Chapter 14
Apart from going to school, Xu Di now spends most of his time taking care of the vegetable garden in the space.
After several experiments, Xu Di has figured out the flow of time in space and the rules of crop maturity, and various crops are arranged in an orderly manner.
Several kinds of fruit tree seedlings were found from the countryside, including apple trees, pear trees, persimmon trees, jujube trees, pomegranate trees, grape vines and other common fruit tree seedlings in the north, and they have been planted in the space.
Xu Di cut a lot of willow branches from the mountains in the countryside and used them to surround the fruit tree seedlings, forming an independent small space for raising chickens.
Xu Di bought twenty breeding eggs and hatched seventeen chicks. The fluffy little chicks were brown and very cute.
The first batch of vegetables and corn planted have matured and Xu Di has harvested them.
For the second batch, Xu Di did not plant vegetables such as eggplants and beans because it was already late autumn. Even if he had planted them, he could not sell them as they would be too conspicuous.
Xu Di has made up his mind to plant more corn, raise more chickens, and grow more leeks, and save them for sale during the Chinese New Year.
In the north, many families also grow leeks in their houses in winter, although not many, but they are there.
Xu Di is timid and doesn't want to be targeted. In the middle of winter, selling vegetables like cucumbers, tomatoes, and beans is just asking for death, isn't it?
Even the fruit trees she planted were those commonly found in the north, as she couldn't get seedlings from the south.
Because there was food in the space, and the tomatoes and cucumbers could not be taken out to sell, she could eat them secretly, and occasionally she could even roast a couple of corns.
So, even though Xu Di has been working all the time, he has not lost weight, is full of energy, and seems to have grown a little taller.
"Xu Di, I found the sweater. You can hang it out at home to dry today. The weather is getting cold, so it's time to wear it."
In the morning, before going to work, Xu's mother told Xu Di to dry the autumn clothes at home and keep them for the summer.
"Got it, Mom. I'll get some sun when the temperature goes up."
It's the end of October and the temperature has dropped significantly. Even wearing autumn clothes and long underwear, my legs still feel cold.
Today is the weekend and none of the Xu family members are resting. Except for two people who are just eating for free, everyone else has gone to work.
"Second sister, I will go pick up coal cores with the Red Army downstairs and come back at noon."
"Got it. Be safe and keep an eye on the cars."
Xu Di knew that Xu Jun was a restless person and it was impossible for him to stay at home quietly. They said they were going to pick up coal cores, but in fact they were just going to play.
Xu Jun agreed and ran downstairs, very anxious.
Xu Di looked at the empty house. It was great that she was alone again.
After cleaning the house, I found Xu's mother's sweater and trousers and took them downstairs to dry in the sun.
This sweater and trousers are really vintage, especially the trousers. There are at least four or five colors on one leg.
One section is black, one section is red, one section is blue...like a rainbow circle.
Wool also requires a ticket, and the quantity is limited.
Often, people buy wool and knit sweaters, then wear them for two years and then they become worn out, so they take them apart and use the old wool to knit trousers.
Adults can take apart the pieces and give them to the children. If they are not enough, they can just use various threads to make up the pieces. I don't care about color.
The Xu family is well off, and everyone has a set of sweaters and trousers.
Xu's mother is a good cook, but when it comes to knitting, she only knows the simplest stitches and one style, so the sweaters and trousers in her house are no different except for size and color.
Xu Di put on his sweater and trousers, said hello to Grandma Wang who was basking in the sun downstairs, asked her to take a look, and then went upstairs.
The family compound was still very safe at that time, and there were basically no petty thefts. We all work in the same factory. If we get discovered, we won't be able to afford the loss, and our reputation will be ruined. It will also delay our family from finding a partner.
Xu Di entered the space. The second crop of crops had grown quite tall, and the leeks had been harvested several times. The fruit trees have grown taller visibly, and the chicks have lost their down.
Xu Di had bought a small stone mill at a scrap recycling station before, so he could grind the corn into fine particles to feed the chicks.
Now that the chickens have grown hard hair, they can eat whole kernels of corn, which is much easier.
In another month, the chicks will be able to lay eggs, and the leeks in the space can be sold out one after another. That’s right, I haven’t found a good place yet, the black market, so Xu Di doesn’t dare to get involved easily.
Xu Di took a look around the space and decided that after planting this crop of corn, they didn’t need to plant any more as it would be enough to eat for a while.
It takes time to breed chicks, mainly because harvesting the land is too tiring. Xu Di has thought it through. He can use the space to raise more chickens and plant more fruit trees to save trouble.
The most amazing thing is that chicken manure can be automatically absorbed, otherwise she would not be able to bear sweeping chicken manure every day.
Corn is a little more troublesome. You need to break off the corn cobs, and then the remaining corn stalks will disappear from the entire plant. If you see a corn stalk standing alone, it means that there is corn that has not been picked.
Xu Di once complained in his heart that this space was too personal. It couldn't be fully automatic, but had to have a semi-automatic one to torture people.
Feeling that it was about time, Xu Di came out of the space, went downstairs, turned over the sweaters and trousers on the clothesline, and chatted with the grandmother downstairs for a while.
"Xu Di, you will be eighteen next year, right?"
"Grandma Wang has a really good memory. She still remembers how old I am."
"Your Grandma Wang has a good memory. I remember everything that happened decades ago."
Grandma Wang is in her sixties, but she has good hearing and eyesight, which is quite remarkable.
"You are awesome, you are in great shape!"
"I'm telling you, kid. After you graduate, don't follow those people and go to the countryside. What can you do if you're small? You'll just cause trouble."
Grandma Wang whispered to Xu Di that now, even if she didn't let people tell the truth, she couldn't bring trouble to her son.
But she loves Xu Di, this child. He is cheerful every day and considerate. He will help anyone who needs help.
"Grandma Wang, I know. Look at my sister. She's been gone for such a long time and she hasn't come back once. Every time she writes, she only reports good news and never bad news. But the other people who went with her always write back to talk about their hardships. My parents are worried. But we don't have the final say in this matter. If she doesn't find a job after graduation, there's nothing we can do."
Xu Di has made the worst plan. If it really doesn't work, she will try to go to her grandmother's place in the countryside.
"Yeah, that's right, it's so hard to get a job nowadays."
Grandma Wang sighed. Didn’t her grandson also go to the countryside? If he doesn't go, his little granddaughter will have to go. I'm worried about a girl!
An old man and a young boy were basking in the sun and chatting, and the atmosphere was quite harmonious.
At noon, Xu Di steamed some steamed cakes.
In the morning, she ground some very fine cornmeal in the space, and her arms were sore from exhaustion.
In order to avoid being discovered, she also scooped some cornmeal from her home and put it into the space.
The fermented cornmeal is relatively thin and cannot be shaped like steamed buns, so it can only be spread on the steamer curtain.
Xu Di also found a handful of dates, soaked them, removed the cores, chopped them up, and sprinkled them on top.
The steamed cake was ready, and Xu Jun came in with a dusty face.
"Second sister, is there anything to eat? I'm hungry."
"Go wash your hands and face. This family doesn't look like a child anymore."
"hey-hey……"
Xu Jun hurried to wash his hands and face. He could smell the fragrance.
Xu Di cut a piece of steamed cake and sent it to Grandma Wang downstairs.
"Oh, you steamed this yourself, it looks so good!"
"The first time I steamed it, I secretly added a little sugar."
Xu Di blinked, and Grandma Wang also smiled and brought Xu Di a bowl of kimchi she made herself.
Grandpa Wang, who has passed away, is from Sichuan, and Grandma Wang can make authentic Sichuan pickles.
"I like to eat the kimchi made by Grandma Wang. I don't have to cook for lunch."
Xu Di went upstairs with the bowl. Xu Jun had already dressed himself and was waiting for her to eat together.
"Second sister, the steamed cake you made is delicious, sweet, and contains dates, which makes it look like a pastry."
"I put some sugar in it, how can it not be sweet?"
Xu Jun took a look and thought that his second sister was still brave. Most people didn’t dare to touch the damn sugar jar.
"Second sister, I picked up coal cores this morning and made twenty cents in exchange. I'll give you half of it later."
"I don't want it. You can keep it for yourself. Don't go there in the afternoon. Read a book at home."
Xu Jun didn't dare to raise any objections and just ate his meal.
In the afternoon, Xu Di put away all the sweaters and trousers and read in the room, mainly reciting quotations.
Xu Jun didn't go out. He sat there doing his homework, his butt moving non-stop as if it had nails on it.
The afternoon sun shines through the window, filling the room with golden color. It feels so good!
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