Song Wei had a clear plan. The primary reason for cultivating off-season vegetables was to ensure they could eat well even during winter. Now that conditions permitted, she had no intention of compromising on this goal.
Perhaps it was also due to the scarcity of food in her past life that left a lasting impact. She couldn’t resist the urge to stockpile supplies.
The off-season vegetables were something she couldn’t keep a secret if she intended to sell them. Rather than secretly selling them and later causing envy among the villagers, she thought it better to involve the villagers, scale up the operation, and expand production.
If possible, the Brigade head could even approach the commune leaders to negotiate. Bringing the off-season vegetables into the open would legitimize their sales. This could also turn into a small workshop for the village.
Besides, if she wanted to earn money, she had plenty of other ways. She could go hunting in the mountains, trade in the black market, or collect medicinal herbs for hospitals. She wasn’t short on avenues for income.
Looking at the tiny green sprouts in the baskets, Song Wei’s eyes were full of tenderness.
“Grow faster.”
Only when they grew fully could they be eaten.
The vegetables had grown noticeably in just a few days. Small greens like bok choy and lettuce, with their short growth cycles, were thriving particularly well.
In about a month, they’d be ready to harvest.
Over the next ten days, despite the snow, Song Wei kept herself busy. She divided her time between tending to her crops, learning to knit sweaters with the other female educated youth, and occasionally venturing into the mountains when she couldn’t sit still.
Unlike others who feared the cold, she was unaffected. Compared to the extreme winters she endured in her previous life, this was nothing.
When lucky, she brought back wild rabbits or pheasants. If she found medicinal herbs, she dug those up too. Every few days, she also visited Lin Zhen’s house to check on the progress of her crops.
Whether it was the quality of the fertilizer or her own talent for planting, the vegetables were thriving. The dense growth of bok choy prompted her to thin the plants by plucking out some of the seedlings.
She didn’t let them go to waste. Some were fed to the deer, which had been eating dried leaves for ages, while the rest went into their own cooking.
The deer eagerly rushed over, their hooves clacking, and devoured the fresh greens in no time.
The tiny seedlings made their way to the kitchen table. With the addition of some vermicelli, Lin Zhen whipped up a delicious stir-fry.
They ate radishes, cabbages and potatoes for a long time. Although Lin Zhen was a good cook and Song Wei was not picky about food.
But today’s bowl of vermicelli stewed with green vegetables is definitely the best!
Heidan happily ate until his cheeks were stuffed.
“Tomorrow, tell the brigade leader about this. Let’s start cultivating these crops on a larger scale for the winter. It’s better to act early.”
She believed off-season vegetables could fill idle winter days and add variety to people’s diets while earning a bit of money.
Lin Zhen nodded. “Alright.”
“Also, bring some of the bok choy to the bridge leader, your great uncle’s house, and Old Ji. He’s helped you so much with your leg—this is the least we can do.”
Lin Zhen’s heart warmed at her thoughtfulness.
He couldn’t help but beam at her. “Let’s get engaged next month.”
Song Wei blinked in surprise. Why was he suddenly bringing up engagement?
But after thinking it over, she nodded. “Alright.”
Hearing her agreement, Lin Zhen grinned like a fool. Even Heidan found it hard to look at him.
“Brother, you look so weird when you smile,” Heidan commented.
Lin Zhen glared. “What do you know, kid?”
After dinner, Song Wei returned to the educated youth dormitory, while Lin Zhen went to the brigade leader’s house with the bok choy.
Lin Zhen: “…Get lost. You don’t understand a damn thing!”
After finishing her meal, Song Wei returned to the educated youth dormitory, while Lin Zhen took a bundle of fresh greens to visit the team leader.
As soon as she arrived, she was greeted with snide remarks from Xu Laidi.
“Not even married yet, and you’re running off to a man’s house every day. Absolutely shameless!”
Perhaps Xu Laidi had given up on herself completely. These days, she was bitter about everything and blamed the world for her misfortunes. She found fault with everyone and always had something nasty to say.
She had clashed with the other educated youths numerous times and even gotten into several physical fights. By now, she had managed to offend almost everyone.
Her twisted, jealous expression only amused Song Wei.
“Oh, but you’re about to get married soon. Congratulations!”
Xu Laidi’s eyes reddened as she glared at Song Wei with venomous hatred. She blamed her for her failed schemes against Song Jing, convinced that Song Wei had been the one to sabotage her plans.
Song Wei walked past her. “Move. I’m in a good mood today, so don’t push me to beat you up.”
Xu Laidi clenched her fists in anger and stood there fuming. She glared at Song Wei’s back and silently mouthed curses, her face twisted with resentment.
While Xu Laidi remained miserable, the other educated youths didn’t bother to humor her. If she picked a fight, they would retaliate in kind, whether it was with words or fists.
Meanwhile, over at the brigade leader’s house:
The family stared at the bundle of fresh greens Lin Zhen had brought as if they’d seen a ghost.
“Where… where did this come from?”
“Is this really fresh greens? Oh my, they’re so tender! Lin Zhen, where on earth did you find these?”
“They look like they were just picked!”
The family was so shocked that their voices grew several octaves louder than usual.
Staring at what should’ve been a simple bundle of greens, they couldn’t help but feel utterly dumbfounded.
The brigade leader glared at Lin Zhen, who was sitting there looking calm and smug. “Are you trying to kill us with suspense? Hurry up and explain what’s going on!”
Only after the family had calmed down a bit did Lin Zhen finally reveal how Song Wei had grown off-season vegetables.
The way he explained it was filled with pride.
“Off-season vegetables!”
“Song Wei grew these herself? Do you have more?”
Lin Zhen nodded. Sitting upright and looking proud, he set two more bundles of bok choy on the table.
“She said we can share the technique with the village, and it would be best to build a greenhouse. Uncle, if you can get approval from the commune, we can scale up production this winter and sell the vegetables to factories. There’s a huge market for it.”
The brigade head stood up suddenly, pacing with his pipe in hand. His excitement was evident as his gaze lingered on the bok choy.
“Are you sure she’s willing to share the technique with us?”
Taking a moment to collect himself, he asked again, his voice trembling slightly.
Lin Zhen nodded. “But Uncle, while she’s generous and kind, you better not take advantage of her. If this succeeds, you should give her the position of a technician and pay her a salary. That’s only fair, right?”
The village head chuckled. “You haven’t even married her yet, and you’re already showing off.”
Lin Zhen straightened up, full of confidence. “See this scarf? She knitted it for me. Isn’t it nice?”
His wide grin made him look utterly silly.
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