"Shall we put them in the west room?" Zheng Wei asked Shen Xiaoyan, looking at the packed kang bed.
Shen Xiaoyan shook her head, "No, let's not. It's the first time planting, so it's better to keep an eye on them constantly."
Since that was the case, Zheng Wei said no more.
The soil was already prepared, so now it was time to plant the seeds, right?
Zheng Wei thought this, and looked at Shen Xiaoyan uncertainly. It wasn't his fault; previously, when planting vegetables, Shen Xiaoyan called the shots, and he did all the rough and strenuous work. But as for the order, or what he should pay attention to, he really didn't know.
Shen Xiaoyan was also thinking about this problem at the moment.
Now, there was no need to consider the weather. The temperature in the room was very suitable.
The soil was just dug from the ground and was still moist. Therefore, the seeds could be planted.
No sooner said than done, Shen Xiaoyan took a small iron shovel, drew lines on the surface of the soil, and then sprinkled the seeds into the rows, finally covering them with a thin layer of soil.
Not many varieties were planted this time: baby cabbage, large green cabbage, cauliflower, and spinach.
These four types had relatively short growth cycles. If they could grow successfully, they would be able to eat fresh vegetables in a short time.
By the time all this was finished, it was well past lunchtime.
It was only after this task was completely done that Shen Xiaoyan realized she was hungry. She looked up at Zheng Wei and the other person, who were both looking at her with resentful expressions, probably hungry for a long time but not saying anything.
Shen Xiaoyan quickly said with a smile, "I'll go cook now, it'll be ready soon."
After speaking, Shen Xiaoyan was about to go out. Zheng Wei and Shen Xiaoming also quickly followed, "The three of us will do it together, it will definitely be faster."
The three of them worked together, and indeed, lunch was prepared very quickly.
Lunch was also very simple. The large pot contained bone broth mixed with water, which Shen Xiaoming was tending on the fire. Zheng Wei kneaded the dough, and Shen Xiaoming prepared the necessary ingredients.
Before long, Zheng Wei had finished kneading the dough. Having helped Shen Xiaoyan cook for so long, he had long since learned how to knead dough.
Shen Xiaoyan took the kneaded dough and rolled it into a thin sheet in the time it took for an incense stick to burn. She folded the sheet and cut it into noodles the width of a finger.
As soon as the noodles were ready, the water in the pot had also boiled. Shen Xiaoyan put the noodles into the pot and covered it.
After a while, the noodles in the pot were cooked and rolling, so Shen Xiaoyan added the stir-fried vegetables she had just prepared.
Finally, seasoning with salt and a drop of sesame oil, a pot of hand-pulled noodles was ready.
Shen Xiaoyan loved hand-pulled noodles the most. A bowl of hot noodles, with vinegar and chili added, eating the noodles and soup, she would sweat all over. The feeling was indescribably comfortable.
After lunch, the heavy snow gradually lessened and stopped before dinner.
The next morning, Shen Xiaoyan finally saw the sun again.
The warm yellow sunlight on her body didn't generate much heat, but Shen Xiaoyan felt much warmer.
Since the weather had cleared up, the snow in the courtyard needed to be cleared.
It wasn't about clearing all of it; that would be a huge undertaking. However, the two intersecting bluestone paths in the courtyard still needed to be cleared.
In addition to the courtyard, there was also the front courtyard, and in the small courtyard where the kitchen was located, there was also a black brick path, all of which needed to be cleared.
This clearing took a full two days. In the cold weather, the three of them broke out in sweat again and again.
Fortunately, they didn't have to shovel the snow outside; they just needed to push it to the side.
On the morning of the third day, Shen Xiaoyan walked out of the bedroom and the first thing she did was to check the chests and cabinets on the kang bed in the study. To her surprise, she discovered that green sprouts had already emerged from the soil in several of the cabinets.
The sprouts were very small and slender, and densely packed, bringing joy just by looking at them.
When Zheng Wei came out, he saw Shen Xiaoyan leaning over the cabinet, looking at the green sprouts inside and smiling foolishly.
"Mimi, what are you smiling about?" Zheng Wei said as he walked to Shen Xiaoyan's side.
Peeking his head next to Shen Xiaoyan's, Zheng Wei gently turned his head, and the warm breath he exhaled while speaking sprayed onto Shen Xiaoyan's face. "You're so happy so early in the morning?"
Shen Xiaoyan nodded, "Of course I'm happy, they've all sprouted."
As Shen Xiaoyan spoke, she pointed to the green sprouts in front of her, telling Zheng Wei why she was happy.
By the time Zheng Wei got closer, he had already seen the green sprouts in the cabinet. Since the woman was specifically pointing them out to him, he was naturally happy to share in her joy.
So Zheng Wei said, "Mimi, you're really capable, you actually grew them."
Shen Xiaoyan felt a little embarrassed at the praise. In reality, she hadn't done much. The preparations were done by her and Zheng Wei together; she had merely sprinkled the seeds.
However, saying more now would seem overly sentimental. Shen Xiaoyan said nothing and the two of them walked out of the room together towards the kitchen.
Shen Xiaoyan remembered reading in her previous life that "A gentleman stays away from the kitchen," but after coming here, she found that Zheng Wei was not like that. As long as he had nothing to do, he would help her with every meal, and sometimes even experiment with new dishes with her.
She wondered if all men in this era were like this, or if Zheng Wei himself didn't care.
However, Shen Xiaoyan just thought about it for a moment and then dismissed it. Regardless of the reason, Shen Xiaoyan felt that Zheng Wei was very good like this.
After the meal, Shen Xiaoyan still sat on the kang bed admiring her tender sprouts, while Zheng Wei drove the large cart with Shen Xiaoming to town.
There wasn't actually much they needed to buy, but Shen Xiaoyan wanted to grow more vegetables to sell, so Zheng Wei was going to town to find a craftsman to order some wooden boxes.
Shen Xiaoyan felt it was too cold and was unwilling to go, while Shen Xiaoming wanted to go out for a walk, so he went along.
With no one else at home, Luoluo snuggled up to Shen Xiaoyan, leaning against her and talking to her.
"What's so good about these little sprouts? If you plant them in your portable space now, you might be able to eat them by evening," Luoluo said disdainfully, glancing at the tender sprouts in the cabinet.
Shen Xiaoyan glared at it, "What do you know? If I plant them in my portable space, besides myself, they can't eat them. Otherwise, how would I explain it?"
Luoluo thought about it and agreed, but then said, "Isn't this portable space just sitting there empty? It's too much of a waste. You could plant some medicinal herbs, couldn't you? Isn't it said that the older the medicinal herbs, the more valuable they are? Even if you don't sell them, you can keep them for future use."
"Do you think I don't want to? But I don't have seeds," Shen Xiaoyan sighed.
"If you don't have them, go buy them. They're not expensive, and you have money."
"But I always go to town with Zheng Wei. How can I buy them? And how would I explain it if I did?" Shen Xiaoyan said helplessly.
Hearing Shen Xiaoyan say this, Luoluo fell silent. This was indeed a problem, and they could only find a solution later.
In fact, Shen Xiaoyan was not in a hurry. She didn't need these things now. Moreover, up to now, she had only been transmigrated for more than half a year. She was already very satisfied with her current life.
As they were both silent for a moment, Bai Bai suddenly ran over, followed by Lao Hei and Hei Zi.
Bai Bai, who always followed Luoluo, had now grown as big as Luoluo. Shen Xiaoyan was quite speechless about this, perhaps it was a case of birds of a feather flocking together.
Lao Hei and Hei Zi had clearly grown much taller and looked fierce.