Farming for Three Meals a Day [Farming Life] 33

Chapter 33

The morning air was cooler, a layer of fallen leaves covering the courtyard, the milky white mist in the mountains lingering, a lone egret’s call echoing through the valley.

After getting up, Ye Xi washed up and went to the kitchen to make a few scallion pancakes and a pot of porridge. The rice for the porridge was the new rice he brought back from the Ye family yesterday. After simmering for a while, a layer of rice oil floated on the surface.

The pickled vegetables in the jar were ready to eat, having only been pickled for three days, slightly sour and crisp. Mixed with chili oil, they were the perfect side dish for porridge.

Lin Jiangshan swept the fallen leaves in the courtyard and piled them in the corner, waiting for the sun to disperse the mist so he could collect them as kindling.

When he entered the kitchen, the porridge in the clay pot was already boiling, the lid rattling, the steam filling the room, warmer than outside.

Ye Xi opened the kitchen window to let the steam out. “Do you want pickled chili peppers? I only pickled some mustard greens stems, they haven’t been pickled for long, still slightly sour and crisp.”

Lin Jiangshan liked pickled chili peppers and nodded. “Give me a couple, some spice is good for working, gives me energy.”

Ye Xi took two bright red chili peppers from the jar, cut them into small pieces, and placed them in a small dish for Lin Jiangshan.

They sat by the kitchen window, eating breakfast in the dim morning light.

Lin Jiangshan drank the warm porridge, which felt comforting to his stomach, and ate the pickled chili peppers, saying, “I’ll start digging the ditches in the courtyard today, so I can go to the river and carry back some pebbles to line the channel.”

Ye Xi knew he was restless and liked to get things done quickly, so he nodded. “Go ahead, I’m free today. I’ll start tilling the land by the courtyard to plant some vegetables, otherwise, we won’t have any vegetables to eat.”

Lin Jiangshan slurped his porridge. “Don’t rush. If tilling the land is too tiring, just rest and take your time. I’ll come and help you after I finish here.”

Ye Xi smiled as he drank his porridge. “I’m a farmer, I know how to till land. I just hope to finish it soon, fertilize it, and plant the seedlings.”

Ye Xi thought about the vegetable plot. “We have to plant radish seedlings on half of the land, so we can harvest them in winter. We can pickle them into radish strips, use them in stews, or eat them as a cold dish. We definitely can’t do without radishes.”

“We also need to plant some cabbage. They’re easy to store in the cellar and can be stir-fried with chili and vinegar when the weather is cold.”

Lin Jiangshan listened attentively to his husband’s plans for the vegetable garden. He would plant whatever his husband wanted.

“We also need some garland chrysanthemum seedlings, otherwise, we won’t have any leafy vegetables for soup. And along the edges, we can plant scallions, garlic sprouts, and cilantro, as seasonings.”

Ye Xi suddenly remembered something. “We also need to plant some chives, so I can make you chive and egg dumplings for the New Year. They’re fresh and flavorful, I think you’ll like them.”

Lin Jiangshan couldn’t remember the last time he had dumplings. In Beizhou, dumplings were a common dish, eaten during festivals and when guests visited.

He hadn’t had dumplings since he started wandering.

“How do you know I like chive and egg dumplings? Why did you suddenly think of that?” Lin Jiangshan asked.

Ye Xi smiled faintly. “I heard that unlike Nanchuan Prefecture, where rice is the staple food, you eat more wheat in Beizhou, usually noodles and steamed buns. I thought you might miss them.”

Lin Jiangshan’s heart was filled with warmth. He reached out and covered Ye Xi’s hand, holding it tightly. “I like everything you make. We don’t even need dumplings, as long as I have you, my husband.”

After breakfast, Lin Jiangshan started digging in the courtyard with a chisel. He was strong, his back muscles bulging as he worked.

Ye Xi brewed a pot of artemisia tea for him and reminded him to drink more water, then took a hoe and went to the open space outside the courtyard.

The open space had been neglected for years, overgrown with weeds. Ye Xi cleared the weeds around the perimeter and then used a flint to set fire to the weeds, burning them clean.

The ashes from the burnt weeds could be used as fertilizer. There weren’t many rocks in this plot of land, and Ye Xi picked out the small stones with a basket as he dug.

They both worked diligently, time passing slowly and peacefully in the mountains.

When the sun reached its zenith and the mist completely dispersed, Ye Xi straightened up, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and saw the smoke rising from the village below, realizing it was already noon.

He put down the hoe and returned to the courtyard.

Lin Jiangshan had already dug a large pit in the courtyard as a reservoir, connected to a narrow channel, a pile of mud beside it.

Ye Xi washed his hands, poured a bowl of artemisia tea from the table under the eaves, the bitter and cool taste with a hint of sweetness quenching his thirst, and then brought a bowl to Lin Jiangshan.

It was strenuous work, and Lin Jiangshan was drenched in sweat. Ye Xi carefully wiped the sweat from his forehead and neck and brought the bowl of water to his lips.

“After you drink, I’ll go back inside and cook. You worked hard this morning, we’ll have something oily and meaty for lunch.”

Lin Jiangshan nodded, his husband was a good cook, and he always looked forward to mealtimes.

After Lin Jiangshan finished drinking, Ye Xi went back to the kitchen to cook.

There was still a small piece of pork ribs left, the scraps from the ribs Lin Jiangshan bought when they visited Ye Xi’s parents. It was perfect for a meat dish.

He washed the ribs in a wooden basin and called out, “How about clay pot ribs for lunch?”

Lin Jiangshan agreed and continued digging the ditch.

Ye Xi washed the ribs, took a few potatoes from the corner of the kitchen, and also picked some green beans, corn, and other vegetables.

After heating oil in the wok over high heat, he added the ribs coated in water starch and stir-fried them until they turned golden brown and fragrant. He then added cinnamon, star anise, and other spices, along with a spoonful of chopped chili sauce from the jar.

The aroma of chili and pork filled the kitchen. Ye Xi covered the wok, sat in front of the stove, added some firewood, and simmered the ribs.

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the ribs were tender and flavorful. Ye Xi transferred them to a clay pot, added the chopped potatoes, green beans, and other vegetables, poured in some soy sauce, covered the pot, and continued simmering it on the clay stove.

Lin Jiangshan carried the mud from the courtyard and spread it on the land Ye Xi tilled in the morning. Ye Xi went to the courtyard to help him shovel the mud into the basket. By the time they finished transporting the mud, it was already past noon.

After working all morning, their breakfast had long been digested. They washed their hands, set up a small square table in the courtyard, and ate lunch.

The ribs were oily and glistening, the meat falling off the bone, infused with the flavor of the chili sauce, the bone marrow juicy and flavorful. The potatoes and green beans absorbed the flavor of the broth, soft and tender, delicious when mixed with rice.

Lin Jiangshan was starving and ate two bowls of rice before he felt satisfied. Ye Xi kept adding ribs to his bowl, happy to see him enjoy the food.

Lin Jiangshan, of course, didn’t just eat by himself. He picked out the lean meat and easy-to-chew pieces and put them in Ye Xi’s bowl, leaving the bony pieces for himself.

The autumn breeze was cool and refreshing. After lunch, Ye Xi and Lin Jiangshan weren’t in a hurry to work.

In the afternoon tranquility of the small courtyard, they enjoyed a leisurely moment of relaxation, savoring the cool autumn breeze, not rushing to work.

Ye Xi brewed a pot of chrysanthemum tea with honey. The chrysanthemums were wild golden chrysanthemums he picked from the mountains a few days ago. The petals, delicate and thread-like, bloomed beautifully in the teapot when steeped in hot water.

The honey-infused chrysanthemum tea was sweet, fragrant, and slightly bitter, perfect for autumn, to dispel wind, clear heat, improve eyesight, and detoxify.

The time after lunch was peaceful and serene, sitting and watching the mist swirling around the mountains, the green trees and flowers, and the clear blue sky above, a pleasant and relaxing scene.

Ye Xi, as he drank his tea, felt sleepy. The chirping of birds flying around the eaves made him drowsy, and he leaned back in his chair and fell asleep.

Lin Jiangshan went inside and brought out one of his jackets, gently covering Ye Xi with it, so he wouldn’t catch a cold.

After settling his husband, Lin Jiangshan picked up the chisel and continued digging the ditch. Ye Xi slept peacefully in the chair, a pot of chrysanthemum tea simmering on the clay stove beside him, the steam swirling around him.

This peaceful scene brought calmness to one’s heart. Lin Jiangshan would look up at his husband every now and then as he worked, his heart filled with an indescribable sense of contentment.

By the time he finished digging the ditch, his husband was still asleep. Lin Jiangshan took a hoe and went out. Ye Xi had tilled half of the vegetable plot in the morning, and the other half was still unfinished.

Lin Jiangshan took off his jacket, only wearing a short shirt, and started tilling the remaining half of the land. His husband wanted to plant vegetables soon, so he had to make him happy.

When the water in the teapot had reduced to half, Ye Xi finally woke up, looked around, and saw that the ditch in the courtyard had been dug, but Lin Jiangshan was nowhere to be seen.

Hearing some movement outside the courtyard, Ye Xi got up to look for him. Just as he stepped out of the courtyard, he saw Lin Jiangshan returning with a hoe.

“Am I too lazy? I actually fell asleep, and the vegetable plot isn’t even finished yet,” Ye Xi said, feeling a bit ashamed. He was the one who was eager to plant the seedlings, yet he was the one delaying it.

Lin Jiangshan smiled. “Just sleep when you’re tired. I can till that small plot of land, it’s not that tiring. Besides, I like watching you doze off, I want to pamper my husband and make him plump and healthy.”

He liked watching Ye Xi dozing off in the chair like a lazy kitten, it brought him a sense of peace and an indescribable sense of contentment.

Ye Xi laughed at him. “Who uses ‘plump’ to describe a person? I’m not a piglet.”

Speaking of pigs, they should find time to go to Xiushui Village to buy piglets. Now that the vegetable plot was tilled, they also needed to get some seedlings.

“Li-ge’er’s family has good vegetable seedlings, they have all the ones I want. I’ll go find him tomorrow and ask him for some.”

Lin Jiangshan agreed and, as if performing a magic trick, took out a large bunch of pink wild cotton flowers from behind his back, delicate, bright, and beautiful.

Ye Xi’s eyes curved into a smile, and he happily took the flowers. “You picked these?”

Lin Jiangshan said, “These wild cotton flowers are beautiful, you said you liked them last time, so I picked some. We can plant them in our courtyard, to make you happy.”

Ye Xi nodded. “Alright, let’s make our courtyard beautiful and comfortable!”