Time flies! In the blink of an eye, three years have passed, and it feels like just a moment before winter arrived in 1953. The dragon and phoenix twins, now first-graders at the valley's primary school, have finally gotten their hands on their dream backpacks.
Everything in the valley is going smoothly, radiating a scene of prosperity everywhere. The spirit of the people in the valley has also undergone a tremendous transformation. A positive atmosphere of everyone striving for excellence and loving to learn has taken root.
Of course, the collective assets of the valley have also increased significantly. As of now, there are sixty-eight adult pigs, seventeen piglets, and three pregnant sows. Pork can now largely meet the valley's self-sufficiency needs with a surplus.
Thanks to the years of meticulous care by Grandpa Zhou and his comrade Xu Mingxuan, the angora goats have now grown into a large flock of thirty-five bucks, fifty-eight does, and thirteen kids. To this end, a wool textile workshop, referred to as the "Textile Cooperative," has been specifically established in the valley. The Textile Cooperative has already produced wool blankets and yarn. The manager of the Textile Cooperative is Auntie Zhou.
The breeding of wild rabbits has been even more remarkable. In three years, three rabbit breeding bases have been built, and the number of rabbits raised in the valley can now be described as an overwhelming flood. The valley slaughters rabbits in large quantities several times a month, making the people of the valley turn pale at the sight of a rabbit.
Finally, with no other recourse and adhering to the principle of not wasting resources, Chen Lan had no choice but to establish a meat processing cooperative in the valley. She ordered and purchased a complete set of the most advanced cooked food processing machinery from modern times through the system, specifically for making various cooked food products such as cold-eaten rabbit, spicy rabbit heads, and spicy hand-shredded rabbit. Comrade Sun Xiaomei, of course, serves as the manager of the cooked food processing cooperative.
It is worth mentioning that Xu Mingxuan's comrades have successfully domesticated wild chickens in the valley. The scale of wild chicken farming is now considerable. The current farm has five hundred and seventy-six hens, though only one hundred and sixty-six roosters, which is a result of artificial control. This year's hatched chicks also number three hundred and thirty-eight. The valley can now achieve complete self-sufficiency in eggs with a significant surplus. Sudana novel network.
Thus, a pastry production cooperative was born. The manager of the pastry cooperative is Chen Daxing's mother, Auntie Chen. As Auntie Chen is illiterate, and with the unanimous agreement of everyone in the valley, a deputy manager was specifically appointed for the pastry cooperative, with Liu Man'er, Zhao Tie's wife, serving as the deputy manager.
This led to some discontent in the valley, and someone asked, "There are so many people in the valley, and more than just Liu Man'er are skilled at making pastries. Why was she chosen and not others?"
The mother-in-law loudly explained to everyone, "Because Liu Man'er's ancestors had someone who was an apprentice in the imperial kitchen. Many imperial pastry recipes have been passed down to her. I have one question for you all: do you want to taste what kind of delicacies the emperor used to eat in the palace?"
The outcome needs no further explanation. Liu Man'er successfully took office. And indeed, Liu Man'er, based on the old recipes passed down from her ancestors and those she mastered herself, combined with Auntie Zhou's family's old recipes, and further improved with the existing raw materials in the valley, made pastries that were truly delicious and beautiful.
Take for instance the melon seed pine nut cakes. The layered crispy pastry is made with Liu Man'er's family's exclusive secret recipe. The filling, though it contains pine nuts, walnuts, melon seeds, and rock sugar, is much softer and more delicate than ordinary five-nut filling.
There are also bean paste rolls, as beautiful as fine mutton fat jade. When eaten, they are cool and smooth on the palate, with the sweetness of hawthorn and the fragrance of sesame, not overly sweet. My mother and Jiahui at home are particularly fond of this pastry.
And the pea cake, which Chen Lan particularly enjoys. This pea cake, jointly researched and made by Liu Man'er and Auntie Zhou, is topped with a full layer of dried persimmon strips. In the middle, it's mixed with sour and sweet blueberry fruit from Changbai Mountain. The most exquisite part is that some pea kernels are retained in the pea cake to enhance its texture and aroma.
When everyone tasted these beautiful and delicious pastries, they were finally convinced.
Chen Lan finally breathed a sigh of relief. She had truly fulfilled her promise to everyone. Now, every household in the valley has new houses to live in, everyone has new clothes to wear, children have schools to attend, and the sick have doctors to treat them. It can be said that she has truly led everyone to achieve abundance and has taken the first step towards the goal of building a moderately prosperous society.
There has been no concrete news from Xu Mingxuan's side. Other than delivering grain to the designated location at the end of each year's harvest as agreed, the valley has received no information about Xu Mingxuan, Battalion Commander Zheng, or Er Zhuang.
Recently, the mother-in-law has also become restless, often mentioning them involuntarily. Sun Xiaomei, Auntie Sun, and Er Zhuang's parents have also asked Chen Lan multiple times: "The war has been going on for several years, why is there no news from those who went to the battlefield?"
When asked repeatedly, Chen Lan had no other recourse but to comfort everyone.
Chen Lan also pondered inwardly. According to her memories from her previous life, this war to defend the country ended in July 1957, with the signing of an armistice agreement at Panmunjom, marking the victorious end of this patriotic war.
Logically, Xu Mingxuan and the others should have returned to the country by now. Why is there still no news? Could something have really happened to them on the battlefield? It shouldn't be. The young soldier who came to the valley during the harvest season to notify them about sending grain also brought news that their political commissar was doing well.
Amidst the mother-in-law's incessant chatter and Chen Lan's endless perplexity, the valley ushered in the busy spring planting season of 1954. Now, spring planting and autumn harvest generally no longer require Chen Lan to worry about anything.
The young wives and young women in the valley have all grown up and can be considered skilled farmers. They have now become a new generation of agricultural workers with education.
During the busy farming season, they are agricultural workers, and during the off-season, they are skilled workers in various production cooperatives. Moreover, they still spend nearly two months each year with Chen Lan collecting mountain goods.
Chen Lan now only needs to grasp the overall direction of the valley's progress and provide excellent seeds for the valley's agricultural development.
As the old saying goes, "People are born to be talked about!"
And sure enough, on a mountain path not far away, a few figures are limping towards the valley.