Li Pan worked nonstop from five in the morning until midnight, instantly falling into a deep sleep as soon as she touched the bed.
At dawn, when the sky was just beginning to lighten, the valley was shrouded in mist, as if clouds were drifting overhead, creating a scene that looked almost ethereal from afar.
The alarm clock rang, and Li Pan turned over slowly, opening her eyes gradually and struggling to get up. She was so tired that her arms ached, her back ached—in fact, there wasn't a part of her body that didn't hurt.
Early in the morning, she went to check on the seedlings. The potatoes had already sprouted and were ready to be planted in the ground first, followed by sweet potatoes. There was a lot to do today—she had to plant the potatoes, and the rice fields needed thorough watering, but without using too much water so that the soil would have time to absorb the moisture.
Since she hadn't connected the water pump and filter yet, she could only use a shoulder pole and buckets to water the fields.
She took the plow out from the barn, which was designed to be pulled by cattle, but without any animals, she had to strap it to her own back and pull it forward, much faster than using a hoe alone.
After setting up the tools, she went to wash her face, brush her teeth, put a pot of water on to boil for the thermos, preparing to bring two bottles of sugar water to the field to avoid having to come back at noon for lunch.
While waiting for the water to boil, she kneaded the prepared dough to expel the gas, divided it into portions, and chopped up the chives, which had been washed clean the night before, to have them ready.
Once the pot of water boiled, she added some of the previously prepared sugar. The sugar water would help her recover her strength. She filled two thermoses with hot water and set them aside.
After heating the pot until it was dry, she poured in some vegetable oil, heated it, then cracked four or five wild chicken eggs into the pot, using chopsticks to scramble them until they were broken up and ready to be taken out.
She also chopped up some dried shrimp, bought from the market, which she usually used to add flavor.
She put the scrambled eggs, chives, and dried shrimp into a bowl, added some soy sauce, pepper powder, and Sichuan peppercorn powder, then a little cooked oil to prevent the chives from weeping.
She began to roll out the dough, making sure the middle was thick and the edges were thin. She rolled out more than ten skins and only then did she add salt to the chive filling. Since the dried shrimp were salty, she used less salt to avoid making it too salty. Salt couldn't be added too early as it would draw out water from the chives.
After tasting and finding the flavor to be good, she started to make the chive turnovers. Shaped like large crescent-shaped dumplings, once fried until golden brown on both sides, then steamed a bit, they became crispy outside and soft inside. The turnovers made with leavened dough were soft internal, perfectly complementing the savory filling—a truly unparalleled flavor.
In one go, she made twenty chive turnovers, the size of a palm, which she figured was enough for two meals. The filling was gone, but she had some dough left, which she used to make flatbreads.
The pot of millet, red bean, and mixed grain porridge was also ready. The red beans had been soaked the night before, as otherwise, they wouldn't cook properly.
Chive turnovers paired with millet porridge made for a mouthful of savory flavor. Today's chive turnovers were particularly successful; the chives could grow several more crops. She would make some for Xue Dong when he returned—he also liked this filling.
After eating, she packed the thermos of hot water and her lunch into her backpack, leaving the porridge for dinner, which she put into a basin to cool down.
At noon, she would drink water and eat the sweet buckwheat cakes from last night. In the evening, she would have the porridge and chive turnovers, meaning she wouldn't need to cook and could get more work done.
She hoisted the backpack onto her shoulders, picked up the shoulder pole, and hung two buckets on each end—four buckets in total, ready to water the crops.
Before leaving, she saw there were still some embers in the stove, so she filled the kettle with water and placed it on top. The residual heat would warm up the water, nice for washing up when she returned.
Once in the field, she first set up the farming tools, strapping them to her back with a rope, pulling forward as if doing the work of an ox, because she didn't have an ox at the moment.
Before planting the seeds, she would need to go over the field again. If the field was well plowed, the seeds would have a high germination rate. Cutting corners in farming would only lead to lessons learned at harvest time.
After going back and forth twice, adding to the three times before, that made five times in total. Deep plowing was nearly done, and before planting, she would spread wood ash over the field, which would both fertilize and kill pests.
Only then did she begin planting the potato seeds. A potato the size of an adult's fist could only be cut into four pieces, with the cut sides dipped in wood ash to prevent rot.
Small potatoes could only be cut in half. Cutting them too much would prevent growth.
Plant one every twenty-five centimeters, and in one acre of land, you can plant about three hundred catties.
With high-quality potato varieties, one acre can yield four thousand catties, and some can even reach ten thousand catties; that is a true high-yield crop.
Potatoes and sweet potatoes should be planted more since they have a high yield per acre and can feed many people.
This is the first time planting on a farm, so I didn't dare to plant too much for fear of a poor harvest at the end. Three hundred catties per acre should do, just for this year to get a feel for the land's temperament, better to proceed with caution.
Working tirelessly until noon, when I lifted my head, I was so hungry I felt dizzy. I had planted two acres of land and used up all my superpower; after planting, I had to infuse a bit of superpower to help the crops sprout and take root better.
Upon reaching the edge of the field, I opened my backpack and gulped down some sugared water to quench my thirst.
After washing my hands, I sat down on the field ridge and had some flatbread with pickled vegetables, as well as some cool mixed leafy greens from the morning. These past few days, I've been eating pheasant meat, but Xue Dong wasn't around these two days, so I just ate something vegetarian mainly to save trouble.
After eating and drinking my fill and taking a short break, I let my superpower recharge a bit.
I took a shoulder pole to fetch water for the rice paddies. My superpower hadn't fully recovered yet, so I switched to different tasks.
The day was just starting to heat up, and since there was nothing else to water in the fields, I aimed to thoroughly water the rice paddy ground.
When I got to the lakeside, the water was very clear. I tossed a stone into it, and bubbles emerged, indicating there were fish at the bottom. I could fish a few in the evening to eat, and if there were leftovers, I could make smoked fish.
I filled all four buckets with water and started carrying them to the field with the shoulder pole.
To save effort, what I really needed was a water pump and a filter, so I could use hoses to water the fields directly. But without those for now, I couldn't wait for the crops, so I had to water them myself.
I got used to using the shoulder pole; back at the base, though small, I had a pretty comprehensive physical enhancement from my superpower, so I was quite strong and did as much work as adult men. I worked hard and soon earned the recognition of the base leaders who gave me the best land to cultivate.
I didn't disappoint their expectations, always ranking among the top three every year, exceeding the production targets. I worked the fields neatly and beautifully.
I had endured all sorts of hard and tiring labor at a young age, never complained or acted pretentiously. There was nobody to show off to anyway. We were all the same, struggling. Complaining was pointless and would only make one look pathetic to others.
The base had cattle, but not many, and it was a rotating system. If it wasn't your turn, you had to pull the plow or carry water to irrigate the fields yourself, as the timing for the crops wouldn't wait for you.
Though it was tough, at least we didn't have to face the terrifying Mutant Beasts; that alone made us quite fortunate.
Every time a team returned, I would see stretchers carrying the injured back, and some who never came back. Considering some Mutant Beasts like snakes were venomous, once a superpower user was poisoned and died, they couldn't be brought back, only incinerated and buried on the spot.
In comparison, carrying water and pulling plows in the base was really nothing.
I would always wait at the base entrance for someone; it used to be Uncle Qian who took care of us, later it was Xue Dong.
That time, I couldn't wait for Uncle Qian to return; I waited from dawn till dusk only to receive his urn. And once more, we had lost a loved one.
It hurt so much that I felt numb inside. After Uncle Qian passed, Xue Dong moved from logistics to the frontline to fight Mutant Beasts. The only condition was to leave me at the base to farm, not to go to the frontline to battle.
Aside from working my hardest, increasing grain production, not burdening Xue Dong or losing face, there was nothing else I could do.
Only through good work could I earn rewards. I rented a place with a yard where I could grow something. With those yields, I traded grains and vegetables for recovery potions and Healing Potions for Xue Dong to carry, providing at least some peace of mind.