The next morning, when Xu Han got up, Lu Chuan and the other two had already gone to work in the wasteland.
Xu Han first went to the kitchen to cook breakfast, added firewood to the stove, and then went to the backyard to feed the livestock.
Then they went to the cowshed and led the cow outside, tethering it to a big tree in the valley, leaving the rope long enough so it could find its own grass to eat.
After Xu Han finished taking care of all the housework, she started preparing to cook bamboo shoots.
Soak all the cooked bamboo shoots in water for a day, then take them out and dry them the next morning.
This method makes the dried bamboo shoots taste better and eliminates the bitterness.
After three days of continuous work, the three of them finally finished planting all the sweet potatoes and peanuts.
Meanwhile, Xu Han had already cooked all the bamboo shoots and dried them.
Looking at the yard full of dried bamboo shoots drying in the sun, Xu Han felt for a moment as if she had returned to the past, when she was stockpiling goods for a year of famine.
Before the disaster year, the courtyard was often filled with all sorts of items drying in the sun.
During the famine years, this scene was never seen again.
Fortunately, the weather returned to normal, and the family was able to return to their ordinary yet happy life of spring planting and autumn harvest.
This morning, Lu Chuan, Grandpa Zhao, and the Taoist priest went to build trellises for the vegetables outside.
I used some dried bamboo that I recently cut down. Since growing vegetables only takes a little over a season, dried bamboo won't interfere with its use at all.
Split the bamboo into slightly thicker strips and insert them one by one into the soil so that the vegetables can climb onto the trellis.
With the support of bamboo poles, the vegetables won't be blown down or broken by strong winds and rain in the future.
The three of them were busy, and Xu Han herself was not idle either.
I took out the rice seeds that I had reserved in the space during this time.
These rice seeds are all unhulled. We need to soak them first, and then take them out and put them in burlap sacks tomorrow.
Then take a wooden bucket, put dry grass inside, wet it, and start germinating the rice seeds.
On the third day, wash it again, soak it again, and then continue to encourage germination.
Repeat this process twice, and the rice seeds will sprout white roots. At that point, you can directly sow the seeds and cultivate seedlings.
Rice seeds that have undergone pre-germination have a higher germination rate, which is more beneficial for the growth of seedlings later on.
Soaking the rice seeds alone isn't enough today; while we're soaking them, we also need to prepare the seedbed first.
Since there weren't many seedlings to grow, and there was space in the vegetable garden in the backyard, Xu Han simply decided not to grow seedlings outside, but to grow them directly in the backyard, as the small amount of land made them easier to manage.
Moreover, the wasteland outside hasn't been flooded yet; we've been busy all this time, and the paddy fields haven't been prepared.
So Xu Han took her tools and went straight to the backyard.
First, a small plot of land was cleared out in the backyard near the water source.
Then add paddy field ridges to the sides. The ridges need to be raised a bit, otherwise the water in the field will leak out, and the seedlings won't grow well if there's no water in the paddy field.
The rice seedling field wasn't very big, and Xu Han finished it all by herself in no time.
Then they added some manure to the seedling field before adding water.
Use bamboo pipes to draw water directly into the rice paddy until there is some standing water, then stop draining.
Today, we prepared the entire rice seedling field. After the rice seeds successfully germinated, we sowed them directly into the field and gently patted them with a broom to help them sink into the soil, otherwise they would be washed away by the water.
Finally, support the seedlings with bamboo strips, and cover the seedbed with a layer of tarpaulin to keep it warm. The seedlings should sprout in about two or three days.
After Xu Han finished tidying up the rice seedling field by herself, it was already time to make lunch.
Just then, Lu Chuan and the others had already set up all the vegetable racks outside.
"Have the rice seeds been soaked?" Lu Chuan asked.
"They've already been soaked. I've also prepared all the rice seedlings in the backyard. Once the rice seeds have germinated, we can plant them directly," Xu Han replied.
"That's good. We've never grown rice before! I don't know if we can grow it this year," Lu Chuan said uncertainly.
“It doesn’t matter if we can’t grow them, we still have other food to eat,” Grandpa Zhao replied.
"Don't worry, it will definitely grow successfully. I've seen others grow it before, but we don't know how much we'll harvest."
"This is our first time planting this year, so we'll just need to be careful and make sure the paddy fields don't dry out. That should be fine," Xu Han said confidently, but also with a hint of uncertainty.
"If you ask me, you two are worrying for nothing. What's there to be afraid of? Just plant it. If it doesn't grow, try again next year. You'll eventually succeed if you keep trying," the Taoist priest advised.
"Yes, the Taoist priest is right. We're not short of food, so don't feel pressured."
Although Xu Han had never grown rice in her previous life, she had seen many videos of rice cultivation.
Moreover, according to Xu Han's previous memories, rice was grown here, and the original owner still had some memories of growing rice.
However, Lu Chuan, Grandpa Zhao, and the other two had never grown rice before.
Moreover, since they had never planted rice before, although Xu Han had memories of it, she had gradually forgotten them over time. Therefore, the four of them lacked confidence in their ability to grow rice successfully.
I can only say that I'll give it a try for now, but there shouldn't be any major problems.
"Don't worry, just pay more attention and you'll reap the rewards," Xu Han said with a smile.
"We already put up bamboo poles next to all the vegetables this morning, and there's not much important work to do this afternoon. Why don't we take this time to plant the lotus roots?" Lu Chuan changed the subject.
"Okay, lotus roots are easy to plant, the few of us will finish planting them in no time."
"Let's eat first, then take a nap after lunch before we go plant," Xu Han said.
"Hmm, what's for lunch today? I don't see that they've started cooking yet?" the Taoist priest asked.
"I was tending to the rice seedlings in the backyard just now, and I haven't had time to make lunch yet."
"Let's just skip making lunch today and eat whatever we have. If we start making it now, it'll be late by the time we finish eating. Then we won't have time for a nap," Grandpa Zhao said.
"Okay, I'll take some food out of my space. Go wash your hands first, dinner will be served soon."
After saying that, Xu Han went into the kitchen, then took out food from her spatial storage and carried it to the main room on a tray.
A bowl of braised beef noodles, a dish of green pepper and egg, a cold cucumber salad, and a bowl of egg and radish soup—a simple combination of meat and vegetables, with both dishes and soup, makes for a hearty meal.
With vegetables and soup, the staple food must be rice.
I have to say that we've been eating rice more often at home lately than before.
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