As they were planting, Aunt Ye came out with a basket containing garlic, sweet potato sprouts, shallots, chives, and scallion roots. "Let's plant these too."
Ye Yunyi was overjoyed to see the seedlings. She didn't know how well the seeds would germinate, and even if they did, they would grow very slowly. The weather was quite cold now, and everything was stopped during the Lunar New Year, so it wasn't suitable for planting anything. But there was no other way. Several greenhouses had been built upstairs, and now that the yard had been cleared out, another greenhouse would have to be built. Fortunately, there were still plenty of materials left over from building the greenhouses.
So they dug ridges specifically for planting sweet potato seedlings, separated by shallow ditches. After digging, they thoroughly watered the ground. While watering, Ye Yunyi remembered how her parents would rush to plant sweet potato seedlings after rain when she was little, because they were more likely to survive. Then they planted a large bunch of sweet potato seedlings in the dug ridges, alternating one seedling on each side of each ridge.
Chives are easy to grow. I planted a sparse row near the base of the wall. As long as they survive, they can reproduce on their own. In addition to root and stem reproduction, they will also flower and bear fruit. When I was a child, I saw that there was only one chive seedling around my house, but soon there was a large clump.
Then he planted garlic, scallions, and shallots. Actually, the yard is quite big, and these existing seedlings didn't take up much space, but Dad Ye still planned out the space, noting how much space the scallions and garlic took up.
We only need a small space to grow vegetables; the main focus should be on growing staple foods. We can't grow rice, but we need to grow some corn, wheat, and soybeans. Once the newly planted vegetable seedlings are ready, we'll grow them in the greenhouse upstairs, while we'll plant the deeper-rooted crops below.
Ye Yunyi took out the seeds she had bought; they were a mixed bag, mostly vegetables. Only one blind box contained some wheat, soybean, pea, corn, and rapeseed seeds. As luck would have it, Ye's mother then found some peanuts and soybeans, originally intended for making soy milk, but now some of them were also set aside as seeds.
Preparing to build a greenhouse, they didn't need to worry too much about which plants were in season, so they planted soybeans, peas, and rapeseed seeds. The rapeseed was already late; the pea seedlings and rapeseed were already half-grown, and would flower and bear fruit in the spring. They were also worried about using up all the seeds at once, so they planted a small amount of each. Onions, potatoes, and peanuts all require sandy soil, so they carefully selected and planted those accordingly.
Fortunately, we had planned to grow flowers and vegetables in the villa and had bought a lot of potting soil and fertilizer, otherwise the plants wouldn't have grown well.
After planting, they set up a greenhouse in the yard. By the time the greenhouse was set up, a whole day had passed. The greenhouse had a matching iron frame and plastic sheeting, and it also had a special door for entering and exiting.
Although there were a few small greenhouses upstairs, they still felt a great sense of accomplishment seeing such a large greenhouse. Looking down from the second floor, in the courtyard below, there was a parking area at the entrance, and a small blue brick path leading to the gate. To the left was a small pond, 7 meters long and 5 meters wide. When the temperature was suitable, they could plant some vegetables on the pond's banks. There were a dozen or so fish in the pond, and an orange tree and a peach tree planted beside it. The space on the right was larger, with a row of various flowers and plants planted along the path, specifically reserved for this purpose. Beyond the flowers and plants was the greenhouse that had just been set up that day. The courtyard was actually quite large; there was still some empty space next to the greenhouse, where they could plant even more after spring. Spring had already begun, and in just over a month, it would be springtime.
Besides roses and irises, a row of fruit trees was also planted near the wall.
There's a large terrace on the second floor. Ye Yunyi hadn't originally planned to use it for growing vegetables; instead, she planted some flowers, herbs, and ornamental trees, aiming for a certain ambiance. She installed a table and a rocking chair. Originally, she intended to build a swing in the yard, but now she had no choice but to put it on the terrace.
The adjacent building has a sunroom of about 10 square meters, with large glass windows inside, but curtains are also installed on the sides. It contains a comfortable sofa, computer, tea table, bookshelves, etc. Outside the sunroom, in addition to a greenhouse, there is a row of wisteria planted and a wooden frame built to form a wisteria pergola. Various flowers and small trees that are not yet tall have also been planted in the four corners.
Looking at her house and its furnishings, Ye Yunyi felt a sense of happiness despite the zombie outbreak. This was the idyllic life she had always wanted.
The day passed just like that. Mom Ye cooked a pork rib and radish soup, pea shoots, and stir-fried pork with green peppers for everyone. Three dishes for five people, two of which were meat dishes. It would be very ordinary on a normal day, but it felt a bit extravagant now. However, everyone had been busy and tired today, so they deserved some nourishment.
After dinner and a quick check around, Ye Yunyi led everyone in practicing the self-defense techniques she had downloaded. It was their first time practicing, and everyone was a bit clumsy, especially Ye Yunyi and Wang Zixiang, who were already panting after just one round. Wang Xuanxuan did the best. Everyone gave her a thumbs up.
Ye Yunyi then pulled Wang Zixiang to arrange for her to do it again. Wang Xuanxuan went to keep watch upstairs, and Ye's parents went to rest. Ye's mother said she would come to relieve Wang Xuanxuan that night, but Ye's mother was responsible for everyone's three meals a day, so Ye's father still had to come early in the morning to relieve her.
At midnight, Ye Yunyi told Wang Zixiang to go to sleep, and she went to relieve Wang Xuanxuan. Nothing much had changed in the neighborhood; property management patrol personnel could still be seen on the streets. Their patrols were just more frequent than before. As usual, Ye Yunyi focused her attention on Li Biao's house.
Perhaps because the New Year was approaching, the lights were still on in Li Biao's house, and Aunt Li was busy moving between the rooms. Suddenly, Ye Yunyi felt a chill run down her spine, and she was startled. After calming down, she looked towards Li Biao's house and saw that Li Biao was staring intently at them through his bedroom window. They always kept the lights off when they kept watch at night and usually kept the windows closed. Li Biao's gaze terrified her; it was as if their house was his prey, ready to pounce at any moment.
Perhaps he's seen what they've been doing these past two days—digging ponds, building greenhouses—maybe he sees their house as his granary. It feels dangerous; having a neighbor like that is like a ticking time bomb; you never know when he might strike.
Ye Yunyi wondered if she should take advantage of the current peace and order to report him and have him arrested. But what if she didn't arrest him and it got back to her? Would retaliation come immediately? They weren't prepared and probably couldn't handle it for the time being.
She could only sigh that it was fortunate they were detached villas, each several dozen meters apart, making it difficult for anyone to actually rush into their yard, especially since they had an electric fence. Thinking of this, Ye Yunyi felt a little relieved, but she knew she had to tell her family about it tomorrow.
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