Chapter 2: Growing Vegetables and Cooking
Chapter 2: Growing Vegetables and Cooking
Dongdan Vegetable Market.
The nearest vegetable market to the courtyard is only about 10 to 20 minutes away.
The other Chaoyang vegetable market is a little further away, and the fastest round trip by bus takes at least 40 minutes, so most people in Siheyuan still prefer to come to Dongdan vegetable market.
It was already past the peak time for shopping, and there were only a few people wandering around the market.
Li Kailang strolled leisurely. There were some ingredients here that could be preserved for a long time, such as cabbage, potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, etc.
"Uncle, how much are these vegetables?" Li Kailang asked, pointing at some vegetables.
"This green vegetable is 4 cents a pound, and that cabbage is 3 cents a pound..." the uncle replied.
"Okay, uncle, give me some." Li Kailang pointed at the vegetables.
Li Kailang secretly felt lucky that the system and the street office had given him a lot of tickets. He spent fifty cents to buy a bunch of vegetables. (He bought more on purpose, so that he could eat them and keep them for planting.)
Li Kailang certainly cannot eat all these vegetables by himself, so he plans to plant the extra vegetables in the space.
"By the way, uncle, do you know where to buy seeds?" Li Kailang asked.
"Seeds? It's spring plowing time now, where are the seeds left? But you can go there and ask, he should have them." The uncle replied.
"Okay, thank you, uncle."
After saying that, Li Kailang walked towards the grain station store that the uncle pointed to.
The grain station was where the production team paid their public grain and where they bought seeds. The seeds were usually kept for themselves, but there was no such thing as keeping seeds for oneself in towns.
As for going to the countryside, no one could go there without a letter of introduction. The villagers would suspect you were an enemy spy. Even if you asked someone to take you there, you had to see if they were available. It was not as convenient as buying seeds.
I saw a man, about fifty years old, smoking a pipe leisurely.
Li Kailang walked over and asked, "Uncle, do you sell seeds?"
"Seeds?" the uncle asked, "Young man, what do you want seeds for?"
"Hey, of course I'm here to plant some crops. There's some vacant space in the corners of the yard, and I plan to plant something and become self-sufficient." Li Kailang explained.
The uncle nodded and said, "Young man, what kind of seeds do you want? Let me see if I have any."
"Well, I want a little bit of both." Li Kailang said directly.
"You want everything? Young man, you have quite a big appetite. Can you grow so much?" the uncle asked curiously.
"Of course I can't plant it. I don't plan to keep it there just to avoid having to run away next time. It's better to be prepared." Li Kailang replied with a smile.
At the same time, he handed some seed tickets to the uncle. These tickets were given by the system.
"Okay, I'll get you some." The uncle went in and got some seeds, and each type of seed was packed in paper.
The uncle handed it to Li Kailang and said, "Here, young man."
"Thank you, I'll give you the price." Li Kailang said.
"Hey, no thanks. A few seeds are not worth much money." The uncle refused generously.
These seeds were not expensive, and the uncle didn't ask Li Kailang to pay because he liked him. Besides, it was just a few cents, and he could still decide to pay for it himself.
"Uncle, this won't do. You still have to ask for what you deserve."
As he said that, Li Kailang took out two dimes from his pocket, handed it to the uncle, and immediately walked away, fearing that the uncle would return it.
"This young man is thoughtful." said the uncle.
Although these seeds are not worth much, they are valuable items after all.
On the other hand, the uncle gave him many kinds of seeds, including fruits, vegetables, rice, wheat, sorghum and other seeds. Li Kailang would feel bad if he didn't pay him.
After buying the things, Li Kailang also planned to go back and put some vegetables into the space in the deserted alley.
I carried these things back to the courtyard.
Li Kailang glanced at the sun in the sky and estimated that it was probably a little after eleven o'clock because the workers had not yet left work.
At this time, every household was preparing lunch and no one was hanging around.
Li Kailang was also happy and relaxed.
"Xiao Li, you're back." Suddenly a voice came from the opposite side. Li Kailang turned around and saw that it was the third aunt who was making lunch.
"Cooking, Third Aunt." Li Kailang also replied.
At this time, the third aunt had been pregnant with Yan Jie Di for several months, and now there were five people in the family.
Relying on Yan Bugui's monthly salary of 27.5, life is pretty good. In addition, there is Yan Jiecheng's odd job in the street office, so there is no plan for the future.
[It is 1958 now. Yan Bugui's salary is not the third highest in the hospital. There is an explanation in Chapter 74.]
[The teaching age system started in the 80s, and there is no such thing as a teaching age subsidy now. 】
"Auntie, you are busy. I will go back first." Li Kailang said, went back home and closed the door.
Li Kailang immediately entered the planting space. The fertile fields in front of him made him think about how to plant.
First of all, rice must be grown, as he has always taken rice as his staple food.
Although he also eats pasta, it is relatively not his main food.
Secondly, some vegetables that can be stored for a long time must also be planted, such as cabbage, potatoes and carrots, etc. These vegetables are not only rich in nutrients, but also can be stored for a long time.
Finally, Li Kailang also wants to grow some fruits and seasonal vegetables.
Not only do these crops provide rich nutrition, but their growth changes can also be observed during the planting process, allowing him to better understand planting knowledge.
After some calculations, Li Kailang decided to use one-third of the land to grow rice and one-third of the land to grow vegetables that can be stored easily.
Another four mu of land is used to grow fruits and seasonal vegetables. These crops are enough to meet his daily dietary needs.
Li Kailang thought about it and the fertile land was quickly cultivated. He waved his arms again and the seeds automatically entered the fertile land.
At the same time, a message came into his mind.
The time ratio between the planting space and the outside world is 10:1, which means that the crops can mature and be harvested in about 15 days in the planting space.
If they are some early-maturing fruits and vegetables, they can continue to grow and increase their yield.
In addition, as the planting space is upgraded, the speed of time will change accordingly.
"Done, time to call it a day!" Li Kailang clapped his hands in satisfaction, exited the space, and began to prepare lunch.
Li Kailang planned to stir-fry some pork belly with potato slices and some cabbage, two simple dishes.
Li Kailang is an expert in cooking and is very familiar with the process. He washes the rice and then steams it in a large pot.
While the rice was steaming, he started preparing the ingredients.
He controlled every step skillfully, washing, peeling, slicing... everything was under his control.
Soon, the rice was steamed. When I opened the lid, the aroma of rice wafted into the air.
Because of the Great Leap Forward in Steel Production, Li Kailang's family only had this one iron pot.
Li Kailang cleaned the iron pan and poured in lard.
As the lard slowly heated up, he quickly put the cut pork belly into the pot. In an instant, the pot made a cheerful crackling sound.
Li Kailang skillfully stir-fried the pork belly, as if he was touching a beautiful painting and smelling the aroma wafting from the pot.
Then, he added the cut potato slices into the pot and skillfully manipulated the spatula to allow all the ingredients to fully blend and penetrate each other.
Soon, the pork belly and potato chips were fried and delicious.
Then Li Kailang quickly cooked the cabbage, and another delicious dish was placed on the stove.
Li Kailang looked at his work with satisfaction and took a small bite. "Hmm~ How can it be so delicious!" he said in shock.
"It's great that you have mastered the cooking skills. I can cook for myself in the future."
Li Kailang secretly thanked the master chef for his help, which enabled him to make such delicious dishes easily.
The aroma of Li Kailang's cooking spread into the yard.
(End of this chapter)