Traveling through the famine, I stockpiled supplies like crazy

After learning how to make charcoal, we started making our own charcoal every year. At the beginning, the charcoal we made was not good and produced a lot of smoke. But after several years of continuous exploration, the charcoal we make now can be considered as high-quality charcoal.

The weather is getting cold, and it will be time for us to start burning charcoal. I will do it after I am done with this busy period."

Xu Han was stunned by this. That was right. It was indeed more convenient to spend money to learn a skill than to buy charcoal from the mountain. At least it didn't require carrying it back again and again.

Moreover, there are trees on the mountain, so it is convenient to obtain materials. It really saves a lot of time, and the money is worth it.

Xu Han didn't dwell on this matter anymore and turned around to get back to grilling the meat, wrapping it in lettuce leaves and eating it. It was both refreshing and delicious.

In this way, the two of them ate barbecue and chatted about interesting things. It was another wonderful day.

The next morning, after Xu Han got up, Lu Chuan was feeding corn outside. After the family bought a donkey, they had one more job to do, which was to cut grass for it every day.

But it's autumn now, and the grass is almost turning yellow. Fortunately, the bean stalks and corn stalks that we planted at home have not been burned yet. It seems that we need to store them well and save them as food for corn.

Sweet potato vines can also be used to feed corn. They should not be wasted and should all be preserved well.

After Xu Han finished breakfast, she followed Lu Chuan to the fields outside.

There is nothing left in the fields except cabbages now, and the idle land cannot be wasted.

I just bought garlic seeds some time ago, and now the potatoes and sweet potatoes have been harvested, so it’s time to plant them.

When harvesting potatoes and sweet potatoes, the ground has already been dug, so there is no need to turn the soil over. Just level the ground and you can plant directly.

After the two of them leveled the ground together, they began to plant garlic.

Lu Chuan used a hoe to draw a line in front to prevent the garlic from growing crooked during planting, and also to dig trenches for the garlic.

Xu Han started planting garlic at the back, pressing a whole clove of garlic root-side down into the soil, controlling the spacing between them one by one.

After planting this row, start digging the next row of furrows again, moving backwards. This will prevent the soil in front from being compacted when planting, which will make it difficult for the garlic to germinate.

After planting to a certain distance, lightly cover the garlic in front with a layer of soil. Do not cover the soil immediately after planting, otherwise the subsequent plantings will have no reference and will be messy and irregular.

In one morning, the two of them planted two acres of garlic, which was enough for food.

When it was lunch time, the two returned home to prepare for lunch.

Xu Han took out a portion of stir-fried lamb, a portion of pickled winter melon, and a portion of tomato and egg soup from the space. It was also very good when eaten with steamed buns.

After lunch, we took a short rest and then went to the wasteland again.

There are still some garlic seeds left! These should be kept for planting garlic seedlings. The garlic seedlings do not need to be planted as far apart as the garlic seeds. It is better to plant them densely so that they will not fall over easily.

After Lu Chuan cleared a piece of land, the two began to plant garlic seedlings. They planted them wherever there was space. It didn't need to be neat, as long as they were almost planted.

After planting, we go back to the yard together and grow some garlic sprouts in the yard.

Garlic sprouts are easy to grow and can be harvested in about 20 days. The growing time is relatively short.

When planting garlic sprouts, there is no need to break the whole head of garlic into cloves. You can directly plant the whole head of garlic, then water it thoroughly and cover it with a light-proof object so that it is not exposed to the sun.

The method for growing leeks is the same. You just need to block the light and what grows will be yellow. It is simple and convenient.

After maturity, it can also grow a second time, but the yield of the second crop is not as high as the first crop.

If you don’t want to grow it anymore, you can take out the garlic and make garlic sauce or garlic oil, so it won’t be wasted.

Xu Han used a wooden barrel at home. Lu Chuan made many of these barrels. Because Xu Han used to make a lot of things, Lu Chuan would make wooden barrels and backpacks whenever he had time.

These things are the most abundant in the family, and Lu Chuan will continue to make them when he has time.

After all the garlic was planted, it was only mid-afternoon, and Lu Chuan suggested cutting down some trees first, which could be used as charcoal or firewood.

So the two of them went to the woods together again. This time, Lu Chuan was not going to cut down branches or weeds, but some big trees that were resistant to burning.

Xu Han didn't know which trees could be cut down and which trees could not be cut down, and Lu Chuan patiently explained to Xu Han.

“Generally, we cut down big trees to grow small ones. In the past, when there were no natural disasters, we would also plant some small trees in the spring to avoid excessive felling and soil loss.

Big trees with roots deep in the earth can reduce the occurrence of mudslides. The roots hold the soil in place so it won't be washed away when it rains.

You see those small ones are the ones I planted before." Lu Chuan said as he pointed to the trees he had planted before.

Xu Han looked over and saw that there were indeed some small trees. Xu Han knew that one should not just cut them down without replanting them.

We still have to consider the next generation. If this generation cuts down all the trees, how will our descendants live in the future?

Only by following this cycle and replanting the cut down trees in time can we avoid destroying the natural ecology.

Who says that people in ancient times were stupid? They understood the truth, but some people today still don’t understand it.

Lu Chuan marked the trees that needed to be cut down, and they could be cut down when they saw the marks.

The cut trees are placed here to dry in the sun, and can be pulled back when needed. Now they are wet and heavy and cannot be burned.

Because the trees being chopped down were large, it was quite time-consuming. In ancient times, there were no electric saws or firewood saws, so people could only use a saw to pull the wood slowly. Branches and the like could be chopped directly with a hatchet.

The two of them had just cut down a tree, and hadn't even trimmed the branches yet, when it was getting dark. They had no choice but to start walking home and continue tomorrow!

When I got home, it was just getting dark. I sat in the main room, drank a glass of water, took a rest, then got up and went to the kitchen to start preparing dinner.

I took out the chicken wings left over from the previous chicken dinner. These chicken wings have been prepared for a long time and are finally on the table today.

Xu Han plans to use these chicken wings to make a dish of cola chicken wings, which is delicious and Xu Han especially likes the sweet ones.

Make two cuts in the middle of the chicken wings to make it easier for them to absorb flavor, and then start blanching them.

Pour the blanched chicken wings into the pan and fry until both sides are golden brown. Then add spices, pour a bottle of cola, and add appropriate amount of salt and dark soy sauce for color and seasoning.

Cover the lid and start simmering. After the soup is dried up, take out some white sesame seeds and sprinkle some chopped green onions on top. The delicious and tasty cola chicken wings are ready.

Xu Han also stir-fried a dish of mushrooms and vegetables, and paired it with rice and egg and radish soup, which was another sumptuous meal.