After completing our training, we started making our own charcoal every year. At first, the charcoal we made wasn't very good, and it produced a lot of smoke. But after several years of experimentation, the charcoal we make now can be considered top-quality.
It's getting cold; we should start burning charcoal soon. I'll do it once I'm done with this busy period."
Xu Han was stunned by this. It made sense; paying to learn a trade was indeed more convenient than buying charcoal from the foot of the mountain. At least she wouldn't have to carry it back trip after trip.
Moreover, the mountain is full of trees, making it easy to obtain materials, which indeed saved a lot of time, so the money was well spent.
Xu Han stopped dwelling on the matter and turned back to grilling the meat, wrapping it in lettuce leaves to eat, which was both refreshing and delicious.
And so the two of them ate barbecue and chatted about interesting things, making it another wonderful day.
The next morning, after Xu Han got up, Lu Chuan was outside feeding the corn. After buying a donkey, they had an extra job: cutting grass for it every day.
But it's already autumn, and the grass is almost withered and yellow. Fortunately, the bean stalks and corn stalks we planted at home haven't been burned yet. It seems we need to store them properly and save them for corn as food.
Sweet potato vines can also be used to feed corn; nothing should be wasted, and everything should be carefully preserved.
After finishing breakfast, Xu Han followed Lu Chuan to the fields outside.
There's nothing left in the field except cabbages, so we can't waste this empty space.
I just bought garlic seeds a while ago, and now that the potatoes and sweet potatoes have been harvested, it's time to plant them too.
When harvesting potatoes and sweet potatoes, the ground has already been dug, so there's no need to till it much; just level the ground and you can plant directly.
After the two of them leveled the land together, they began to plant garlic.
Lu Chuan used a hoe to draw a line in front of the garlic to prevent it from growing crookedly, and also to dig trenches for the garlic.
Xu Han then started planting garlic, pressing the entire clove root-side down into the soil, carefully controlling the spacing between each clove.
After planting this row, start digging the furrows for the next row again, working backwards. This prevents the soil in front from being compacted when planting, which would make it difficult for the garlic to sprout later.
After planting a certain distance, gently cover the garlic cloves in front with a layer of soil. Don't cover them with soil immediately after planting, otherwise the garlic cloves planted later will have no reference and will look messy and irregular.
In one morning, the two of them planted two acres of garlic, which was enough for their needs.
When it was lunchtime, the two returned home to prepare for lunch.
Xu Han took out a stir-fried mutton, a pickled zucchini, and a tomato and egg soup from her spatial storage. They would be quite delicious with steamed buns.
After lunch, we rested for a while and then went to the wasteland.
There are still some garlic cloves left! These will be used to plant garlic sprouts. The garlic sprouts don't need to be planted with the same spacing as the garlic cloves; it's better to plant them densely so they won't fall over.
After Lu Chuan cleared a patch of land, the two of them started planting garlic sprouts. They would plant them whenever they had time, and they didn't need to be too neat, just enough to be fine.
After planting, we came back to the yard together, and we also need to grow some garlic sprouts in the yard.
Garlic sprouts are easy to grow and can be harvested in about 20 days, with a relatively short growing period.
To grow garlic sprouts, you don't need to break the whole garlic clove into pieces. Just plant the whole garlic clove, water it thoroughly, and then cover it with something to keep it out of direct sunlight.
The method for growing yellow chives is the same; simply block out the light, and they will grow yellow. It's simple and convenient.
After maturity, it can undergo secondary growth, but the yield of the second crop is not as high as that of the first crop.
If you don't want to plant any more garlic, you can take the garlic out and make garlic sauce or garlic oil, so it won't be wasted.
Xu Han used a wooden bucket from home. Lu Chuan made many of these buckets because Xu Han used to make a lot of things, so Lu Chuan would make buckets and baskets whenever he had time.
These are things that the family has plenty of, and Lu Chuan continues to make them whenever he has time.
After all the garlic was planted, it was only mid-afternoon. Lu Chuan suggested that they cut down some trees first, so they could burn charcoal or firewood later.
So the two of them went into the woods again. This time, Lu Chuan wasn't going to cut down branches or miscellaneous trees, but rather some large, fire-resistant trees.
Xu Han didn't know which trees could be cut down and which couldn't, so Lu Chuan patiently explained it to her.
"We usually cut down big trees and plant small trees. In the past, when there were no natural disasters, we would also plant some small trees in the spring to avoid excessive logging and soil erosion."
Large trees that take root deep into the ground can reduce the occurrence of mudslides. The roots hold the soil in place, preventing it from being washed away by rain.
"Look, those smaller ones are the ones I planted before," Lu Chuan said, pointing out the trees he had planted to Xu Han.
Xu Han looked over and indeed there were some small trees. Xu Han knew that they couldn't just keep cutting them down without replanting.
We still need to think about the next generation. If this generation cuts down all the trees, how will our descendants live?
Only through this cycle, with timely replanting of felled trees, can the natural ecosystem be preserved.
Who says people in ancient times were stupid? They understood the principles, which some people today still don't.
Lu Chuan marked the trees that needed to be cut down, so they could cut them down as soon as they saw the marks.
The cut trees will be left here to dry until we need them later. They're too wet and heavy to burn now.
Because they were cutting down large trees, it was quite time-consuming. In ancient times, there were no chainsaws or wood saws, so they could only use a saw to slowly pull the branches, while tree branches could be chopped directly with a wood-chopping knife.
The two of them had only cut down one tree, and hadn't even trimmed the branches yet, when it was getting dark, so they had no choice but to start heading home and continue tomorrow!
When I got home, it was just getting dark. I sat in the main room, drank a glass of water, rested for a bit, and then got up and went to the kitchen to start preparing dinner.
I took out the chicken wings I had saved from eating chicken before. I had been preparing these chicken wings for a long time, and today they can finally be served.
Xu Han plans to use these chicken wings to make cola chicken wings, which is delicious and sweet, and Xu Han especially likes it.
Make two slits in the middle of the chicken wings to help them absorb the flavor, and then start blanching them.
Blanch the chicken wings and put them in a pot. Fry until golden brown on both sides, then add spices, pour in a bottle of cola, and add appropriate amounts of salt and dark soy sauce for color and flavor.
Cover and simmer until the broth is reduced. Then, add some white sesame seeds and chopped green onions. Your delicious cola chicken wings are ready!
Xu Han stir-fried another dish of mushrooms and greens, which, along with rice and egg and radish soup, made for another sumptuous meal.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
