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Chapter 131: Milestone
Chapter 131: Milestone
The next morning.
Deng Shirong and Deng Yunqiang’s families began planting the lychee trees in their newly cultivated orchard. This planting was a significant milestone for Naye Village, and anyone who was free, regardless of age or gender, came to watch.
Especially those families who had decided to join the village captain in cultivating orchards and planting fruit trees were particularly interested in this event.
The experienced farmers who came to help Deng Shirong had never planted lychee saplings before, but the methods for planting fruit trees were generally similar. Once Deng Shirong explained the process, they quickly understood what to do.
These seasoned farmers were quick learners, and after watching once, the others also got the hang of it.
Everyone volunteered to help, and those without tools even ran back home to fetch their farming equipment.
Originally, they planned to spend the entire day planting, but with so many volunteers, the thousand lychee saplings were all planted in just over three hours. They strictly followed the guidelines for watering and applying organic fertilizer, making the process incredibly efficient.
After helping Deng Shirong, many people went on to assist Deng Yunqiang to gain more experience. By midday, Deng Yunqiang’s lychee saplings were also all planted.
Over the next few days, about a third of the households in Naye Village started cutting trees and clearing grass, preparing for their own orchard cultivation.
Of course, the other two-thirds of the households remained inactive. After discussing with their families, they felt that the cost of cultivating orchards was too high, and the potential profits were uncertain. Those who preferred stability were unwilling to jump in too early, preferring to observe the results of others before making their own decisions.
In the future, except for those working outside the village, rural people generally remained in a relaxed, festive mood until the 15th day of the first lunar month, as the Hakka people would say, enjoying the New Year.
However, in this era, by the 5th day of the first lunar month, everyone had to start working. Tasks like planting sugarcane, peanuts, cassava, and taro, as well as transplanting rice seedlings, were waiting for anyone willing to do them.
There was always work to be done if you were willing to do it.
...
In the kitchen, Bu Dashen was learning to cook from his cousin Deng Yunzhen, while Zhang Xiuping helped with the fire.
On the second day of the New Year, Deng Shirong had invited his nephew Bu Dashen to learn cooking. Although Bu Dashen had no prior experience, his cousin Deng Yunzhen was more than capable of teaching him, so there was no need for Deng Shirong to step in.
"Cousin, when making braised pork, you must cook the entire piece of pork, not cut it into pieces before cooking. Also, don’t skip the cooking step and go straight to frying; it won’t be fragrant that way."
Deng Yunzhen explained the key points of making braised pork to her cousin: "When cooking, you should cook it a bit longer, so the pork doesn’t end up too hard and has a better texture."
Bu Dashen asked, "Cousin, how long should I cook it?"
"It depends on the size of the pork. For the piece we’re cooking now, about half an hour should do. The time should be just about right now."
Deng Yunzhen poked the meat with a chopstick and then lifted it out onto the cutting board, continuing her explanation: "For braised pork, don’t cut the meat into too small pieces. Larger pieces will be more fragrant when cooked."
After Deng Yunzhen lifted the meat out, Zhang Xiuping scooped the meat broth into a bowl and cleaned the pot.
She didn’t bother listening to her sister-in-law explain how to cook yellow stir-fried pork. She had been married into the Deng family for about two months, and by now, she had already mastered how to make this common dish. While she wouldn’t claim to cook it better than her father-in-law, her version was no longer inferior to her sister-in-law’s.
...
In the living room, Bu Dafang and Jiang Dehu were seeking advice from Deng Shirong on how to manage lychee trees.
On the second day of the New Year, after returning from Q Gong’s house, Bu Dafang and Jiang Dehu had asked their sister-in-law to help look after their children and rented their farmland to others. They then hurried over to lend a hand.
Deng Shirong had experience managing lychee orchards in his previous life, even though the variety of lychee he grew wasn’t the best. Nevertheless, he had the necessary planting and management skills, which made it easy for him to teach the novices, Bu Dafang and Jiang Dehu. He went through all his past experiences in managing the orchard, explaining them in detail.
By the time they had absorbed all the information, it was time for dinner.
Today’s meal was relatively simple. There were two meat dishes: yellow stir-fried pork and braised fish, along with a few vegetable and pickled dishes.
However, for Jiang Dehu, Bu Dafang, and Bu Dashi, this was a feast.
Moreover, Deng Yunzhen’s cooking had improved significantly under her father’s guidance. She no longer hesitated to use oil, and even the same dishes tasted ten times better than those cooked at Jiang Dehu’s house.
Jiang Dehu marveled to himself as he ate. Even if Q Gong paid them only half the wage, considering the quality of the food, it would still be a job that many would vie for.
After dinner, Deng Shirong asked, “Ahu, does anyone in your village have puppies?”
Jiang Dehu replied, “My cousin’s house does. They had a litter of five puppies before the New Year. Do you want to raise a dog, Q Gong?”
Deng Shirong said, “I’m planning to raise a few. One for the house and two or three for the lychee orchard. It will help prevent any unwanted incidents.”
Jiang Dehu quickly responded, “That’s easy. I’ll go home tomorrow and talk to my cousin. I’ll ask him to set aside some puppies for you. Once they’re two months old, you can bring them back.”
Deng Shirong nodded and said, “Alright, go and talk to your cousin tomorrow.”
Raising dogs to guard the lychee orchard was quite effective.
Although Deng Shirong had already had thorny plants planted around the orchard, which would prevent people and larger animals from entering once they grew, the entrance still needed to be accessible. Even with a locked gate, it could only deter ordinary people, not those with ill intentions.
However, with a few dogs added to the existing security measures, the orchard would be much safer.
Deng Shirong wasn’t being overly cautious. Even in the future, when almost every household had lychee trees and built small houses on their orchards, they would stay there during the lychee season to guard their fruit, ensuring no one could steal it without them knowing.
Thieves and petty criminals were a constant presence in any era.
While Deng Shirong didn’t rely on the lychee orchard for wealth, he didn’t want to let thieves benefit from his hard work.
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(End of Chapter)
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