After eating and drinking their fill, the group seemed to be energized, and were even more excited about today's birthday banquet.
Seeing that they were bored, Jiang Xiaoman felt free to order them around, sometimes telling one to peel garlic, sometimes telling another to dig some wild shepherd's purse or wild garlic from the riverbank, keeping Shan Yan's apprentices running around in circles.
"My apprentices are almost all yours now." Seeing his apprentices betray him one by one for the sake of food, Shan Yan couldn't help but tease Jiang Xiaoman.
"Hehe~ What kind of relationship do our two families have? What's yours is mine, and what's mine is yours." Seeing that Jiang Yu wasn't there, Jiang Xiaoman chuckled and joked with Shan Yan, "I think Brother Xiao Yu's parents are really outrageous. They don't act like elders at all. Why don't I just give you half of my dad from now on? My dad is really good to his own children! That way you'll have a dad too, and I can reduce some of the pressure."
"Dream on!" Jiang Yu, who was carrying firewood in, couldn't help but spit at him.
Then, he proudly boasted, "I'm a father now, I don't need anyone else's father! When Camellia and the others grow up and get married, they'll bring their husbands back to their parents' home for holidays, and then six of them will call me 'Dad'!"
Jiang Xiaoman silently rolled his eyes at the stove. Considering that Jiang Xiaoyu was celebrating his birthday today, he decided to be kind and not remind him for the time being.
After all, his three daughters come back to pay their respects to him during the Lunar New Year. Even if we consider it as just the three of them, he'll have to cook for nine more people. That'll exhaust him!
He wouldn't dare accept such good fortune...
Chapter 149
Although no gifts were given, the birthday banquet prepared by Jiang Xiaoman greatly impressed the birthday celebrant.
I wish I could take this whole table of food for myself, keep it and eat it all myself, and let everyone else eat noodles...
Today's birthday banquet dishes are also different from usual. In one of the dishes, there is a large enamel basin with a koi pattern, which contains a whole stewed old hen with a few red mushrooms added. Next to it is a whole braised pork hock.
A large fish weighing over ten kilograms was prepared in three ways: a bright red chopped chili fish head, a glistening braised fish tail, and crispy fried fish fillets with vermicelli and cabbage, all with auspicious meanings.
In addition, I chopped freshly dug shepherd's purse into filling, added minced meat, and made two plates of shepherd's purse and fresh meat spring rolls.
This is the best time to eat shepherd's purse, but frying spring rolls uses a lot of oil, so most families only fry a batch on Qingming Festival to satisfy their cravings.
It was the first time everyone had eaten spring rolls since the beginning of spring, and they cherished them so much that they even picked up and ate the crumbs that had fallen off.
There were also local specialties like braised duck with konjac, braised pork belly with dried bamboo shoots, and braised chicken with potatoes. Wild scallion stewed eggs and braised pork with white-headed mushrooms, which are only available this season, were also on the menu. Two tables were filled with these dishes, and the whole room was filled with people clinking glasses. Even the three camellia sisters, holding their drinks, ran over to wish their little fish father a long and healthy life…
This made Jiang Xiaoyu, who was very proud of herself, extremely pleased.
Of the men at the table, only Jiang Xiaoman didn't drink; he needed to borrow a car to go to town that afternoon to get chrysanthemum seedlings.
Three thousand chrysanthemum seedlings may sound like a lot, but they only filled one large box. We just needed to borrow a school tricycle from Jiang Baichuan to make a trip.
Thinking about this, Jiang Xiaoman pondered for a moment and felt that once the express delivery station was built, it would be time for him to buy a car for his family. He couldn't afford a four-wheeled vehicle for the time being, but a three-wheeled one was not a problem.
Around 3 p.m., the town's express delivery collection point called as expected, saying that his flower seedlings had arrived, but because they were too big and taking up a lot of space, he should come and pick them up as soon as possible.
Jiang Xiaoman rode Jiang Baichuan's electric tricycle and arrived in town in no time.
The owner of the parcel collection point had become quite familiar with Jiang Xiaoman. Seeing that the package he was picking up was so big, the owner even found him two pieces of plastic rope to help him secure the box to the back of the tricycle.
Thinking that she would need to hire people to work up the mountain tomorrow, Jiang Xiaoman took the opportunity to buy a case of beer, a pitcher of six bottles of local liquor, and two large bottles of orange juice at the store—this was for Yingzi's eldest and second daughters.
Sister Yingzi also wants to learn how to grow chrysanthemums. Since there are no adults at her family to help look after the children, she will definitely bring her two girls with her when she goes up the mountain.
Riding her tricycle back to the village, Jiang Xiaoman unpacked the box and saw that the chrysanthemum seedlings were all wrapped in mud with their roots, tied in bundles with plastic wrap, and covered with two layers of insulation cotton. The leaves were still emerald green. Jiang Xiaoman nodded to herself, thinking that she had found a reliable seedling seller.
He bought these chrysanthemum seedlings from a chrysanthemum grower in Huangshan.
Although this store's sales are not among the top, just by looking at the pictures and text layout, you can tell that this store probably doesn't have a team to operate it and just grows and sells its own seedlings.
Jiang Xiaoman thought that growers should know better how to preserve and transport seedlings, and he was right!
The chrysanthemum seedlings, transported from afar, were so well packaged that they must have been harvested in the morning or evening. When they arrived in his hands, the leaves still had water droplets on them.
The shop owner was a kind person; he even gave him a big bag of rooting powder and a leaflet on how to grow chrysanthemums.
However, when transporting these chrysanthemum seedlings, the roots were specially wrapped in moist mud to keep them moist. They cannot be planted directly like this, otherwise the mud will cover the roots, preventing the chrysanthemum roots from spreading out, and the seedlings will die.
Therefore, these seedlings need to be taken back first, the plastic wrap removed, and placed in a large basin. The soil around the roots needs to be soaked first, the water drained, and then fresh water added. Rooting powder should be added and the seedlings soaked for several hours before they can be planted in the ground tomorrow.
Jiang Xiaoman made an appointment with everyone to come to his house tomorrow morning, first dig the holes for planting the flower seedlings, and then plant them in the afternoon when the sun was about to set, so as to improve the survival rate of the chrysanthemum seedlings.
The next morning, right after breakfast, Shan Yan and his family, along with their apprentices and Lang Ying and her daughter, came up the mountain together.
Jiang Xiaoman was preparing to go to his own bamboo forest to cut some bamboo to split up and use as supports for chrysanthemum seedlings—he had seen many growers doing this online.
Chrysanthemum flowers are large and have many flower heads. To prevent the main stem from being unable to support the heavy flower heads, two layers of supports are usually added during the planting period.
The first step is to use short, thick branches or bamboo strips to fix the plant in place when it is first planted. This way, the main stem has a support, and when you pinch off the top of the chrysanthemum later to encourage branching, it will not easily fall over due to being "top-heavy".
The second layer is when the chrysanthemum buds begin to swell; a second layer of support needs to be built to support the buds with more flower heads.
One advantage of doing this is that it prevents the branches from drooping. If the flower buds get muddy, the flowers won't look good, and all the flower buds on that branch will be wasted.
Another reason is to prevent branches from breaking off due to too many flower buds, which could lead to reduced yield or even total crop failure if a strong wind blows!
Jiang Xiaoman only discovered after in-depth research that chrysanthemum cultivation was not as simple as he had originally imagined.
However, what agricultural work isn't hard?
In other words, making money is not easy in any industry!
Moreover, compared to peeling sugarcane layer by layer and weeding and fertilizing potatoes under the scorching sun, planting chrysanthemums only requires setting up trellises twice, which is already very easy.
Many hands make light work. After Shan Yan and the others arrived, they didn't stand on ceremony with him. They put down their things and came over to help. They were all strong young men, and in no time they had helped Jiang Xiaoman chop a large pile of bamboo strips.
Lang Ying left Da Niu and Er Niu to play in the yard, then rolled up her sleeves and went into the kitchen. She first brewed a large pot of herbal tea for everyone. They would always brew herbal tea when hiring people to do chores. Drinking plain water while working only made them thirstier, and they needed this local specialty herbal tea to stay alert.
After brewing the herbal tea, he asked Jiang Xiaoman where the flour sack was. After counting the number of people, he steamed more than a hundred large steamed buns made of mixed grain flour. While the buns were steaming, he took some charcoal from the stove and roasted dozens of potatoes in the Jiang family's brazier.
With the main dishes prepared, Jiang Xiaoman's workload was significantly reduced.
Not having enough bamboo strips, Shan Yan led Ah Hu and the others to cut down more than a dozen bamboo poles in the bamboo forest and dragged them back. Jiang Xiaoman checked the time, rolled up her sleeves, and prepared to make lunch.
Most of the ingredients were prepared last night and stored in the refrigerator, so they can be used right away. Only the fresh vegetables need to be picked from the garden.
"You go about your business, I'll go pick some vegetables for you." Lang Ying snatched the vegetable basket from his hand.
Jiang Xiaoman took the opportunity to drink a large cup of herbal tea, then went back to her room to get the tripod and the phone she used for filming.
"Hello everyone, we're planting chrysanthemum seedlings at my house today!"
"Didn't you guys say before that the flavor of old tea cakes is too strong? I think that makes sense. After all, old tea soup is not very friendly to those who stay up late, hahaha. So, this year I discussed it with my friends in the village and decided to try planting some flower teas, such as golden chrysanthemum, honeysuckle, and wild chrysanthemums that are all over the mountains. We plan to make a batch and see if anyone likes them."
"Let me show you this faucet in my house. Actually, this isn't tap water; it's spring water flowing down from the mountain behind my house. My dad and I used bamboo tubes to draw it down from the mountain. When we're not using water, this spring water flows down into the fields below the pond. So don't worry, our golden chrysanthemums really do grow up drinking spring water."
"As for fertilizer, I won't show it to you because the images might be disturbing. Longtime fans know that I raise two pigs and dozens of chickens, so the fertilizer I use for my chrysanthemums is fermented farmyard manure, which is green, natural, and pollution-free."
"Let me show you the honeysuckle I planted on the edge of the field. The weather has warmed up recently, and they've started to sprout. I bought large seedlings that will bloom this year, but the seller said that the number of flowers won't be large in the first year, so this year they'll only be selling chrysanthemums for now. They might make less honeysuckle later, so I'll do a giveaway for everyone in the live stream."
"Alright, today we invited Brother Yan and his family and his apprentice to help us plant chrysanthemum seedlings. We don't pay our friends for helping with work here, but the food has to be good. Anyway, I'm going to cook now! Today I'll show you what we eat during the busy farming season here."
As she spoke, Jiang Xiaoman aimed the tripod and camera at the cutting board and began preparing the side dishes.
The cured pork was cut last night. Now the potatoes need to be peeled and shredded, and the carrots also need to be shredded. Luckily, he bought a shredder online beforehand. After peeling, he pressed it on the shredder and shredded the potatoes and carrots a few times. The shredded potatoes and carrots fell into the bowl below. After shredding, he rinsed them twice with clean water to remove the starch and drained them for later use.
At this moment, Sister Lang Ying also returned from picking vegetables. Jiang Xiaoman went over to help, washing the scallions, garlic sprouts, and pea shoots. She took them to the cutting board, first slicing the scallions and garlic sprouts into strips, then heating the oil in the pan, adding the fatty cured pork to render the fat, and then adding the leaner cured pork to stir-fry.
Then pour in half a bowl of minced garlic, stir-fry for a while, then add shredded potatoes and carrots. When they are almost cooked, add the prepared shredded green onions and garlic sprouts. Before serving, sprinkle in two spoonfuls of chicken essence, stir-fry evenly, and transfer to a large stainless steel bowl.
When people in the mountains are busy with farming, this is the only dish they eat for a meal, along with a soup. Since pea shoots are still available, I picked some and made a pea shoot and egg soup.
This year, his family planted two kinds of peas. One kind was kept to eat the pea pods. They only pinched off the pea shoots a few times and then left them to grow into seedlings. The remaining small patch was specifically for eating the pea shoots. In case they got too old, they planted it in the small vegetable garden behind the house.
The pea shoots down the mountain are too old to eat by now, but his family's pea tips are still edible. It has to be said that his dad is really skilled at growing vegetables.
Lang Ying had already prepared the main course. Jiang Xiaoman quickly prepared a dish and a soup, brought them to the adjacent dining room, and called out to the courtyard, telling everyone to wash their hands and eat first.
While everyone was washing their hands, Jiang Xiaoman quickly grabbed a few stainless steel bowls and filled them with the staple food, freshly stir-fried mixed vegetables, and pea shoot and egg soup. She also took a plate, put a little of each kind of pickled vegetable on it, and placed it on the small dining table next to her.
It wasn't that his family didn't allow women to eat at the table, but mainly because Lang Ying had two children, Da Niu and Er Niu, who were still young and couldn't sit on the big benches in the countryside. So, the three of them, along with Jiang Yu and Shan Guo Shan Hua, ate at the small dining table.
This way, the children can sit still, and the adults can sit on the side and have a hot meal by themselves.
Seeing that he had even thought of this, Lang Ying couldn't help but feel a little envious.
She's had a bad life. She doesn't know which girl in Langshan is so lucky. If she marries a man like Jiang Xiaoman, she'll be walking into a paradise!
Chapter 150
There were two large multigrain steamed buns, each about the size of a fist. They were broken in half, and then Jiang Xiaoman stuffed the filling between them with a stir-fried mix of cured meat, potatoes, and carrots.
If you like spicy food, spread Jiang Xiaoman's homemade chili oil on it, put two pickled chilies inside, put the two halves of the steamed bun together, and take a big bite!
Even through the screen, fans can guess how delicious this must be!
After eating the steamed buns filled with cured pork, a couple of sips of refreshing pea shoot and egg soup—it's absolutely delicious!
Halfway through the meal, Jiang Xiaoman remembered that the potatoes Lang Ying had cooked earlier were still warming by the stove.
"Never mind, let's eat the steamed buns first, and we can eat the potatoes when we get hungry while working this afternoon."
Faced with delicious food, no one really wants to eat bland roasted potatoes.
"Aren't you going to eat some? Let us have a taste!" Looking at the burnt potatoes, which looked horribly charred, netizens were curious about what they tasted like, even though they looked terrifying.
Unfortunately, burning firewood is not allowed in the city, leaving netizens frustrated and eventually turning their attention to their own ovens, steamers, or air fryers...
I don't know how netizens make roasted potatoes at home, but Jiang Xiaoman didn't bring the potatoes to the field.
His plot of land was not far from the door, so he simply used a fire shovel to clear away the ashes in the stove and buried the uneaten potatoes inside. He planned to dig them up again in the afternoon when he got hungry, and the potatoes would still be warm.
After finishing their meal, Lang Ying took over the two mountain fruits and flowers, freeing up Jiang Yu so that she could go with Jiang Xiaoman and the others to dig holes to prepare for planting the seedlings.
Jiang Youliang had already plowed and leveled the Jiang family's land. What Jiang Xiaoman and the others were going to do today was to create ridges about 90 centimeters wide and 30 centimeters high on the flat land, with a 20-centimeter gap between the ridges to serve as drainage ditches.
Then cover the ridges with a layer of dark mulch. When planting, poke a hole about 30 centimeters apart, plant the seedlings, and then seal the gaps with garden soil. Otherwise, if the mulch leaks air, the roots will not be able to keep warm.
After all the plants have been transplanted, the leaves and tops need to be removed.
This is something Jiang Xiaoman learned from popular science videos.
To encourage abundant flower buds in the later stages of chrysanthemum cultivation, it is essential to frequently prune the tops in the early stages.
Especially for newly transplanted seedlings, in order to improve the survival rate and promote branching, the top of the seedling should be removed first, and then the 3 to 5 leaves near the roots should also be removed. This can reduce the plant's nutrient consumption.
"When you plant them yourselves, you should pay attention. I heard from experts that covering the roots with mulch not only keeps them warm and promotes seedling growth, but also inhibits weed growth. However, once the mulch breaks and weeds grow out, you will still need to weed frequently."
While transplanting seedlings, Jiang Xiaoman explained to everyone the chrysanthemum planting techniques he had learned from watching videos.
"By the way, you can't weed this golden chrysanthemum like you would our potatoes, where you wait until the weeds are really tall before you start weeding. This thing's roots like to grow horizontally, so you can't be too rough when weeding. You have to weed shallowly and try not to damage the chrysanthemum's roots."