The first person to try something new always has the most opportunities. Zhu Yanyi thought for a moment. She needed to find a chance to remind Zhu Shun Yao.
As if on cue, the opportunity arrived. Zhu Shun Yao picked up a large basket. "I’m going to the fields to cut some jiao cabbage and yellow sprout cabbage."
"Daddy, I’ll go too," Zhu Yanyi said.
"It’s very cold outside. It’s going to snow. Aren’t you afraid of the cold?" Xie Xinlian asked.
"No, my hands are warm. Touch and see," Zhu Yanyi said, holding out her hand. Xie Xinlian touched it. Indeed, it was quite warm. "Then follow your daddy. Be careful of the ice on the ground."
"Okay, I know," Zhu Yanyi said happily. She ran to Zhu Shun Yao’s side and let her hold her hand as they went out.
"Ani, come here. Help Mama watch the fire. I’ll roast rice cakes for you later," Xie Xinlian called to her eldest daughter, who was reading comic books nearby.
"Coming," Zhu Yanli said. She put down her comic book to tend the fire. At ten years old, Zhu Yanli had no trouble managing the fire, let alone roasting rice cakes.
Roasting rice cakes was a way to satisfy children’s cravings here. When the fire had just died down but embers still glowed, they would toss a rice cake into the ashes, covering it with the hot coals. After ten or fifteen minutes, they would take it out. The outside would be black and charred. They would peel off the black layer and eat the soft inside. Mixed with the scent of the wood fire, it had a unique flavor. It was a winter favorite for both Zhu Yanli and Zhu Yanyi.
They could also roast taro or sweet potatoes this way. The method was the same.
Zhu Yanyi walked with Zhu Shun Yao along the narrow path between the fields. She looked at the private plots on both sides. There were hardly any vegetables left. Almost every family grew the same things: jiao cabbage and yellow sprout cabbage. Other vegetables were gone.
Zhu Yanyi asked curiously, "Daddy, why does everyone only grow jiao cabbage and yellow sprout cabbage? Why don’t they grow other things, like celery, green vegetables, or lettuce?"
Zhu Shun Yao smiled. "Actually, everyone wants to grow them, but the season doesn’t allow it."
"Why?" Zhu Yanyi was acting like she had a million questions.
"Because it’s cold. Look at the sky. It’s gray and gloomy. It will snow soon. When it snows in winter, the temperature drops, and things freeze. The vegetables will freeze to death. Look at the trees nearby. They have no leaves. They need to survive the winter. If they kept their leaves, they wouldn’t survive. Vegetables are the same. Luckily, we can still eat jiao cabbage and yellow sprout cabbage," Zhu Shun Yao explained.
Zhu Yanyi tilted her head slightly. "Then why not build a house for the green vegetables?"
"Build a house for the vegetables?" Zhu Shun Yao laughed. She was just a child, speaking like a child.
"Yes. We are warm at home because we have a house. If the vegetables had a house, they would have a home too. They wouldn’t have to worry about freezing outside. Wouldn’t that mean they could live?" Zhu Yanyi tilted her head, looking at Zhu Shun Yao.
Vegetables having a house, not worrying about freezing, meaning they could live. Zhu Shun Yao paused. Her heart skipped a beat. Wasn’t that exactly it? Building a real house wasn’t possible, but they could build sheds for the vegetables. She should try it when she had time. If she could solve this problem, she wouldn’t have to worry about out-of-season vegetables in the future.
Zhu Shun Yao fell into thought. Zhu Yanyi tugged her hand. "Daddy, if we have vegetables, everyone can eat them. It’s like how I can eat green vegetables and bok choy in winter, and other vegetables in summer. I could even eat broad beans in winter. Isn’t that right?"