Everyone laughed when they heard this. They really are a bunch of hard-working people who feel uncomfortable if they don't work.
"Judging from the sky, it should clear up tomorrow. Let's all go dig for bamboo shoots tomorrow," Lu Chuan said.
“Okay, let’s go together, we can dig faster,” the Taoist priest agreed.
"It's settled then, let's go together tomorrow."
"Why don't we wait a couple of days before going? It just rained, and the bamboo shoots haven't sprouted yet. Let's wait a couple more days until they've sprouted before we dig them up. The bamboo shoots are tender after the rain," Xu Han suggested.
Grandpa Zhao thought about it seriously and said, "I think Xiao Han makes a good point. Let's go in a couple of days. We'll start clearing the land tomorrow."
“Okay, I have no objection,” Lu Chuan said.
Upon hearing this, everyone turned their gaze to the Taoist priest.
"I have no problem with you looking at me like that."
"Alright, it's settled then. But here's the question: what should we eat tonight?" Xu Han asked.
"Rainy days and hot pot go perfectly together, so of course we'll eat hot pot."
"Yes, yes, I want hot pot, I want spicy beef tallow hot pot."
"Okay, you guys clean up here, I'll go prepare the hot pot." Xu Han said, then got up and went into the kitchen to prepare the hot pot broth and side dishes.
The family chatted and ate hotpot together, watching the children run around the room – it was quite a lively scene…
But as night slowly fell, this hard-won rest finally came to an end amidst laughter and joy.
The next morning, the temperature was a bit lower than before because it had rained all day the day before.
Xu Han shivered as soon as she got up and hurriedly put on another coat.
Every day was the same routine of tasks and chores. After completing a series of tasks as usual, Xu Han turned and left the yard.
The three Taoist priests were seen at the entrance of the courtyard, starting to clear land eastward from the area near the wasteland.
"How wide are you planning to open it?" Xu Han asked.
"Just drive to the side to about the same width as the previous wasteland. We'll leave a small path in the middle for easy passage. It will also be convenient for transporting crops during the busy farming season," Lu Chuan explained.
"That's fine too. Make the plot bigger so it'll be easier to grow things in the future."
"Make the sloping areas on top smaller, and connect the flat areas below directly for planting. It's more convenient to farm in a larger area."
"Okay, you guys do what you want. I'll pick some cucumbers and make a cucumber salad later," Xu Han said as she walked towards the vegetable garden.
The cucumbers are just starting to ripen. Xu Han picked two last time and thought they tasted good, so today she picked two or three larger ones and left the rest to grow longer.
After picking the cucumbers, I put them in a wooden bucket to soak for a while, and then turned around and went out of the yard.
The flowers I planted a while ago have all taken root and are now starting to sprout one after another.
The wildflower seeds I sowed earlier have already sprouted and will grow into flowers in a while.
The seeds sprouted, and so did the weeds. Xu Han took advantage of this free time to pull out the weeds from the flower beds and flower boxes to prevent them from absorbing the nutrients from the flowers.
After pulling them all out, Xu Han went to check the rose cuttings she had previously propagated.
Last time I cut off some cuttings of each variety and propagated them. I can't tell yet whether they have grown roots and sprouted, but at least they haven't rotted, so it should be fine. I'll continue to observe them.
We've taken so many cuttings this time, surely some will take root and sprout. If not, we'll try again next time.
The mother plant is here; given enough time, it will eventually be able to propagate through cuttings.
As long as the parent plant survives, why worry about not having new roses in the future?
Just as Xu Han was thinking about filling the yard with flowers in the future, a loud wail interrupted her fantasy.
Xu Han sighed and slowly washed her hands before going inside.
As soon as I entered the room, I saw Ze'er crying. Mu'er had also been woken up by Ze'er and was looking at her wailing younger brother with a dazed expression.
"Mu'er, you're awake. Lie back in bed first. It's cold today, so don't catch a cold. Mommy will dress your little brother and then dress you." Xu Han said to Mu'er while changing Ze'er's diaper.
"Okay, I understand, Mother," Mu'er said as she burrowed into the blankets.
After Xu Han finished tidying up the two children, she carried Ze'er in one arm and held Mu'er's hand in the other, and went outside to call the three of them home for breakfast.
"Stop working for now, breakfast is ready, let's eat first."
"I'm here," Lu Chuan replied.
Seeing this, the others also put down their tools, went home to wash their hands and eat.
"Is it easy to cultivate this wasteland?" Xu Han asked while drinking her porridge.
"It's alright. Although there are rocks, it saves a lot of time since we don't need to cut down trees."
“Yes, there have been constant natural disasters in recent years, and the roots of the miscellaneous trees in the ground have rotted, so it’s still quite easy to clear, at least it’s easier than the wasteland before,” Lu Chuan replied.
"Now all we need to do is clear out the stones and clean up the weeds and dead tree roots."
"The clearing speed is quite fast today; a lot has already been cleared in just this short time this morning," Grandpa Zhao said.
"That's great. After we finish eating, I'll join you guys. You dig the ground and I'll pick up the stones," Xu Han said with a smile.
“Mother, I can do it too,” Mu’er said, raising her hand.
"Alright, alright, Mu'er will help too," Grandpa Zhao said indulgently.
And so, all six members of the family pitched in, young and old alike, to work in the fields. Of course, Mu'er would work for a while and then play, while Ze'er was responsible for playing by himself in the little car.
After working for three days straight, we finally cleared some land, but that's not enough; we still need to continue clearing.
On the fourth day, everyone in the family went out again to dig bamboo shoots in the bamboo forest.
In the afternoon, Grandpa Zhao took the two children home, while Lu Chuan, the Taoist priest, and Xu Han continued digging until sunset before heading home.
After several busy days, March 28th finally arrived.
During this time, Xu Han was responsible for processing bamboo shoots and doing housework, while the others were constantly clearing land.
After a period of effort, four acres of wasteland have been cleared, which is now enough to grow corn and soybeans.
After dinner that evening, everyone gathered together to chat again.
"The wasteland has been cleared out, and now we're just waiting for the rain so we can plant crops."
"Yes, it hasn't rained for a while. The weather is quite sunny now. I wonder when it will rain," Lu Chuan said, gazing at the starry sky outside.
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