Upon hearing that the orange tree they bought had been a scam, bearing not oranges but a fruit whose peel could be used as medicine, the tea room became so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
It feels unreal, like walking on cotton.
Upon hearing that the snow-white stewed pork ribs served at noon were also a medicinal ingredient, the tea room fell silent.
This time it felt as unreal as walking on clouds.
"Hey, how much did we eat before?"
"It won't be more expensive than spare ribs, will it?"
Hu's mother and butcher's first reaction was to feel sorry for the yams they had eaten.
Yam is delicious, but it's not as delicious as meat. If it's more expensive than meat, or even if it's about the same price as meat, it's still a loss.
There are so many vegetables in the garden, which one can't be eaten?
Fan Jin reassured them, "What we ate in the past is beyond our control. If the Ding couple hadn't come over, we would never have known."
Only then did everyone turn their attention to the Ding family.
"The Ding family is truly remarkable. Otherwise, if they were here, we would be blind to their worth and would have simply cut them down like weeds and wild vegetables."
"Knowing more is a good thing. No wonder the Ding family can support a large family without farming. With this ability, they will never starve no matter where they are."
"Not only will they not starve, they'll live very well!"
"Maybe there are some on other hilltops too..."
Only Shui Qing and Fan Jin knew the truth: even if there were such things elsewhere, there wouldn't be as many as in the back mountain.
The quantity of wild-caught plants is incomparable to that of large-scale cultivated plants.
Especially yams. The people of Shanshui Village have at least dug up He Shou Wu (Polygonum multiflorum), but they have never heard of yams. The yams they eat at home are all bought from the mall, and the rest is all fake.
Thinking of faking it, Shuiqing announced: "Only your father knows how to find yams, and I reckon there aren't many on the back mountain. From now on, he will be in charge of digging yams and collecting yam seeds. We can try to grow them ourselves in the field like potatoes."
"You two are in charge of cutting grass by the big river and lake; Xinghui and Zhaodi, you two are in charge of feeding the livestock. The rest of you go up the mountain to plant he shou wu (Polygonum multiflorum) cuttings."
Propagating He Shou Wu (Polygonum multiflorum) by cuttings is important, but so are the chickens, ducks, geese, rabbits, sheep, and pigs in the family. The whole family's meat and eggs depend on them.
In the past, she only needed to cook, but this time she had to go up the mountain for a while, otherwise where would Fan Jin get the yams he 'dug'? The yam seeds also depended on her.
Fan Jin had also thought of this, and simply said, "Just come over in the morning and afternoon to take the yam seeds home and store them properly."
When the children heard this, they volunteered to do the job as well, so that Shuiqing wouldn't have to make another trip.
Shui Qing looked at Fan Jin, her eyes asking what to say.
A faint blush spread across Fan Jin's fair face, reaching all the way to his ears. He pursed his lips and whispered, "Come here, I can see you."
Shui Qing choked, looking at Fan Jin with disbelief. There were so many people in the room, young and old, and he really dared to say that!
Upon hearing this, the noisy children immediately fell silent.
Hu Wenhua's eyes widened. "Brother-in-law, are you really that brave?"
Butcher Hu coughed awkwardly, picked up the teacup on the high table, and took a big gulp.
Mother Hu was most satisfied, as her son-in-law was not only caring but also very clingy to Qing'er.
The two had previously felt sorry for their daughter, who was working hard cooking and doing farm work on the mountain. However, they thought that every woman in a farming family worked in the fields just like the men, and was also responsible for feeding and washing the whole family.
Before the two could speak, their son-in-law assigned Qing'er a very important yet extremely easy task, and they immediately beamed with joy.
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