Chapter 218: Killer Melon
In anticipation of the possibility of adding livestock to the family in the future, the livestock shed was renovated this time and built on a slope near the toilet, away from the main house to avoid the smell from affecting normal life.
The livestock shed is made entirely of wood and has one and a half stories.
The first floor is a full space, and the second floor is a half roof space that can be used to store hay.
The roof is covered with thatch and compacted with bamboo poles removed from the original horse shed, so there is no need to worry about it being blown over in normal strong winds.
The unusable bamboos taken down from the old stable were directly used for burning, so there was no waste at all.
The livestock shed is within a large overall space, but is separated by a stone half-wall to ensure that cows and horses have their own space.
At the same time, according to Qin Yao's request, Uncle Jiu took advantage of the slope and built a space more than one meter high under the livestock shed. He built a stone wall underneath so that the excrement of cattle and horses could fall directly down and would not lie with the livestock. This also made it convenient for daily use of manure.
Such a livestock shed could even be considered luxurious in Liujia Village.
Some villagers who came to observe the place where the cattle and horses lived could not help but sigh, "It's better than where people live."
"That's right." Liu Dafu echoed.
But after all the villagers left, he quietly moved to Qin Yao and asked her if there was any benefit in going to so much trouble to build a livestock shed.
Qin Yao explained: "This will be cleaner, can effectively reduce the probability of cattle and horses getting sick, and is also convenient for storing fertilizer."
"How can I not get sick?" Liu Dafu was a little skeptical.
Qin Yao reiterated, "I'm talking about reducing the chances of getting sick, not 100% preventing illness."
"Look at those feces and urine. If they get on your body, they will attract mosquitoes. Mosquitoes carry diseases themselves, and they can also indirectly infect cattle and horses."
"Now that the feces and urine are directed to the manure pit below, there are fewer mosquitoes on the cattle and horses. It is also convenient to clean the livestock shed. Just flush it with a few buckets of water and the ground will be clean."
Having said all that could be said, Qin Yao said seriously to Liu Dafu, who was a little moved:
"The trouble is only now, but saving effort is long-term. Since your family has the conditions, I would suggest that you rebuild a livestock shed like this."
After saying that, he went into the yard to work.
She also had to help move some things and pass some tiles.
This time only one house was built, so it was only her, her uncle Jiu, and the brothers Liu Bo and Liu Zhong, a total of four people, who were busy with the work.
Having fewer people has its advantages. Qin Yao didn't have to cook. He directly brought the meat she bought back to the old house, cooked it, and asked them to come over for a meal at noon to prevent the good meat from being ruined by Qin Yao's cooking skills.
The extra gravy can be dipped on the pancakes so that the children at home can taste the meat.
Qin Yao's family took five pounds of fatty pork belly and asked her sister-in-law not to be so frugal and to make more for the children.
Unfortunately, they didn't listen. The fat was boiled into oil and the lean meat was pickled with salt, and eaten slowly bit by bit.
However, everyone in the old house thought that there was nothing wrong with what He did, and they were happy about it. After all, they could eat meat for a long time.
Especially during this busy farming season, eating meat can nourish the body and give you more energy to work.
The families in the village are even more frugal than them. They are afraid of famine this year. When they are not working, they only eat one meal a day.
Qin Yao has a big appetite, so she only went to the old house to eat at noon on the first day of work, and has been eating at home since then.
Because she couldn't save a bit on food!
It took ten days to build the new warehouse. According to Uncle Jiu, it would take half a month to move in.
This warehouse is located in the northeast corner of the backyard. It is an independent room. It is very spacious, 1.5 times the size of Qin Yao's bedroom, and is over 30 square meters.
Not to mention being used as a granary, even if ox carts and horse carts were added, there would still be plenty of surplus.
Moreover, the ceilings are high, and there is a small attic on the second floor, which can be used to store some rarely used farm tools.
In this way, the storage room behind the kitchen no longer needs to be cluttered with things, and can be used to store some long-lasting fruits and vegetables.
Speaking of fruits and vegetables, Qin Yao also wants to dig another cellar.
Unfortunately, Uncle Jiu doesn't know how to do the underground work. You can't just dig a cellar. It depends on the geology. Otherwise, it collapses as soon as you dig, and it will be a waste of time.
Qin Yao could only put the cellar aside for the time being and happily clean up the new warehouse.
The warehouse was still damp after drying. Qin Yao followed the recipe Zhang gave her and sprinkled rice bran in the corner to absorb moisture. She also used stones to create a platform before moving the 10,000 kilograms of grain over.
Now the bedroom of the whole family has returned to its original cleanliness, and both adults and children are happy.
Looking at the increasingly comfortable home, Qin Yao felt a sense of satisfaction in her heart.
Especially after the original cowshed at the back door was demolished, the air in the entire yard became fresh. It was very relaxing to take a deep breath of oxygen-filled air in the morning.
The house was built and it was mid-April in a blink of an eye. It was time to plant the rice seedlings for the second time.
Qin Yao had specifically instructed Liu Ji the last time they went to the city, and Liu Ji dared not disobey, so he went home just when it was time to plant the rice seedlings.
But he has only been away from home for more than a month, why has he changed again?
Wait, that's not the point.
The point is, since they have built a new house, why didn't they expand his small room as well!
Liu Ji walked around all the houses in his house with a gloomy face, and returned to his small room, which was the smallest and darkest.
Sad, angry, and wanting to go crazy!
Qin Yao handed over a magical bookcase, and Liu Ji's anger value, which had been rising every season, dropped rapidly, and his injured heart was greatly comforted.
The new bookcase gave him unlimited possibilities for creativity. It wasn't even painted, it was made of pure wood, and was designed to be original and pollution-free.
Qin Yao said in a flattering way: "Don't you want to be more sexy than Mr. Fan? This will allow you to give full play to your abilities."
She was not being sarcastic, but said seriously, "If you need paint, you can go to the factory to find Carpenter Liu. I have already informed him, and the money for the paint will be put into my account."
Qin Yao winked at him and said: This is a reward for your hard work during this period of time.
Liu Ji met her extremely sincere eyes and his heart trembled. Why did he feel a little touched?
When planting the seedlings for the second time, Liu Ji worked harder than ever before, otherwise he would have felt that he had let down the kindness of the evil woman at home!
Qin Yao turned around with a slight smile on her lips, perfectly grasping the gesture.
There were only eight acres of rice to plant this year, and Qin Yao's family of six worked together to complete the task in two and a half days.
Qin Yao plans to plant watermelons on the two empty acres of land.
Fearing that the child might damage the melon seedlings she had worked so hard to cultivate, Qin Yao only called Liu Ji, and the couple planted the remaining two acres of dry land together.
After the land was planted, Liu Ji finally remembered to ask, "Madam, what is this?"
Qin Yao: "Watermelon."
Liu Ji scratched his head, "What kind of melon is watermelon?"
"It's an edible melon." Qin Yao said impatiently.
Liu Ji continued to ask: "Pumpkin and winter melon are both edible melons, what's the difference between this watermelon?"
Qin Yao: "Its flesh is red."
Liu Ji was shocked, "Red? Isn't this a killer melon?"
Qin Yao nodded heavily: "Yes, sandy!"
Liu Ji's pupils trembled. Was she kidding?
Right?
Right!!!
(End of this chapter)