Capítulo 17: Chapter 15 Loquat
Li Pan picked a lot of loquats and also carried a bundle of firewood back; Xue Dong and the others returned as well.
"You went up to the mountain again, what did you pick?"
Xue Dong and Qin Jianzhong hurriedly took the items from her.
"Loquats, good stuff."
Qin Jianzhong grabbed one, wiped it on his sleeve, and bit into it. If they were not edible, Li Pan definitely wouldn't have brought them back.
"They're quite sweet."
"Good for moistening the lungs and stopping coughs. The effect is very strong. I plan to make some loquat jam, and there are some Chinese Fritillaries to use with it. Later on, I'll take it to the pharmacy to sell; it should be worth a bit of money."
"Alright, after we eat, let's go pick some more. You start making it, and later I'll take the loquats to be tested. If there's no problem, we can take them to sell. If we can't handle all of it, we'll just sell directly to the base's pharmacy. Doing everything ourselves is too tiring."
Xue Dong didn't approve of treating people like beasts of burden, that just wasn't right.
"Xue Dong, let's go together. I know where it is. On the way back, we can dig some clay. I plan to build a chicken nest because there are way too many wild chicken eggs. Later on, we can hatch some chicks."
"Brother Qin, shouldn't we build a bed-stove? I know how to check fertilized eggs and how to hatch chicks, but I don't know how to build a bed-stove."
Building a bed-stove must be done by someone knowledgeable, otherwise it will backdraft smoke, and at night, it can suffocate you. If the smoke is not thick, it's not easily detected, and waking up with a headache is a sign of smoke in the room.
Having a bed-stove is essential for incubating chicks properly because the temperature can be well controlled; there's nothing else here for that.
"I can manage the bed-stove, I'll do it."
"First, let's make a trial one to see if it's any good. If the bed-stove is made well, we'll need one in our new house too."
"Let's go dig the soil first. Once we're back, we can make green bricks. If we save up enough, we'll have a courtyard wall."
Since Qin Jianzhong arrived, he'd been working non-stop, aside from eating and sleeping. Li Pan was very grateful in her heart. He was genuinely hardworking and of solid character; from now on, she'd treat him as family.
Li Pan would no longer go up the mountain. She got the loquats out and cleaned them thoroughly. She also picked quite a few loquat leaves as the loquat jam needed some leaves.
She peeled and pitted the loquats, washed the leaves clean of fuzz, and the best way was to process the loquats directly into a puree.
She had an old broken machine, and now that there was electricity, she first turned the loquats into puree. This took time for the leaves.
Only after everything was ready did she start to make the loquat jam. If you like it sweet, you can add rock sugar. Honey should be added last. She had a bit of Chinese fritillary, ground it into powder, and simmered it together; the effect of clearing heat and moistening the lungs to stop a cough was very good.
She boiled the loquat leaves separately, then filtered out the dregs before adding them to the loquat jam to stew together. She simmered it gently till it reached a consistency similar to honey, then turned off the heat, added honey, and bottled it once it cooled.
During the cooking process, constant stirring is necessary to prevent the bottom from scorching and sticking to the pan; it is a troublesome and tiring job.
She had glass jars, which were previously purchased as airtight containers, as well as some glass bottles with lids from various stores' jars of chili sauce, which could also be used after being cleaned. Any usable container was kept.
The chili sauce jars were a bit small, but she filled them nonetheless. The airtight containers, which were 500 grams each, were also filled.
Xue Dong and Qin Jianzhong made several trips back and forth, not only digging up soil for making brick embryos but also picking all the loquats and bringing back some dandelions.
Xue Dong took charge of removing the fuzz from the leaves, while Qin Jianzhong was responsible for washing the loquats, peeling and pitting them, and mashing them.
"Bro, we've run out of Chinese fritillary and don't have any pears either."
"Then let's just make two separate batches; the rest we can store in the cave. Give me a couple of days to finish up here. We'll make a list of whatever else we're missing and take a trip to the base."
"Okay, Brother Qin, then stop what you're doing; we've done enough for now."
After Qin Jianzhong finished, he cleaned everything and put them back in place, then picked out the spoiled loquats to wash and eat later. The good ones were placed in a basket and stored in the cave; they would last a few more days.
"How are you going to carry so much stuff?"
"Didn't I bring back an electric tricycle? We'll use that. I specifically bought a few extra batteries, bringing two fully charged ones for usage on the trip."
"Okay, we're just missing a Space superpower user."
Qin Jianzhong smacked his lips; without Zhao Quan's Space superpower, it was indeed inconvenient since it was too much to carry in one trip.
"Bro, I feel like my superpower is about to advance."
"Really? That's good news; a Mid-level Superpower will be even more formidable."
Qin Jianzhong laughed happily.
"How much longer do you reckon?"
"Probably about a month or two, maybe because the food here is good and there's no lack of meat."
Li Pan had actually been stuck at a bottleneck for three years and she didn't know why, she just couldn't move past it. Xue Dong even took her to the base to have someone check it out, and they said her Wood Power was very good and there was no problem with advancing to the next level.
Having no other choice, she just had to put it aside and wait. If she couldn't find the reason, she had to continue living life as usual. It didn't hurt or hinder her work.
Xue Dong's eyes lit up, "Didn't the high-level Wood Element Superpower User say last time that Middle-level ones might awaken a Companion Spirit Plant?"
"Right, if you fail to awaken it on your own, you could consider merging with a Spirit Plant to create a Companion Spirit Plant."
Li Pan had already inquired about this before.
"Alright, you try to awaken it by yourself first, no rush if it fails. I'll exchange for some good Spirit Plants at the base for you to use as Companion Plants."
Xue Dong thought about how many contribution points were left.
"If it's not enough, I still have some. I've never used mine; take them."
"How could I do that? Brother Qin also needs to advance, and that requires a lot of contribution points."
Li Pan shook her head.
"It's still a while away for me. You go ahead and use them first. Farming doesn't require powerful superpowers. Your advancement is more urgent. Besides, this is between brothers, don't worry about these things."
Qin Jianzhong was generous and straightforward.
"Exactly, we need to get you sorted first. Only then can our farm have hope. There are many more challenges to face later on. Come with me to the base next time."
"Okay."
"Then I'll stay and guard the home."
"Brother, I plan to plant some thorns around the farm; the poisonous kind. They can serve as a defense. I've recently found several different types of Poison Thorns in the mountains."
"Okay, I'll come and dig them up with you the day after tomorrow for transplanting."
Xue Dong nodded his head.
Qin Jianzhong went to make brick blanks while Xue Dong helped Li Pan stir the pot; it was too tiring for her to do it alone.
Only after they finished the last pot of loquat jam and bottled it did everyone go to sleep.
The next day, bright and early, Li Pan got up, took some paper, and labeled the jars. The ones with Chinese Fritillary were more expensive, while those without were cheaper, and needed to be marked separately.
She first went to the fields and delivered her superpower to the crops, and while doing so, weeded. The potatoes and sweet potatoes had grown quite tall; the sweet potato vines were very tender. She picked some tender vines to take back and make a cold salad.
The rice had also begun to grow taller, looking very promising. She weeded the field and carefully examined the plants, parting the leaves to check; there were no bugs, which was great.
The corn had grown taller as well. She took great care of it with her superpower, consistently delivering it every day and checking on it. The growth looked very promising, and if the weather stayed hot, they could possibly harvest early.
The vegetables in the ground had also sprouted and were growing well; the sight was so gratifying and gave a sense of fulfillment and security.
After checking everything was fine, she took a basket and went up the mountain to dig up the Poison Thorns for use in defending the perimeter of the farm.
"I'll join you."
Xue Dong also carried a basket on his back, planning to pick up whatever he found on the way.
"Okay."
"Brother, this farm was a really good choice. Most of the crops are of the positive type, with only a few being mutated or abnormal types."
"I just thought this farm was easy to defend and hard to attack, with a naturally good environment. I didn't expect the crops to mostly be normal rather than abnormal; heaven favors the honest."
Xue Dong looked at Li Pan and showed a gentle smile.
Li Pan glanced at him, her chin lifted proudly. I'm not the dumb one; I'm the smart kid.
Regalos
-- Regalo
recibido Estado de energía semanal
-- Ranking de
Poder 
-- Piedra de
Poder