"Is there any farm work to do this afternoon? Do you need me to help?" Zhao Xian asked.
Normally, Zhao Xian's question would seem unbelievable, but now that his brother has changed, the family doesn't find it strange at all.
“Our family only has a small paddy field. As long as the water in the field is well irrigated, there’s nothing else to worry about.”
Zhao Xiaosheng seemed a little sad. The land is a farmer's treasure. Only with land can they grow food, and only with food can they feel at ease.
Zhao Xian knew that his father had mortgaged almost all of the family's land in order for the original owner to pass the imperial examination, but the original owner still failed.
"Don't worry, I'll be able to redeem the family's land soon, and I'll even buy some more land," Zhao Xian reassured Zhao Xiaosheng.
Zhao Xiaosheng was overjoyed. It would be wonderful if his brother could redeem the family's land, but redeeming so much land would require a lot of money.
But when would his family be able to earn so much money? Thinking of this, his eyes dimmed.
"Brother, we'll need a lot of firewood to make kimchi tonight. Xiaoshan and I will go to the back mountain to collect firewood this afternoon."
Zhao Xian nodded; his two younger brothers were indeed very capable.
Going to the back mountain to gather firewood takes more than an hour each way, and the two brothers spent more than two hours gathering firewood in two trips.
More than three hours had passed since the kimchi was started, and they were eager to know if it had been successfully made.
They carried out the pickling jar, unsealed it, and a unique, fresh aroma of pickled vegetables wafted out.
Li Chun'e washed her hands and grabbed a handful of pickled vegetables from the pickle jar, putting them into a bowl.
The kimchi was bright green, and the fermented bok choy leaves were thick and resembled seaweed. A sweet and refreshing aroma filled everyone's nostrils.
Zhao Xian picked up a piece of kimchi with his chopsticks, put it in his mouth, took a bite, and made a crisp sound.
Pickled vegetables made with purslane have a sweet and sour taste, a unique flavor, and leave a lasting impression.
The kimchi was made very successfully, but the fermentation time was a bit short. If it had been fermented for a longer time, the kimchi would have tasted even purer and the aroma would have been even stronger.
At this moment, Li Chun'e and her two younger brothers were a little nervous. They stared at Zhao Xian, wondering how well the kimchi was made and whether it could be sold.
"Mom, the kimchi tastes really good. We could definitely take it to town to sell. You should try it," Zhao Xian said excitedly.
The group was pleasantly surprised. They didn't even pick up chopsticks; instead, they reached into the bowl, grabbed some kimchi, and put it in their mouths.
This is incredible! Is this kimchi made with bok choy? It's so delicious!
If you told me this was made with purslane, probably no one would believe it, but it's true.
Kimchi has a unique flavor, unlike any other stir-fried vegetable; eating it is a pure pleasure.
This kind of kimchi would definitely fetch a good price if taken to town.
The kimchi in the bowl was quickly finished. The three siblings wanted to eat some more, but Li Chun'e glared at them.
“These pickled vegetables will be taken to town to sell tomorrow, so let’s go pick some more bok choy now. We need to pick as much as possible today to make more pickled vegetables,” Li Chun’e said as she sealed the jar.
With the kimchi successfully made, the family's confidence soared.
They knew that making kimchi with cowpea leaves had to be done discreetly, so that the villagers wouldn't notice anything amiss.
“Making kimchi requires a lot of water, so I'll take care of fetching the water. You guys are responsible for picking the bok choy,” Zhao Xiaosheng said, picking up the water buckets.
Seeing that the whole family had gone out, Zhao Xian went to the door to chop firewood. He couldn't very well say that the whole family was busy while he was just strolling around.
Zhao Xiaosheng and Zhao Xiaoshan just gathered a lot of firewood and piled it at the door. Many of the firewood were very thick tree trunks that had to be split open before they could be used.
He found a small stool, sat down by the door, and started chopping wood. This was the first time he had done heavy work since he came from another world.
Chopping wood is indeed hard work, and he was soon drenched in sweat.
"Look, the scholar is chopping wood. This is the first time I've ever seen a scholar working."
Several women walked past the door, whispering among themselves.
"That can't be right. I heard that the scholar was working in the fields yesterday afternoon. He even made a waterwheel. My family's rice paddies are irrigated by waterwheels. The village head has gathered all the carpenters in the village together to make waterwheels. Several have already been made."
"It seems that scholars are quite capable; they can even build waterwheels. I heard that the neighboring village came to the village headman, wanting to build a few waterwheels as well. The village headman did not agree, saying that he needed to discuss it with the scholar."
Several women chatted amongst themselves as they quickly passed by the door.
Zhao Xian ignored him and continued chopping wood.
What I need to do now is make money. The task of building waterwheels for irrigation has been handed over to the village head. If the village head comes to ask if we can build waterwheels for the neighboring villages, then the village head can decide for himself, and I will not interfere too much.
After all, he was a person who had traveled from the modern world, and there were many things in ancient times that he didn't understand. He had to be careful and cautious, gradually familiarize himself with this world, and avoid getting himself into trouble.
Before he knew it, he had chopped a small pile of firewood. Zhao Xiaosheng had already carried back several loads of water, and the others had also picked three baskets of wild mustard greens. The wild mustard greens were covered with other wild vegetables, so the villagers couldn't see the wild mustard greens inside at all.
None of them stopped and continued working until evening. They had picked a lot of wild mustard greens, enough to make at least a hundred kilograms of pickled vegetables.
Zhao Xiaosheng filled all the water tanks with water, enough for the night.
They already knew the kimchi-making process and didn't need Zhao Xian's guidance, so they started preparing for the pickling process.
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