I Got Rich in Period Fiction
Chapter 234: The Squirrel Preparing for Winter

Chapter 234: Chapter 234: The Squirrel Preparing for Winter

The pumpkin seeds could also be dried.

The pumpkin skin could be fed to pigs.

Pulled pumpkin vines could be used for kindling, truly nothing was wasted.

Qiao Qingyu made pumpkin pancakes that evening.

He Xiuyu stood in front of the calendar in his study. In just two days, it would be Qiao Qingyu’s birthday; she would be turning eighteen. The thought made his heart beat unusually fast.

Like a thief, he sneaked a little box into the drawer.

Then he hurried out to help serve the rice porridge that Qiao Qingyu had cooked.

Only when Qingyu returned did this place feel like a home, otherwise it would be cold and empty.

Xiao Hu had a particularly good nose. Despite the distance, he seemed to smell the cooking from the He family and used the excuse of delivering pickles to Qingyu to stay over. By now, he was already sitting obediently on a chair with Rongrong.

Qiao Qingyu had made a basin full of pumpkin pancakes. She chopped a cabbage, sliced a dozen pieces of pork belly, and stir-fried them with soaked wood ear mushrooms on two plates.

The cucumbers and tomatoes in the vegetable garden were mostly out of season.

She had wanted to make tomato sauce from the tomatoes, but there were hardly any left.

The biggest and reddest ones had been stolen by old Mrs. Zhao from the backyard.

Even though Director Zhao compensated her, there was nowhere she could buy tomatoes like hers.

So, the vegetables they had been eating lately were cabbages, radishes, potatoes, or pumpkins.

However, the pumpkin pancakes made by Qiao Qingyu were fragrant, soft, sweet, and powdery.

If it weren’t for the fear of feeling too stuffed, He Xiuyu felt he could finish off the entire basin.

Director Xie, who managed the logistics, finished eating with He Xiuyu. After getting Qingyu’s permission, he took a pumpkin pancake to Old Xie.

Old Xie had eaten pumpkin pancakes when he was young, but they were not as delicious as the one in He Xiuyu’s hand.

After asking for the recipe, he immediately noted it down on paper, planning to give it to the canteen manager the next day. Pumpkins could not only be a vegetable but also a staple food.

He had saved quite a bit of seeds and planned to reclaim all the wasteland to the west next year. Not only would he plant pumpkins, but he was also going to plant other crops. Right, the plastic film they ordered had arrived, and after the autumn harvest, they would select fertile land to cover with greenhouses.

Just like the specifications for the Qiao Family Team’s greenhouses.

Tenghai Base had a dedicated coal mine for energy supply.

However, covering too many greenhouses could lead to exceeding energy standards.

Food was important, but an increase in costs meant a reduction in funds for scientific research.

They had to take it one step at a time.

He told He Xiuyu that he planned to cover five greenhouses.

Xiuyu didn’t manage these affairs, but sometimes, because Qingyu also raised awareness in this area, he told Old Xie that Vice Director Qian from Xiaxi Commune was also planning to cover greenhouses. There was no competition, only the shared learning and accumulation of experience.

Having told what needed to be told, He Xiuyu turned around and went home.

Convinced, Old Xie wiped his mouth and entered the house. His youngest daughter, with her sensitive nose, tugged at him and sniffed, "Daddy, what delicious thing did you sneak eat? It smells so good?"

Lin Cujuan had seen He Xiuyu arrive and also came to ask Old Xie.

Old Xie relayed the method for the pumpkin pancakes provided by He Xiuyu to his wife. Although they had already finished dinner, Lin Cujuan was a skilled and efficient person, and Old Xie also wanted to see if they could replicate the exact same pumpkin pancakes.

Lin Cujuan’s culinary skills were quite good and she almost recreated the taste of Qiao Qingyu’s pumpkin pancakes.

Old Xie ate another two, and his daughter ate three, leading him to have to take her out for a walk.

He Xiuyu, who had also overeaten, left the children at home to do their homework while he took Qiao Qingyu by the hand for a stroll. From a distance, they spotted Old Xie and his little girl. Not wanting anyone to disrupt their private time, He Xiuyu swiftly turned and led Qiao Qingyu towards the poplar forest to the east.

Old Xie, "..."

He wasn’t blind. Don’t think he hadn’t noticed the young couple.

Qiao Qingyu had no choice but to follow. As they turned the corner of the courtyard wall and lost sight of Director Xie, she stopped and asked, "You’re not really thinking about going into the forest, are you?"

"No, let’s just walk around this road and then head home."

Just as they turned the corner of their courtyard wall, they heard a deeply suppressed sobbing sound. It was nighttime; on the right was the poplar forest and on the left, although there were houses, the lights were not very bright. Instinctively, Qiao Qingyu ducked into He Xiuyu’s embrace.

He Xiuyu raised an eyebrow and hugged Qiao Qingyu tighter, enjoying the feeling of her throwing herself into his arms.

However, he noticed a figure squatting at the entrance of Director Zhao’s house.

He held Qiao Qingyu close and whispered, "Let’s go back."

Qiao Qingyu looked ahead from his embrace: the night was dark and it was unclear who it was. By now, the crying had stopped and the person had stood up, but they did not enter the courtyard, simply standing there aimlessly. Judging by the figure, it looked somewhat like Deputy Director Zhao’s wife.

He Xiuyu didn’t want to meddle in other family’s affairs, and, taking Qiao Qingyu’s hand, turned back the way they had come.

Just a few steps into their walk, laughter from a woman came from behind them in the Zhao family’s courtyard.

The laughter started to fade, and they could hear Mr. Zhao talking.

Qiao Qingyu looked at He Xiuyu, "That woman is Mr. Zhao’s distant cousin who came here looking for a job."

He Xiuyu responded softly with a hum.

"Did they have a fight?"

"I’m not sure."

"But Mrs. Zhao seems good-tempered, always smiling when we meet her."

"We should be going now,"

He Xiuyu said helplessly.

Qiao Qingyu wasn’t too curious and walked hand in hand with He Xiuyu, close together, taking their time to get back home.

The next day had nice weather. In the afternoon, He Xiuyu found time to join Qiao Qingyu in harvesting the cabbages they had planted, as well as the green radishes.

After removing the wilted leaves around the cabbages, they lined them up under the eaves.

He Xiuyu took a shovel and dug a large pit in the yard, burying the radishes and ginger. This storage method would preserve them well until heavy snowfall.

Some cabbages would be kept fresh, while others were to be pickled.

Prior to this, Qiao Qingyu had already sun-dried a bag of eggplant and green beans.

She had also planted a lot of garlic. Qiao Qingyu braided these garlic stalks and hung them under the eaves, where four large strings of red chilies were already swinging. These would be enough to last them through the winter.

The two of them busied themselves like little squirrels preparing for winter, working until night fell.

The feeling was peculiar but also joyous.

It was time to make dinner; while He Xiuyu continued digging a vegetable pit, Qiao Qingyu started cooking.

They were quite tired from the day’s work, so she made a simple hot soup with egg noodles. Sister-in-law Li’s spicy pickled cabbage was delicious, although Qiao Qingyu made a sweet and sour radish especially for Rongrong.

Midway through their meal, the phone in the study rang. He Xiuyu hadn’t expected a call from the base saying that four foreign-return students had arrived.

He told Qiao Qingyu not to wait for him. Hurriedly, he rode his bicycle to the Big White Building.

Meeting them turned into a warmly-extended introduction.

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