119: Chapter 108 Stir Fry 119: Chapter 108 Stir Fry The two children’s eyes widened in alarm as they hurriedly dug up the rest of the ginger pieces, which they had marked for accurate location when they planted them so they could find them for watering.

So it was particularly easy to dig them out.

Once all the ginger pieces were unearthed, they found that, apart from one piece that was on the brink of death and hadn’t sprouted, the rest had turned black.

They crumbled easily when lightly broken, and the inside looked like black cotton fluff, obviously rotten beyond redemption.

Manbao was fine, but Bai Shanbao couldn’t help but let tears fall one by one.

The ginger was planted in his yard, and every morning when he got up, he would check on them, and before going to bed at night, he would check again.

He had grown attached to these gingers.

Bai Shanbao cried quite miserably, hugging his ginger with red and swollen eyes and a face soaked with tears.

Manbao, with hands covered in mud, tried to wipe his tears, only making him look even more pitiful.

Keke said, “This is because you watered them too much.

Ask him how much water he actually poured on them.”

Bai Shanbao sobbed, “I wanted them to sprout quickly, so I watered them once in the morning, again after school in the afternoon, and once more before going to sleep at night.

Don’t all plants and flowers love water?”

Manbao thought he was really foolish.

“They’ll die from waterlogging.

We have a patch of land by the riverbank at home, and every year it’s a worry, because anything planted in the spring would get waterlogged if there’s too much rain in May and June.

Soybeans will spoil, rice plants will be washed away.

How could you water them so much?

My ginger plants, I only sprinkle them with water every few days.”

And that was only if she remembered to water them.

If she didn’t think of it, she wouldn’t water them at all, yet they all sprouted and grew.

Manbao would never admit that it was due to her laziness that she had such luck; she felt it was because she knew more and understood how to plant ginger.

So she took out two more ginger pieces from her system and said to Bai Shanbao, “Let’s plant them again, and this time, don’t water them so much.”

Bai Shanbao sniffled and, along with Manbao, cut the two large pieces of ginger into segments, oh no, cut them, and then buried them properly.

He asked, “What if I can’t help but water them?”

Manbao rolled her eyes deviously and offered a bad idea, “If you can’t resist, have someone prepare some fertilizer for you.

Each time you feel like watering, sprinkle a little fertilizer on them instead.

Ginger likes fertilizers.”

Bai Shanbao didn’t know what fertilizer was but thought the name sounded nice, so he nodded.

It wasn’t until the next day that he found Manbao with a sullen face, “Fertilizer smells a bit bad.”

Manbao held her nose and kept her distance from him, asking, “Did you take a bath today?

Do you also smell?”

Bai Shanbao, being furious, charged over to hug her, “Do I smell or not, why don’t you take a sniff and find out?”

Manbao got scared and turned to run, and the two children chased after each other, soon laughing and hugging each other.

Then Manbao took him to their family’s vegetable garden to see the ginger and predicted, “Now that it has sprouted, it will grow bigger and bigger.

By the summer, we’ll be able to dig it up and sell it.

When we earn money, I’ll treat you to goose meat.”

Bai Shanbao was not fixated on food; after some thought, he said, “Then, when I make money, I’ll buy you a good pen.”

The two children made this agreement seriously.

Since Bai Shanbao promised her a gift, Manbao felt they grew closer, and so she gave him two yam seeds that her family had prepared, saying, “Yams can also make money, and they’re especially delicious.

My friend said they’re even more delicious when stir-fried, but I don’t know what stir-fry is.

I only know how to stew.”

“I know, stir-frying, right?

If you want to eat, come to my house.”

Manbao drooled slightly but shook her head, “My mother won’t let me eat outside.”

Bai Shanbao rolled his eyes and said, “Then tomorrow, I’ll have Daji bring my lunchbox, and I’ll invite you to eat with me.”

This time, Manbao nodded vigorously.

Since Bai Shanbao started school, he had been eating with the other students in the schoolhouse.

Ms.

Liu didn’t want her grandson to be different, fearing he’d be isolated by others.

Fortunately, the children in the mountain village were simple-minded, and there was no such thing as isolation.

At most, they’d indulge in some mischief like climbing trees.

Sometimes Ms.

Liu would also let Daji send Bai Shanbao a lunchbox to ensure he got extra nourishment.

Bai Shanbao never guarded his food jealously; he thought tasty foods should be shared with friends.

As his deskmate, Manbao got to eat the most.

This time was no different.

Manbao learned for the first time that food could be stir-fried and savored the dish wholeheartedly.

She said, “I will ask my sister-in-law to cook like this when I get home.”

Bai Shanbao nodded.

But Keke interjected, “Your family can’t make it.”

“Why not?”

“Because you don’t have an iron wok,” Keke explained.

“Stir-frying requires an iron wok, and they are not cheap.

Your mother surely wouldn’t want to buy one.”

Alright then, there were many things her mother was unwilling to buy; Manbao hung her head and decided that when she earned some money, she would have to add an iron wok to the list of necessary purchases.

For this reason, Manbao also made a point to follow Bai Shanbao to his house to see what an iron wok looked like, and to observe how their cook stir-fried food.

Manbao salivated throughout the entire visit.

It was too fragrant.

Bai Shanbao was led by her hunger and also kept salivating.

The cook was delighted and served them some of every dish, so Manbao went home that evening with a full belly, having eaten far too much.

The atmosphere at home was somewhat tense.

Manbao, sensitive to it, tiptoed to the main house.

As Ms.

Qian, who was speaking, paused and waved to her, she asked, “You won’t be going to school tomorrow, will you?”

Manbao confirmed it.

“How long is the holiday?”

“Until the seventeenth.

The teacher said he’ll be back to start classes after the Lantern Festival is over.”

Ms.

Qian nodded and said, “The day after tomorrow is Little New Year, and your brothers are going to the county town to buy New Year’s goods.

Do you want to go with them?”

Manbao had already arranged with Four to go to the mountains tomorrow to dig up those rich soils to fill their barren land, so after hesitating for a moment, she shook her head, “I won’t go.

Let Eldest and Second Brother take Fifth Brother.”

She would let Fifth Brother take the sugar to the Fu Family.

Liulang wanted to go, too, so the eavesdropping Liulang sneaked in and gently poked his youngest sister’s waist.

Manbao almost toppled into Ms.

Qian’s arms, but managed to steady herself and said without looking back, “Sixth can go too.”

Ms.

Qian gave Liulang a stern look but did not stop him, “Alright, then Eldest and Second will take Fifth and Sixth tomorrow.

There’s a lot to buy, it’s good to have a couple more hands to carry things.”

Ever since Four lost money gambling, Five and Sixth had also matured a lot.

For months, they had been trying to earn money for the family, but after all, they were still young, and pushing them too hard was not a good idea.

It would be good for them to go out as well.

Wulang and Liulang silently cheered in their hearts, lifted Manbao up, one on each side, and carried her out.

Manbao was hoisted all the way back to her room by them—Datou and the others saw it and immediately squeezed in, excited.

Wulang glanced at his nieces and nephews, hmm, everyone here shared a secret.

They quickly shut the door and asked, “Manbao, how much money have we saved up with you?”