In the dragon fruit greenhouse, the dragon fruit trees were laden with bright red fruit.
Dragon fruit grew on every branch, some still bearing flowers.
"These dragon fruits are amazing! Some are ripe, while others are just starting to bloom!" Tang Li exclaimed, looking at the dragon fruit trees with genuine wonder.
"Yeah, yeah, it's my first time seeing a dragon fruit tree. The flowers are so beautiful," Zhang Xingxing was clearly more at ease now than when they first arrived.
"The flowers really are beautiful," Xiao Jun couldn't help but sigh.
At this moment, a staff member accompanying them overheard and smiled, "You wouldn't know this, but dragon fruit flowers are also very useful. Their nutritional value is very high, making them perfect for soups and teas.
Also, they look very similar to a flower called the 'Dragon Flower' (Ba Wang Hua), which can also be used in soups."
"Dragon Flower?" everyone asked with confused expressions, apparently having never heard of it.
"Yes, we can take you to see the Dragon Flower planting base later," the staff member said.
"Yes, yes!"
The group nodded enthusiastically, like pecking chickens, showing their full agreement with his suggestion.
"Thank you to the program team for broadening my horizons. This is my first time seeing a dragon fruit tree!"
"Oh my goodness, the yield of these dragon fruits is incredible. But why are they still so expensive?"
"Woohoo, I must say, the dragon fruit flowers are absolutely stunning!"
"As a true southerner, I can tell you with certainty that I can't tell the difference between a Dragon Flower and a dragon fruit flower!"
"Dragon Flower soup is the best!"
"Seeing so many dragon fruits makes my mouth water. I wonder if they are white-fleshed or red-fleshed!"
"Red dragon fruit, forever the best!!!"
...
Because they needed to pick the dragon fruit, everyone wore thick latex gloves to avoid being pricked by the thorns on the dragon fruit trees.
Each branch of the dragon fruit tree was covered in dense, fine thorns that were very painful to the touch, comparable to cactus spines!
They only needed to use their latex gloves to pick the dragon fruit from the trees and place them into the baskets.
This way, they would have minimal contact with the dragon fruit trees, greatly reducing the possibility of getting pricked!
The dragon fruit picking task proceeded smoothly. After all, unlike vegetables, dragon fruits didn't occupy a large space individually.
Working together, the group quickly filled several large baskets. Then it was time to weigh them.
They picked a total of six baskets, each weighing around sixty to seventy pounds. This amounted to over 300 to 400 pounds.
After settling the payment, they only received a little over two hundred yuan.
Fortunately, the program team wasn't so unreasonable as to skip their lunch expenses for the day.
Ding, income of 200 yuan.
Great, they could afford a pound of vegetables and several ounces of leeks!
Never before had they realized how easily satisfied they could be!
Their demands weren't high; they just wished they could have another meal like today's!
The group packed up their belongings, carrying the hard-earned two hundred yuan back to the farmhouse.
Upon returning to their small corner, they discovered that new guests had already arrived.
...
Meanwhile, Shen Yao was amusing the two little ones. The babies had started on solid food.
Every time Shen Yao prepared their complementary food, she couldn't help but try a few spoonfuls herself.
Ugh...
How to describe the taste? Not good...
However, despite this, the two little ones still ate happily.
They were truly the most envied babies by others!
Videos of the two little ones eating were, of course, indispensable. Once posted, the comment section was filled with envious exclamations!
"Oh my god, I'm so envious. How can there be such cute little babies!"
"Seeing them eat so happily makes me want to have a bite!"
"Hmph, my son just told me this is staged, all lies!"
"If you envy the blogger's day, not only is she beautiful, she lives in a mansion, and even her babies are one in a million cute, and they eat so obediently!"
"Yao Yao, please tell me, how did you raise your baby? If you can't, then send mine over, and let you raise him for a couple of days!"
"Honestly, I can't even stand the taste of the complementary food I make for my son, but I still have to force him to eat it. What else can I do when the experts suggest it!"
...
After feeding the two little ones egg yolk rice cereal, Shen Yao put the small bowls aside.
Unfortunately, the two little ones were not happy. They had finally gotten something they liked; how could they only have two bites?
However, just as they were about to start crying, Shen Yao interrupted them, "No crying!"
Tuanzi: ...
Jiaozi: ...
Very well, their open mouths immediately closed. They continued to babble incessantly, and if their sounds could be translated, they would likely be cursing.
Since most of the medicinal herbs from the back mountain had been harvested, spring had now arrived, officially ushering in the planting season.
The Shen family planted rice every spring. Regardless of whether it was a busy or idle time, rice was indispensable.
Because the climate here was very warm, most areas could grow two seasons of crops a year, and some even three.
The area where Shen Yao and her family lived was less common, with some places yielding three harvests annually.
After the Lunar New Year, it was mid-February, and the temperature was already suitable for planting rice.
Father Shen had long since hired people to till all his paddy fields using machinery and had them filled with water.
The rice paddies they used were the Shen family's own land. They didn't have many rice paddies, only three plots, totaling just over an acre.
Two larger paddy fields, one with over five fen and another with over six fen, and a smaller plot of only two or three fen.
That smaller plot of land had undoubtedly become the nursery.
One day, Father Shen brought the rice seeds that had been soaking for two days and the seedling trays for transplanting.
Upon arriving at the field, Father Shen placed the seedling trays into the paddy and slowly spread a layer of mud on top until the trays were entirely submerged in the field before stopping.
Then, he scattered a layer of rice seeds on top and used a wooden stick to gently roll over them, ensuring the seeds were embedded in the soil.
After completing all this, the sowing was basically finished. However, it was still February, so some protective measures would ultimately be necessary.