After being dragged along by Zhou Yan and indulged himself all night, Xiao Yu felt that he might not be able to face people for several days. Unfortunately, Mr. Zhou and Comrade Xiao Liu did not give him the opportunity to be embarrassed.
Except for the sixth day of the Lunar New Year, when he went to get off work, the old man would go out on time at seven o'clock every morning and would not return home until eight or nine o'clock in the evening.
A man in his fifties or sixties, this is too much dedication! As a post-90s person, Xiao Yu can only admire him. Given this situation, even if they announce something in broad daylight, they don't have to worry about being found out.
It is said that the old man has lived here since the founding of the People's Republic of China, but the yard is still bare, which is in stark contrast to the yards of his neighbors that are full of life.
I'm just sitting around doing nothing.
Zhou Yan took the bicycle ticket given by the old man and went out to buy two bicycles. Then he took Xiao Yu out for a stroll all day long.
As the two of them walked around, they found a vigorous grape vine and two apple trees that were at least five years old in the old man's yard.
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The freezing cold of the first month of the lunar year is naturally unsuitable for planting. But who can blame the local god of the land who lives in the house? Newly planted fruit trees, if not planted at the wrong time of year, will show their height.
After planting the fruit trees, the old man cleared out about half an acre of his yard. To ensure the yard would remain beautiful even after planting vegetables, the couple first collected pebbles and paved several paths. Then, they planted two-thirds of the space with potatoes, the remaining third with radishes, and the other half with cold-resistant vegetables like cabbage, lettuce, cauliflower, and spinach. Even the corners of the wall weren't wasted; they were planted with corn.
It’s not that Mr. Zhou doesn’t know how to farm, but seeing the two children busy every day and keeping the yard tidy, he thinks that they are both good children and feels happy watching them.
Once the things are planted, we naturally have to find a reason for them to sprout "legitimately".
First, they cut a lot of weeds from the suburbs, burned them into ashes, brought them home and spread them on the ground as fertilizer to keep warm, then cut more weeds to cover the ground to prevent freezing. After that, the weather was good and it was sunny all the way to the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.
When the neighbor next door came to Mr. Zhou's yard on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, green seedlings of various vegetables were already visible among the dead grass in the yard.
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"This, has really grown?" Old Man Li, who had come over with his bowl of rice after smelling the fragrance, couldn't believe his eyes. "How come it sprouted in such a cold weather?"
Almost everyone in the community knew that Old Man Zhou’s two grandsons were redecorating Old Man Zhou’s yard, but since it was the wrong season, no one took it seriously.
Grandpa Zhou was coaxing his granddaughter under a simple and beautiful grape trellis. Beneath the trellis, besides the lounge chairs, there were also tables and chairs that Xiao Yu and Zhou Yan had polished from tree stumps they had brought from the suburbs. They looked rough, yet possessed a rugged beauty.
Mr. Zhou invited Mr. Li to sit down before saying, "You didn't see how much effort these two guys put in."
"How much effort did it take?"
"Before planting, those two brats went deep into the mountains and forests and brought back several sacks of rotten soil. Didn't you see that the soil in my yard has risen a lot? That's all great stuff for growing vegetables. After planting, there's stove ash and dead grass. Look at that dead grass. In this weather, if it gets any higher tomorrow, I'm afraid the seedlings underground will be burned to death."
"What are you planting?" Mr. Li was curious. He also grew vegetables in his yard, but the ones left were from last winter. It was impossible to grow anything in this weather in the city.
"Potatoes, green onions, cabbage, cauliflower, Chinese cabbage, radishes and spinach seem to be some of them."
"No wonder." Old Master Li raised his eyebrows. "These are all cold-resistant plants. Even if they come to spring, I don't know if they will be able to grow well."
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"Don't worry. Our little fish said that except for the potatoes, everything else is just by-products. As long as they can grow halfway and be used to cook a few dishes, it won't be a loss. At most, it will just take a little effort."
Mr. Li sniffed and nodded halfheartedly: "He's a good kid!"
Seeing him like that, Mr. Zhou was at a loss for words and called out to Xiao Liu, "Bring some food to our leader Li, or the rice in his bowl will get cold."
Mr. Li, who was holding a bowl of rice, said quickly, "Oh, you're welcome."
Old Master Zhou sweated and boasted, "Young people are not afraid of trouble. They say it's a festival and they have to prepare a few dishes. You should try it later. Our Xiaoyu's fish slices are really delicious."
Mr. Li was curious: "What is Pianpian fish? I've never heard of it."
"It's said to be a Sichuan dish, with red chili oil, white fish fillets, and crispy bean sprouts. Just hearing that makes my mouth water."
While the two were talking, Xiao Liu came out with a tray on which were placed four medium-sized soup bowls, two small plates and a rice bowl.
In one soup bowl were spicy fish slices, another mutton offal, another braised pork, and another sweet and sour pork. In a small plate were side dishes: peanuts and pickled radish strips. As for the rice bowl, it was a bowl of fried glutinous rice balls.
The glutinous rice balls were fried until golden in color and looked delicious.
Just based on the content, I can't control my saliva before even tasting it.
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Old Master Li took the tray without hesitation and said, "Oh, you are so polite. Xiao Zhou and Xiao Yu must be thinking that I, Uncle Li, am alone. How about I take it back and eat it? Your family will have a reunion dinner soon, and I would feel embarrassed to have a stranger like me here." After saying that, he strode out and no matter how hard Old Master Zhou tried to persuade him to stay, he would not listen.
Xiao Liu was stunned!
"I was planning to go home and have a few drinks!" Old Man Zhou shook his head. "Ever since the nanny was hired away, Old Li has become more and more shameless! But it's okay. We all lived through hard times. Bringing a bowl of wine to visit relatives is the spirit that ordinary people should have."
My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!
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