GBP Chapter 155 Planting Shepherd's Purse
Chapter 155 Planting Shepherd's Purse
After finishing all the tasks at the factory, Su Yuning rushed to a nearby fruit and vegetable seedling store. Upon entering, she was greeted by a dazzling array of various fruit and vegetable seedlings, but Su Yuning had a clear goal: she went straight to the shelf displaying shepherd's purse seeds, carefully selecting and purchasing more than ten packets. After paying, she happily set off home, clutching the seeds.
As soon as she stepped inside the house, before she could even catch her breath, Su Yuning eagerly announced her plan to plant shepherd's purse to her parents. However, this decision did not receive their support or approval. Her parents looked at her with surprise and unanimously expressed their opposition.
The old man frowned and earnestly advised, "Daughter, it's not that I have a problem with you. Look at this piece of land we spent so much money to lease. If we used it to grow some common vegetables, like bok choy or radishes, or even some corn, soybeans, or peanuts, that would be so much more practical! Why go through all this trouble to grow shepherd's purse? Shepherd's purse is just a common wild vegetable. It's everywhere in these mountains. If we really want to eat it, we can just go out and dig some up. There's no need to spend so much time and effort to grow it! Listen to my advice, don't waste your time and energy!"
The old woman beside her quickly nodded in agreement, saying, "Yes, yes, the old man is right! Shepherd's purse is everywhere, and nobody wants to spend money to buy it. Besides, it doesn't taste very good, so it's really not worth the effort we put into growing it. Daughter, you should give up on this idea!"
Su Yuning smiled confidently and patiently explained to her parents, "Dad, Mom, don't underestimate this shepherd's purse! Although it's just a wild vegetable, it's very useful these days. You might not know, but healthy eating is very popular in the city now, and shepherd's purse happens to be rich in many nutrients that are beneficial to the human body. As long as I grow it well and send it to those restaurants in the city, I can definitely sell it for a good price! Besides, the amount of shepherd's purse on the hill behind our house is getting less and less. What if one day we really can't find it anymore? But if we grow it ourselves, then we won't have to worry about not being able to find shepherd's purse at all!"
After hearing their daughter's words, the parents exchanged glances, both feeling that there seemed to be some truth to them.
Seeing this, Su Yuning quickly pressed her advantage, continuing, "Also, Dad, Mom, most of our land is idle, isn't it? Even if we plant some shepherd's purse, it won't take up much space. Maybe, because of this shepherd's purse, it will attract many city people to come here specifically for sightseeing and picking! In that case, it can bring our family a considerable income!"
In the end, her parents couldn't resist Su Yuning's soft, cute, and sweet-talking offensive. After much pleading and relentless effort, they finally gave in and agreed.
As soon as she received permission, Su Yuning, like a joyful little bird, eagerly rushed to the field. She rolled up her sleeves, revealing her slender, fair arms, picked up a hoe, and began to work diligently to turn the soil. Each stroke of the hoe was filled with strength and anticipation, and in no time, the entire field was soft and leveled by her work.
Next, Su Yuning carefully scattered the shepherd's purse seeds evenly on the soil, then gently covered them with a thin layer of soil with her hands. After completing this series of actions, she straightened up, wiped the fine beads of sweat from her forehead, and looked at the hopeful land before her, a happy and satisfied smile spreading across her face. At this moment, she could already picture the beautiful scene of a bountiful shepherd's purse harvest soon in her mind: lush green shepherd's purse covering the entire field, swaying gently in the breeze, releasing a fragrant aroma... Thinking of this, Su Yuning couldn't help but feel a surge of joy.
However, after all the shepherd's purse was planted, Su Yuning didn't stop her busy work. She rushed to the market and carefully selected and purchased a batch of fresh and juicy strawberry seedlings. When she happily carried the strawberry seedlings home, she didn't expect to be met with a scolding from her father, Old Su.
Old Su's face was full of anger. His eyes widened as he pointed at the strawberry seedlings in Su Yuning's arms and roared angrily, "Daughter! What do you do all day long with these useless things? Who in our ordinary family eats strawberries every day? Get these seedlings out of here and plant some radishes and vegetables instead!"
Su Yuning hugged the strawberry seedling tightly, her eyes reddening but her gaze firm. "Dad, don't be angry yet. Strawberries aren't ordinary fruit. These days, wealthy families in the city love fresh strawberries, and they're very expensive. Besides, if we grow strawberries, we can make some into strawberry jam, which keeps for a long time and fetches a good price in winter." Old Su snorted, unconvinced. At this moment, Su Yuning's mother tugged at Old Su's sleeve and whispered, "Honey, let her try. There's plenty of land available anyway." Old Su, though still stern, didn't say anything more.
Seeing this, Su Yuning quickly ran to the field, found a suitable spot, and began planting strawberry seedlings. She carefully planted each seedling, watering and fertilizing them. Days passed, and the shepherd's purse sprouted first, a tender green. Then the strawberry seedlings grew strong and healthy, blooming with tiny white flowers. Su Yuning was incredibly busy, and seeing her dedication and perseverance, her parents gradually changed their minds and occasionally came to help. Later, when it was time to harvest the shepherd's purse and strawberries, Su Yuning transported them to the city, where they were indeed well-received, earning her a considerable amount of money. Her parents were overjoyed and became even more supportive of Su Yuning's novel ideas.
Because of its versatility, shepherd's purse can be used to make dumplings, wontons, and even pancakes. Furthermore, its tender and delicious flavor is an indispensable ingredient in everyday stir-fries. As a result, merchants from all walks of life come to Su Yuning's fresh fruit and vegetable shop almost every day to order shepherd's purse. After all, for those merchants who are only focused on making money, they simply don't have the time to personally dig up or harvest shepherd's purse.
As for Su Yuning, she was thinking of the old lord and his wife, who were far away in the northern desert, and hadn't yet tasted the wonderful flavor of shepherd's purse. So, she carefully made some shepherd's purse wontons and dumplings, and specially arranged for her guards to send this heartfelt gift to the northern desert as quickly as possible. When these lovingly prepared foods arrived in the northern desert, the old lord and his wife happily enjoyed the shepherd's purse dumplings. One bite, and they found the taste to be simply amazing!
They then decided without hesitation to share this rare delicacy with their distinguished friends. Sure enough, after these honored guests tasted the shepherd's purse dumplings, they all praised them highly and expressed their great fondness for them.
Immediately, everyone generously donated a substantial deposit to the guard who had delivered the dumplings, entrusting him to purchase the same type of dumplings from the Song Dynasty capital. Overjoyed at this unexpected and wonderful opportunity, the guard readily agreed. Finally, clutching the heavy deposit, he happily embarked on his journey back to the capital.
Su Yuning happily accepted the deposit brought back by the guard; the heavy money bag filled her with joy. She shrewdly realized that this deposit represented not only a sum of money, but also a golden opportunity to expand her business and propel her career to new heights!
After careful consideration, Su Yuning made a decisive decision: to hire several women in the village, renowned for their skillful hands, to help her make delicious shepherd's purse dumplings. When the news spread, the women flocked to the scene, for who could resist such a good opportunity to use their skills and earn a generous reward? Soon, smiling women gathered at Su Yuning's house.
Faced with these enthusiastic helpers, Su Yuning held nothing back, patiently and meticulously teaching them her exclusive secrets for making shepherd's purse dumplings. Whether it was the careful preparation of the filling—how to get the proportions of various ingredients just right—or the techniques for rolling out the dough—how to achieve an even thickness and a chewy texture, Su Yuning explained everything clearly and thoroughly. The women gathered around her, listening intently to every detail, and occasionally asking questions to exchange ideas with Su Yuning.
While everyone was busy making shepherd's purse dumplings, Su Yuning happened to visit her family's strawberry garden. The sight before her delighted her; the garden was a vibrant red, a picture of abundant harvest, with plump, juicy strawberries hanging from the vines—a yield far exceeding her expectations. However, relying solely on traditional fresh fruit sales channels would likely make it difficult to sell all the fresh strawberries. Then, a brilliant idea flashed into Su Yuning's mind—why not try making dried strawberries and strawberry wine?
Without hesitation, Su Yuning immediately began researching how to make dried strawberries and strawberry wine. After numerous experiments and continuous improvements, she finally mastered the secrets. The resulting dried strawberries were not only easy to preserve and transport, but also had a sweet and crisp texture; while the strawberry wine exuded a rich and mellow fruity aroma, becoming a unique and delicious beverage.
As her reputation spread, many visitors came from afar. Su Yuning simply converted part of her house into a farmhouse inn, offering guests lodging and recreational activities where they could enjoy fresh fruits and vegetables and experience rural life. Her parents, seeing the bustling scene and increasing income every day, couldn't stop smiling and praised Su Yuning for her resourcefulness. Standing in the courtyard, watching the throngs of people, Su Yuning was filled with anticipation for a bright future, planning to introduce even more specialty fruits and vegetables to enrich her family's business.
In the magnificent and solemn imperial palace, an unexpected and fierce conflict erupted between the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law! The cause of all this was that the little princess was crying and refusing to sleep at night. At that time, the Empress placed the little princess aside, ignoring her, and slept soundly, snoring loudly.
However, the little princess's loud cries seemed to have a penetrating power, reaching directly to the Empress Dowager's location. Upon hearing her granddaughter's cries, the Empress Dowager was extremely anxious and rushed to see what had happened. When she saw how the Empress had treated the young princess, she was instantly enraged and, without saying a word, launched into a severe reprimand of the Empress.
The Empress Dowager said indignantly, "As the princess's biological mother, how can you treat such a young child like this? The baby is so young and needs careful care. You should hold her in your arms and soothe her to sleep. Only in this way can the baby feel secure and fall asleep peacefully!"
Faced with the Empress Dowager's rebuke, the Empress was naturally indignant. She raised her head slightly and retorted without flinching, "Mother, you are mistaken! Habits are cultivated gradually. Although Chuyi cries incessantly all night, as long as I persevere in not holding her and allow her to adapt to sleeping alone, she will naturally develop a good habit of independent sleep over time. Conversely, if I hold her tightly in my arms every day, she will inevitably wake up immediately upon being put down, thus forming the bad habit of waking up the moment she is put down. Therefore, I find it difficult to accept your words, Mother."
"We mothers all went through this, so stop spouting nonsense! If I hear that little princess crying again, I will have the Emperor issue an edict to stop your monthly allowance." The Empress Dowager scolded her daughter-in-law with a face full of anger, her hands on her hips.
At this moment, the Empress was overcome with grief, and tears streamed down her face like a burst dam. Her face was haggard, her eyes red and swollen, filled with grievance, as she sobbed, “Mother, how could you know the hardships of raising a child? Since this little one was born, my sleep quality has deteriorated to an extreme degree. Even the slightest noise wakes me from my sleep, let alone when this child starts crying; I have no peace for even a moment. I am truly suffering unspeakably…”