I Got Rich in Period Fiction-Chapter 355: The Dragon Raises its Head on the Second Day of the Second Month

Chapter 355: Chapter 355: The Dragon Raises its Head on the Second Day of the Second Month

Xichuan’s soil quality may not be ideal, but the millet grown here is golden and extremely fragrant.

The wheat is also good, while the sorghum and corn are just so-so.

Qiao Qingyu decided that from now on, the area would focus on wheat and millet.

As for rice, it’s not feasible at the moment.

This year, Qiao Qingyu only planted a small portion of corn, using the remaining corn seeds to fill the shortage at the Space Laboratory and sold the rest to the Xichuan Seed Breeding Center.

The land she contracted was planted with three thousand acres of thousand silk hemp.

This was an economic crop, which also had a strong ability to improve the soil. freewёbnoνel.com

The paper mill in Xichuan would take as much as they could supply.

Qiao Qingyu was extremely busy.

Once all this was done, it was almost time for school to start. The New Year came early this year, and before the start of school, there was the day of ’Dragon Raises Head’ in February.

This day was He Xiuyu’s birthday.

The two had not seen each other for over a week.

Today was the first day of February, and Wang Laogen brought over a roasted pig’s head, cleaned golden brown, to Qiao Qingyu.

The second day of the second lunar month is known as ’Dragon Raises Head’ to locals, symbolizing the earth’s rejuvenation as spring returns and all things begin to revive, though the foods eaten on this day vary by region.

Here in Xichuan, people eat spring pancakes and noodles, and some even eat beans.

But in North City, the tradition is to eat pig’s head meat.

Wang Laogen knew about this North City custom and had prepared a pig’s head in advance.

Qiao Qingyu accepted it with a laugh.

All three members of their family were from the north, and both He Xiuyu and He Xuerong were meat-lovers.

Qiao Qingyu had already thought of over a dozen ways to prepare the pig’s head meat.

He Xiuyu returned home early in the morning on February 2nd.

His face was covered in stubble, and his hair had grown a bit long.

Ever since he returned from Beijing, he had been busier than Qiao Qingyu.

Qiao Qingyu told him to wash his face first.

He Xuerong had already prepared the wash water and placed the towel alongside, then hurried off to stoke the fire for Qiao Qingyu.

In just the few days’ time, He Xuerong had learned how to cook rice porridge.

Qiao Qingyu wouldn’t let her do it alone, but the little girl would help out when she cooked.

It wasn’t for fear that Qiao Qingyu would send her back to Beijing; she simply felt she had matured a year older and could help the adults more.

Qiao Qingyu started rolling out noodles. Now it was early winter, and although a few snows had fallen in Xichuan, they were insignificant compared to the North.

Therefore, by the time spring began, most of the snow had melted.

The spring wind was strong, and although there were no sandstorms, the wind kicked up the soil and it was still covered in dust.

She didn’t know where He Xiuyu had gone, but he looked haggard and world-weary.

Meanwhile, the pot of soup was bubbling away, and Qiao Qingyu poached five eggs.

It was rather cold in early winter, so she made hot soup noodles, and when everything was served in bowls, He Xiuyu had also tidied himself up a bit.

He Xuerong placed a poached egg in He Xiuyu’s bowl and sweetly said, "Little uncle, happy birthday."

He Xiuyu smiled. The child’s birthday was in summer, months away.

He and Qiao Qingyu had already planned to get an oven for her to bake a birthday cake.

After the meal, Qiao Qingyu gave He Xiuyu a haircut. Her skills were average, but it was decent enough to look at.

Today was the day for shaving the dragon’s head, and they also symbolically trimmed Rongrong’s bangs.

Qingyu also sat there, letting He Xiuyu clumsily clip her bangs.

The roasted pig’s head had already been soaked in cold water, washed clean.

Then, it was placed in a big pot with seasonings and began to simmer with a gurgle.

He Xuerong ran out to play with Li Mingguang, while He Xiuyu watched the firewood and Qiao Qingyu sat beside him on a stool.

The young couple whispered sweet nothings to each other.

Every now and then, He Xiuyu would pinch Qiao Qingyu’s little hand.

She glanced at him, he really lost weight, and his voice was a bit hoarse. Qiao Qingyu poured him a cup of tea.

He Xiuyu drank an entire cup of tea, thought for a moment, and then told Qiao Qingyu that they had finished investigating Xiwatun.

An old lady came before Spring Festival with her granddaughter.

The old lady was called Han Lishi, and her granddaughter was called Han Feng.

The ages and other details all matched up.

But for now, they were behaving themselves.

The villagers even respected the old lady, as she became the barefoot doctor of the little village. The village wasn’t large and lacked a health clinic; for illnesses, one had to go to the commune health center, so Han Lishi really helped them out with headaches, fevers, and other minor illnesses.

"...This grandmother and granddaughter pair are really vexing troublemakers." Qiao Qingyu frowned as she spoke.

There was no need to guess that they were coming for her and He Xiuyu.

"Don’t worry, Director Lin has already instructed the villagers to keep a discreet watch on her house."

Qiao Qingyu was curious, "I haven’t heard you talk about that Xiwatun place before. How come there are your people over there?"

He Xiuyu leaned in to kiss her, "Special circumstances call for special arrangements."

Although he spoke vaguely, Qiao Qingyu pretty much understood.

"...There’s one more thing I need to tell you. Wu Hong has already preliminarily negotiated with the Xichuan government. He plans to establish a bicycle factory in a joint venture with the local government here."

Bicycles?

Even if cars become the main mode of transportation, there would still be a need for bicycles.

"It’s said that they’ll mainly focus on ladies’ bicycles," He Xiuyu added.

"Then he’s got a good eye for the market." Qiao Qingyu’s eyes moved around, and she tugged at He Xiuyu’s sleeve, "Is this place some sort of feng shui treasure land? Why’s everyone flocking here?"

Indeed, tiny Xichuan, within a thousand miles, was becoming a place of hidden dragons and crouching tigers.

He Xiuyu half-jokingly said, "You never know, this might indeed be a feng shui treasure land."

"Even if it’s a treasure land, it’s not Xichuan; the terrain here doesn’t qualify."

If there was such a place, it should be around Qiling.

Qiao Qingyu asked He Xiuyu, "With Wu Hong coming back to invest, what about Brother Liu? Always set on going abroad, will she come back?"

He Xiuyu’s lips curved into a cold smile, "That’s the thing about women, you can never fully understand them. She ended up staying as well."

"Doesn’t that mean she’ll come to see Rongrong frequently?"

"She’s currently in Spring City, which is the Zhang Family’s stronghold. It’s just uncertain if she will come here."

He Xiuyu said indifferently, "Even if she comes, there’s nothing we can do. After all, she is Rongrong’s biological mother. Both morally and legally, we have no right to prevent her from seeing Rongrong."

Qiao Qingyu nodded; He Xiuyu was making sense.

As for the future, they would have to leave it to time. As a little uncle and aunt, their priority was to ensure Liu Ge wouldn’t hurt Rongrong again.

While they were talking, an enticing aroma began to waft from the big iron pot. After simmering on low heat for over an hour, the couple started dividing the pig’s head meat.

Giving a dish to each household was unrealistic, so they decided to give a small bowl to a few familiar households, a way to celebrate the occasion.

Furthermore, the recipients were mostly Northerners as Southerners rarely ate pig’s head meat during the second month’s second day.