After Apocalypse, I Got Rich With Superpower

Chapter 54: Chapter 52 Winter Vegetables

Chapter 54: Chapter 52 Winter Vegetables

By now, the few sheep we started out with had multiplied, and we had eight more lambs, keeping ten in total. Two were used as breeding rams and ewes, while the rest were half-grown and would be kept for further rearing.

The remaining dozen or so were fully grown, so we slaughtered them all.

We killed twelve sheep in total. The sheepskins had to be removed. We had sheared them once before the winter and hadn’t done so since, which left us with a thick layer of wool perfect for making sheepskin coats that were especially warm.

The sheepskins were first set aside for curing before they could be made into clothing.

The mutton was hung on iron hooks from an iron rack, and they started to de-bone it, planning to keep the meat of four sheep to eat during the next two or three months for the New Year, and the rest was left for the base.

For the base’s sheep, there was no need to de-bone; they were sold whole. The meat and bones for their own consumption had to be trimmed off.

“Brother, let’s leave one for the orphanage. The kids are little and don’t get to eat good things. With the New Year coming, let’s let them have some meat. I was thinking we have plenty of sheepskins, so we could give a few to the director to take back and make coats with.”

“That’s fine.”

Previously, they had harvested cotton and sent some to the orphanage to make cotton-padded jackets. The kids were already wearing the jackets, so if they were to send sheepskins now, it would be too late; anyone would have frozen by then.

“Next year at No. 8 Farm, we should plant more cotton, and we can also interplant it with fennel.”

“If you think there’s no problem, just go ahead and do both. Don’t worry, with so many people backing you, just be bold and follow your ideas.”

Xue Dong smiled at Li Pan tenderly.

Her face turned slightly red. “I was scared of the losses in case it failed. I’ve thought about it for a long time. Not trying leaves me uneasy, as I always hope to harvest more from the fields, to justify everyone’s hard work day and night.”

“Girl, don’t be afraid to go for it. Even if the sky falls down, I’ll be here. Remember when we first arrived, we had to eat meals around the edge of the bowl, but now we’re not short of anything—rice, grain, meat, vegetables, fruits. What’s there to fear?”

Qin Jianzhong grinned back at her, flashing his big teeth.

“Then I’ll give it a try next year.”

Li Pan was convinced and decided to take a chance on interplanting.

The mutton had been completely de-boned. The bones were chopped into pieces, labeled, and packed away in the water tank to freeze, so it would be easy to find when needed.

It’s particularly cold outside now with the snowfall, and most of the meat is frozen outside, serving as a natural refrigerator. There’s also a metal cabinet in the yard that’s filled with meat.

“Sister, let’s make some lamb dumplings. We can also roll some slices for lamb rolls. Shall we have hotpot later?”

“Sure, I knew you’d want hotpot. I’ve already rolled the beef, just thaw it slightly when we want to eat.”

Liu Qian laughed.

“Sis, you always know what I love. Let’s have lamb bone for lunch.”

“Deal, let’s make pilaf. Yu, go fetch some red and yellow carrots to wash.”

“Okay! Let’s put some chickpeas in it; they taste great when they’re cooked until soft.”

“Alright.”

“I’ll go to the greenhouse and check on my vegetables, pick some to bring back.”

The vegetables in Li Pan’s greenhouse were thriving. It was time to harvest, or even more would be mature by later.

After picking several kinds of vegetables for cooking, the rest could be harvested in significant quantity. Tomorrow, she would call the base to come and collect them.

“Brother, the vegetables are ready to be picked. Shall we let the base collect them?”

“Yes, they’ve set up a temporary shack at the transfer station with a stove for duty. I’ll call them to come.”

“Come the day after tomorrow, I’m picking vegetables tomorrow,”

“Got it.”

For lunch, we had pilaf. Xue Dong cooked it exceptionally well. First, he softened the mutton in a pressure cooker, then stir-fried it a bit, adding some red and yellow carrots, followed by the thirteen spices or Sichuan peppercorn powder and cooking wine for seasoning.

You could add some light soy sauce if you like, but it might discolor the pilaf and make it look less appealing. Without the soy sauce, the pilaf comes out looking very pretty.

After stewing the meat for a while to absorb the flavors, you add the rice. Just enough water to cover the rice is sufficient.

If you know how to make it, cooking with an iron pot gives the pilaf that wok hei, making it delicious. For those who are not as skilled, a rice cooker will do just fine.

Before serving, check if the top layer of rice is undercooked. It’s best to flip it over; bring the rice from the bottom to the top, and the top to the bottom, and cook for a few more minutes. You want to make sure the rice is not underdone.

On the very top layer, you add chickpeas and raisins. Chickpeas are quite hard, so if they’re soft and cooked through, it means the rice is also tender and not undercooked. The sweet and sour taste of the raisins cuts through the greasiness.

Mix up a couple of cold dishes like small tomatoes, green vegetables, bitter chicory, cucumber, and green chili with some vinegar, salt, light soy sauce, and garlic for a tangy and spicy cold dish to alleviate greasiness.

We also have white onions at home. Chop them up, mix with cilantro, tomatoes, and chili, add some salt and vinegar, and mix well. The white onion has a sweet aftertaste. With the vinegar and tomatoes for flavoring, it’s sweet and sour with a slight spiciness, making it refreshing to eat and a traditional accompaniment to the pilaf, offering an exceptional taste.

With many people around, we also made several stir-fried vegetables, and for dessert, we served cantaloupe stored in the cave, which everyone enjoyed around the stove.

The next day, everyone went to the greenhouse to pick vegetables. Each batch needed to be bundled up and placed in baskets with some straw underneath for insulation; otherwise, the cucumbers and the like would freeze and be ruined.

There was quite a haul, about a truck’s worth. The vegetables in the greenhouse were growing well, one batch after another was ready for harvest, and it was a pleasing sight.

“Your vegetables are really good. The other farms are idle, but yours is still busy,”

“I’ve got many hands here, and everyone’s united and willing to work. We just want to work more and earn more. Our two farms haven’t even broken even yet.”

Li Pan was very conscious of potential crises and didn’t dare to let her guard down. With so many people helping her work, they all needed to be fed.

The Patrol Team nodded in agreement, admiring her diligence and attention to detail, which explained why her farm was so productive.

Vegetables were quite expensive in the winter, not at all like the lower prices when they’re abundant in the summer. These vegetables couldn’t even be spared for their own consumption at the base; they were all sent to be sold in the rich district for money, which was then used to buy grains. It made the difference between eating to fullness once and eating to fullness at every meal.

Li Pan prepared hot water for the Patrol Team to drink, filling up a flask for each member, and offered her own blend of milk tea, made with coconut fruit, Stevia, and mint. The tea leaves were homegrown, picked in the autumn in small batches.

“Sister, thanks a lot. We’re off, call us when you’re selling the veggies,”

“Alright, take care, brothers,”

Li Pan politely saw them to the gate.

She had planned to invite them for a meal, but they were in a hurry to deliver the fresh and crisp vegetables back to the base to fetch a good price, and so they left swiftly.

After seeing them off, she took advantage of the daylight to check on both farms, inspecting them and infusing them with her superpower, especially the fruit trees, which were expected to bear fruit next year. She couldn’t afford to be negligent.

She then returned and prepared food for the pigs, the Wolf pack, and the mutant animals.

The Wolf cubs had grown up, and the Wolf King had taken them out patrolling. Now the Wolf pack and Leopard and Wolf rotated patrolling No. 8 Farm every three months; the Wolf pack patrolled the No. 8 Farm for the next three months, and then the Golden Eagle and Leopard took over, with the Wolf pack moving to No. 7 Farm.

It was important to ensure the animals were familiar with the home environment and didn’t bump into anything unaware.

In winter, there wasn’t much work, just the regular odd jobs, but there was still the daily routine to attend to.

Li Pan’s superpower was steadily growing. The Star Tree had really overeaten last time in the forest, and several months later, it still hadn’t absorbed all the energy, only a very small portion of it.

The trunk had thickened, the tree had grown taller, the vines had stretched farther, and the range of the spatial barrier had expanded. The Barrier’s duration increased to one hour with a ten-minute rest period.

In other words, she now had the capability to protect the farm herself.