Transmigrated Leftover Woman in Rural Style

Chapter 146

While Li Xiaonuan was recuperating, Xiao Yang had already cleared all the wasteland with his men. She then had Xiao Gang plant chili peppers on all of it. Although it was undeveloped land, chili peppers weren't particularly demanding in terms of location.

Li Xiaonuan had Xiaoyang lead people to cultivate the land several times, and then turned over and dried the soil several times. As for the seedbed for the chili peppers, it was a good piece of land that Zhou Liufeng himself contributed.

That piece of land was originally planted with something. In order to enable the villagers to plant chili peppers as soon as possible, Zhou Liufeng paid to buy the soybeans that had just started to form seeds on those three acres of land. Then, he ruthlessly pulled up all the soybean stalks.

Of course, he had asked Granny Yu to hire someone to do all of that. When Li Xiaonuan learned that Zhou Liufeng had harvested three acres of edamame, she was heartbroken. Finally, she gave Zhou Liufeng an idea: sell spicy braised edamame.

As for the spices used in the braised edamame, Li Xiaonuan kindly provided them. Three mu of soybeans—that's a considerable amount. Furthermore, there was no precedent for eating edamame this way. Therefore, everyone strongly disagreed with Li Xiaonuan's idea of ​​selling edamame.

But if they didn't sell them, the whole village couldn't possibly eat that much. To avoid wasting the perfectly good beans, Zhou Liufeng finally listened to Li Xiaonuan. He had some edamame picked and made a large pot of them.

Li Xiaonuan suggested that Zhou Liufeng try selling the edamame at a restaurant or eatery in the city. However, Zhou Liufeng insisted that the villagers try it first. The result was predictable: Aside from a very few people who couldn't handle the spiciness and had no interest, most people found the spicy edamame quite delicious.

Because Zhou Liufeng was still injured, he couldn't go into town to promote the edamame himself. Therefore, Li Xiaonuan specially asked the Xiaoyang brothers to help him promote it at the Yingkelai Restaurant.

The innkeeper, who had originally been very fond of the two brothers, easily arranged the deal. On the first day of sales, Li Xiaonuan offered free samples to increase brand awareness. However, the feedback from those who tried the products was lukewarm.

Knowing that people need time to accept new flavors, Li Xiaonuan wasn't worried. She instructed Zhou Liufeng to supply small quantities each day, fearing that once spicy food became fashionable, even the three acres of edamame wouldn't be enough to sell.

Later, Wei Yu took the initiative to come to her door, saying that he felt at home and was willing to sell edamame on her behalf. Li Xiaonuan was initially unwilling, but she didn't have many dried chilies left. As a condition for the sale, Li Xiaonuan agreed.

However, Li Xiaonuan asked Wei Yu to introduce chili peppers along with the edamame. That way, they could both get rid of the edamame and advertise for the soon-to-be-released chili peppers. Wei Yu agreed without hesitation.

And so, Li Xiaonuan successfully used edamame to promote the new ingredient, chili peppers. After edamame became a staple at banquets, the entire city knew about this irresistible foreign condiment—chili peppers.

This outcome was completely unexpected by everyone in Zhoucun. Many families who had originally given up on planting regretted it and tried to persuade Li Xiaonuan to give them the opportunity to plant. However, Li Xiaonuan refused, after all, she had made it clear that she couldn't go back on her word.

Chili peppers are something that people who love them are almost addicted to, finding them tasteless without them. Those who don't like them, while no longer rejecting them, still don't enjoy them. Fortunately, the vast majority of people do love them.

Of course, Wei Yu put in a lot of effort in promoting the chili peppers. After all, Li Xiaonuan couldn't get that many chili peppers on her own. Through helping Li Xiaonuan buy chili peppers, Wei Yu finally reached a cooperation agreement with her on the planting and promotion of the new crop.

In other words, whenever Wei Yu obtains new crops that are beneficial to people's livelihoods, Li Xiaonuan will help him plant and promote them. However, this means that Li Xiaonuan is now involved with Wei Yu again.

In the golden autumn of August, the planted chili peppers formed a unique landscape throughout Zhoucun. Because it was a new variety, the few households that managed to plant it early built fences to protect their peppers from damage.

The vibrant green chili seedlings, basking in the autumn sun, looked exceptionally energetic. Li Xiaonuan strolled along her family's barren land, admiring the thriving chili seedlings, and said to her father, who had accompanied her:

"Dad, look! There are flowers over there. We'll be able to eat fresh chili peppers soon!"

Following the direction Li Xiaonuan pointed, Li's father looked and indeed saw tiny white flowers blooming among the chili leaves. He breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Finally, we see flowers. Otherwise, if we planted so many chilies and had no harvest at all, our family would be blamed to death by the villagers."

"Dad, don't worry, we're sure to get a good harvest of chilies. I just don't know if they're all the same variety," Li Xiaonuan said nonchalantly.

Father Li squatted down, pulled off a few weeds, looked at the thriving chili pepper field, and said with anticipation, "After we sell this batch of chili peppers, we'll have the money to buy more land."

Li Xiaonuan chuckled: "Dad, how much land do you want to buy?"

Father Li looked at the land beneath his feet and said, "Just like that big estate you mentioned before, I want to buy that much land. That way, our descendants won't end up like us, unable to even have a full meal."

Li Xiaonuan knew what her father was thinking. He just felt that he was the one who had caused his family to go hungry, and he regretted it.

"Dad, are you really planning to arrange a marriage for Xiaoyang? Xiaoyang has only been studying for a short time and hasn't even taken the preliminary examination yet. Why don't you wait a couple of years before arranging a marriage for him?" Li Xiaonuan quickly changed the subject.

Father Li gave Li Xiaonuan a deep look and said, "It's not that we're in such a hurry to arrange a marriage for Xiaoyang. It's all because of you. Tell me, what exactly are you trying to do now?"

Seeing her father's unhappy expression, Li Xiaonuan quickly tried to appease him: "Dad, I still have a lot of things to do, so I'm not in a hurry. Besides, you all know my reputation, what kind of good family can I marry into? It's better to wait until our family's life is better, and then you can prepare a good dowry for me. Maybe then a good family will be willing to marry me."

After thinking for a moment, Li's father sighed and said, "Xiao Nuan, tell me, why doesn't Liu Fei meet your standards?"

So this is where Father Li was waiting for her.

“Dad, Brother Liu Fei is good in every way. But I can’t agree to marry him. At least not now. Think about it, Brother Liu Fei has only been back for a short time, and you’re already in a hurry to marry me, a daughter who has been rejected twice, to him. Wouldn’t people think our family is bullying an orphan?” Li Xiaonuan explained.

Father Li knew he had been too hasty. But wasn't it because Li Xiaonuan was getting older? In a few days, around the Mid-Autumn Festival, Li Xiaonuan would turn twenty. As parents, how could they not be anxious?

Li Xiaonuan knew her parents' thoughts, of course. But she really didn't want to get married right now. She still wanted to do more for her family. At the very least, the manor had to be built. Besides, she sensed something ominous about Zhou Liufeng.

For example, the last time by the pool, when Li Xiaonuan passed by Zhou Liufeng, the stiffness he showed and the intense murderous aura he exuded... Li Xiaonuan believed her sixth sense was very accurate. Therefore, there must be something unknown troubling Zhou Liufeng.

Before figuring out what happened, Li Xiaonuan believed that Zhou Liufeng was absolutely dangerous and should be avoided. Aside from that incident, Li Xiaonuan felt that Zhou Liufeng was indeed a good man. If she had to marry someone in this life, then Zhou Liufeng would undoubtedly be the best choice.