Chapter 6 – Seedlings
Xia Lu Nong was very fond of his private plot of land. The next morning, he woke up early for a change, eagerly got out of bed, made his bed, and prepared to head to the market with his brother.
His brother had already been up even earlier. As Xia Lu Nong got up, his brother returned from fetching water.
There was no running water at the base. They had dug six or seven wells, and everyone had to fetch their own water daily.
Xia Lu Nong had wanted to help with the task, but his brother didn’t allow it.
“Brother,” Xia Lu Nong hurried into the kitchen, lifting the lid of the water jar to make it easier for his brother to pour the water in, “Are we going to the market after breakfast?”
“We’ll eat at the market,” Xia Huo Qu replied. “There’s a stall that sells buns. I’ll take you to try them.”
Xia Lu Nong’s eyes widened in surprise. “There’s someone selling buns at the market?!”
“Yes, just one stall, and they’re very good,” Xia Huo Qu said, placing the bucket down and gently patting his brother’s back as he pushed him toward the door. “Now go brush your teeth.”
Excited, Xia Lu Nong grabbed his cup and headed to the hallway, even thoughtfully squeezing toothpaste for his brother as well.
Xia Huo Qu bent down, picked up the thermos bottle, and gave it a shake. It felt heavy, still full, so he didn’t need to get more hot water. He stood up and went outside to brush his teeth with his younger brother.
After they finished brushing their teeth and washing their faces, both brothers drank a cup of warm water. They put on their jackets and got ready to go.
Xia Huo Qu went back to the room to grab a bamboo basket, put the soybeans in it, and then slung it over his back as they left the house.
This was the first time Xia Lu Nong had been to the market since waking up.
The market usually opened early in the morning, but he wasn’t an early riser. By the time he woke up, the market was often winding down, so he never got a chance to visit.
Today, as it was his first time, he looked around and saw quite a crowd. People were either carrying bamboo baskets on their backs, holding woven baskets, or carrying things as they slowly moved forward.
The market was set up along the main road, with all kinds of stalls on either side—vegetables, grains, clothing, tools… you name it.
The sound of stall owners shouting to promote their goods filled the air. There were plenty of onlookers, but not many buyers.
“This way,” Xia Huo Qu said from behind, tapping Xia Lu Nong on the shoulder to change directions, leading him down a smaller path.
Xia Lu Nong followed his brother’s lead, then asked, “Brother, are we going to get seeds first or eat buns?”
“Hungry already?”
Xia Lu Nong rubbed his stomach and nodded honestly.
Xia Huo Qu’s eyes showed a hint of amusement. “We’ll get seeds first and see how many soybeans are left. Then we can trade the rest for buns.”
Xia Lu Nong glanced at the bag of soybeans, licked his lips longingly, then said, “Maybe we shouldn’t. Food is so precious now.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Xia Huo Qu said, nudging him forward. “Let’s go to that stall first.”
Looking in the direction his brother had indicated, Xia Lu Nong saw a young man with a crew cut crouched behind a stall, looking bored as he glanced at the passing crowd.
In front of the young man were several bags of seeds in red plastic bags. Xia Lu Nong immediately recognized corn seeds.
The young man looked up and happened to meet Xia Lu Nong’s eyes. He froze for a moment, then, upon seeing Xia Huo Qu behind him, stood up and greeted them, “Brother Xia.”
Xia Huo Qu nodded. “Xiao Tang, I’m here to buy some seeds.”
“What kind of seeds are you looking for? Eggplants, peppers, tomatoes, winter squash, pumpkins, chayote… I’ve got it all,” the young man, Xiao Tang, said enthusiastically. “Are you buying for yourself or for someone else?”
“I’m buying. My brother’s going to plant them.”
Xiao Tang looked Xia Lu Nong up and down, then glanced at him a few more times before cautiously asking, “Is this Xia Nong? You planting for fun?”
“No,” Xia Lu Nong answered, jumping in. “I’m planting vegetables for our own use. Five units of land.”
Xiao Tang rubbed his hands together and looked at Xia Lu Nong with raised eyebrows. “Farming isn’t easy. You’ll be out in the wind and rain… none of these vegetables are particularly easy to grow.”
Xia Lu Nong flashed a bright smile, showing his white teeth. “I know.”
Xiao Tang hesitated for a moment as he stared at the smile, then suggested, “Why not just buy seedlings? They’re easier to grow than seeds and more beginner-friendly.”
“Huh?” Xia Lu Nong hesitated this time, looking confused. “Buy them now? Aren’t seedlings more expensive?”
“Not by much,” Xiao Tang replied, figuring he wouldn’t make much on this deal, so he offered more advice. “If you buy seeds, they might not all sprout. But if you buy seedlings, as long as they’re healthy and pest-free, they’re much harder to kill, even with drought or flooding.”
Xia Lu Nong looked over at his brother. “How about we get seedlings then?”
Xia Huo Qu nodded. “That works.”
Xiao Tang, still crouched, added eagerly, “Brother Xia, go to Old Liu’s stall. His seeds are all fresh, and the vegetables they grow won’t be bitter.”
Scratching his head, Xia Lu Nong looked at his brother in confusion.
Xia Huo Qu explained softly, “Seeds that have been stored for years can produce bitter vegetables, but fresh seeds don’t have that problem.”
Nodding, Xia Lu Nong seemed to get the gist.
Xia Huo Qu turned back to Xiao Tang. “You’ve got fruits here, right? We’ll take a look before we go get the vegetable seedlings.”
Xiao Tang beamed. “Sure, sure! If you want fruits, I’ve got everything labeled.”
Xia Lu Nong smiled at him and squatted down to check them out—watermelon, cantaloupe, strawberries, oranges, tangerines, peaches, loquats… a really complete selection.
Since waking up, Xia Lu Nong hadn’t eaten any fruit. Seeing the seeds for all these fruits, he swallowed and suddenly wanted everything.
After thinking for a while, he turned to his brother. “Brother, what should we buy?”
“Pick what you like. We can plant some in the space in front of the house.”
Xiao Tang chimed in with a grin, “Your front yard is big enough. You can plant a few different kinds. I’ve even got grapevines. If you want, I’ll send you a branch later.”
“Watermelon sound good?” Xia Lu Nong asked, swallowing again. He really liked watermelon.
“Just watermelon? Pick a fruit tree too,” said his brother.
Xia Lu Nong’s eyes scanned the seeds again. “How about loquats? They bear a lot of fruit.”
Seeing that Xia Lu Nong had made his choices, Xia Huo Qu told Xiao Tang, “We’ll take fifty watermelon seeds and three loquat seeds. I’ll trade soybeans for them.”
“Got it,” Xiao Tang said cheerfully. “Ten watermelon seeds for one bowl of soybeans, and one loquat seed for a bowl of soybeans. That’s eight bowls in total. I’ll throw in ten strawberry seeds or three cantaloupe seeds as a bonus. We’re all friends here, so just give me the base cost.”
Xia Lu Nong was busy picking out watermelon seeds, but when he heard about the strawberries and cantaloupes, he wanted both and couldn’t decide.
His brother, seeing his dilemma, asked, “Strawberry seeds? Are the cantaloupe and watermelon seeds the same price?”
Xiao Tang smiled, “Yep, all the same. Ten cantaloupe seeds for a bowl of soybeans.”
Xia Huo Qu opened the bag and used the bowl Xiao Tang provided to measure out seven bowls of soybeans.
The bag deflated a bit, and Xia Lu Nong, feeling a pang of heartache, quietly fidgeted with his clothes.
Xia Huo Qu didn’t seem to notice his brother’s reluctance. After trading the soybeans for the fruit seeds, he took Xia Lu Nong to get the vegetable seedlings.
Old Liu was an acquaintance of Xia Huo Qu’s. When he saw him, he greeted him with a nod, “Vice-Captain Xia, are you here to get seedlings for someone’s family?”
“For my home,” Xia Huo Qu said. “My brother wants to plant some vegetables. Let’s see which ones are easier to grow.”
“Xiao Nong, huh,” Old Liu said with a kind look, his eyes falling on Xia Lu Nong, who looked frail and scholarly. “If you want something easy, you could plant eggplants and peppers, maybe a few bean plants, some winter squash, pumpkin, and a couple of tomato plants. You could also try bitter melon, cucumbers, or luffa — just pick whatever you like. None of these are particularly difficult to grow.”
Xia Huo Qu had a good idea now and squatted down to look at the seedlings. “Brother Liu, we brought soybeans. You can take a look and see what kind of trade we can make.”
Old Liu opened the bag and inspected the soybeans, saying, “For tomato seedlings, one bowl of soybeans will get you five plants. For eggplant, pepper, and bean plants, one bowl will get you three plants. For the others, it’s two plants per bowl. All the seedlings are healthy, and I’ll make sure to pick the sturdiest ones for you.”
Xia Lulong shifted his feet and said, “I’ll take ten tomato plants, twenty-one eggplants, twenty-one peppers, twenty-one beans, and two winter squash, two pumpkins, and two bitter melon.”
“Done,” Old Liu said as he squatted down to select the seedlings. “It’s best to plant the pumpkins and winter squash near your house. They spread out and will take up a lot of space, so planting them in the field would be a waste.”
“Huh?” Xia Lu Nong turned to look at his brother. He had just planned to grow fruit near the house, but if he planted the squash and pumpkins, there wouldn’t be any room left.
“We can build a trellis and let them climb up into the trees,” Xia Huo Qu said.
Xia Lu Nong sighed in relief and nodded.
He glanced at Old Liu, contemplating for a moment, thinking about bargaining.
But Old Liu spoke first, “Since you’re buying so much, I’ll throw in two extra plants for you.”
Xia Lu Nong hadn’t expected him to be so generous. After thinking it over, he asked his brother, “Do you like hyacinth beans?”
Xia Huo Qu nodded; he wasn’t picky about food.
So, Xia Lu Nong decided to take two hyacinth bean plants as well. Since they climb, he figured he could plant them on the side of the house and let them grow up a trellis, which wouldn’t take much space.
They quickly finished picking out the seedlings.
The seedlings were all wrapped in soil, and Old Liu looked at them and said with a frown, “You didn’t bring a basket. How will you carry all of these?”
Xia Huo Qu hadn’t planned to buy seedlings, so he said, “Let’s leave them with you for now. We still have more shopping to do. After that, I’ll head home to get a basket and come back to pick them up.”
“That’s too much hassle. How about you leave them with me, and when the market wraps up, I’ll drop them off at your place?”
They all lived in the same base, which wasn’t that big.
Xia Huo Qu nodded, “That would be helpful.”
“No need to be polite,” Old Liu said with a smile. “Go ahead and finish shopping. I’ll bring them to you around noon.”
After getting the seeds and seedlings, Xia Huo Qu took his brother to get some steamed buns.
The bun stall was on the right side near the entrance of the market, and Xia Lu Nong had already smelled the aroma when they first arrived. Now, with his stomach growling loudly, the thought of eating buns made him feel like his stomach was cramping.
Hearing the sounds from his brother’s stomach, Xia Huo Qu squeezed the back of his neck and said, “There’s still half a bag of soybeans left. Plenty for you to fill up.”
Xia Lulong, though hungry, was reluctant to spend the soybeans and said, “We don’t need to trade too many. Let’s just get two to satisfy the craving. We’ll have lunch soon anyway.”
Xia Huo Qu didn’t listen to him and went up to the bun stall, asking the owner, “What kind of buns do you have today?”
“Vice Squad Leader Xia?” the bun stall owner said with a smile from behind the steamer. “We’ve got one kind with shredded radish and another with pickled vegetables. Want two?”
Xia Huo Qu lifted the bag of soybeans from his back and handed it over. “Take a look and see what they’re worth.”
The owner took the bag, wiped his hands on his apron, grabbed a handful of soybeans, and held them up to the light to inspect them carefully. He smiled and said, “These are good soybeans. How about one and a half bowls of soybeans for one bun? These buns are big, made with white flour, thin-skinned, and packed with filling. There’s even some meat broth inside.”
Xia Huo Qu nodded, “Okay, trade them all for buns.”
“No, no,” Xia Lu Nong quickly grabbed his brother’s arm, trying to stop him. “Just trade for two to try.”
The owner held the bag, smiling as he waited for them to decide.
Xia Huo Qu looked at his brother, noticing how his eyes lingered longingly on the bag of soybeans. He sighed softly and said, “Alright, we’ll take four — two with radish filling, two with pickled vegetables.”
The owner grinned, “You got it. Four buns for six bowls of soybeans.”
He opened the bag and scooped out six bowls of soybeans, putting them into a cloth sack full of soybeans. Then he handed back the now almost-empty bag of soybeans to Xia Huo Qu and said, “All set.”
Xia Lu Nong swallowed, watching the owner open the steamer and lift out four large buns, each resting on cabbage leaves. “The filling on top matches the flavor inside. Be careful, they’re hot,” the owner said.
The buns were huge, each weighing nearly a pound, plump and white, giving off a rich, savory smell of flour and oil.
Xia Lu Nong had just been feeling regretful about parting with his soybeans, but now he didn’t care at all.
He wanted to grab one right away but looked down at his hands, which were still dirty from picking seedlings. He’d have to wash them first.
Seeing his hesitation, the owner nodded toward a well nearby and said, “You can wash your hands over there.”
Xia Huo Qu knew the spot too, so holding the buns, he led his brother to the well.
By the well, someone was already drawing water to drink. When they saw the brothers approaching, they made room for them.
Xia Lu Nong eagerly took the bucket, dropped it into the well, and drew up water. He let his brother wash his hands first, then washed his own with half a bucket. Once clean, he quickly wiped his hands on his clothes, grabbed a radish bun, and took a big bite.
Juice burst out of the bun as he bit into it.
“Careful, it’s hot,” his brother warned.
Tears welled up in Xia Lu Nong’s eyes from the heat, but with his mouth full and cheeks puffed out, he couldn’t speak.
His first bite had soaked his taste buds with the oily, rich dough, followed by the flavor of the radish filling. The radish was sweet and slightly crunchy, with a bit of spice. Combined with the meat broth, each chew released an explosion of radish flavor that was so delicious, Xia Lu Nong instinctively started eating faster, almost biting his tongue.
It was just too good!
Xia Lu Nong took his first bite of a bun where the sweetness of radish, the savory flavor of meat juice, and the spicy kick of chili peppers were perfectly blended together. The dough, soaked in meat juices, added a wonderful heft to the bun.
Even before the disaster, Xia Lu Nong had traveled and eaten expensive buns costing dozens of yuan, but none had been as delicious as this one!
He held the large bun carefully, almost moved to tears by how precious it felt.
Xia Lu Nong took small bites, savoring each one, but he still finished the big bun rather quickly.
Wiping his mouth, he felt an overwhelming sense of happiness.
Seeing that Xia Lu Nong had finished, Xia Huo Qu tore a pickled vegetable bun in half and brought it to Xia Lu Nong’s mouth. “Try this.”
The sour aroma of pickled vegetables made Xia Lu Nong, who had just felt full, hungry again.
He swallowed and pushed his brother’s hand away. “No, you eat it. I’m full.”
Xia Huo Qu insisted, pressing the bun into his hand. “Just try it. It won’t taste as good cold.”
Xia Lu Nong finally accepted, taking a careful bite.
That bite nearly brought him to tears again.
The pickled vegetable filling was also incredibly delicious. It was spicier than the radish filling, a little greasier, and the tangy flavor in the dough was just right.
After that one bite, his appetite kicked in again. Although he had felt full earlier, now it seemed like his stomach was ready for more. If there were enough buns, he could probably eat three or four more.
“So good!” Xia Lu Nong sniffled as he held the bun. “The owner’s skills are really amazing.”
“If they weren’t, the stall wouldn’t still be in business,” Xia Huo Qu replied, eating his bun slowly. “Grains are more practical than buns, though.”
Xia Lu Nong looked down at the bun in his hand, disagreeing with his brother for the first time.
Even if grains were more practical, he’d much rather eat buns—he’d be willing to skip three meals just for one of these!
Thanks for the chapter 🙂