Chapter 224 Seedling Cultivation
As Daiyu finished preparing the snacks, she kept wondering when her nanny would return, just like a child eagerly awaiting the adults in the family to come home from get off work.
Fortunately, although Yuan Hongqu had never given birth herself, she had worked in education and had some understanding of children's psychology.
Before Daiyu could finish her sentence, Jiuhua, a little maid from the garden, came over and said that Master Yuan had instructed that seeds be sown and new seedlings be grown in the garden today, and asked the young lady to come and oversee the process.
"The flowers in our garden are all in bloom, why do we need to grow new seedlings?" Daiyu asked curiously.
"Mr. Yuan gave us some seeds, including cherry tomatoes, jade cucumbers, purple eggplants... and many other seeds that we've never seen or heard of before. Mr. Yuan said that you've seen them before, so he asked you to come and take a look."
"I've heard a proverb that says, 'Plant melons and beans around Qingming Festival.' But it's still early. Will they grow badly if we plant them so early?" Daiyu was delighted to hear that it was her nanny who had arranged for her to do this, and immediately followed her over.
“Young lady, we have a greenhouse, so even in the dead of winter, it should be easy to get fresh fruits and vegetables. However, Granny Yuan says we should eat what's in season…”
Little Jiuhua remembered clearly that other families would grow some vegetables in their greenhouses, just for the important people in the family to eat during the winter. But the Lin family didn't grow a single vegetable that wasn't for winter.
Although their daughter never lacked vegetables in winter, she never had any of the kinds of vegetables that weren't supposed to be available in winter.
“We used to keep a lot of plants in our greenhouse during the winter. A few days ago, we moved them all out and we also tidied up the soil inside. If we had planted them a month earlier, they would definitely have grown better in the greenhouse than outside. It can’t be considered as eating plants out of season.”
"Yes, Granny said that things that are not in season are against the natural order and eating too much of them is not good for your health. There are also many delicious fruits and vegetables in season, and we should not force the seasons." Lin Daiyu also remembered what Yuan Hongqu had said, but in fact she had eaten many vegetables that she had never seen before. Granny Yuan said that those were all in season and she could eat them as she pleased.
She had seen those things in her dreams: a yard full of vegetables and fruits, growing in abundance regardless of the season.
Lin Daiyu was certain in her heart that the vegetables and fruits she usually ate at home must have come from that courtyard.
That courtyard was a secret between her and Granny Yuan.
Granny Yuan must be a celestial being, which is why there is a courtyard and house that exist in the void.
Daiyu herself was a beneficiary of the space's resources, and she vaguely felt that her increasingly better health was partly due to the fruits and vegetables grown in the courtyard.
She wanted to improve her father's health, so she pestered Yuan Hongqu to make ginseng hydrosol from the space's resources, synthesize it into medicines to strengthen the body, make it into tea for daily consumption, and even brew ginseng wine, which she then sent to Yangzhou.
Spring is here, and my father's old ailment may flare up again.
Daiyu thought that she would write another letter when she got back later to ask about her father's health.
The group walked into the greenhouse.
The curtains of the greenhouse were wide open, and a wave of heat hit you as soon as you entered.
"Is the stove lit? Why is it so hot?" Daiyu asked Jiuhua, who was standing next to her.
“Girl, we didn’t light the heater. This place is sunny and there are no obstructions around, so it’s usually warmer inside than outside. Lighting the heater would make it even hotter.”
Looking around, Daiyu saw that the greenhouse was now a large, cleared area, with each plot separated by earthen mounds.
Only two areas on the side are green: one has rows of spring chives on it, and the other has scallions.
Both stood upright, lush and green, neat and tidy, pleasing to the eye at first glance.
"These chives are growing really well. My nanny loves chive and egg pancakes. I'll cut some chives later and make some for her to take to the academy."
Daiyu didn't eat chives much, but she remembered that Granny Yuan loved to eat chive and egg dumplings. Fresh chives were mixed with scrambled eggs shaped like osmanthus flowers to make the filling, which was then wrapped into crescent-shaped chive dumplings and pan-fried until golden brown and crispy on both sides. Granny Yuan loved to eat them!
Chives are not very good for the stomach, and Yuan Hongqu usually forbade Daiyu from eating them. However, she would occasionally add chives to soups to enhance the flavor and let Daiyu try some.
"The scallions look fresh and tender. My nanny once made me a scallion pancake. The pancake was only the size of my palm, and each layer was as thin as paper, so thin that you could see the light through it. It was soft inside and crispy on the outside. Zijuan, pick some scallions and take them to the kitchen. Find Sister Xiangtao and tell her that I want to eat this for lunch."
"Miss, luckily there are only chives and scallions in the greenhouse right now. You only ordered two dishes. If the greenhouse were full of fruits and vegetables, I don't know how many dishes you would have ordered today," Xueyan said with a smile, covering her mouth.
"You make it sound like I'm the only one with a sweet tooth. Every time I eat, I bring you all along. And every time I eat more than you do?" Daiyu glanced at Xueyan and said, "If you're going to say that, when those chive boxes are made, they'll all be sent to the academy, and there won't be any for you."
"Girl, good girl, I was just joking. I'm just being greedy, I'm the one with the craving. Girl, adding a little dried shrimp to the chive dumplings will make them even tastier," Xueyan said with a smile, hurrying along.
"Look at my mood, young lady. If you don't finish this seedling cultivation today, and still have to make chive dumplings, I'll give you a good spanking!" Daiyu pointed at Xueyan and laughed.
"Good girl, it's all my fault for being so talkative. I'll go get to work now!" Xueyan lightly patted her mouth and walked forward with a smile.
Not far ahead was a field that had been thoroughly watered, divided into small squares like a chessboard.
"Girl, the seedbeds are all ready, and these are various kinds of seeds." Jiuhua brought over a large tray with small cloth bags on it, each labeled with the name of the vegetable or fruit seeds inside.
Daiyu picked them up and chopped them off one by one; there were twenty or thirty different kinds in total.
"With so many, I'm afraid we can't grow them all in this greenhouse, can we?"
“When Second Madam Lian came a few days ago, she told us that she wanted to ask for some vegetable seedlings. This year, her family also opened up a plot of land in the garden, and the young masters and ladies in the family wanted to experience the joys of rural life. So about half of the vegetable seedlings here are for Second Madam Lian.”
“To experience the joys of rural life, there’s no need to waste our perfectly good seedlings…” Daiyu thought of the ginseng seedlings that were ruined last year, and felt somewhat unhappy.
She knew these seeds must have been brought from that blessed land in her dream by her nanny; such precious things were given to them to plant for fun.
Daiyu felt a pang of sympathy.
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