"If we wait a few more months until it's fully grown, I wonder how powerful it will be?"
Yan Zheng nodded and said, "We were just lucky; we just happened to run into it."
If it had been a day earlier or a day later, we might have missed it; fate arranged it just right.
There was still a small patch of weeds left in the field that hadn't been cleared. Seeing Jiang Xi covered in sweat, Yan Zheng refused to let her go.
They even assigned her a task: "Put away the tools, we'll be heading back soon after we're done."
So Jiang Xi cleaned up the sickle, rake, and other tools and loaded them onto the truck.
Of course, no one would take it even if it were placed here, but these things are becoming increasingly rare as they are being discarded. If they are left outside and get rained on, they will rust, which would be a real shame.
After packing everything up, she suddenly remembered that the hay for the rabbits and ewes hadn't been packed yet. Taking advantage of the time she still had, she went to another plot of land to cut fresh hay for her livestock.
The rabbits and sheep didn't like to eat a lot of the grass we pulled up before.
Since Yan Zheng would be gone for a while anyway, she decided to find some food that animals liked to eat.
There was a broad-leaved grass that reached up to her calves. The roots of this grass had a gradient of red and green, and it was a favorite of ewes. Jiang Xi picked half a basket of it.
Besides root vegetables, two-legged rabbits also like a type of wild grass similar to mint, which should also be a type of spice.
Jiang Xi had carefully smelled it before, and it had a strange smell that was somewhat like a mixture of Sichuan peppercorns and mint.
However, this kind of grass is not easy to find and is not commonly seen. It only sprouts up in batches after rain.
Jiang Xi specifically looked for places prone to water accumulation.
As I walked, my eyes were suddenly drawn to a plant.
The plant was almost as tall as Jiang Xi's thigh. At first, she thought it was just an ordinary tree, but when she got closer, she found that it was actually a herbaceous plant with some woody roots.
The leaves are round with a smooth, glossy green surface.
Jiang Xi felt that the face looked very familiar, but she couldn't remember where she had seen it before.
Seeing a few small flower buds on the top of the leaf, she pulled one down and examined it closely.
A brilliant idea flashed into my mind.
This looks a bit like the chili peppers my grandma grows, but I don't remember chili pepper plants being this tall.
After Yan Zheng finished pulling up the weeds, he gathered them all up on the edge of the field and dried them in the sun. In the fall and winter, they could be fed to the sheep and rabbits to prevent them from rotting in the ground.
Seeing Jiang Xi staring at a plant on the edge of the field for a long time, he wiped his sweat and walked over: "What are you looking at? Why are you so focused?"
Jiang Xi gave him a sly smile: "Yan Zheng, look at this grass, doesn't it look familiar?"
After listening to her, Yan Zheng took off his hat and fanned himself, then looked at her carefully. She did look very familiar, but he couldn't remember where he had seen her before.
"It looks very familiar, but I don't know it."
Jiang Xi stroked her chin and said decisively, "I think it looks a lot like a chili pepper."
Yan Zheng disagreed with her deduction, saying, "I remember that chili peppers are not a native spice of our country."
Jiang Xi shook her head: "Chili peppers had already entered the Central Plains during the Ming Dynasty. The villagers migrated here during the transition from the Ming to the Qing Dynasty, so it's possible that they brought the seeds with them."
Yan Zheng thought what she said made sense, and nodded, saying, "However, our world is somewhat different from this world, so it's hard to say. I see that they've already blossomed, and I estimate that we'll see fruit in about ten days."
Jiang Xi was overjoyed; she wished it were real chili peppers.
During this time, their diet was extremely bland, with pepper being the only source of flavor.
On the way back, she talked to Yan Zheng about the future: "With chili peppers, we can unlock more delicious food, such as hot pot, spicy pot, and spicy chicken."
Yan Zheng listened attentively: "Okay, I'll cook for you from now on."
This was great news, and Jiang Xi felt exceptionally energetic. Along the way, she excitedly ran back and forth with Xiao Hei, who would sometimes hoot and sometimes chirp, leading Jiang Xi to play a game of chase.
Having a great time, Jiang Xi unconsciously hummed a little tune: "Today is a good day, all my wishes will come true..."
"Yan Zheng, hurry up!"
He urged Yan Zheng to catch up with them, his breath no longer showing any signs of being exhausted from the hard work.
Yan Zheng, leading the deer, followed behind the man and the leopard, watching them frolic with a smile in his eyes.
Upon arriving in the village, Yan Zheng unloaded the truck, and Jiang Xi took the first step, carrying a basket to feed the rabbits.
"Eat more, don't fight over it, there's plenty, there's plenty...hmm?"
Jiang Xi noticed that the pregnant rabbit hadn't come out. She poked half her body out and was stunned. She quickly called out to Yan Zheng.
"Yan Zheng, come quick, come quick, the little rabbit has given birth."
Yan Zheng, who was unloading the truck nearby, quickly put down his work, dusted off his hands, and followed her to peek into the rabbit hutch.
Jiang Xi followed him and peered out, excitedly pointing at them and saying excitedly, "Right, right, I shouldn't be seeing things, right? Can you see how many there are?"
The mother rabbit is nursing her baby rabbits right now, and she doesn't leave the nest to eat grass. There's a tiny, pink bundle of something under her.
Yan Zheng smiled and said, "I can't see very clearly, but judging from the number, there should be... no fewer than four."
"Four!" Jiang Xi exclaimed in surprise.
Her eyes welled up with tears, and she grabbed Yan Zheng's arm: "Four is enough, that's enough."
Today is indeed a good day. First, we discovered a plant that resembles a suspicious chili pepper, then our little rabbit was born, and most importantly, both mother and baby are safe and sound.
She grabbed Yan Zheng's arm and praised him, "Your firecrackers this morning were definitely on point. Today is truly a day of double happiness."
Yan Zheng pulled his hand away and put his arm around her shoulder, saying, "Let's go, the mother rabbit might not come out to eat if we stay here."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Xi hurriedly followed Yan Zheng into the yard: "Then I'll give it two more sweet potatoes tonight, so that Mother Rabbit can get more nutrition."
"Okay, three sticks are fine, any number is fine, there's plenty."
It was already afternoon, and the sun was setting in the west.
Du Ling felt extremely tormented.
After digging up the tree roots, Yan Jing'an put them in his basket and carried them on his back. He had already made a harvest for the day, so he stopped going into the forest and took Du Ling back to the village.
Du Ling figured that Yan Jing'an was carrying a tree on his back, so he wouldn't be able to run on the way back, and she probably wouldn't be as tired as she was in the morning.
However, she clearly underestimated Yan Jing'an's physical strength and endurance.
That tree carried at least ten kilograms, yet Yan Jing'an maintained his speed without slowing down, and didn't even pant.
On the way back, Du Ling had no choice but to exert all her strength, and was so exhausted that she could even see double.
She had reason to suspect that this bad guy was deliberately taking advantage of her poor physical condition.
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