The breakfast made of tofu dregs, as expected, was met with widespread acclaim. Even Chen Lan's mother-in-law, who usually ate only seven or eight parts full, had an extra bowl of tofu dregs stewed with meat. Of course, the bowl was mostly tofu dregs, which had absorbed the fragrance of the meat and, combined with their own natural flavor, was indescribably delicious.
Chen Lan also had an extra bowl, let alone the others. Ming Zhe, Wen Kai, and Wen Qi were stuffed to the brim.
Hutou and Xiaoshitou each had a small bowl of tofu dregs stewed with meat and a piece of tofu dreg cake. Finally, their mother, fearing they would overeat, stopped them from having more.
Even for the dragon and phoenix twins, Chen Lan gave half a tofu dreg cake to gnaw on. The two little ones ate with such gusto!
After breakfast, the mother-in-law came to Chen Lan and said, "Xiao Lan, teach Lin Mai and Cui Qiao how to make the tofu dreg cake later."
Chen Lan replied, "Okay! Mother-in-law, I'll go teach them now. Do you need me to teach them how to make the tofu dreg stewed with pork belly too?"
The mother-in-law chuckled and said, "Does that need teaching? It can be seen at a glance how it's made."
Chen Lan was instantly embarrassed. She touched her nose awkwardly and left sheepishly.
The method was explained quickly, and Chen Lan had them each repeat it to confirm the task was done.
Suddenly, a gust of mountain wind blew, and Chen Lan shivered. My heavens, it was already a bit cold in mid-September, even with a padded jacket.
Chen Lan hurried to her mother's side and took Jiuhui, who was being held by Xiao Shan's mother and was happily munching on a tofu dreg cake, from her arms. "Auntie, I'll hold Jiuhui. It's suddenly windy, and I'm afraid the children will catch a cold. I'll take Jiuhui and Jiayao back with me. You and Mother can walk slowly behind." With that, she also took Jiayao from her mother's arms.
Chen Lan hugged Jiuhui and Jiayao, making them face her, hidden in her embrace, and hurried home.
The mother-in-law muttered to herself, "Xiao Lan, when did she get so strong? Those two little ones aren't light."
Chen Lan walked, thinking that it was time to go up the mountain to prepare firewood for winter.
When her mother and Xiao Shan's mother returned and settled the children, Chen Lan immediately went to find Uncle De and Uncle Fu to discuss cutting firewood for winter.
Chen Lan found Uncle De and Uncle Fu, who were about to leave, at the dining area and said, "Uncle De, Uncle Fu, the weather is starting to get colder. We need to hurry and prepare firewood for winter. It will be troublesome if it starts raining, and in September and October in Changbai Mountain, it rains non-stop once it starts, and the colder it gets, the more it rains."
Uncle De agreed, "Yes, yes, we must hurry to prepare the firewood. This is a truly important matter, and we cannot be careless."
Chen Lan asked, "Uncle De, have you finished installing the water and sewage pipes?"
"They were finished a few days ago. Xiang Xi is now digging the septic tank," Uncle De replied.
Chen Lan immediately cautioned upon hearing about the septic tank, "Uncle De, Uncle Fu, please go back and tell Xiang Xi to dig the septic tank deeper. It must be plastered with cement mortar on all sides, and an extra layer of waterproofing should be added."
Seeing Uncle De and Uncle Fu looking puzzled, Chen Lan explained, "This is to prevent sewage from polluting the environment and the water source. We drink groundwater. Is the septic tank far from our well?"
Uncle De smiled and said, "Xiao Lan, you can rest assured about this. Your Uncle Fu and I understand this matter." Uncle Fu also nodded.
Hearing them say this, Chen Lan stopped asking.
Uncle Fu continued, "Xiao Lan, it's estimated that Teacher Zhou will be taking four students back in a few days. Please talk to them and try to persuade them to stay."
Chen Lan nodded after hearing Uncle Fu and said, "Uncle Fu, don't worry, I'll go in a moment. Please trouble yourself to explain the matter of the septic tank to Xiang Xi and the others. This matter is very important."
Watching Uncle Fu walk away, Chen Lan and Uncle De went to find Teacher Zhou. Since their last conversation, they had both been busy with their own affairs and only nodded to each other when they met, without further conversation.
Chen Lan and Uncle De easily found Teacher Zhou and his students, who were adjusting the transformer.
Chen Lan walked over and called out, "Teacher Zhou, do you have some time now?"
Teacher Zhou saw that it was them and, after instructing Chen Liangcai and Zhang Yujie, walked over.
They all nodded to each other as a greeting.
Chen Lan got straight to the point and asked, "Teacher Zhou, I heard you plan to leave for the Imperial Capital in a couple of days?"
Teacher Zhou smiled and said, "Yes! That's the plan. Today we are adjusting the transformer. If it's adjusted well today and the test run is normal tomorrow, we'll prepare to leave together."
Chen Lan quickly asked, "Teacher Zhou, will you be coming back?"
Teacher Zhou burst into laughter and said, "Don't worry, I'm not as foolish as you think. Such a beautiful house and yard have been built for me, how could I not come back?
Besides, my appetite has been spoiled by you all these months. I'm worried I won't get used to it back in the Imperial Capital.
Don't worry, I've also asked Zhao Weiguo and the others for you. They all said they would bring their families. I've also made it clear to them that the people they bring must be decent."
Chen Lan smiled happily, "Good! That's great! Also, Teacher Zhou, please make it clear to them that once they come here, they won't be able to leave easily. They might have to live here for twenty or thirty years before they can leave.
Please make sure they think carefully before deciding to bring people. If they are coming, it's best to bring their wives and parents along, so they won't always be worrying about people and things outside."
Teacher Zhou nodded and whispered, "I understand what you're saying, is it your father-in-law who said it again?"
Chen Lan couldn't keep saying she didn't know when Teacher Zhou asked, so she decided to reveal a little.
She said, "My father-in-law estimates that the next eight or nine years will be relatively peaceful, but there will be locust plagues, floods, and droughts almost every two years, though none of them will be very severe.
Everyone can still manage to eat their fill.
However, it is estimated that after eight or nine years, there will be a major disaster that will last for three or four years. It will be a drought, with crops failing completely, not a blade of grass growing, rivers drying up, and widespread starvation."
Teacher Zhou gasped in shock.
Chen Lan continued, "What I said earlier are natural disasters. For the next decade or so, it will be..."
Chen Lan stopped speaking.
Teacher Zhou nodded and said, "I understand, I will explain it clearly to them, and I will also ask them to keep the secret of the valley. I think they also understand that this is their home too."
Teacher Zhou paused for a moment and continued, "Xiao Lan, you plan to live in this valley for decades. I know that the ancestral homes of your maternal and paternal families are still preserved and were not donated."
Chen Lan told the truth, "Between twenty-seven and thirty years, it will absolutely not be less than twenty-seven years."
Teacher Zhou nodded after hearing this and stopped asking. He turned to leave and went back to work.