Her Cultivation Diary

Chapter 35: 35. Feeding Milk Vetch to piglets_1

Taking advantage of the sun not being too hot yet, Song Sancheng covered all the fungal sticks on the mountain with thick straw and was finally satisfied after setting up the fence, then he headed down the mountain.

When he got home, he first went to check on the piglets in the back mountain.

From a distance, he could hear their grunting sounds. Now, taking a closer look, it seemed they had just been fed. The three white and two black piglets were huddling together with their snouts buried in the trough, eating without lifting their heads.

One of the black piglets was particularly engrossed in eating, lying across in front of the trough and taking up most of the space.

Another little white piglet, slightly smaller in size, just couldn’t squeeze in and was getting anxious, grunting and squealing on the side.

Song Sancheng quickly picked up a stick and, with a combination of knocking and scaring, managed to adjust their positions.

Looking into the trough again, he saw not only rice bran and sweet potatoes but also a thick layer of lush green leaves, which the piglets were eagerly competing for, eating with great relish!

This was Milk Vetch! Why did pigs like it so much?

A standard old farmer’s smile couldn’t help but spread across Song Sancheng’s face as he laughed and said,

“Look at you little pigs, eating better than people!”

He then went to inspect the pig pen’s straw bedding. The thick straw spread inside the shed was both dry and warm to the look.

The trees in the forest had not fully unfurled their leaves yet, with large swaths of sunlight pouring in, warm and cozy. There were already some signs of pig manure in the pit beside; it was an excellent environment for raising pigs.

Only then did he contentedly circle back to the front yard.

Wu Lan had just finished cooking, and from a distance, Song Sancheng could already smell the fragrance. He touched his belly:

“What are we eating today?”

Qiaoqiao chimed in cheerfully from the side:

“Pig feed!”

“The piglets eat, we eat too!”

Song Tan gave his fluffy head a pat: “Silly treasure.” She then said to Song Sancheng with a mix of laughter and helplessness:

“Dad, don’t listen to him. At noon, I went to pick a bunch of Milk Vetch, and mom is using it to stir-fry meat. Try it and see if it’s tasty.”

“If it’s good, we can make a lot of money!”

…

Milk Vetch hadn’t been eaten at their home for many years. Wu Lan pondered for a moment, then started by frying some minced garlic in lard until fragrant, followed by adding cured meat and sections of Milk Vetch.

Now with a roaring fire, the green leaves and stems of the vegetables and the slightly reddish cured meat, the freshness and meaty fragrance intertwined, releasing an aroma that made one’s mouth water.

Qiaoqiao had already forgotten the pain of losing his pig mother, and now he was busily picking up food with his chopsticks:

“I take a bite, Peppa a bite. I take a bite, Qiao Zhi a bite. Another bite, and one for sister…”

Watching him act foolishly yet deftly with the chopsticks,

he had soon piled his bowl full to the brim, truly mastering the essence of the “Liu Xing pancake sharing method.”

Faced with such a simple child, what could the family even say?

Song Sancheng took a bite, chewed a couple of times before swallowing, and found the combination of crisp freshness and faintly discernible sweet flavor of the greens with the slightly salty cured meat…

Superb!

His eyes lit up: “Oh wow, how come it tastes even better than wild vegetables! When I was a kid, I ate it every day, but I never realized it was tasty. All I knew was that it had a grassy taste.”

Wu Lan also took a bite and now felt very confident about the prospect of twenty yuan per jin: “When you were a child, who would have used lard and pork to stir-fry for you? Back then, we just blanched it in water and called it cooked.”

That was indeed the case.

The two of them were contented with their explanation for why the dish was too delicious, and Song Tan didn’t even need to make excuses.

Afterward, Song Sancheng suddenly remembered:

“Tantan, we’re growing such a big patch of it, do you think we should set up a couple of beehives? Milk Vetch is a premium source of nectar. The honey that bees collect from it is really sweet.”

“You can’t even buy it now, no one around grows it anymore.”

Song Tan really hadn’t thought of this!

There were too many things keeping her busy, so she simply couldn’t manage to be so comprehensive. Now she nodded repeatedly in a hurry,

“Yes! Dad, you know so many people. Get a few more boxes. The milk vetch in our fields is growing so well, it will definitely look particularly beautiful when it flowers.”

Spiritual Energy honey, ah, just a spoonful mixed with water, that taste…

Can’t think about it, can’t think about it!

Song Tan was already impatient.

“Right, Dad, Grandpa Li from the village said he’ll let his cow into the fields to eat this and afterwards, when we plant rice, he’ll help us plow the fields.”

“When the time comes, I’ll reserve the two lower fields for his cow. The rest of the milk vetch I plan to sell. It wouldn’t be good to let the cow eat there as well.”

After all, it’s a cow, who knows if it might just poop while eating, which wouldn’t be great.

Song Sancheng laughed, “He only has that one cow, why would he need two fields? One field would be enough.”

“But this milk vetch really is good. I saw the pigs were enjoying it today too. In a few days, when they’ve gotten used to it, I’ll find time to drive them to the fields too, let them move around on their own.”

But those five pigs, controlling them wouldn’t be too easy in a short time…

Song Sancheng was already coming up with a plan.

Song Tan started laughing, “What’s so difficult about that? They’re only this little right now. I’ll go to the city this afternoon to buy some leashes specially made for big dogs, and Dad, you can take them out for walks when you have the time.”

“After all, it’s mainly us who’ll eat the pigs, so it doesn’t matter if they lose a few pounds of fat from more exercise.”

Qiaoqiao got excited, “I want to as well! Qiaoqiao wants to take the pigs out to play!”

That wouldn’t do.

Pigs, being smart animals, would develop affection if raised for too long, and when it’s time to kill them for meat, wouldn’t Qiaoqiao cry herself to death?

After much thought, Song Sancheng refused, “Forget it, forget it, we can’t take them out. If we get too attached from taking them on walks, let’s just let them roam the hills behind our house. It’s enough for them to move around there. I’ll just get more food for them regularly.”@@novelbin@@

Song Tan thought of her own experiences raising pigs from her memory, ah, it was indeed so.

Better to just eat the meat, not develop any feelings.

The adults quickly changed topics, and after listening with a pout for a while, Qiaoqiao put the matter out of her mind again.

However, there was something else she remembered—

“I told Big White that if it helps me watch the pigs, I’ll treat it to biscuits.”

Wow!

Song Tan was also surprised—she had that thought, but she hadn’t said anything yet, had she?

“When did you negotiate this with Big White?”

That fierce big white goose, wasn’t it always squatting outside Grandpa’s gate every day?

Qiaoqiao hummed, “I told it long ago, I just haven’t had any biscuits yet.”

Whether a goose watching pigs was reliable, Song Tan didn’t know.

But if that thing were to really start honking, it would make such a resounding noise, the entire village would wake up.

Thinking about it, having it as an alarm was indeed not a bad idea.

The prerequisite was that Qiaoqiao had to coax it not to honk without reason, or else with the hillside being next to their home, they really wouldn’t be able to sleep later.

She thought for a moment, “Then take Big White to the lowest field this afternoon, and treat it to a good meal as well.”

Feeding the cows is still feeding, feeding the pigs is still feeding, and feeding the chickens, ducks, geese… that makes no difference.

As the siblings made their arrangements, Song Sancheng suddenly felt an urgency,

“Then I must go fix the goose pen, along with the ducks and chickens that you want to raise. It’s about time now. I’ve got the area in the back hill fenced off, but I need to tidy up the chicken coop again.”