Chapter 499: Chapter 258: Fruit Tree_1
It was the second watch of the night, the plea in pink.
**...***
"Dad, I’ve been inquiring about this matter," Lian Shouxin said, pausing his work for a moment, "I haven’t heard of any family wanting to hire for a tutor yet."
"I haven’t received any word either," Old Master Lian took puffs of his dry pipe, "Old Fourth, you need to be more dedicated to this.... It doesn’t matter if it’s farther away from home."
"Ok, Dad, I’ll remember to keep asking around," Lian Shouxin replied.
"Your older brother is not cut out for farm work. After studying for so many years, it shouldn’t be for nothing. Becoming a tutor can support the family," Old Master Lian added.
"Once your older brother’s age-based exam results come out this year, if he does well, others might come to us to hire a teacher," Lian Shouxin said.
"Hmm," Old Master Lian nodded, a smile forming at the corner of his mouth. Lian Shouxin’s words were music to his ears; he too was looking forward to that day.
After planting six vegetable patches, the family also planted chili peppers in the four ridges next to them.
The land surrounding the vegetable garden was utilized as well, with a row of Japanese squash planted against the pigpen wall and a row of winter melons against the west wall. Both Japanese squash and winter melons are sprawling plants that grow large and heavy, and in the future, they would need to use the wall’s support to build trellises for the plants to grow better and yield more fruit. As for the low eastern wall, it was used for string beans. The string bean plants would also need trellises as they grew, but these did not have to be as sturdy as those for the winter melons and Japanese squash.
After finishing the vegetable garden on the old house’s side, the family began preparing to plant their newly cleared vegetable plot. Lian Shouxin went ahead to bring the small ox cart; the family loaded potato sprouts and other seeds, along with shovels, iron hoes, buckets, and other tools onto the cart. Lian Shouxin drove the cart, with Lian Manman and Xiao Qi sitting aboard, heading toward the village entrance.
Because it was not far, Lady Zhang, Lian Zhizhi, and Wu Lang all refused to ride, sparing the young ox for fear of overburdening it.
This newly cleared plot of land for vegetables was three times the size of their old house’s garden. The family had already discussed what to plant. Lian Shouxin was still responsible for fixing up the vegetable ridges, with Wu Lang, Lian Manman, Lady Zhang, Lian Zhizhi, and Xiao Qi following behind to plant the vegetables.
Lady Zhang felt that the three vegetable patches of string beans and cucumbers were not enough for the family’s consumption, so two more patches of each were planted here. Six ridges were allocated for eggplant, with an additional three for chili peppers. Next to the chili peppers, they planted chives.
Planting chives did not require fixing up the vegetable patches or plowing ridges; all that was needed was to create shallow trenches in the ground, water them, sprinkle the chive seeds, and then cover them with soil. Chives are perennials, so once planted, they could be uprooted in autumn, leaving the roots, and the chives would regrow the following spring.
In the Lian Family’s backyard garden, there was already a large patch of chives, with new chives already sprouting.
Thinking of the large patch in the backyard, Lady Zhang decided to plant an equally large area here as well. Aside from chives, the largest area was devoted to potatoes, which could be stored for a long time, used to make dishes, and served as staple food, making them an indispensable crop in tenant farmers’ gardens.
With the help of oxen and a plowing stick to create furrows, Lian Shouxin saved much effort.
Next to the potatoes, Lian Manman planned to plant cabbage.
"Is it possible for the cabbages to grow if planted now?" Lian Shouxin wiped the sweat from his forehead, sounding uncertain.
Tenant farmers generally do not plant cabbages in spring but wait until after the string beans and cucumbers have climbed their trellises, which is close to autumn, to plant them. This is because cabbages have a shorter growing season and are more cold-resistant than other vegetables. Moreover, once harvested, it’s almost winter, which makes it convenient to store them through the cold season.
"I don’t see why not," Lian Manman said.
"I’m worried the hearts of the cabbages won’t develop properly by then," Lian Shouxin said. As an experienced farmer, he was right; the cabbages planted at this time would mature during the hottest part of the year, and because they were high in water content and lacking in fiber, the hearts indeed did not develop properly, unlike the winter storage cabbages they usually ate.
"Then we’ll just eat young cabbages," Lian Manman said, unaware at the time that people at Thirty Mile Camp did not have the custom of eating young cabbages. "It won’t go to waste anyway."
"Then let’s plant them. We have the seeds and the land," Lady Zhang declared.
"Alright, let’s plant," Lian Shouxin agreed and bent down again to continue preparing the vegetable patches.
