Farming for Three Meals a Day [Farming Life] 70

Chapter 70

After a few gentle spring rains, new shoots emerged on the bamboo by the small courtyard. The ice on the river melted, the water turning slightly green. The first signs of spring appeared, the river warming, plants sprouting, and life returning to the land. Shanxiu Village welcomed the first solar term of the new year, Beginning of Spring.

A new year of busy farming began in Shanxiu Village, every family plowing and tilling their land, preparing for spring planting.

Ye Xi and Lin Jiangshan squatted in their vegetable garden, weeding. They put the newly sprouted shepherd’s purse and purslane in a basket, saving them for a meal.

“We need to plant cauliflower, chili peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, and eggplants. Are there any other seedlings we need? I can ask Li-ge’er for some,” Ye Xi said, pulling weeds.

Lin Jiangshan said, “We should plant some green beans, otherwise, we won’t have pickled green beans, they’re so good with rice.”

Ye Xi smiled. “I forgot about those, I didn’t even think of them when we bought the seedlings. I’ll ask Li-ge’er tomorrow, he can give us a dozen or so from his garden.”

After weeding and fertilizing the vegetable garden with wood ash, they planted the seedlings along the furrows. By the time they finished, it was almost noon. Ye Xi lifted the jar covering the chives.

These were the chives they had saved during winter, now a pale yellow.

“We’re in for a treat today, let’s have stir-fried yellow chives with meat, we only have this a few times a year.”

Lin Jiangshan, tilling the soil with a hoe, nodded. “Alright, I’ll go check on our new plot of land after lunch, plow it with the cow, and fertilize it, so we can plant soon.”

Ye Xi knew they would be busy with spring planting, so he quickly harvested the yellow chives and went back to the courtyard to cook.

Yellow chives were tender and fragrant, simply stir-fried with a few pickled chili peppers and ginger. He coated the pork strips in cornstarch and stir-fried them until fragrant, then made another dish of scrambled eggs with artemisia leaves. They sat in the courtyard and enjoyed their lunch.

The spring sun was warm and comforting, making them feel drowsy. The spring breeze blew, and bamboo leaves swirled down into the courtyard. Ye Xi gave Lin Jiangshan some meat and asked, “Husband, have you decided what to plant on our new land?”

Lin Jiangshan had already made up his mind. “Sweet potatoes and potatoes, we have over two acres, enough for both.”

Ye Xi bit his chopsticks, wondering why not plant wheat or rice, those were staple foods, more valuable and could be sold at a higher price. Although sweet potatoes and potatoes yielded more, with the lower taxes in recent years, farmers had surplus grain and rarely ate these coarse grains, mostly using them as animal feed.

Lin Jiangshan, seeing his husband’s doubts, smiled. “It’s the first time we’re planting on that land, let’s plant sweet potatoes and potatoes to nourish the soil. We have more livestock now, and we can use the vines as feed, saving you the trouble of collecting grass every day.”

Ye Xi thought it made sense and nodded.

“Secondly, we haven’t stored much grain. The winter wheat harvest in late spring and early summer will only be enough for us until the end of the year. If there’s a drought or flood during the summer planting season, we’ll only have this one harvest, no surplus to store, and winter will be difficult. We might even have to buy grain next year during the lean season. Sweet potatoes and potatoes have a shorter growing cycle, we can harvest two seasons this year. Although the price is lower, two harvests can still be exchanged for rice and wheat for us to eat.”

Ye Xi now completely understood his husband’s plan, a cautious and practical approach. They had been married for less than a year, their new home just established, their land smaller than others’, and they didn’t have much stored grain, they had to plan ahead.

After lunch, Lin Jiangshan took the cow and plow and went to till the land. After that, he still had to fertilize and water the winter wheat.

The afternoon sun became stronger, not scorching, but still making them thirsty. Ye Xi made some dried tangerine peel tea. He had dried the tangerine peels in winter for making candied tangerine peel strips and had some leftover, which he now used for tea, said to regulate qi, strengthen the spleen, and remove dampness, a good tea for spring.

He locked the courtyard gate and took the tea to Lin Jiangshan. On the way, he met villagers carrying hoes and baskets, going to work. It was a beautiful spring day, and everyone had shed their thick winter clothes, looking more relaxed and cheerful.

“Xi-ge’er, where are you going?” Uncle Zi from the village greeted him with a smile.

Ye Xi replied, “I’m bringing tea to my husband, he’s plowing the fields.”

“That new plot of land Lin lad bought?”

“Yes, he’s tilling it, preparing for planting.”

Uncle Zi smiled. “He’s capable, buying land, you two are living a good life.”

An auntie carrying a basket, on her way to forage for wild vegetables, passed by and said, “Hey, they even bought a cow, a strong water buffalo, even bigger than Second Master Liu’s. Xi-ge’er, ask your husband to help me plow my paddy field later.”

Families with cows would help others plow their fields, charging based on the size of the land, and could earn dozens or even hundreds of wen a day during the busy spring and summer planting seasons.

Ye Xi readily replied, “I’ll remember that, Auntie, I’ll tell him when I get home, we won’t delay your work.”

“Alright, alright, good.”

Ye Xi exchanged greetings and chatted with the villagers before they hurried off to their work.

The spring breeze blew, the willow branches swaying by the riverbank, wild flowers blooming in the fields, the purple daisies especially vibrant.

Ye Xi reached their field and saw Lin Jiangshan guiding the cow, plowing the land.

“You forgot your water bottle, I brought you some tea, don’t get dehydrated.”

Lin Jiangshan finished plowing a furrow and came over to sit down and drink, the tangerine peel tea sweet and refreshing. He finished half the pot in one go.

“I just met Uncle Zi and some aunties in the village, they asked you to help them plow their fields,” Ye Xi said, handing him a handkerchief.

Lin Jiangshan took the handkerchief and wiped the sweat from his forehead. “I’ll go after I finish fertilizing and watering the wheat fields in a couple of days, we can earn some money that way, our savings are running low.”

Ye Xi felt sorry for him working so hard every day. “We still have some savings, enough for now, don’t worry too much, we just bought the land and a cow, we’re doing well. I’m going to Mrs. Wang’s house later to buy a few rabbits. You made the cage a few days ago, we can raise them until autumn, and they’ll have a litter then.”

They sat by the field and chatted for a while, then Ye Xi took the basket and went to Mrs. Wang’s house.

Her family was known for raising rabbits in the village, hundreds of them, selling their fur in winter for a good income. Ye Xi didn’t want to raise so many, just a dozen or so, to sell or slaughter for meat, and he could use their fur to make a winter jacket or a hat.

Mrs. Wang, remembering that Ye Xi had embroidered quilt covers for her family, readily agreed when she heard he wanted to buy rabbits.

She took him to the rabbit hutch and let him choose. “We have brown ones, mostly white ones, and also black ones. Just tell me which color you want. White ones are usually the most expensive, twenty wen each, because their fur is beautiful, but since you’re such a good person and helped me so much last time, I’ll give you a discount, fifteen wen each.”

Ye Xi said gratefully, “Thank you, Auntie. Your rabbits have such smooth and shiny fur, they must be good breeders. I’ll take five white ones and three black ones, we can’t manage too many.”

They also had a cow, two new piglets, and they had to buy more chickens and ducks, otherwise, they wouldn’t have enough eggs.

Mrs. Wang went into the hutch and caught eight rabbits, putting them in Ye Xi’s basket. “They’re a month old, healthy and easy to raise.”

Ye Xi took the basket and gave her one hundred and twenty wen. “Alright, I’ll take good care of them.”

After leaving Mrs. Wang’s house, Ye Xi carried the basket back up the mountain, the rabbits inside soft and fluffy. He thought about picking some rabbit-ear clover when he got back to feed them.

Suddenly, someone jumped out from the path, blocking his way, startling Ye Xi.

He looked closely and saw it was Cao Bin. Ye Xi’s face turned cold, and he said indifferently, “What are you doing here?”

Cao Bin had been thinking about Ye Xi constantly these days, even the courtesans in the brothel seemed less appealing now. He smiled and said, “Xi-ge’er, I came to see you, we were engaged once.”

Ye Xi took a step back, suppressing his disgust. “The engagement was broken off long ago, your parents brought people to our house to cancel it. I’m married now, and you’re also married, why are you still pestering me?”

Cao Bin licked his lips and quickly said, “I didn’t want to break off the engagement, it was my mother’s idea, I had no choice. I still have feelings for you!”

Ye Xi spat, wanting to curse him. “You’re shameless and immoral! Are you trying to pester me now that my face has healed? I advise you to stay away from me, you’re married now, you should be faithful to your husband!”

Cao Bin was filled with regret. His life with Yao-ge’er was far from peaceful, and Ye Xi seemed a hundred times better than him. He thought, if he hadn’t broken off the engagement, Xi-ge’er would be his husband now, not that Lin fellow, a country bumpkin.

“Xi-ge’er, listen to me, I don’t have any feelings for that Yao-ge’er, he can’t even compare to your little finger. If it weren’t for him forcing me to marry him, I would never have let him into my house. The spring imperial exam is approaching, and I believe I can become a Xiucai, and once I’m an official, I might even rise higher. If you follow me, you’ll have a good life, no need to collect pigweed or do farm work, just stay home and be pampered.”

Ye Xi sneered, his face full of sarcasm. “I don’t have such good fortune, I’m just a simple farmer, I should be working in the fields, save those words for someone else, don’t disgust me.”

He turned to leave, and Cao Bin, seeing this, panicked. He had come several times, and finally, he had encountered him alone, outside his house, wanting to talk to him and get close to him.

He reached out to grab Ye Xi, but Ye Xi quickly dodged, stepped back, and glared at him, warning, “If you touch me, I’ll chop off your hand! If you don’t leave now, I’ll call for help and have you arrested for harassment, do you still want to take the imperial exam?”

Cao Bin, seeing his defiance, found him even more attractive, and he slowly approached, saying, “Don’t be afraid, I just want to talk to you.”

Ye Xi remained calm, watching him approach, then quickly pulled the wooden hairpin from his hair and swiped it across Cao Bin’s face, the sharp tip drawing blood.

Cao Bin cried out in pain, clutching his face, a long bloody scratch on his left cheek, blood seeping through his fingers.

Ye Xi said calmly, “If you take another step closer, I’ll give you another scratch. If you don’t leave now, the villagers working in the fields will see you, do you still want your reputation?”

Cao Bin glared at him, realizing that he wasn’t a pushover, a truly tough nut to crack. “Fine, you’re a tough one, I don’t need you anyway. Don’t come begging me when I become successful and powerful.”

Ye Xi raised his eyes and said coldly, “Get lost.”