The next morning, Xia Ming stayed in bed for a long time, reluctant to get up. The winter quilt was sealed tightly, making it difficult for any lazy person to easily break free.
His mother prepared breakfast and called him several times but he didn't respond. Annoyed, she used a chicken feather duster to poke him through the quilt a few times.
Ah! It doesn't hurt.
Yesterday, he paved the road all day, and despite the help of a bulldozer, his back still felt sore.
"I can't do this again next time." Finally, Xia Ming reluctantly got up. The fish from the aquaculture company would be delivered tomorrow, and he needed to oversee the work at the reservoir.
"Mom, where's Dad?" Xia Ming asked while drinking the porridge his mother had reserved.
"I don't know. After breakfast, he went out with a cup of tea." His mother was hanging clothes in the yard. After the snow, it had been cloudy for several days.
Sip. The porridge was just the right temperature. After long hours of cooking, the rice had become thick and required chopsticks to fully enjoy its taste.
He took a bite of the pickled cucumber, which had a crunchy and refreshing taste.
His mother had added flour dumplings to the porridge. Xia Ming used chopsticks to pick one up. The fragrance of the flour mixed with a hint of saltiness, making it very appetizing.
With a "gulp," Xia Ming finished all the porridge his mother had reserved and let out a satisfied burp.
After calling a few times, he realized that Wangcai and Popi weren't at home. He wondered where they had gone crazy. So he swayed unsteadily towards the mountain alone.
In a little while, he planned to go to the county to see if there were any suitable trees for planting in winter. The reservoir had just been renovated, and the surrounding area was covered in mud. It needed some trees, flowers, and fruits for beautification; otherwise, it would look bare.
After about twenty minutes, he arrived at the reservoir. By now, it was already two-thirds full, and he estimated it would be completely full by tomorrow morning.
Looking at the wide but somewhat empty reservoir, Xia Ming felt refreshed. By next year, it would completely change.
After the reservoir was full, Xia Ming planned to keep the overflow outlet and reduce the water level slightly.
When the reservoir was full, the excess water could flow through the spillway.
The construction of the spillway and the new water gate had been carried out simultaneously with the reservoir cleaning. After more than a month, they were ready to use. However, Xia Ming estimated that the water gate probably wouldn't be necessary.
There was no need to worry about water shortage downstream; the quantity flowing out through the spillway was already considerable. It would be enough to restore the small river downstream, which had been dry for many years, to its peak state.
If it was still not enough, they could enlarge the outlet at the bottom of the reservoir.
As for heavy rain and flash floods, there was no need to worry about them.
He opened the mobile cabin and took out the electric scooter. The mountain road had been repaired, and the electric scooter could finally be put to use. He had fully charged it last night when he arrived.
Although the mountain road had been paved, it was not very friendly to the two-wheeled electric scooter, occasionally causing some skidding. Fortunately, it wasn't too far; once he reached the main road, it would be easier to ride.
Twisting the throttle to the maximum, Xia Ming ran for a few minutes before turning back home. Damn, it was too cold, and he had
forgotten to bring his helmet again.
"Where are you going? It's so cold outside." Xia Ming's mother, who was sunbathing and counting the hairs of Popi, asked when she saw him returning.
Popi was becoming less like a wild roe deer.
Wangcai, on the other hand, was lying on a cushion, and when he saw Xia Ming return, he only glanced at him before losing interest.
"I'm going to the county, I'll get the helmet when I come back."
"You lazybones, always sleeping." Xia Ming walked into the house and kicked Wangcai lightly.
"Why did you kick him? It's already 10 o'clock. Will you come back for lunch? Remember to buy some roast duck."
He grabbed the helmet, kicked Wangcai again, and hurriedly ran out.
"I'll be back for lunch."
"Are you feeling itchy? Good boy." His mother rubbed Wangcai's head.
Woof woof. Wangcai rubbed his head against his mother's palm, seemingly complaining about Xia Ming's inhumanity.
"Ride slowly on the road."
"I know."
With the helmet on and the triple physical buffs of a windproof blanket and gloves, it was finally not so cold.
The county town of Hengshan was about twenty kilometers away from the village. Xia Ming's electric scooter had an extra set of batteries, so he didn't need to worry about running out of power, even in winter.
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With the protection of a helmet, windproof blanket, and gloves, it was finally not so cold.
The county town of Hengshan was about twenty kilometers away from the village. Xia Ming's electric scooter had an additional set of batteries, so he didn't need to worry about running out of power, even in winter.
After about half an hour, he arrived in the county town. He checked the map on his phone and found that there was no specialized store selling seedlings, only flower shops. Xia Ming decided to go in and ask.
"Boss, do you sell seedlings here?" When he entered, Xia Ming realized that they were selling various flowers and bonsai.
"We do sell seedlings. What kind of seedlings are you looking for? Are you buying as an individual or on behalf of a company?" A middle-aged woman in her forties or fifties came out from inside the store.
"As an individual," Xia Ming replied, looking around.
"If you're buying as an individual, I don't recommend buying now. The survival rate of trees is low in winter. It might be fine if you're planting a small quantity, but it's not cost-effective for larger quantities," the woman said.
"It's alright. I don't plan to buy many. Do you also sell grass seeds here?" Xia Ming asked.
"We sell everything. Don't judge us based on the appearance of the store. I sell various types of seedlings. We have a seedling base with all kinds of trees."
"Oh, I see. In that case, give me ten apple trees, ten pear trees, ten peach trees, ten apricot trees, ten persimmon trees, and a few large bags of grass seeds," Xia Ming stated his requirements.
The woman looked at Xia Ming as if he were crazy and asked suspiciously, "Are you intentionally causing trouble?"
"Why would you say that? I'm just buying some seedlings." Xia Ming's voice became softer as he spoke, even he felt like he was causing trouble.
He quickly said, "I just want to try planting them myself and see if they survive. If not, then forget it. I'll go check other places."
"Hey, don't go. Let me tell you this. In our Hengshan County, there isn't a single store that can fulfill all your requirements for buying seedlings. Moreover, most of the seedlings in the county town are ornamental trees, and very few are fruit tree seedlings. You'll have to make several trips at least. So, I suggest you buy them online. Nowadays, with the internet so developed, you can find any kind of seedlings online," the woman said.
"I see. Well, I'll buy them online then. Thanks anyway," Xia Ming said and left.
"Damn it, did I get infected by Wangcai? Well, I guess I'll buy everything online from now on. It's just a few days of transportation time!" Xia Ming felt like a fool.
Since he couldn't buy the seedlings, he could still buy roast duck. Speaking of roast duck, he couldn't help but mention the difference between the roast duck here and the roast duck outside.
When serving roast duck here, the initial steps were similar, but the final step was different. They would pour gravy over the sliced roast duck.
Xia Ming used to think that roast duck should be eaten this way, but when he went to university, he discovered that roast duck outside didn't have gravy. He was surprised at the time, but he didn't dare to ask.
Over time, he got used to it, but he still felt that roast duck with gravy tasted better.
He bought half a roast duck, a few vegetarian chickens, and some dried tofu.
Then Xia Ming drove home.
When he arrived home, his mother was cooking. Seeing Xia Ming return so quickly, she asked curiously, "Why did you come back so soon?"
"There wasn't much to do. I put the roast duck on the dining table. I'm going to the mountain for a while. When the food is ready, give me a call, and I'll come down."
Xia Ming picked up Bobby and Wangcai, who were basking in the sun on the ground. "Lazy like pigs. Come on, let's go to the mountain."
Wangcai looked unhappy. Basking in the sun during the cold winter was so comfortable. He couldn't help but feel tired with an owner who didn't know how to enjoy life.
On the other hand, Bobby was excited and immediately stood up.
"Look at you. Can't you learn something from your little sister? All you do is eat and sleep. You've gained weight, you know that?" Xia Ming suddenly became suspicious and lifted Wangcai's front leg, making him stand up, then let go and gestured with doubt. "Have you grown recently?"
Wangcai whined twice and wagged his tail. "You idiot, you finally noticed."
At that moment, his mother came out of the kitchen and went to the well to wash vegetables.
"Mom, take a look. Hasn't Wangcai grown a lot again?" Upon hearing Xia Ming's words, his mother looked at Wangcai and said, "Oh, yes, he has grown quite a bit. I hadn't noticed. He's almost the size of a small wolf now. Wasn't Wangcai a local breed? How did he grow so much? He must have eaten something strange. No wonder he's been sluggish these days. Should we take him to the vet?"
His mother's conclusion instantly revealed the truth.
"Well, forget it. He should be fine. If something were wrong, it would have shown up earlier," Xia Ming didn't expect his mother to have such keen intuition.
"Then wait a bit. Aren't you going to the mountain?" His mother washed the vegetables while speaking.
"I'll go in the afternoon." Xia Ming casually threw Wangcai to the side and scratched Bobby.
Wangcai looked confused. "You change your mind so quickly. You just threw me away after using me."
Ignoring Wangcai's pitiful expression, Xia Ming brought out a reclining chair, basked in the sun, took out his phone, and started to buy seedlings online.
As the saying goes, "Peaches at three years, apricots at four, pears at five." Xia Ming thought that the fruit trees he bought would be able to bloom and bear fruit next year, so he couldn't buy one-year-old seedlings. He pushed the timeline for all the trees to one or two years later.
Five-year-old large yellow peach tree seedlings cost 20 yuan each. Six-year-old duck pear seedlings were 45 yuan each. Six-year-old seedlings of sugar heart apricot tree cost 37 yuan each. Six-year-old crystal sugar heart apple tree seedlings were 36 yuan each. The seven-year-old persimmon tree seedlings were the most expensive at 137 yuan each, so he only bought five of them. He bought ten of the others and also purchased two large bags of grass seeds. In total, he spent 2,200 yuan, which made his already tight wallet even tighter.
"It's not cheap. Good thing I didn't buy a lot. Oh, I also need to buy some tea seedlings for planting and experimenting," Xia Ming thought.
So he bought 40 tea seedlings, ten each of Longjing, Golden Shoot, Bai
hao Yinzhen, and Dahongpao. He didn't buy a large quantity, just enough for planting and experimenting. It didn't cost much, only 300 yuan, and the seller even included some rooting powder as a gift.
Time flew by, and at this point, his mother had finished cooking. "Call your father and tell him to come back for dinner. He never knows when to come back once he starts working."
"Okay."