Chapter 47: Tidying Up the Vegetable Garden

An Yinan gave Ershu Xie an extra yuan, returned to her room to fetch a piece of military-green fabric; it wasn't large, but it was enough to make a jacket for an adult, or a full outfit for a child.

"Educated Youth An, we already agreed on the price, I cannot take more." Ershu Xie refused the fabric.

An Yinan stuffed it into his hands anyway, "I know many families in the village are waiting for Ershu to fix their roofs, and Ershu prioritized me first. Take this fabric back to make some clothes for the children."

Fabric was a precious commodity, and even in the City, one needed ration coupons; it was rare to come across discounted fabric. The villagers' clothes were always stitched over and over, patched again and again, with the younger ones wearing what the older ones outgrew.

In the end, Ershu Xie could not refuse An Yinan and headed home happily with the fabric.

"Educated Youth An has work for us, you two must hurry and get it done." Auntie Xie, also an honest person, immediately instructed Ershu Xie and Xie Laoda.

The father and son quickly agreed.

An Yinan walked into the vegetable garden through the small back door. Ershu Xie had built the wall very high, so even if someone stood outside, they couldn't see what was planted in the garden. Furthermore, the newly replaced wooden door was very sturdy; although small, it was already fitted with a latch and a hasp, so it only needed a padlock to be locked securely, greatly increasing the safety.

Moreover, the area behind her room was completely enclosed, so even if someone wanted to eavesdrop behind the house, they would have to pass through the vegetable garden's courtyard wall, ensuring privacy.

She had too many secrets, and having enough vegetables to eat next year was also a concern. This garden was very large, enough for the few of them to eat their fill.

An Yinan went to the First Courtyard and knocked on Zhang Qian's door; there was no padlock hanging outside, so he definitely hadn't gone out.

Recently, Zhang Qian had been so busy he was nowhere to be seen. An Yinan secretly felt it must have something to do with the people from Little Japan.

"Are you still busy today?" An Yinan asked directly after Zhang Qian opened the door.

Zhang Qian shook his head, "I'm finished."

"Let's go to the vegetable garden to break up the soil this afternoon. It isn't frozen too hard yet, so we should loosen it up quickly. We can dig it again when spring comes next year, which will be good for planting," An Yinan said.

"That works, I'll be over in a moment." Zhang Qian agreed.

Only then did An Yinan go to Xie Yuanyuan's room. This little girl had asked her to lock the door from the outside; after finishing breakfast, she didn't even want to get off the kang.

"Yuanyuan, I'm coming in." An Yinan knocked on the door first, then took out the key to open it.

Xie Yuanyuan tightened her quilt and looked at An Yinan as she entered.

"Ershu Xie has finished enclosing the vegetable garden. We need to go break up the soil in a while to make it soft, let it rest through the winter, and then we can plant vegetables once we dig it up again in the spring," An Yinan repeated what she had just said.

Xie Yuanyuan immediately raised her hand, "I'll get up right now."

She didn't want to go to work, but didn't know what else to do, so she had been huddled under the covers, not wanting to feel the winter cold.

"Then you get up first, I'll go back to boil some hot water and prepare the ingredients for lunch." An Yinan thought about the supplies she had on hand and decided to make chestnut-stewed chicken, heat up the red-braised pork brought back yesterday, stew a pork rib and corn soup, make a vinegar-stir-fried cabbage, and finally steam a pot of rice.

She had originally wanted to steam a pot of Steamed Bun, as they were more filling, but she hadn't leavened the dough in advance, so she abandoned that idea.

Xie Yuanyuan got ready quickly, in less than ten minutes. The little girl was from the Southern Front, and in this increasingly cold winter, she felt it was already a bit difficult to breathe. She didn't feel it while huddled on the kang every day, but as soon as she stepped out of the room, she felt the cold.

The three of them gathered together and opened the small door in the passageway, seeing the large vegetable garden behind. The earth-brick wall was very high, and no one would be able to see what was planted inside.

An Yinan picked up a tree branch and drew out the individual garden plots. There were four rows of plots in total, with ten plots in each row, making forty small plots in all. Large gaps were left at the locations of the wooden door and the passageway door.

"Alright, let's do it according to this." An Yinan threw away the branch and brushed the dirt off her hands.

She planned to plant a few watermelons near the wooden door, as the soil there was a bit sandy, which was perfect for watermelons. On the other side, she would set up a grape trellis to plant a few grape seedlings; they could eat the fruit or make wine.

As for the side near the corridor, she planned to plant some strawberry seedlings, and tomatoes on the other side. The whole garden would have both vegetables and fruits, which would be absolutely wonderful.

Just thinking about it, she could already imagine the happy life of next summer.

"Good." Zhang Qian was a man of few words; he picked up a pickaxe and began to break the soil.

"What should I do? What should I do?" Xie Yuanyuan asked hurriedly.

"Use a shovel to define each plot according to the size I drew." An Yinan said, and began to do it herself.

Both of them had plenty of strength, and Zhang Qian didn't hold back at all while breaking the soil; this concerned their rations for next year.

An Yinan used the shovel to quickly shape the ridges of the plots. They could sow lettuce and green onions on the ridges, and the vegetables from the ridges would also be delicious next year.

"Just follow what I did." An Yinan handed the shovel to Xie Yuanyuan.

"Leave it to me." Xie Yuanyuan nodded.

An Yinan smiled, picked up another pickaxe, and loosened the soil around the door. In places where the other two couldn't see, she sprinkled some fertilizer to ensure the garden would have enough nutrients for next year.

As for inside the plots, she could bury the fertilizer when they loosened the soil again next spring.

"Sister, I brewed some hot tea for you all." An Xiangbei walked in through the passageway door, carrying a thermos containing the hot tea he had boiled.

It was cold now, and doing physical labor made one sweat profusely; it wouldn't be good to catch a cold at a time like this. Drinking some hot tea could also keep the body warm.

"Brother Zhang Qian, here is your tea." Beibei poured a bowl and handed it to Zhang Qian first.

Zhang Qian stuck the pickaxe into the wall, took the bowl with both hands, and took a slurping sip, "Is this black tea?"

He didn't know much about tea, but their Secretary loved tea, especially black tea. He treated the black tea he had like a treasure, reluctant to drink it himself, counting the amount every day for fear of running out. If he had no stock on hand, he would be anxious.

An Yinan nodded, looking at Zhang Qian with curiosity; he actually knew about black tea?

It wasn't that she looked down on him, but because this kind of black tea was mostly found in the Southern Front. Transportation was inconvenient now, and mailing took time, so it was rare to see black tea in the north. What she had placed on the shelf was exactly Wuyi Black Tea, Lapsang Souchong.

"Someone around me likes to drink it, so I know," Zhang Qian replied, without saying exactly who.

Xie Yuanyuan drank a few sips, and sweat was already appearing on the tip of her nose. The cold she felt earlier was gone, and her whole body felt warm.

"So warm."

"Then drink more. This tea is very good for girls and truly has the effect of warming the body." An Yinan smiled and added some more for Xie Yuanyuan.