Chapter 19: Mice
After assigning their respective tasks, filling the bamboo tubes with water, and gathering tools such as hoes, shovels, and spades, Su Mulan led the three children out.
This area belonged to the central plains, with relatively flat terrain and plenty of arable land. However, because of this, most of the flat land near rivers or wells had already been cultivated by various families. What remained were mostly hilly terrains dotted with ravines, or areas with abundant gravel and stones, or even overgrown wild forests.
These were not considered good plots of land.
Su Mulan and the three children wandered around for a while before finally settling on a sloping piece of land.
The slope doesn’t retain water, so no one is willing to expend effort to cultivate it. Even the wild grass and small trees growing on it are not particularly lush.
“Let’s settle here,” Su Mulan said. “Clean it up a bit. The area isn’t small, about three or four acres. When we plant sweet potatoes here later, it should yield enough for us to make a lot of dried sweet potato slices to sell. I’ll dig up these trees, branches and all, and haul them back later to dry as firewood. Shuiliu, you guys start digging up the grass. Dig deep and try to get the roots out as much as possible.”
Leaving the roots will cause the grass to grow back, and we’ll have to weed frequently after planting sweet potatoes.
Bai Shuilu and the others nodded in agreement and quickly began digging up the grass.
The four of them worked until the sun set, bathed in the rosy glow as they headed home. Along the way, Su Mulan casually cut a bunch of wild mugwort to bring back, intending to use it in the house to ward off mosquitoes.
When they arrived home, all the dried sweet potato slices spread out in the courtyard had been gathered by Bai Zhuye into two large baskets, piled up like small mountains.
“I’m afraid if we leave them all spread out here, they’ll get damp from the dew at night,” Bai Zhuye said, tilting her little face upward.
“Zhuye is really capable,” Su Mulan complimented with a smile, ruffling the slightly yellowed hair on her head.
Bai Zhuye grinned widely, the laughter of a child, genuine and innocent.
Su Mulan organized the hoes and shovels, “Quickly wash them all, it’s time to prepare dinner… Hmm, pick some green beans, we’ll stir-fry them later to eat.”
The green bean trellis in the yard was quite lush, with long beans hanging down, already thick as chopsticks, perfect for eating.
The four children hurriedly followed Su Mulan’s instructions and got busy.
They made pancakes, pounded dough for bread, stir-fried the green beans, and after finishing dinner, Su Mulan moved the baskets into the house. As she looked at the dimly lit interior of the house, she felt a bit troubled.
The hygiene conditions were poor, and there were quite a few rats, especially in rural areas where rats, originally having little to eat, might now boldly nibble on these steamed, soft, and sweet potato slices.
Even if another basket were placed over the top of this basket, Su Mulan still couldn’t feel entirely reassured.
Since they were selling food, cleanliness and hygiene had to be ensured no matter what.
“Shuiliu, go to Auntie Liu’s house and ask her to lend us Da Huang,” Su Mulan thought for a moment and said.
Auntie Liu lived next door to Su Mulan’s house. In the original owner’s memory, Auntie Liu had a good relationship with the Bai Shitang family. When the Bai family’s original head passed away, during the time when the original owner was harshly treating and abusing Bai Shuiliu and the others, Auntie Liu would often secretly slip them some food.
However, because their own family was also struggling financially, and after the original owner discovered it and increased the severity of the abuse, Auntie Liu stopped bringing food, only helping out quietly when Bai Shuiliu and the others were working in the fields.