On the day of cucumber harvesting, the restaurant hired eight waiters and three cooks. Lanjuan and her brother were also there to oversee things, so Tian Sangui went home with his family to harvest the cucumbers.
There's nothing to hide about culinary skills; the key lies in the secret seasoning recipe, and Tian Sangui isn't afraid at all that the chefs might secretly study it.
Because many of the seasonings are not available in this era, missing even one ingredient would make it taste wrong, making it extremely difficult to learn them by stealing.
After a month, the cucumbers have grown into a small forest, with long cucumbers hanging down from the leaves, showing excellent growth.
Old Tian brought a cartload of baskets from his home, and Zhang carried them into the cucumber grove one by one.
Tian Sangui and his two younger brothers couldn't wait to pick one and put it in their mouths to taste.
The cucumber flavor is juicy with a slightly astringent taste, becoming more refreshing the more you chew.
"It's delicious! Third Sister, you're so lucky!"
Xiao Si still remembers that his third sister said that it was a seed given to her by an old woman. She heard that the old woman didn't know how to plant it, and it would be a pity to throw it away.
Xiao Wu quickly followed up, saying, "That old woman is clumsy, and Third Sister is the smartest, which is why we were able to grow such delicious cucumbers!"
"But this is clearly a green cucumber, so why is it called a cucumber?"
Xiao Wu, while biting into the cucumber in his hand, looked at its deep green color and couldn't help but feel puzzled.
Tian Sangui explained with a smile, "Because when a cucumber is truly ripe, it turns yellow, hence the name 'cucumber'!"
"Then why not wait until they're ripe before picking them?" Xiao Si asked, even more puzzled.
"Because when the cucumbers ripen, they turn yellow, but the flesh has already become tough, and the taste isn't as good as it is now!"
"Oh, oh~"
"So that's how it is! That's why it's called cucumber, but you can't wait for it to ripen before picking it!"
Tian Sangui patted Xiao Wu's head: "Xiao Wu is so smart!"
As Zhang picked the fruit, she listened to her children's conversation.
"I guess that old woman waited until the cucumbers turned yellow before picking them, and since they didn't taste good, she just didn't want them!"
Tian Sangui stood on tiptoe and reached up to grab a long, straight cucumber above his head, while answering Zhang Shi.
"Maybe that's it. Let's save some seeds this year and plant more next year!"
“We need more varieties!” Zhang said with a smile, stepping over her shoulder.
Tian Er turned around and saw Tian Sangui struggling to reach it, then walked over with a smile.
Taking advantage of her height, she raised her arm slightly and effortlessly picked the cucumber that was out of her reach, amidst Tian Sangui's envious gaze.
"Thank you, second brother. Hey, give it to me! I saw it first!"
She thought Tian Er would return it to her, but unexpectedly he held it in his hand and teased her.
Tian Sangui was short, and the ground was soft and difficult to walk on; he couldn't even reach the ground with his feet off the ground.
"Mother, look at my second brother, he's bullying me!"
Zhang was picking cucumbers and had disappeared to some corner when a scolding voice drifted over.
"Erwazi, don't bully your sister!"
With Zhang Shi not around, how could Tian Er's mischievous nature be controlled with just a few words?
Tian Sangui got really into it and insisted on putting that cucumber down, but it was clear that this wasn't a solution.
Then, a plan formed in his mind: "Be careful, or I'll tell Miss Shen. With your mischievous nature, let's see if she'll still want to talk to you!"
Upon hearing the name Miss Shen, Tian Er's heart skipped a beat, and his cheerful steps came to an abrupt halt.
"Good sister, I'll take it, please. You're so generous, please don't tell Miss Chen."
Tian Sangui arrogantly snatched the cucumber and gave Tian Er a triumphant glance.
Tian Er didn't care about Tian Sangui's expression. Seeing that she was about to leave, he immediately turned around and followed her.
"Hehe, Third Sister!"
Seeing his solicitous manner, one could tell that he wouldn't come to the temple without a reason.
"Speak quickly if you need something!"
"I'm still busy!"
Tian Er looked around and, seeing that no one was around, quietly smiled and said...
"Um... if you... have time... could you invite Miss Chen over as a guest...?"
"What?"
"Didn't you hear me? Didn't you have lunch? Your voice is so weak, who can hear you!"
Tian Sangui was deliberately messing with Tian Er; they were so close that even the softest voice could be heard.
He pretended not to hear, just to get revenge for harassing her earlier.
"Um, I mean, could you please invite Miss Chen to our home again?"
Tian Er said it again, a little embarrassed, his voice slightly louder than last time.
Little did they know that Zhang, who had turned around behind them at some point, had overheard everything.
"You brat, what business do you have with Miss Shen?"
"She's a lady from a respectable family; how can you expect her to come just because you invite her?"
Zhang gave Tian Er a stern dressing-down, while Tian Er picked cucumbers, his brows furrowed.
"That's not what you think, Mother. I meant for my third sister to invite them; they're good sisters!"
Zhang didn't understand him: "Why did you invite him over? There are so many mosquitoes in the countryside. If he gets bitten, won't you apologize to his mother?"
"You brat, get to work and stop thinking nonsense!"
Tian Er was indignant at what Zhang Shi said, but since she was his own mother, he couldn't argue with her.
They had no choice but to vent their anger on picking cucumbers. With Tian Er's anger joining in, the cucumbers on the five-tenths of an acre were harvested before sunset.
Old Tian made five trips in total, each basket weighing about 20 jin (10 kg), and harvested about 600 jin (300 kg) in the afternoon.
We kept about ten kilograms, and transported the rest to the town and the county.
When the villagers saw the family transporting loads of cucumbers home, everyone looked on with envy.
"Fourth brother, what did you get that looks so good?"
"Grandma Li, the cucumbers we planted are ripe, and we've started harvesting them!"
"Wow, so much! How can a family finish all of this!"
Zhang followed behind, lending a hand and adding, "Our family couldn't possibly have eaten that much. Tomorrow, the children will transport it to town and the county to cook and sell to guests!"
Grandma Li, standing under the locust tree, exclaimed with envy, "Oh my, the fourth son's family is getting better and better!"
I had only heard that they owned a restaurant in town before, but I couldn't tell whether they were doing well or not. In any case, I never saw them worrying about food and drink.
Not long after, I heard that another restaurant had opened in the county town.
Everyone in the village is so envious!
What was said unintentionally was taken seriously by the listener...
Seeing others make money, they become envious of their vegetable gardens.
In the evening, Tian Sangui prepared a cucumber feast for everyone.
Stir-fried cucumber with pork belly, cucumber salad with garlic, cucumber stir-fried with eggs, and braised cucumber slices.
This wasn't the first time everyone had tasted the deliciousness of cucumbers, but this time they were grown by themselves, making them taste especially sweet.
Everyone ate with a happy smile on their faces.
"Once the potatoes and corn are ripe, I'll cook some unique dishes that you can't find anywhere else!"
Everyone was filled with joy and anticipation after hearing what Tian Sangui said.
Everyone habitually goes to bed early at night, and the village is quiet.
On this hot night, there wasn't a breath of wind. Strangely, the leaves in Tian Sangui's cucumber patch trembled.
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