the name 460 wasn't given for nothing.
The trip to Taiping Town would take quite a while. If all of them went, they could neglect the crops for a few days, but they couldn't leave the cattle and sheep at home unfed. After thinking it over, Yao Yuan and Zhang Xiaohe decided to leave the dog behind to herd the sheep and feed the pigs.
Zhao Xuan glanced at the small figure, who was squatting in front of 460, carefully pinching its soft ears.
"Sister Xiaohe, how can a little dog do all these things?"
“He can do it,” Zhang Xiaohe’s voice remained gentle. “He’s raised pigs in the camp before, he’s seen them, he knows the pig feed, and he knows how to cook it. There are a few ponds near your village with water hyacinths in them, I’ve had Gougou check them out. He lets the sheep graze every morning, and then comes over in the afternoon to collect pig feed to feed the pigs, and he can also take care of your chickens while he’s at it. It’s just…” She was a little embarrassed: “I heard from Yao Yuan that you feed them twice a day, Gougou can’t feed them all, but you could ask him to feed them a little more at each meal, it wouldn’t be good for your pigs to lose weight these days.” As she spoke, she beckoned to Gougou: “Gougou, come here.”
The child ran over and stood obediently beside Zhang Xiaohe.
Zhang Xiaohe tugged at his sleeve and said to Zhao Xuan, "If you need anything from him, just tell him first."
Zhao Xuan was a little embarrassed to trouble a child, but Lu An asked him some questions about whether he could fetch water and cook, and then left the 460 with him.
The dog hopped and skipped off to play with 460 again.
Lu An and Yao Yuan discussed the weight and size of the supplies they would be searching for, including the type and capacity of the tricycles they would need. Based on their experience from their previous trip to Taiping Town, transporting items like generators and power lines shouldn't be difficult. Lu An and Zhao Xuan didn't need their help with transportation; on the contrary, they could gather some supplies they needed themselves.
The Yao family was very polite and offered to cover all the food for Lu An and Zhao Xuan along the way.
Zhang Xiaohe asked, "Would you like some flatbread? I still have some flour left. I'll wrap some dried plum vegetables in it and make some baked flatbread for you." She's from the north and is good at making wheat-based foods. Baked flatbread has less moisture, and with the hot weather, it won't spoil easily even after several days.
Lu An wasn't picky about food and readily agreed. Zhao Xuan, however, pulled out two large strips of frozen meat, mostly fat with little lean, saying he'd add them to the pancakes; it would definitely taste better. They weren't lacking in meat these days; firstly, they had most of a pork carcass, and secondly, they had chicken and eggs. The journey to and from Taiping Town was too strenuous; they definitely couldn't do without meat.
Zhang Xiaohe accepted it with a smile without hesitation.
After seeing the Yao family off, Zhao Xuan opened the large cloth bundle left behind by the Yao family and saw that it was full of dozens of Naili plums.
The yellowish-green plum is smaller than a girl's fist and looks a bit like a peach. When it is not ripe, the fruit is light green, sour and hard. When it is ripe, it turns yellow, sweet and the flesh is soft. However, people who like to eat plums usually eat them when the fruit turns from green to yellow, when it is sweet and sour and tastes the best.
Zhao Xuan remembers that when she was a child, her maternal grandmother's house in the countryside sold a lot of this kind of fruit. Her grandmother called it Nai Guo, which is a similar name. However, she didn't like it very much because she didn't like sour food.
She picked out a few yellowish plums, washed off the white bloom with water, and then called Lu An to eat them. No need to peel them, just bite into them directly.
It has a sweet and sour taste, and the flesh is crisp. The taste is not particularly amazing, but one bite is very satisfying.
Sure enough, the reason I was so picky about food back then was because there were just too many food options available.
The two ate two pieces of fruit together, then clapped their hands and began preparing their luggage for tomorrow's journey. Lu An went to apply lubricant to the two tricycles. The electric tricycle they had painstakingly salvaged from the village couldn't be repaired, so they had to abandon their idea of riding an electric tricycle. In fact, the electric tricycles weren't powerful enough for a round trip from Taiping Town, but they would save a lot of effort if they could use them to transport grain or fetch water.
Lu An felt there was plenty of time, and perhaps he could find a usable electric tricycle in Taiping Town.
After inspecting the tricycle, Lu An planned to gather some more pig feed to give the four half-grown piglets an extra meal, and also clean up the pig manure. Zhao Xuan took out the clothes he needed to change into over the next few days. Summer was not as good as winter; after sweating profusely in the heat, the smell would ferment on his skin for a day and become unpleasant. Fortunately, the clothes were light and thin. He also needed to take an axe, rope, crowbar, raincoat, sun hat, as well as some cooling balm for mosquito repellent and some mugwort sticks he had made himself.
Finally, she took out two empty 5-liter plastic cooking oil containers. She had already washed the containers beforehand, filled them with cooled boiled water, and tightened the caps to use as drinking water for the next few days. After thinking for a moment, she also boiled a dozen or so eggs and brought some salt with her.
Although there was a lot of stuff, it didn't take up much space in the back of the tricycle after being organized. Before we knew it, it was already past five o'clock, and Lu An still hadn't returned. 460 went out with him but didn't see him at all.
Zhao Xuan was covered in sweat. He went to the hall, poured himself a large glass of cold tea, and drank it down in one gulp, feeling thoroughly refreshed. Although it was already late, the sun had not yet set. The days were getting longer each day, but Zhao Xuan felt that he had less and less time to work, probably because he couldn't go out during the hottest part of the afternoon.
After collecting the clothes that had already developed a slightly burnt aroma from drying in the sun, Zhao Xuan returned to the kitchen to start a fire and cook. The rice, enough for the whole day, had been prepared early that morning and was still warm in a large earthenware pot, even though the fire had been turned off long ago. In the vegetable basket beside him were eggplants and green peppers he had picked that morning. The eggplants were small and thin, with a few wormholes. Zhao Xuan picked out a few edible pieces, planning to make a green pepper and eggplant salad. He also cut a small piece of smoked meat from under the eaves, washed it with rice water, sliced it thinly, and slowly pan-fried it in a hot pan. No extra oil was needed; the fat would naturally render out as it heated up. He patiently stir-fried it over low heat until the meat became fragrant and crispy, then it was ready to serve. Since it was already salty and spicy, no other seasonings were needed; the method was extremely simple.
With the arrival of summer, Zhao Xuan no longer enjoys cooking complicated dishes. It's too hot sitting near the stove; she'll break into a sweat in no time. So she prefers to make cold dishes or pickled dishes, which are also more appetizing. Zhao Xuan doesn't have much of an appetite in the hot weather, but she still forces herself to eat three meals a day on time. A regular schedule helps her stay healthy.
Lu An enjoys cooking, but Zhao Xuan always feels she has a better talent for it, so she usually does the cooking. The two of them have developed a great understanding: whoever is free does the farm work and housework, and whoever is more skilled does it. Of course, if Zhao Xuan doesn't want to do it, Lu An can do it too; he has always been a very easy-going and easy-going person.
After quickly preparing dinner, Zhao Xuan rested his chin on his hand and stared blankly for a while. He still hadn't heard any sound of Lu An returning. Two large buckets were sitting quietly in the yard, filled with well water, which was their bath water. After an afternoon of being exposed to the sun, the water temperature had risen, making it perfect for bathing.
After a moment's thought, Zhao Xuan carried water into the living room, intending to take a shower before Lu An returned. Her hair, which she had shaved very short, almost a buzz cut, could be easily washed off with a quick wet wipe. The soap was still usable after the apocalypse, though past its expiration date it had lost much of its fragrance, but its cleaning power was still quite good. She had collected many unopened bars of soap, none of which had changed in properties, and carefully stored them in the upstairs storage room.
Although the bathroom on the first floor cannot be used for toileting, Lu An drilled a drain hole and connected it to the sewage hole in the kitchen. The sewage would flow into a sewage ditch and be directed into a stream downstream. Under normal circumstances, sewage that is not too dirty can be poured into it, such as water used for washing vegetables and rinsing rice, as well as bath water.
Zhao Xuan carried clean clothes and water to the bathroom. To cool off, she didn't close the door. Just as she took off her clothes, she heard a dog bark, followed by a familiar voice: "Xuanxuan, where are you!"
Zhao Xuan was startled, and then he saw a black mass excitedly running towards him, sniffing his scent.
"Woof?" Before 460 could see anything clearly, his eyes were covered by something.
Zhao Xuan looked at Lu An, who was holding the dog's body with one hand and covering its eyes with the other, and gave an awkward smile.
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