Chen Lan, with the help of the women in the valley, spent three years digging an artificial lake more than a thousand meters long, twelve to fifteen meters deep, and one hundred twenty to two hundred meters wide between two mountains, following the flow of the stream outside the valley.
After several years of water storage, by the spring of 1957, the artificial lake was full of clear water. Although they hadn't captured the clouds and rain of Mount Wu, they had built a serene lake high in the mountains. The lake's water was crystal clear, and the scenery on both banks was picturesque and breathtaking.
During these three years, Xu Mingxuan only returned to the valley once, in the second year, after the spring thaw. His main purpose was to obtain corn and potato seeds. In addition to providing him with high-yield, drought-resistant corn and potato seeds, Chen Lan also prepared him with high-yield, drought-resistant sweet potato seeds.
Since Xu Mingxuan had to carry a lot of items this time, Xiang Dong, Xiang Xi, Er Hu, Xiao Shuan, Xiao Shan, and Lin Mao each carried a basket of food for the journey and used a large sled to help him. Xu Mingxuan also used a large sled himself, carrying a substantial amount of supplies back.
Their round trip took about twenty days. According to Xiang Xi, they followed the tributary and the flow of the Songhua River all the way to Harbin in Heilongjiang Province. Finally, Xu Mingxuan somehow procured an ox cart to transport all the seeds. Once the supplies were delivered, they returned the same way.
During the spring planting in 1957, Chen Lan increased the acreage for corn and potatoes, reclaiming all the arable land in the valley to plant corn, with sweet potatoes grown in the smaller plots.
Fortunately, the weather in 1957 was cooperative, and a bountiful harvest was reaped in the autumn.
However, as winter approached, only a few scattered light snowfalls occurred. Chen Lan thought, "This is it. The drought has begun. It hasn't changed just because I transmigrated. I'm just an ordinary transmigration, unable to alter the trajectory of this world."
Therefore, during the spring planting preparations in 1958, Chen Lan announced the spring planting targets in the main mess hall. Clearing her throat, Chen Lan said with a heavy heart, "Comrades, today we are announcing this year's spring planting targets. This year, we will only plant spring wheat, corn, potatoes, and sweet potatoes. Nothing else."
After speaking, she looked at the murmuring crowd below and continued, "To the aunties responsible for tending the vegetable gardens, please listen carefully. This year, we need to plant more pumpkins, eggplants, and beans that can be dried, as well as napa cabbage, peppers, and tomatoes on a large scale. Tomatoes can be made into tomato paste for preservation."
Then, Chen Lan looked at her mother-in-law and continued, "Mother-in-law, we are not planting soybeans in the valley this year. All the land in the valley will be used for grain cultivation. Please process all the soybeans in the storage room into fermented bean paste and fermented bean curd ahead of time. Make a list of any materials you need and give it to me."
Although her mother-in-law found it strange and puzzling, she nodded repeatedly and agreed, "Alright! I'll discuss it with Aunt Sun later and give you the list before lunch."
After Chen Lan finished speaking, Uncle De and Uncle Fu, along with everyone else in the valley, were very confused. Uncle De quietly asked, "Xiao Lan, aren't we planting rice in the valley this year?"
Chen Lan nodded, her expression serious and earnest. "Yes, we are not planting rice this year. Uncle De, there wasn't any significant snowfall in the valley last winter. I estimate there will definitely be a drought this year, and rice cultivation requires a lot of water. Therefore, we are not planting rice this year."
She then looked at the whispering, anxious faces below and continued, "I don't know what next year will be like. If it doesn't snow again this winter, the water level of the underground river will likely drop considerably, and the water in the artificial lake outside the valley may not last much longer. Therefore, everyone in the valley needs to start conserving water from now on. For the next three years, we will not plant rice in the valley; we will only plant spring wheat, corn, potatoes, and sweet potatoes."
The autumn harvest in 1958 was exceptionally hot. Fortunately, Chen Lan knew in advance that a drought was coming and rainfall would be scarce, so drip irrigation was used for cultivation. Thankfully, the crops did not suffer a yield reduction, and another bountiful harvest was reaped.
The pigs, soil, chickens, and fodder crops like alfalfa also yielded abundant harvests. For this, Chen Lan specifically ordered a feed grinder from the system to promptly crush and bag the dried fodder for storage.
The winter of 1958 saw very little snow, and the weather was dry and cold. Many people in the valley developed internal heat. The dragon-phoenix twins and the two youngest children in the family had sores on their lips from internal heat. Chen Lan herself had a dry, sore throat, so she asked the mother-in-law who managed the storeroom to distribute linden honey and linden flower tea to everyone, instructing them to boil and drink it at home.
Since there was little snow that winter, everyone knew the drought had truly arrived. They agreed to have a simple New Year celebration, without any elaborate preparations, feeling fortunate to have enough to eat and not wanting to waste food.
Chen Lan had initially intended to agree to everyone's suggestion to celebrate the New Year simply. However, seeing the more than a dozen children, both young and old, in her own family and thinking of the children in the valley, who had not had snacks for almost a year due to the austerity measures that had stopped the valley's pastry workshop, she made a decision.
With that thought, Chen Lan clapped her hands and decided to make snacks for the children using sweet potatoes and potatoes. She then sent Wen Kai and Wen Qi to inform the two managers of the pastry workshop, Aunt Chen and Sun Xiaomei, that the workshop would be reopened before the New Year to make New Year's treats for the children in the valley.
The young women and brides in the valley came upon hearing the news, and everyone pitched in to help. Thus, potato chips, sweet potato cakes, potato egg rolls, spicy potato jerky, potato *sha qima*, sweet potato cookies, and potato cookies were created.
The sweet potato cookies were particularly popular, being simple to make and not taking long to bake, with a sweet and soft texture. The potato cookies had a crispy exterior with a slight chewiness, and upon biting into them, the natural potato aroma filled the mouth, interspersed with a hint of spicy black pepper, creating a light and refreshing flavor. Both types of cookies were a great hit with the children.
Chen Lan was surprised that the spicy and satisfying potato jerky, made from leftover rice, flour, and potatoes, was as popular among many people in the valley as it had been in her previous life.