Some children lived especially far away, and their parents were busy with farm work and had no time to look after them, so they brought lunch to school at noon. The children would carry aluminum lunch boxes filled with rice and a little unappetizing-looking food, then squat in the classroom to eat, successfully moving the provincial leaders.
With a grand wave of their hand, the leaders built a cafeteria for the school and allocated meal subsidies—lunch was free for the children.
That was also why many village elementary schools could no longer stay open. Everyone hoped their children would succeed, so they sent them to study in Town or even the city, while Dongyang Elementary School remained bustling with students.
This aunt's surname was Zhu. She worked in the elementary school cafeteria and had married into the same village as Grandma Qiao. Their homes were supposedly quite close, so they got along well.
After hearing her explanation, Xu Han was somewhat surprised. "There's such a thing?"
She only knew the vegetables were fresh, sweet, and delicious. She had no idea they could make children start liking vegetables.
Just what kind of peerless little treasure had she given birth to?
"Yes. I've been cooking for them for years, and this is the first time I've seen it. But your family's vegetables really are tastier than what we buy on the market. Did you grow them yourselves?"
"Yes. We originally grew them for ourselves, and sold whatever we couldn't finish eating."
"But I heard you only came back less than half a month ago. How have you already grown vegetables?"
Xu Han knew everyone would definitely have questions about how quickly her family's vegetables grew, so she had already prepared an explanation.
"To be honest, Aunt Zhu, I studied agricultural cultivation in college, specializing in vegetable growing. So I know how to grow vegetables quickly and well, while keeping them tender and tasty."
"Then don't you use especially large amounts of fertilizer and pesticides? That won't do. They may grow well, but they're unhealthy to eat."
"No, I only use farmyard manure. I don't use any fertilizer or pesticides at all." Xu Han spouted nonsense with a perfectly serious face. "There's actually a lot of science involved in growing vegetables. The amount of farmyard manure used, the intervals between fertilizing, the soil's moisture, acidity, alkalinity, compactness, and the selection of seeds—all of it is closely related to how vegetables grow."
Seeing Aunt Zhu thoroughly stunned by her bluff, Xu Han continued, "Otherwise, why would a college graduate like me come back home to farm? If I grew vegetables in greenhouses in the city, I could grow more and sell them in more places. Here, even if I grow some vegetables, no one will buy them."
Aunt Zhu seemed convinced. Smiling again, she said, "People who've studied really are different from people like us, who only know how to plant blindly."
Xu Han said, "Exactly. And scientific research has proven that the fertilizers people buy are far inferior to our rural farmyard manure. Look at how quickly our vegetables grow and how tasty they are—it's all thanks to the farmyard manure."
"No wonder." The confusion on Aunt Zhu's face cleared. "The ones sold in Town were probably grown on buried fertilizer. They aren't as tasty as yours, so the children don't like them."
At that, Aunt Zhu smiled. "You don't know how clever these children are. They usually hate leafy greens. This was the first time I saw them finish everything and then turn around asking for more greens. At first, I thought it was because I'd stir-fried them well. But the next day, I stir-fried vegetables bought from another family the exact same way, and they didn't want to eat them. That was when I realized your family's were especially delicious."
Xu Han felt very proud when she heard that. After all, it was her bargain son's achievement.
After thinking for a moment, inspiration suddenly struck Xu Han, and she came up with an idea.
Their village only had this one school with a large demand for vegetables. If she could secure the supply of leafy greens, the amount might not be huge, but it would add up to several hundred yuan a month.
That was no small business, and it was far more convenient than taking vegetables to the market to sell.
Thinking of this, Xu Han said, "Aunt Zhu, we've planted a lot of these leafy greens in our garden. We can't possibly finish them all, so could you see whether the school cafeteria needs them? I can supply them."
"Of course." Aunt Zhu slapped her thigh. "The cafeteria's vegetables are all delivered from greenhouses in Town, once a week. Leafy greens simply can't keep that long, and our principal requires every lunch to include greens so the students can have balanced nutrition. It'd be perfect if you could supply us."
Xu Han nodded and said with a smile, "Then it's settled?"
Aunt Zhu was delighted to have resolved a major concern. "Done. Bring them over every morning from now on. If you can't deliver them or can't supply them, tell me a day in advance. We'll settle the payment at the beginning of each month. Is that okay?"
The school was not far from their home—only a ten-minute walk away. Xu Han said, "No problem."
Before Aunt Zhu left, Xu Han thoughtfully gave her a large bundle of vegetables. Aunt Zhu did not stand on ceremony and left with a beaming smile.
The baby bok choy had only been a test crop. Xu Han began cultivating the spinach, lettuce, and other vegetables she had planted as well, so she could supply the school without repeating the same vegetables too often.
This matter greatly encouraged Xu Han and also gave her an idea. Perhaps she could grow even more vegetables and take over the school's entire vegetable supply chain?
She wondered whether Koukou's Spirit Urine would work on out-of-season vegetables.
Grandma Qiao had listened as they went back and forth discussing the vegetable supply. Only after Aunt Zhu left did she ask Xu Han somewhat hesitantly, "Are you planning to stay home for the long term?"
Xu Han nodded. "I've found that home is pretty nice. I'll stay for now."
The local people were simple and honest. If she farmed here with the little villain and made him wholeheartedly become an ordinary person, teaching him properly, then unless Koukou was truly born evil, he would not grow crooked.
Otherwise, just thinking about what he would do in the future—especially pulling out his own biological mother's oxygen tube—made Xu Han, as his mother, tremble in fear.
Besides, she liked this pastoral life of working at sunrise and resting at sunset.
Grandma Qiao nodded thoughtfully and did not ask further.
That day, after coaxing Koukou to sleep, Xu Han went to the field and picked two heads of lettuce, planning to make lettuce wraps for lunch. The moment she opened the courtyard gate, she found someone already waiting inside.
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