Chen Tong and Chen Ning had no idea what Cheng Yue was thinking. Their minds were completely focused on the big watermelon, and they had no interest in digging for vegetables.
I really don't know how a watermelon can grow so big, and it's even sweet. Shouldn't it be like a pumpkin?
The two little sisters, their heads brimming with questions, asked, "Mom, are there pumpkins in the world?"
All they know are pumpkins and winter melons. Now that there are watermelons, does that mean there are also winter melons?
Cheng Yue, who had been thinking about potatoes, snapped out of her reverie upon hearing this and laughed, "Of course we have pumpkins! Mother still has seeds; we'll plant some next year."
These two children are just as curious as she is. She asked her grandfather the same question when she was little, which happens to be outside her area of knowledge.
Of course, there are winter squash varieties. They are actually a variant of pumpkin, which is long and curved, and is also called Japanese squash.
Of course, this was just the local "northern gourd". When she grew up, she learned that many places have their own "northern gourd", such as zucchini and other varieties, just with different names.
If the children hadn't asked, she wouldn't have remembered that there were seeds in the space.
"Great! Now we have all the cardinal directions! Mom, what does the pumpkin taste like? Is it sweet too?"
Children are so curious they never stop asking questions. Cheng Yue patiently explained, "The taste of pumpkin and squash is similar. Of all the melons from the four directions, only watermelon is a fruit."
"You two little gluttons, the watermelon will be ready to eat in a few days, let's get to work!"
"Okay! Let's get to work!"
The two sisters nodded, becoming even more curious about the watermelon. Luckily, they would be able to eat it in a few days!
The mother and her two daughters had only been digging for a short while when Chen Lin, Lai Xing, and Lai Wang arrived. The group then began working together, transplanting the vegetables, roots and all, directly to the new house.
There are only a few watermelon, cucumber, and pumpkin plants left around the old house. These are difficult to transplant, so we'll just come and pick them when it's time to eat them.
After the family finished planting the vegetables, the sky gradually darkened. Soon after, Chen An returned, carrying several rabbits and pheasants.
"Ah Yue, I'm back!"
Cheng Yue was mopping the floor when she turned around and saw Chen An walking up to her. She looked at his hand and exclaimed, "Wow, this rabbit is still alive?"
Chen An nodded, still a little embarrassed. "I already said I didn't want it, but my uncles insisted on giving it to me. My cousins even stopped the car, refusing to let me leave unless I took it. They even walked me to the village entrance and watched me leave..."
My older cousin said the rabbits were from the same litter, and he caught some alive. He brought them back for Xiaotong and Xiaoning to play with. This pheasant is for you to nourish your body.
He went to take them home and brought back a bunch of things, which was really wrong of him. But his uncle's family was not only numerous and powerful, but also incredibly strong. He couldn't run away and had no choice but to obey.
Cheng Yue chuckled. The scene was too beautiful to imagine. Chen An was already considered to be quite muscular, but sandwiched between several uncles and cousins, he was completely controlled. It was hilarious no matter how you looked at it.
"Take it if you give it to me. My uncle and his family made money selling medicinal herbs, so they're in a good mood."
Chen An looked at Cheng Yue with a pitiful expression, and then laughed at him!
Hearing the commotion, Chen Tong and Chen Ning ran out of the house like little butterflies. "They really are live rabbits! Dad, we want to keep them. Can you help us make them a nest?"
Since Big Black, Little Black, and Big Black have grown up and moved to the chicken coop to watch over the chickens and ducks, they haven't had much fun with them.
Chen An naturally agreed, "These are the rabbits your great-uncle is raising for you to play with. But rabbits can dig burrows, so Dad will make you a cage so they can't escape."
Seeing the two sisters nod repeatedly, Cheng Yue resisted the urge to eat the rabbit and then took the two pheasants to the kitchen to pluck their feathers.
The pheasants were male, and their feathers were very beautiful. Cheng Yue picked and chose, keeping only the best-looking ones. The longer ones were used for decoration, and the shorter ones could be used to make shuttlecocks for the children to play with.
After dinner, Chen An started making rabbit cages, and the family sat together watching and chatting.
They were all happy and harmonious.
The next day, Chen An went to see Chen Lin and Lai Xing and Lai Wang off to the county town early in the morning. Chen Tong and Chen Ning still went up the mountain to collect medicinal herbs. Cheng Yue was thinking about potatoes, so she went to the field after eating.
The potatoes were an early-maturing variety that my family grew in my previous life. They would mature in about two months, and the time was almost up.
When Cheng Yue arrived at the field, she first dug up one from the very edge. The large ones were the size of a fist, and the small ones were about the size of an egg. They were all fully ripe and quite large!
Just to be on the safe side, Cheng Yue randomly dug up a few more potatoes from the ground. Each potato plant had produced six or seven potatoes, and some even had eight or nine!
This was beyond her expectations.
She had thought that the soil was not fertile at that time, and the yield should be far less than it is now. For example, sweet potatoes are now grown by everyone in the village, but the yield is not high and the potatoes are not big.
Now it seems the problem was with the grain seeds!
Cheng Yue became more and more excited as she thought about it. With this output, what was there to worry about going hungry? Besides, her business empire could expand again!
Potatoes are high-yielding and taste good. They can be fried, stir-fried, steamed, deep-fried, roasted, cold-dressed, mashed, or used in noodles. They are delicious no matter how you cook them. Although both potatoes and sweet potatoes are considered staple foods, potatoes are obviously more versatile in terms of how they can be prepared.
Cheng Yue dug out a large basketful with great effort. When she got to her doorstep, she ran into Zhao Xiangxiu and Cuicui, who were on their way to herd ducks.
"Cheng Yue, what's that in your basket? Why is it all black?"
Zhao Xiangxiu stared at it for a long time but still couldn't figure it out. It looked like a duck egg covered in mud, and she had no idea where Cheng Yue had dug it up from.
Cheng Yue put down the basket, picked up a potato, rubbed off the mud to reveal its original yellowish-white color, and handed it to Zhao Xiangxiu to see. "This is a potato. It can be used as both food and vegetables. I'll get you a few to try when I go home at noon!"
Zhao Xiangxiu's eyes lit up. "This is still grain? That's really rare! Cheng Yue, let's go herd the ducks first, I'll look for you again at noon!"
Being able to cook is nothing special; what they care about most is food. Farmers never complain about having too much food.
But now is not the time to talk; they need to go and herd the ducks first.
Cheng Yue replied, "Okay! You guys go ahead!"
Then I picked up my basket and went home. Today at noon, I'll have potatoes prepared in various ways! Fresh potatoes are the most delicious!
Zhao Xiangxiu and Cuicui herded the ducks down the mountain one after the other. Thinking of potatoes, she laughed, "Potatoes, beans in the ground? Beans aren't that big. I think 'ground eggs' would be more appropriate."
Sweet potatoes are melons grown in the ground, and ground eggs are eggs grown in the ground.
"I wonder what it tastes like? They all grow in the ground, will they taste like sweet potatoes, sweet? How can I cook with that!"
Cui Cui laughed too, "Mom, you should focus on herding the ducks first! Didn't Aunt Cheng Yue say she'd give us some for lunch? We'll know once we try them!"
Why did her mother suddenly change the name of the potato? But the potato really does look like a ground egg.
Zhao Xiangxiu glared at her, "Can't I even say anything?"
She was wondering where Cheng Yue got these strange seeds; the tomatoes she gave her last time were one, and now the potatoes were another.
The tomatoes were exceptionally delicious, with a sweet and sour taste. She even saved some seeds to plant next year!
She wondered how to plant potato seeds and how much they would cost. Regardless of the taste, they were still food, and she wanted to buy some with Cheng Yue to plant and try something different!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com