The poor man grows watermelon

These pepper trees have been planted for more than ten years, and now they have multiplied into a small jungle, just like natural growth, without any trace of artificial planting.

The branches and leaves of Zanthoxylum bungeanum are thorny and have a pungent smell. Neither mountain people nor wild beasts will easily break into it.

"Brother Ping, how do we get there?" Su Ye looked for a long time but couldn't find the entrance—hard drills are not acceptable, and most of the clothes will be cut into rags.

Shao Ping pointed to the side, "Follow me."

Over there there was a two-meter-high boulder standing upright on the edge of the pepper grove. At first I thought there was no road, but unexpectedly, Shao Ping pushed hard, and the heavy stone miraculously moved to the side.

Su Ye gave a thumbs up, "Brother Ping has supernatural power."

Shao Ping clapped his hands and shook his head modestly.

Passing through the Zanthoxylum bungeanum, the three of them came to an open flat land. The vegetation under their feet gradually decreased, and the rocks were exposed. Occasionally, a few trees grew tenaciously in the crevices of the rocks.

The wind on the cliff was a bit strong, and Su Ye shivered unconsciously.

Yu Feng quickly took out the cloak from the bag, put it on him, and asked worriedly, "Can you hold on?"

"It's okay." Su Ye quietly squeezed the man's hand to reassure him.

Yu Feng's heart trembled, seeing Shao Ping next to him, he desperately suppressed his charming thoughts.

Shao Ping coughed lightly, pretending not to see it.

Pointing to the high cliff on the opposite side, he introduced solemnly: "This is the edge of the eighth peak, and the opposite is the ninth peak."

Su Ye looked around, and a towering mountain wall a few tens of meters away came into view domineeringly, and the oblique appearance seemed to be poured over at any moment.

No wonder Yu Feng said that no one has ever been there, just looking at it makes people feel dizzy.

Su Ye carefully found that there were many thick vines growing on the edge of the cliff, and there seemed to be traces of human beings walking around.

He pointed to that side and asked, "Is that where Brother Ping came from?"

Shao Ping raised his thick eyebrows, a rare smile appeared on his serious face, "Xiao Ye has good eyesight."

In order to avoid being discovered, he deliberately disguised himself, but Su Ye saw through it unexpectedly.

Su Ye slightly hooked her lips and said, "Go and have a look!"

Shao Ping nodded and followed closely behind.

Although Yu Feng was a little worried, he didn't stop him. He just walked by Su Ye's side step by step so that he could deal with unknown situations at any time.

The wind on the edge of the cliff was even stronger, and it was almost like taking people captive. Su Ye looked down while supporting the tree trunk. He could only see heavy rocks and thin clouds. It was completely unimaginable that there would be a fertile valley under the cliff.

"How high is this cliff?"

"Nearly ten feet."

Su Ye looked at the vines and rough hemp ropes on the edge of the cliff, and frowned, "Shizhang, relying on these things alone is too dangerous."

Shao Ping waved his hand and said: "The cliff on this side is not straight up and down, and you can find a stone platform to rest every few tens of feet. It won't be too difficult if you are familiar with it."

Even though he said it easily, Su Ye's heart still did not relax.

One can imagine how dangerous it would be to climb a cliff more than 200 meters high without any protective measures and only rely on hemp ropes and vines.

Su Ye looked at the surrounding environment and suddenly had an idea in his heart.

"Brother Ping, you said earlier that my father left a mine vein nearby?"

Shao Ping nodded, pointed down the cliff, and said, "It's just to the west of the valley, where the Seventh and Ninth Peaks intersect.

Su Ye looked in the direction of his fingers, and only then noticed that the seventh and eighth peaks and the ninth peak seem to have just spelled the word "person". At the intersection, there are six, five, four, Three, two, one peaks.

From this point of view, it seems that there has been a crustal movement, and the Ninth Peak has been torn apart.

Su Ye asked curiously: "Is it possible to go down to the valley along the seventh peak?"

Shao Ping shook his head, "Master Hou once asked someone to explore the road. The terrain there is steeper, and boulders will roll down at any time, which is very dangerous."

Su Ye pursed her lips, and said in a deep voice, "In this case, I can only use that method."

Shao Ping was taken aback for a moment, and asked doubtfully, "What method?"

"The way to get in and out of the valley." Su Ye looked at him with burning eyes and said, "You can't always rely on vines and hemp ropes, it's too unsafe."

Shao Ping's eyes flashed, and there was a bit of anticipation in his eyes, "What's Xiaoye's idea?"

Su Ye pursed her lips, and said firmly, "Build a ladder."

Shao Ping and Yu Feng both stared blankly—a ladder?

Su Ye nodded, pulled a few branches from the side, then squatted down, and began to draw on the ground.

To put it bluntly, the so-called "ladder" is just a "stair" winding up the mountain wall. He has seen it in a promotional picture of a tourist attraction. It is not difficult to operate, but it requires a lot of manpower and material resources.

Shao Ping stared at the rough lines on the ground, clenched his fists tightly, and said excitedly: "It really is a 'ladder to heaven'! If it can be built, the young master will be able to go in and out of the valley freely, and brothers can come out to see the world from time to time." !"

Su Ye nodded, "I will figure out all the specifications of the iron plates, handrails, wooden wedges, and iron bars I need later. Brother Ping needs to find someone to refine them, and then chisel them into the mountain wall. The hard work and danger involved are innumerable... ..."

Shao Ping shook his head, and said decisively: "This little danger is nothing, let alone hard work. Everyone is stuck in the ground every day, just looking for something to do!"

Yu Feng also said: "Let me know in advance what tools are needed, and I will prepare them."

Seeing the determined expressions of the men, Su Ye felt even more concerned.

-

On the way back, only Su Ye and Yu Feng were left.

I don't know if it was because of the mountain wind, Su Ye's body was extremely exhausted, and her lower abdomen was also aching.

Yu Feng saw it and carried him on his back without any explanation.

Su Ye didn't insist, and fell asleep unconsciously against the man's warm body.

When she got home, Su Ya'er had already cooked the meal.

Seeing Su Ye being carried back, several people were startled, especially Xue Wa, her eyes turned red all of a sudden, "What's wrong with Dad?"

Yu Feng quickly said: "It's okay, I'm just tired, Xuewa is good, don't cry!"

Su Ye leaned on the bed, smiled at everyone, and said casually, "I'm fine, I'm just sleepy."

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Xue Wa asked Yu Feng to help take off her shoes, and snuggled up to Su Ye, even when she was eating, she refused to leave.

Su Ye's complexion was also not very good, so Yu Feng directly brought the rice to the father and son and brought it to the bedside.

Su Ye originally wanted to get out of bed, but was stopped by Yu Feng, "Just eat here, no one will laugh at you."

Xuewa also nodded in a serious manner, "No joke, Xuewa stays with Daddy."

Su Ye couldn't bear the insistence of the father and son, and reluctantly complied.

While drinking the soup, he heard Yu Feng and Su Ya'er discussing outside the door, "Xiao Yezi hasn't been feeling well these days, I want him to rest for a few days, and the stove will trouble Ya'er."

"What's the trouble? Why did Brother Feng cheat on me?" Su Ya'er seemed a little angry.

Yu Feng smiled and said something else.

After a while, Su Ya'er opened the bamboo curtain and came in, asking softly, "Xiao Ye, what do you want to eat tomorrow? I'll prepare it in advance."

According to Su Ye's temperament, he would definitely say "do whatever you want" in this situation, but, for a moment, he suddenly missed the salty, spicy taste of mapo tofu.

It's okay if you don't want to, the more you think about it, the more you feel your mouth watering, and the desire in your heart can't be suppressed no matter what.

Su Ya'er was very thoughtful, and said with a smile: "Xiaoye just tell me what you want to eat, if I don't know how to do it, I will just secretly teach you."

Su Ye smiled, and then told the recipe of Mapo Tofu.

Su Ya'er was stunned for a moment, wondering: "We have to make tofu first, right?"

Su Ye blinked, "Isn't there any for sale?"

Su Ya'er shook her head, "This is the first time I've heard of this kind of food...is it also made of soybeans?"

"Yes, you have to grind the soybeans into a pulp first, and then marinate them." Su Ye became more and more discouraged, "Forget it, it will be a bit troublesome to make tofu again."

But Su Ya'er said: "If Xiaoye is not tired, please give me advice. If I can make it, our village will have another novelty to eat."

Hearing what he said, Su Ye couldn't help laughing.

It has to be said that under his leadership, the innovation consciousness of the people around him is getting stronger and stronger. Even Mrs. Su Hua made two new pickles a few days ago and brought them over for him to taste.

Yu Feng also came in from the outside, and said with a smile, "Don't be afraid of trouble, Xiaoyezi, there are plenty of soaked beans, I'll grind them, put them on fire, and they will be ready in a while."

Su Qingzhu stretched out a hand from the outside, "I'm chopping firewood."

"I—" Yu Douzi imitated Su Qingzhu and raised his hand, rolling his bright eyes around, unable to figure out what he could do.

Xuewa tugged at his sleeve, and said softly, "Baby and Brother Douzi, hold firewood."

"That's right!" Yu Douzi nodded quickly, and said loudly, "Xue Wa and I will send firewood to Uncle Ya'er!"

Seeing the expectant expressions of the whole family, Su Ye could only say, "Just do it, it seems that it will be dark today."

Su Ya'er hurriedly said: "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, if you can make tofu, it doesn't matter if you go to bed late."

Su Ye smiled, "Then try it!"

So, everyone performed their duties and started working excitedly.

There is ready-made brine at home, which can just make northern tofu.

Compared with the southern tofu made with gypsum, the northern tofu has less water content, a stronger bean flavor, and a firmer taste, making it more suitable for stir-frying and stewing.

It wasn't until the tofu was ordered that Su Ye just remembered that there was no mold to dry the tofu.

He went around the kitchen, searched and fumbled, and finally had to use a cage drawer instead. The bottom of the cage was covered with sackcloth, and the top was covered with another layer. It was suitable for ventilation and water leakage.

Su Ye scooped the ordered beancurd tofu onto the steaming tray, placed it evenly, covered it with a linen cloth, flattened it with a wooden board, and placed a large heavy clay pot on top.

Su Ya'er asked nervously, "Is this all right?"

Su Ye nodded and said, "It's almost there, let's see the effect tomorrow morning!"

Everyone is looking forward to the arrival of "tomorrow".

-

At night, Yu Feng got into bed after washing up, and gently rubbed Su Ye's stomach with his big warm hands, "Are you still feeling uncomfortable?"

Su Ye turned over, rubbed his forehead against his chest, and said with a deep sleepiness in his voice, "Maybe I caught a cold on the mountain, and it will be much better after drinking that bowl of hot soup."

Thinking of Su Ye's recent reaction, Yu Feng said worriedly, "Xuewa will go to do acupuncture in two days, and by the way, I'll ask Mr. Zhang to give you a pulse!"

Su Ye regained his energy all of a sudden, and shook his head again and again, "Please, please don't!"

Yu Feng was taken aback, "It's just a pulse signal, why does Xiaoyezi react so much?"

"This body is already weak, and I can see things even if there is nothing wrong. I am really afraid of the days when I take medicine and drips every day..." Su Ye said childishly, "Promise me, you will not be able to mention anything at that time." , or I won’t go!”

Yu Feng sighed, and patted him on the back, "If you don't read it, don't read it, and promise me the little page, you should rest well recently, don't be too tired."

Su Ye chuckled, "What about moving? Don't I care?"

"No need." Yu Feng said bluntly, "Don't worry, there is me, bamboo, bud, aunt and aunt, you just need to rest."

"Then... what about getting married?" Su Ye rubbed her head and said solemnly, "Being married is the most tiring, otherwise I should find someone to replace it."

Yu Feng's expression froze, he grabbed his partner's shoulder, and said in a deep voice, "This is not acceptable!"

"Haha~" Su Ye couldn't hold back, and laughed sullenly.

-

The next day, Su Ya'er came over early, followed by the sleepy-eyed Su Qingzhu and Yu Douzi.

Compared with the big and small ones behind, Su Ya'er's spirit can even be described as "excited".

When he came, Yu Feng was boxing in the yard, Su Ye hadn't gotten up yet, Xue Wa was sitting in a small wheelchair clumsily but earnestly brushing her teeth.

"Brother Feng, is the tofu ready?" Su Ya'er's tone was a little eager.

Yu Feng smiled and stopped, "I haven't watched it yet, Ya'er should go and have a look!"

Su Ya'er hesitated for a moment, and finally shook her head, "Let Xiao Ye read it, if I read it in advance, in case something bad happens again."

Earlier, an old lady in the pickle shop couldn't help but opened the soy sauce tank ahead of time out of curiosity, and the soy sauce in the tank turned stale.

Su Qingzhu yawned, and said lazily: "How can it be so strict? If you don't go, I will go."

Su Ya'er hurriedly pulled him, "We'll talk about it when Xiao Ye wakes up!"

Su Qingzhu rolled his eyes towards the sky, "My brother has grown sleeping bugs recently, I don't know when he will wake up..."

Xue Wa retorted solemnly, "Daddy doesn't have worms."

"That's right, Uncle Page is so clean, so there won't be any worms." Yu Douzi ran to Xuewa's side and helped him speak.

There was a chuckle from inside the thatched shed, followed by Su Ye's tired voice, "Ya'er, let's go and see, it's okay if you think about it."

"Hey!" Su Ya'er gleefully glanced at Su Qingzhu, then turned and went to the kitchen.

Yu Douzi waited patiently for Xuewa to finish rinsing her mouth, then pushed his little wheelchair and followed.

Su Qingzhu coughed, and said with a guilty conscience: "Brother, I didn't say that just now, it was Ya'er who said it!"

Su Ye continued to smile, "Okay, let's go and see the tofu."

Su Qingzhu grinned, and ran away dejectedly.

Yu Feng smiled and went into the house to wait on his wife.