Chapter 289 – Mushroom Greenhouse
It was a good time to go home and discuss something with Ms. Zhong and the others.
Yan Xiaosi leisurely left the military camp on her horse, ambling toward Shaoyao Village.
Although the chestnut-red horse walked slowly, having four legs was still better than a human’s two. With stops and starts, they arrived at the Tian family home in Shaoyao Village in less than half an hour.
It wasn’t yet noon, and the Tian family courtyard was bustling with activity.
Yan Shuyun was off work today, and several women had set up a table in the courtyard. Sewing tools were placed on the table, and the women were gathered around making new clothes.
Yan Xiaosi tied the chestnut-red horse outside the door, took down her saddlebag, and stepped inside.
“Mother, Auntie Tian, I’m back.”
All the women turned their heads toward the door and broke into smiles.
Ms. Zhong asked, “Why have you come back again?”
Yan Xiaosi walked behind Ms. Zhong and affectionately placed her hands on her mother’s shoulders.
“From mom’s tone, it seems you don’t want me to come back often. Then I’ll leave.”
She withdrew his hands, pretending to turn away.
Ms. Wang said, “Child, your mother was just making conversation. What mother wouldn’t want her son to come home instead of staying in the military camp all day?”
Ms. Zhong looked at her travel-worn appearance and felt deeply concerned.
“Have you had breakfast? If not, I’ll cook you a bowl of dumpling soup.”
“I’ve eaten. Porridge, meat buns, and dumplings with meat filling.”
Ms. Zhong was surprised.
“Is the food in the military camp that good? I thought military rations were typically poor.”
Yan Xiaosi thought to herself: How could the food be bad when I’m eating with His Highness the War King?
But saying that aloud might frighten the women.
“Perhaps the food is worse in other military camps. The troops at Tongluo Plain belong to His Highness the War King, so how could the food be poor?”
Ms. Zhong considered this explanation reasonable. The War King was the current emperor’s uncle, after all. The court wouldn’t dare skimp on rations for his troops even if they did for others.
Seeing that Ms. Zhong believed him, Yan Xiaosi went into the main room, grabbed a chair, and sat down with the women in the courtyard.
“Auntie Tian, where is Brother Dazhuang?”
Ms. Wang continued sewing as she answered, “The corn field has been turned over, and he’s planting radishes there.”
Using the corn field for radishes was a good idea. In two or three months when the radishes were harvested, the field could be turned again to plant corn.
“Auntie Tian, I want to discuss something with everyone. Could you call Brother Dazhuang back?”
Now that Ms. Wang knew Tian Dazhuang was associating with Yan Xiaosi, she expected it would lead to better prospects. She immediately put down her sewing and rose, saying, “I’ll go call Dazhuang back right away.”
“Auntie, please sit down. I’ll go call Brother Dazhuang,” Yan Shuqin said as she stood up.
Ms. Wang glanced at her, thinking that more interaction between the young couple would strengthen their relationship.
“Go ahead, but be careful on the field ridges—they can be difficult to walk on.”
Yan Shuqin went to her room, changed into an old pair of shoes for fieldwork, and hurried out energetically.
In less than a quarter hour, Tian Dazhuang returned with her.
When Tian Dazhuang entered and saw Yan Xiaosi, a hint of joy involuntarily rose in his heart.
“Xiaosi, when did you get back?”
“Just now. Brother Dazhuang, come sit here. I have something to discuss with everyone.”
Yan Xiaosi pushed a chair toward Tian Dazhuang.
Tian Dazhuang sat down. He had wanted to ask how Xiaosi was faring in the military camp, but seeing his ruddy complexion and vibrant appearance, he swallowed his words.
“What is it, Xiaosi? Tell us.”
Yan Xiaosi’s gaze swept over everyone present and said, “A few days ago, I negotiated a partnership with the Yu Family Private Kitchen in town.”
“Mother, Elder Sister, Second Sister, Third Sister, do you remember the Yu Family Private Kitchen in town?”
All four nodded in unison, indicating they remembered.
Ms. Zhong asked curiously, “Xiaosi, what kind of partnership did you negotiate with the Yu Family Private Kitchen?”
Yan Xiaosi explained, “Broom mushrooms. Broom mushrooms taste excellent in dishes. I’ve discussed with Shopkeeper Yu about supplying broom mushrooms to the Yu Family Private Kitchen. We’ll split the profits fifty-fifty.”
“But Xiaosi, in our Four Sisters Mountain range, broom mushrooms are extremely rare. Even when they do appear, they only grow during autumn. It’s already late autumn now, and there are no more broom mushrooms growing in the mountains. How can you partner with Shopkeeper Yu?”
Ms. Wang, her son, and the three Yan sisters all agreed with Ms. Zhong, nodding continuously.
Yan Xiaosi said, “If they don’t grow in the mountains this season, we can cultivate them ourselves.”
Everyone present only knew about growing cabbage, radishes, corn, rice, soybeans, and the like. It had never occurred to them that wild mushrooms from the mountains could be cultivated.
Tian Dazhuang’s eyes brightened with curiosity.
“Xiaosi, can wild mushrooms really be cultivated in this season?”
“Of course they can. As long as the temperature is right and humidity and light are well-controlled, mushrooms will grow.”
Light and humidity were easy to control—if the humidity was insufficient, they could simply water them. The sunlight in Xize County was good year-round. But how to control the temperature? Late autumn brought howling winds—surely they couldn’t grow mushrooms indoors.
“Xiaosi, how can we control the temperature? We certainly can’t grow mushrooms in the house. And where would we get mushroom spores?”
To control temperature, they would need a greenhouse.
Yan Xiaosi already had a rough design for a mushroom greenhouse in mind.
“Elder Sister, do we have brush, ink, and rough paper in the house?”
Yan Shuqin stood up.
“Do you need brush, ink, and fine paper? I’ll get them.”
Yan Xiaosi had intended to get them herself, but seeing that Yan Shuqin had already risen, she could only wait for her to bring the items.
Yan Shuqin quickly returned with several sheets of clean rough paper and writing materials.
Yan Xiaosi took the brush and drew the greenhouse design from her mind onto the rough paper, then handed it to Tian Dazhuang for review.
Tian Dazhuang took it but didn’t understand Yan Xiaosi’s meaning.
“Xiaosi, what have you drawn here?”
Yan Xiaosi asked him to lay the paper flat on the table so others could also see his greenhouse design.
After everyone had looked at it for a few moments, she slowly explained, “This is called a greenhouse. A greenhouse can regulate temperature. With a greenhouse, we can grow mushrooms even in the cold winter.”
She paused, pointing to a specific spot on the drawing, and continued, “This is a stove. When it’s cold, we light the stove. The stove is connected to the entire greenhouse, allowing heat to flow inside.”
Tian Dazhuang understood.
“So that’s how we control the temperature.”
“Exactly.”
Yan Xiaosi glanced at Tian Dazhuang and nodded to confirm he was correct.
“The greenhouse frame is built with wood, then covered with transparent oiled paper. The oiled paper prevents wind while still allowing light to pass through.”
Yan Shuqin voiced some doubts, “But Xiaosi, oiled paper isn’t very durable. It won’t last long before it deteriorates.”
Yan Xiaosi had already considered this point. In this era, they could either use oiled paper to build the greenhouse or choose transparent glazed tiles. Using glazed tiles would be too wasteful.
