Chapter 155: Celebration
Xia Lu Nong had a good impression of He Shu Hui.
They had hired He Shu Hui to take care of their cattle for nearly half a year, and he had always been diligent and hardworking. They had worked well together, though they weren’t close outside of work.
Xia Lu Nong couldn’t understand why he was being invited to join their band and gave him a bewildered look.
His expression must have been obvious because He Shu Hui’s dark face quickly flushed red. “Uh, we were just asking. If you’re not interested, we’d still appreciate any advice.”
Feeling a bit awkward himself, Xia Lu Nong smiled and said, “We’re really busy right now, so you guys go ahead and have fun. We’re not experts, but if there’s anything else you need help with, just let us know.”
He Shu Hui seemed relieved after hearing this.
Xia Lu Nong gave him an encouraging look.
Spurred on by his teammates, He nervously asked if they could help with song and dance resources.
Xia Lu Nong, whose electronic devices stored countless resources, readily agreed.
After He Shu Hui’s group got their start, several other young teams also came to seek help from them.
Xia Lu Nong and Kong Zhi helped wherever they could.
While helping one group, a girl from the base cheerfully told him, “Xia Lu Nong, you’re not at all as scary as people say!”
Xia Lu Nong was puzzled. “Who said that?”
The girls playfully nudged each other, but no one would admit to it. After getting the resources they wanted, they giggled and ran off.
As Xia Lu Nong and Kong Zhi saw them off, Xia Lu Nong touched his face and turned to Kong Zhi, puzzled. “I’m not scary at all. Why are they so afraid of me?”
“Who knows?” Kong Zhi took his wrist. “Let’s go back. Didn’t you say you wanted to eat roasted sweet potatoes? We haven’t used the bread kiln in a while.”
Xia Lu Nong’s attention was immediately drawn by the thought of roasted sweet potatoes.
Earlier in the year, the base had relied on sweet potatoes for sustenance and had developed a fondness for them. One variety of sweet potato was especially delicious when roasted in the bread kiln, with the inside becoming soft and creamy.
Xia Lu Nong took the lead, grabbing Kong Zhi’s wrist. “Chop more firewood and heat up the kiln. Let’s roast some jerky too!”
The base members were very enthusiastic about the Harvest Festival.
That afternoon, the property management committee even brought them colored paper and bamboo strips, asking them to make three lanterns each.
Staring at the large stack of colored paper in his hands, Xia Lu Nong widened his eyes. “Isn’t this a bit much?”
The committee’s cheerful representative said, “It’s the base’s first official festival, and it’s a celebration of the harvest. Everyone needs to participate.”
Xia Lu Nong felt a little conflicted. “What about my brother and the others? Do they have to make lanterns too?”
The woman replied, “Oh, I almost forgot! Team Leader Yan asked you to help them out, so I brought extra materials for you.”
Xia Lu Nong: “…”
The woman smiled and said, “You’d better hurry. We need the lanterns by seven tomorrow evening. The scientists in White Building have also modified a light strip. You’ll see it tomorrow night.”
After saying goodbye, the woman briskly moved on to the next house.
Perhaps it was the joy of the upcoming festival that made her steps so light, she almost seemed to skip through the snow.
Watching her retreating figure, Xia Lu Nong suddenly remarked, “Our base is really nice. Much better than Black Gold Base or Yacheng Town.”
Kong Zhi wrapped an arm around his shoulders. “Let’s go make some lanterns.”
The entire base was eagerly preparing for the Harvest Festival. When Xia Lu Nong and Kong Zhi woke up the next morning, the base had transformed.
Colorful lanterns hung from the trees along the main road, which had been thoroughly cleaned.
The entire base looked much tidier and more beautiful.
During the day, the property management committee had organized teams to catch fish from the public pond and chop bamboo from the mountains to make various tools.
From children as young as eight to elders in their eighties, everyone in the base was busy.
Various items were being crafted by their hands, and everyone was happily busy.
Xia Lu Nong and Kong Zhi, caught up in the festive atmosphere, also gathered a lot of fish and vegetables from their field.
While collecting the fish and vegetables, they could still hear music from different parts of the base, where people were rehearsing for their performances.
At some point, a smile had spread across Xia Lu Nong’s face.
After harvesting radishes and cabbages, they took the kitchen scraps—radish tops and cabbage roots—to Aunt Zheng and He Shu Hui to feed the pigs and cows.
The pigs at their place had grown very large, plump and round, with a beautiful pink hue. The cows had also grown big, showing the characteristics of mighty cattle.
Looking at the animals, Xia Lu Nong found himself practically drooling.
The animals had grown so appetizingly large, they looked like they’d be delicious to eat.
After checking on the livestock, they went home to prepare food for the next day.
The Harvest Festival was a time for sharing, and everyone was expected to prepare food to share with the entire base.
Their household was doing well, and since they had recently hunted a lot of bears, Xia Lu Nong planned to make two large pots of bear stew the next day.
He planned to cook it in the style of beef stew as a contribution from the four of them.
Yan Xi Nian and Xia Huo Qu had been so busy lately that their feet barely touched the ground. When they returned home, they were greeted by the rich aroma of cooking.
Yan Xi Nian couldn’t help but sniff the air. “Wow, that smells amazing! What are you cooking?”
“Bear stew,” Xia Lu Nong said, lifting the lid of the pot to show him. “We’re planning to share some of the bear meat tomorrow, so I’m testing the recipe today. Would you like to try a bowl?”
“Absolutely!” Yan Xi Nian washed his hands and watched as Xia Lu Nong ladled two bowls of stew, adding a generous scoop of thick sauce to each. “Whoa, this looks fancy! You even made special sauce. Does that include chili sauce?”
“Yep,” Xia Lu Nong replied. “There’s soy sauce, chili sauce, and ketchup, plus vinegar. You can season it however you like.”
As Yan Xi Nian mixed his bowl, he handed one to Xia Huo Qu and prepared another for himself.
Xia Lu Nong watched them anxiously. “Try it and let me know if you think it’ll be popular.”
Blowing on his steaming bowl, Yan Xi Nian said, “It’s bound to be a hit! There’s so much meat in this stew—it’s more bear than radish!”
Xia Lu Nong chuckled. “Not really, it’s still mostly radish. We had a great radish harvest this year, so there’s enough to make two huge pots. Tomorrow, I’ll add more radishes so more people can taste it.”
Their base had gained some renown, and more people had been joining them. They always welcomed newcomers.
In the spring, the base had only about 3,000 people, but now there were over 5,000.
If they used only bear meat, fewer people would be able to try it.
Yan Xi Nian didn’t mind. “We’re free tomorrow anyway, aside from giving a speech as the main guests in the evening. We can help you prepare during the day.”
“Great! You can help peel radishes,” Xia Lu Nong said, glad to have some strong helpers. “I’ve been smelling so many delicious things all day. It seems like everyone in the base is putting in extra effort to make all kinds of dishes.”
“Of course,” Yan Xi Nian said with a grin. “After nearly two years of tension, everyone’s eager to enjoy themselves.”
The next day, they woke up early. After brushing their teeth and washing their faces, they had a simple breakfast and immediately got to work preparing for the Harvest Festival that evening.
Although the festival was officially scheduled for the evening, it actually began around three in the afternoon.
People would start bringing out their dishes to the small square and along the roads, where everyone could sample the food.
They had a lot to prepare, and time was tight.
While they were working, the small pepper tree in the corner of the yard came over to help.
The pepper tree had grown considerably and wasn’t quite as nimble as before, but its curiosity remained. As a member of the family and a half-member of the base, it naturally wanted to participate in the grand festival.
Xia Lu Nong made room for it, letting it help wash the radishes.
The winter water was freezing cold, and even the men’s knuckles turned red from the cold after washing just two radishes, making their hands feel numb.
The pepper tree didn’t have that problem. It wasn’t affected by the cold and washed the radishes quickly and efficiently, using its roots like a natural sponge to scrub the mud clean.
Xia Lu Nong was delighted by this unexpected help and patted the pepper tree’s trunk. “Great job!”
“Whoosh!” The pepper tree, pleased with the praise, waved its roots even faster, and soon the white, plump radishes were scrubbed clean and neatly stacked in the basket.
Their yard was filled with delicious aromas all day long.
To remove the gamey taste from the bear meat, the pepper tree had even contributed some of its peppercorns.
The peppercorns it produced were incredibly aromatic and perfect for removing unwanted flavors.
With the peppercorn seasoning, the bear stew tasted even better than the day before.
By three in the afternoon, they had transported all the food to the small square.
To keep the stew from cooling too quickly, they had brought along a stove, where the stew simmered and bubbled away.
The property management committee had already assigned each household a spot, so everyone just needed to set up their stalls in their designated areas.
By the time they arrived, many people had already set up their stalls.
As they walked by, stall owners warmly invited them to try their food.
Xia Lu Nong glanced around, noticing that every weathered face was lit up with cheerful smiles.
His eyes grew a little misty, and he looked away, muttering to himself, “Flatbreads, meat buns, kebabs, oden… Have we stumbled into a street food paradise?”
“Well, you’re not wrong,” Yan Xi Nian said, patting him and Kong Zhi on the back. “You two go explore. We’ll watch the stall. Come back and take over after you’re done.”
