"Oh, Sister Gu, where did you get so many big carp? That cartful must have cost a pretty penny!"
"Wow, what a fat, plump sheep! You must have bought it from the next village?"
"I'm glad I came today! There's fish soup to drink and mutton to gnaw on. How long has it been since I last ate mutton..."
Outside the main gate, Madam Gu and Little Xi Tian were surrounded by villagers, their mouths watering at the sight of the large sheep.
Madam Gu naturally couldn't say that her little daughter had attracted these things.
She casually replied, "The fish were bought from Gou Gou Lake. They happened to be selling sheep there, and it was cheap, so I bought one to butcher for meat..."
Even without an explanation, the villagers knew what was going on.
Times were hard for everyone.
Although the Old Yun family's days were slightly better, they couldn't just buy a sheep on a whim!
What kind of family butchers a sheep so casually...
This must be Little Sweet Treasure's divine intervention again.
Old Man Yun walked over, hands behind his back. He exchanged a glance with his wife and knew what was happening.
"Du Lao San, hurry up and get your butcher knife to prepare the sheep!"
"Da Qiang, don't just stand there, quickly gut the fish. It's so hot today, they'll rot if we don't handle them soon..."
At Old Man Yun's reminder, the villagers got busy again.
Some butchered the sheep, others gutted the fish, and some washed vegetables. No one was idle.
Even the villagers who hadn't helped with the move gathered around, standing at the gate watching the sheep being butchered, hoping to get a bone to gnaw on when the hand-pulled mutton was stewed...
Xiao Jin Heng had slept soundly during the afternoon and had just woken up.
As soon as he heard that the Old Yun family was butchering a sheep to host a feast, he quickly put on his clothes and rushed over.
"Little village kid, did your family buy a sheep?" Xiao Jin Heng asked curiously.
"Mhm!" Little Xi Tian nodded, popping the remaining cherries into his mouth. "They're very sweet..."
Xiao Jin Heng was stunned. While eating, he asked, "Hmph, don't think I don't know, did you summon this sheep using sorcery?"
The big yellow ox and the spotted deer last time were also brought by the little village kid using sorcery.
This time, the big carp and the sheep must have been too.
Little Xi Tian: "..."
If you say so, then so be it.
"Come eat mutton tonight, I'm off!" Little Xi Tian waved and returned to her room.
She needed to tidy up her messy space...
As a vast agricultural base, the poultry, livestock, vegetables, and fruit trees inside were so numerous that Little Xi Tian was dazzled.
She first watered and fertilized the nearly withered fruit trees, then rounded up the donkeys, horses, cattle, sheep, and other animals on the hillside and fed them with concentrated feed...
Then she went to the vegetable greenhouses, where there were mushrooms, various green vegetables, wood ear fungus, monkey head mushrooms, melons, fruits, and so on.
The scene was a stretch of yellow, with some plants having already withered from drought.
Little Xi Tian held her forehead and looked at the sky, sighing, "Alas, what a mess..."
She would definitely not be lazy anymore.
She dug up all the dead seedlings and re-planted seeds. For the surviving crops, she watered and fertilized them, allowing them to grow slowly.
After finishing these tasks, Little Xi Tian looked at the fruit jam she had made.
It was ready to eat, with a sweet and sour taste...
The fruit jam she made was very simple, requiring only sour green apples.
The method was to cut the apples into eight pieces, soak them in salt, then boil them in boiling water, and sprinkle with sugar.
Cook until the jam turned transparent and glossy, then scoop it out and put it into jars...
She could also make jam with strawberries and oranges, but Little Xi Tian hadn't tried it yet.
After finishing her work in the space, Little Xi Tian was so tired that she fell asleep.
In the evening, the Yun family's feast finally began.
More than ten dining tables were set up in the courtyard, all brought by the villagers from their own homes...
Adults and children filled the courtyard, making it extremely lively.
Old Man Yun and the village chief sat at the main table. Before the dishes were even served, they had already downed half a bowl of sorghum wine.
The kitchen was bustling with activity, and Madam Gu was even starting to stir-fry dishes.
Zhao Gui Hua was pregnant and couldn't do heavy work, and Jin Huai Hua only had two hands, so they were overwhelmed...
Sister Su Zhen and Aunt Zhang added firewood and washed vegetables in large basins.
When the moon was high in the sky, and the villagers were grumbling about being hungry, the dishes were finally served.
Needless to say, the main dish was the freshly stewed hand-pulled mutton.
The marbled lamb ribs were faintly visible in the broth, sprinkled with cilantro...
Just the smell alone made the villagers drool with anticipation.
The meat from the lamb leg was deboned, sliced, and stir-fried with celery, emitting an aroma that could be smelled for miles.
Half of the lamb offal was stewed into soup, and the other half was stir-fried with green peppers, with plenty of scallions and dried chilies added. It was not only an authentic dish to accompany wine but also a hearty meal...
The fish was stewed with tofu, producing a milky white broth that was fresh and delicious.
To enrich the menu, Jin Huai Hua also made braised carp and deep-fried carp.
The two types of fish had different flavors but each had its own unique charm, all highlighting the essence of "freshness"...
Liu Cui Rong spent the entire afternoon in the back garden with Yun Xiao Bao. The family was busy to the point of smoking, but she didn't lift a finger.
When the good food was ready, she happily returned with Xiao Bao, picked up two lamb ribs, and started devouring them.
"Come, everyone has worked hard today, let's toast!" Old Man Yun stood up with his wine bowl, smiling.
The villagers were also enjoying the delicious food and were very enthusiastic.
Without Old Man Yun urging them, they picked up their wine bowls and started drinking themselves...
Xiao Jin Heng was also sitting at the main table. Looking at Liu Cui Rong wolfing down her food, he instantly lost his appetite.
Why did this person always look like a starving ghost, always appearing hungry and never satisfied.
"Young Master Xiao, why aren't you eating? Come, try this braised carp..." Madam Gu picked up a fish tail and placed it in front of Xiao Jin Heng.
"Thank you, Aunt Gu!" Xiao Jin Heng withdrew his gaze and looked at Little Xi Tian again.
"Why are you looking so listless? Did you not sleep well?" Xiao Jin Heng asked.
Little Xi Tian twitched her lips. She was so tired she didn't even want to speak...
As expected, if you pile up too much work, you're the one who ends up suffering.
"Eat some fruit jam!" Little Xi Tian casually took out a jar of fruit jam and handed it to Xiao Jin Heng. "I made it myself!"
She didn't make the fruit jam on a whim; she wanted to sell it to alleviate the family's financial strain.
Although there were many large livestock in her space, she couldn't take out cattle and sheep every day...
It would be strange if she wasn't suspected.
"Mmm! Delicious, sweet and sour, did you really make this?" Xiao Jin Heng asked curiously after taking a bite. httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
"Mhm!"
"How much more do you have? I'll take it all!" Xiao Jin Heng said generously.
Little Xi Tian rolled her eyes. "Can you eat that much? I'll give you two jars first..."
Thus, Little Xi Tian began to market her fruit jam in the courtyard.
She sold forty jars at thirty wen each.
This amounted to one tael of silver and two hundred wen.
This was just a preferential price for the villagers. If she sold it in the county town, it would be worth much more.
While the villagers were happily feasting, a strange woman suddenly arrived in Heyang County.
She rode a horse, her beautiful eyes scanning the sides of the street...