Reborn as a Landlord-Chapter 688 - 353: Foreign Chili Pepper_2

"...stealing green stalks to feed the livestock at home,...caught...wanted me to intervene, saying that breaking corn stalks should result in being sent to the County Yamen for strict punishment,...I didn’t agree. ...He was wrong, and according to the village rules, he should be beaten, fined, and warned not to do it again—and that would settle the matter. If we really sent him to the County Yamen, the County Magistrate is watching closely, and I’m afraid we would have trouble explaining to Master Shen Liu, he might even be flayed. Stealing green stalks is infuriating, and he should be dealt with accordingly, but we can’t abuse Master Liu’s power..."

"That’s right, we should call a spade a spade," Lady Zhang said.

Hearing this, Lian Manman finally woke up completely. She moved slightly, and Lady Zhang, sitting beside her, felt it.

"Awake? Go wash your face," Lady Zhang said.

"Hmm," Lian Manman sat up, "Dad, when did you come back?"

"Just got back a little while ago. The muskmelons in the field are ripe, I picked a few, just washed them, and put them in the well. They should be cool by now. Want to eat some?" Lian Shouxin asked.

Lian Manman then knew that Lian Shouxin had just returned from the field. During spring plowing, Lian Shouxin had planted a small patch of muskmelons, and now was precisely the season when the muskmelons were ripe.

"I’ll go wash my face and have some melon," Lian Manman got off the big wooden bed.

Lian Zhizhi also set down her needlework and followed along.

In the backyard of the shop, there was a well, the mouth of which had been encircled with stonework. This well had been newly dug in the past two months. The shop had a high demand for water, and previously when they were living in the temple’s front quarters, they used the well of the temple. After moving out, they felt it was more convenient to have their own well. With some spare money and time, they had this well dug.

The soil and water in Thirty Mile Camp were good, with abundant groundwater. Usually, wells that reached six or seven meters would hit water, but to get better water quality, Lian Manman’s family dug their well to a full nine meters.

In the summer, washed fruits and melons were stored in baskets and lowered into the well to cool. Even leftover dishes could be cooled in a basket in the well, so even if they were eaten the next day, they wouldn’t spoil.

This well was, quite simply, a natural refrigerator.

When Lian Manman and Lian Zhizhi arrived at the well, Lian Zhizhi began turning the windlass.

"Manman, don’t use the freshly drawn water from the well to wash your face; use the water from that jar—it’s milder. Mother says that even in the hot summer, we shouldn’t indulge in too much cold," Lian Zhizhi cautioned Lian Manman, fearing that she might wash her face with cold well water right after waking up, which could be harmful.

Lian Manman nodded, scooped water from the nearby jar to wash her face. By this time, Lian Zhizhi had already pulled up the basket that had been lowered into the well. Inside the basket were several oval-shaped melons with emerald-green patterns.

Lian Zhizhi grabbed a small basin, picked a few melons into it, and after Lian Manman dried her hands and face, she also took a basin, and the sisters returned together.

The family of four all took melons to eat.

Sitting back on the big wooden bed, Lian Manman picked a melon and knew it was ripe by examining the pattern on its skin. Still, she brought the melon to her nose and sniffed. When she smelled the sweet fragrance of the melon, she was satisfied.

Without a knife, it was not easy for Lian Manman with her small hands and feet to split the melon. Smiling, she handed the melon to Lian Shouxin. Taking it from her, he forcefully broke it into two halves, and the yellow melon flesh and seeds spilled out.

The flesh and seeds were flicked into the small basin Lian Manman had brought, not to be thrown on the ground, even though this was outside in the yard.

This was her family’s rule, proposed by Lian Manman. They couldn’t litter anywhere, and while this was a given inside the house, most farmstead families didn’t apply the same rule outside in the courtyard. But in Lian Manman’s family, it was the same whether inside the house, in the courtyard, or outside the courtyard. All rubbish had to be promptly and collectively thrown into a manure pit located a fair distance from the courtyard.

Doing so would maintain the cleanliness of the living environment and reduce the breeding of flies and mosquitoes.

After eating two sweet melons, evening had arrived, and Wu Lang and Xiao Qi returned home from school.

"Wash your hands, have some melon first, then go do your homework," Lady Zhang said with a smile to Xiao Qi, who had thrown himself into her arms.

After eating the melon, Wu Lang went to do his homework, but Xiao Qi did not. He wasn’t in the same grade as Wu Lang, so the pressure from homework wasn’t as great for him.

"Tomorrow is a day of rest, Mom, I’ll go collect duck eggs first, then I’ll do my homework when I come back," Xiao Qi negotiated with Lady Zhang.

Lady Zhang nodded, and Xiao Qi ran off with a basket. In a short while, he arrived back with a whole layer of duck eggs neatly arranged in the basket.

"Add today’s eggs to those saved up from the past few days, and we can pickle another jar," Lady Zhang said with a laugh after counting the duck eggs.

Now, Lian Manman’s family sold chicken and duck eggs at the store, as well as their own consumption. The duck eggs preserved in oil, sweet water poached eggs, fried poached eggs, five-spice tea eggs, and steamed eggs with clam meat were all in demand by regular customers every day.

While Lady Zhang went to pickle the duck eggs, Xiao Qi didn’t do his homework as he had said he would, but instead sidled up to Lian Manman.

"Sister, let’s go into the fields," Xiao Qi pleaded with big, blinking eyes.

Lian Manman could tell from Xiao Qi’s expression that he was either itching to eat or play with something.

"It’s about to get dark, what do you want to do in the fields?" Lian Manman asked. "We’ve already collected enough grass and wild vegetables for today."

"Sister, sweet potatoes," Xiao Qi said, looking up with a face that broke into a smile, showing off two sharp little canines. "Sister, didn’t you say that the sweet potatoes would be ready to eat in a few days?"

Lian Manman laughed, having indeed said such a thing.

"Sister, let’s go dig up some sweet potatoes," Xiao Qi pleaded.

***...***

Here’s an update for you, and there will be another one tonight. It’s nearly the end of the month, I ask for everyone’s pink support.

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