Free Web NovelChapter 436: Chapter 229: Meizi, the Household Manager (Part 2)
’Still, even if the wood ear mushrooms can’t be mass-produced, at least we managed to grow them. This is a significant step forward. The rest will be a slow process of figuring out how to make them grow more plentifully and faster.’
After checking on the mushrooms, Juhua glanced around Meizi’s backyard. Seeing the neat and tidy pigsty, vegetable garden, and fruit trees, she smiled at Meizi and said, "Meizi, look how well you’ve organized your home! You’re even more capable than your own mother. You used to say you didn’t know how to run a household, but look at you now! This is wonderful!"
Meizi listened, smiling proudly, but said, "What’s so great about it? It’s a far cry from your place. Juhua, how did you plant so many vegetables and have them all grow so well? Look at my hulu gourd—I have no idea what happened, it was perfectly fine and then it just died."
Juhua let out a laugh. "What are you so worried about? This is your first year running your own household, so this is already fantastic. My parents help look after my place, so how can you compare? Even with their help... last time I sowed a bunch of chili pepper seeds, and I swear, ten thousand seedlings must have sprouted. My mom planted them everywhere she could, but she still couldn’t plant them all. In the end, she had me pull up the rest to take home and stir-fry as greens. If your hulu gourd died, it died. You can just plant another one next year. If you want some, come over to my place and pick one or two. My mom planted just two hulu gourd vines, and we can’t keep up with them! Once they start growing, they just take off. If you don’t pick and eat them, they get old really quickly. Then all you can do is let them age into old gourds to make water ladles."
’Thinking about it, Meizi couldn’t stop laughing. She had planted a lot of chili peppers too; the base of her wall was covered in them. But she would never complain about having too many. It would be great to let them turn red, dry them, and grind them into powder for pickling. Plus, pickled chili slices could be sold for a bit of money.’
The two of them went to Juhua’s family fish pond, talking and laughing along the way.
Juhua came over, shouldering two bamboo poles, and shouted to Zheng Changhe in the fields, "Dad, come help me gather some water bamboo shoots!"
Zheng Changhe and Mrs. Yang looked up at the same time. He saw Juhua standing on the bank of the pond with the bamboo poles and remembered how his daughter had mentioned at noon that the water bamboo shoots were overgrowing the pond. She’d said it was making the water murky and she was worried the fish wouldn’t like it, so she wanted to clear some out. Zheng Changhe dropped his hoe and went over to help.
They gathered two large baskets, piled high, which finally thinned out the water bamboo shoots in the pond. However, the plants still covered the surface completely. With some of their number removed, the remaining ones seemed to have been given room to stretch their limbs, spreading out to fill the space.
Zheng Changhe looked at the pond and said to Juhua, "I’ll carry this load back for you first. You two can start trimming them at home. I’ll come back to gather another load later. There are still too many of these water bamboo shoots in the pond."
Juhua nodded. "Alright! We’ll head back then. I’ll go get Xiu to come help us trim them. Otherwise, Meizi and I will never finish. It’d be a shame to just feed them to the pigs."
Meizi said quickly, "How could you feed them to the pigs? They’re delicious stir-fried! If we can’t finish today, we can just do it tomorrow."
Seeing how anxious she was, Juhua laughed. "Don’t you worry, I won’t feed them to the pigs. If we can’t finish today, we’ll just trim more tomorrow. The water bamboo shoots are just starting to flower, so they’re perfectly tender. They really are delicious stir-fried."
Meizi nodded, satisfied. ’She’d been wondering if she should ask her mother-in-law to come get some, but then she decided against it. It would be a waste of time for her to run back and forth. It would be better if I just trimmed some and sent it over to her. That way, she won’t have to neglect her own chores for a few vegetables. Hmm, I should send some to my own mother too. Even though Mom keeps her house in perfect order and doesn’t need my help, sending some over is a nice way to show I’m thinking of her!’
Zheng Changhe carried the load to a shady spot under an acacia tree beside the house—a convenient place for the girls to trim the water bamboo shoots. He then turned around and went back to the pond to gather another load.
Juhua brought out a few small stools, and she, Meizi, Xiu, and Cui sat in the shade of the tree to trim the water bamboo shoots. When she saw Zheng Changhe return with the second load, she asked, "Dad, does the pond look a little less crowded now?"
Zheng Changhe smiled. "Yes! It looks much better now. It was so packed before it made me feel claustrophobic just looking at it. Hua’er, I’m going back to work. Just give a shout if you need anything."
Juhua quickly agreed, and Zheng Changhe turned and headed back to the fields.
The girls chatted as they worked.
Xiu said to Meizi admiringly, "Meizi, you’ve raised your ducks so well! I bet they’re about to start laying eggs!"
As soon as the topic came up, Meizi nodded happily. "Yes! It’s so much better for raising ducks out here—there’s so much space. I’ll have salted duck eggs to eat soon!"
Seeing Xiu’s envious expression, Juhua smiled. "If my family hatches any ducklings next year, I’ll give you a few to raise. If we don’t have enough, Meizi’s ducks should be able to hatch some by then, too."
Meizi nodded. "They’ll definitely be able to hatch ducklings by next year. Xiu, did your cat have her kittens? Could you give one to me?"
Xiu smiled, pressing her lips together. "Of course! We have to give them away once they’re a little bigger anyway. It’s too much trouble to feed so many cats. Juhua, do you want one?"
Juhua had been about to ask for one herself, so she quickly said, "Yes! I found a mouse in the house just the other day. It’s so strange. I never used to see them much. Do the mice know we’re living better now, so they’ve come to freeload?"
Meizi and the others burst out laughing.
Xiu said cheerfully, "Your old house was so old, the mice could hide deep inside where you’d never find them. But this new house is made of brick, so the corners aren’t easy for them to gnaw through. When one tries to sneak in to steal food, of course you’re going to spot it."
’That makes sense,’ Juhua thought, and she asked Xiu to bring a kitten over as soon as it was weaned.
The girls chatted and laughed as the sun dipped toward the west, its scorching heat finally fading. The swelter of the day was over. A cool breeze drifted by, carrying a hint of freshness. Even the cicadas in the trees quieted down, their desperate, screeching calls finally ceasing.
Meizi sighed. "It’s so much cooler out here than in the village. It isn’t hot at night, and the mornings are pleasant."
Xiu and Cui nodded in unison. "Yeah, my dad says the feng shui is great out here, too. He said our family is sure to prosper in the future."
Her words made Meizi’s eyes light up, while Juhua found it secretly amusing.
