It was already past noon, so it was decided to combine two meals into one.
There was no need to cook any dishes, just wash the rice and cook it, and reheat the soup and goose.
The super-fast cooker finished the job in half an hour. After eating, he felt much better, but his condition was still not ideal. He didn't go to sow seeds or install bamboo stakes and stayed home lying down.
It was past three in the afternoon, and he couldn't bear it any longer. Although he still felt a bit uncomfortable, he was mostly recovered. So he went out, put away the large table in the yard, and rode his bike to the farmers' market.
The villa's rear, central and lower sections were designed as dozens of terraced fields, with plenty of land. This was specifically set aside by Li Haochen for planting vegetables. At the very bottom edge, two large wooden sheds were built to raise chickens, geese, and other poultry.
Arriving here, it was very lively, with vendors selling seeds, vegetable seedlings, and fruit tree saplings, as well as agricultural tools, fertilizers, and pesticides, and also chickens, ducks, geese, rabbits, rock voles, and more. The goods were displayed in a dazzling array.
Perhaps it was due to the approaching New Year, business was quite good. The stalls selling chickens, ducks, and geese were the busiest, with both young and adult chickens, ducks, and geese being very popular.
After browsing several seed stalls, they were all similar in size and price, so there was no need to look further. He decided to pick one at random.
At this time, it was suitable to plant Chinese cabbage, choi sum, and lettuce. Chinese flowering cabbage, broccoli, and gai lan were also good choices. Of course, coriander, parsley, ginger, green onions, and garlic were indispensable.
Since there was plenty of land, he bought a packet of each. After leaving the seed shop, he went into the tool shop and bought some gloves, seedling cups, hoes, and other tools. Water pipes were not needed, as the hilly area was equipped with an automatic sprinkler system, and water could be supplied by simply opening the valves for the respective areas.
He wouldn't buy chickens, ducks, or geese for now; he was already overwhelmed with the land and didn't have time to attend to them.
Upon returning to the villa, Li Haochen eagerly took his hoe and went down to loosen the soil. He stopped by the two Lingnan mountain bamboo trees that had been there all along to check on them. They had grown quite a few new leaves, which was excellent. In about three more years, they would be ready to bear fruit.
The soil quality here was very good and soft. After a bit of leveling and raising the soil into ridges, it would be ready for use.
He opened a packet of coriander seeds and rubbed them apart with his hands. This would help them sprout faster and more uniformly.
He scattered the rubbed coriander seeds onto the leveled, soft soil, then gently mixed them in with his hands, covering them lightly with soil. They should sprout in about five to eight days.
Coriander was a very hardy plant; it hardly required any management once it started growing. However, if they grew too densely, thinning would be necessary, otherwise, they would be too crowded and wouldn't grow well.
After planting the coriander, Li Haochen started on the lettuce. The lettuce seeds were like cumin seeds, only slightly smaller. No special treatment was needed; they could be mixed directly with the soil and spread out. He didn't intend to grow them in a particularly beautiful manner; he would just eat them when they grew to a decent size.
After planting the lettuce, he returned to the house, opened a bottle of iced cola, and rested for a while before going back to the fields. There were still many things to plant.
By the time it got dark, he had only managed to plant coriander, lettuce, Chinese cabbage, and choi sum.
When Murong Yanran and the others returned, they saw Li Haochen covered in dirt and carrying a hoe on his shoulder. Murong Yanran asked curiously, "What are you carrying a hoe for? And you're covered in mud, go wash up quickly."
"I went to plant vegetables. I cleared a lot of land in the back mountain. Once it's all planted, we won't have to buy vegetables anymore. Growing our own is healthier and safer."
"Planting vegetables?"
Upon hearing this, the two women became interested. They had eaten a lot of vegetables, but they had never tried planting them before. "Come on, take us to plant some."
"What time is it? It's already dark. Let's do it tomorrow."
"Alright."
Their interest piqued, the two women became almost obsessed, pestering Li Haochen with questions. During dinner, they even remembered to learn from Xiaohongshu.
After dinner and tidying up, Li Haochen took out the packet of parsley seeds and put some water in a disposable cup to soak them.
Parsley seeds had very thick husks and were slow to absorb water. Only after soaking would they germinate better; otherwise, the germination rate would be very low. Soaking them for about a day would be sufficient.
After dealing with this, the three of them went for a walk back to the village. The new renovations there needed airing out before it was safe to move in.
The next day, when Li Haochen went to the vegetable market, he specifically bought some white-stemmed sweet potato leaves, the kind with stems. He also bought several bundles of wolfberry leaves. The leaves would be eaten, and the stems and roots could be used for propagation. It was a win-win situation.
Besides these, he also bought a good number of shallots and garlic to take back. Unfortunately, he didn't find any arrowhead tubers for sale. These were great for warming the stomach and aiding pregnancy. They could be stewed with soybeans, black beans, beef bones, or rabbit meat. Planting some later would be good if Yanran was pregnant... he was getting ahead of himself.
In the afternoon, Li Haochen separated all the shallots, peeling them one by one. He used scissors to snip off the tops, which would help them sprout. Garlic didn't need this treatment.
He didn't plant ginger. Planting ginger required a ritualistic offering. Li Haochen didn't know why, but it was a custom in his hometown, and he didn't dare to break it.
Li Haochen picked up his hoe and went down to the fields, starting to loosen the soil and form ridges, but he didn't plant the vegetables. He left that for the enthusiastic Murong Yanran and the other woman.
At four-thirty in the afternoon, the two women returned. They had probably skipped work and rushed back. They were carrying small shovels and rakes, as if they were going to play on the beach.
They even had the foresight to buy a pair of rubber boots to wear, which was commendable. It seemed their time on Xiaohongshu had paid off.
"Mom, Yanran, you two go plant these shallots and garlic. I've already prepared the soil in those few plots. Just press them in. Be careful not to press too deep, nor too shallow. Space them about ten centimeters apart."
"We know how to do that. Leave it to us, hee hee!"
The two women snatched the garlic and shallots from Li Haochen's hands and quickly walked over to the plots. Judging by their demeanor, they probably hadn't listened to his instructions. He could only let them have their fun.
While they were planting the shallots and garlic, Li Haochen also planted parsley nearby.
At dusk, the setting sun cast long shadows of the three figures. The scene was harmonious and warm.
The three of them worked until past six in the evening before stopping. Looking at the fields full of various vegetables before them, a sense of happy satisfaction arose.
While Li Haochen was cooking, Murong Yanran and the other woman returned to the village and brought quite a few clothes, including Li Haochen's.
After a day of hard work, nothing felt better than a comfortable hot bath followed by a body-releasing massage. The massage bathtub in the villa's bathroom fulfilled Murong Yanran and the other woman's desires for these two things.
They had been in the bathroom for almost an hour and hadn't come out yet. If not for the faint sounds of joyful humming coming from inside, Li Haochen would have wanted to break down the door.
By the time it was Li Haochen's turn to get in, an hour and a half had passed. The fish tank in the master bedroom was for two people and was super large, but it consumed a terrifying amount of water.
Li Haochen didn't mind the tank of water that Murong Yanran had used. He directly lay down in it. As a few curled strands floated on the surface, Li Haochen's thoughts began to wander.