Chapter 44: Thick-skinned
Zhang looked at the empty cloth bag and her eyes widened in disbelief. “Su family has such thick skin! Accepted it as soon as it was offered? Shameless!”
Bai Erniu had been worried that today’s incident might have annoyed Bai Kangyuan, causing him to earn less money in the future. He was already feeling frustrated when he heard Zhang’s loud complaints, which only made him even more upset.
“What are you yelling about? Isn’t it all because of the trouble you caused?”
Bai Erniu pointed at Zhang’s nose and scolded her, “If it weren’t for your big mouth causing this trouble, would I have thrown away over four pounds of flour and upset the village head?”
“In the future, control that foul mouth of yours. If you dare to cause trouble for me again, watch how I’ll deal with you!”
Bai Erniu brought all the money he earned back home and was never stingy with his family. However, when his temper flared, he was truly formidable. Zhang, known for her sharp tongue and tendency to stir things up, had been on the receiving end of Bai Erniu’s anger before. Hearing his threat now, she couldn’t help but shiver and quickly shut her mouth.
Her demeanor only made her appear more afraid of confrontation.
Bai Erniu couldn’t be bothered to say more to Zhang. He walked back into the house with his hands behind his back, leaving Zhang washing the dishes, head lowered, muttering under her breath.
“Such a shameless bitch…”
—
During the day, they were extremely busy. Even on a hard plank bed, Su Mulan slept soundly until the next morning when the rooster crowed three times, waking her up to start another busy day.
Drying sweet potato slices and reclaiming waste land were the two main daily tasks.
In addition, Su Mulan needed to plant sweet potato seedlings.
The waste land was starting to take shape, and considering the need to thoroughly till these three acres, it would take at least a month. By then, even if they could gather enough before taxes, after the land deed was completed, the timing would be off. They wouldn’t be able to plant anything and would waste this season in vain.
Su Mulan thought it would be best to plant sweet potato seedlings right away. With time barely enough, she planted the sweet potato seedlings early, allowing them to compete for nutrients in the soil, indirectly killing off weeds, thus avoiding the need to weed repeatedly.
For planting sweet potato seedlings, they used sweet potatoes harvested at home. Just burying a piece of sweet potato in the soil would sprout many shoots, almost cost-free. When it came time to transplant the seedlings, they would surely yield a worthwhile harvest during autumn, making it a worthwhile endeavor.
Although the land was considered waste land and belonged to the government before the land deed was obtained, the current imperial policy encouraged agriculture and cultivation. Even without a land deed, as long as you cultivated it well and nothing unusual happened, the government wouldn’t take it back.
Therefore, considering all factors, Su Mulan decided to prioritize planting sweet potato seedlings first and leave other matters for later.
With her mind made up, Su Mulan began to busy herself.
Planting sweet potato seedlings was not difficult. Along the edge of the vegetable garden, in the cool shade near the wall, she dug a row and selected good sweet potatoes to lightly bury. She watered them daily, and in about ten days, the sweet potato seedlings would grow well.
By the time ten days passed, the waste land would be almost fully cleared, perfectly timed to plant the sweet potatoes without wasting any time.
Once Su Mulan finished planting the sweet potato seedlings, the batch of dried sweet potatoes in the courtyard was also ready.
“With so much dried sweet potatoes, we can make some good money.”
Before dark, to prevent the dried sweet potatoes from getting damp with dew, Bai Midou gathered them back. Looking at the bamboo baskets piled up like small mountains full of dried sweet potatoes, a broad grin stretched across his face almost to his ears.