Now there are hardly any people left in Unit One, and with Brother Cai and Old Ma patrolling, safety is guaranteed.
Sister Wu and Granny Li have also become bolder. Now, when they cook, they donāt do it at home anymore but have moved to the corridor downstairs, to avoid smoking up the house.
Yang Mei couldnāt help but laugh and said, "I totally forgot about that. Itās only been two days of peace, and Iām still not used to it."
Sister Wu laughed heartily and said, "We really have to thank Liang Yuan. If he hadnāt killed Liu Erlong, we still wouldnāt dare to go out."
Granny Li looked at Liang Yuan on the balcony, curiously asking, "Xiaoliang, what are you doing?"
Liang Yuan greeted her with a smile and replied, "I found a few seeds. I figured just eating meat isnāt a long-term solution, so Iām seeing if we can grow some vegetables."
Upon hearing this, Sister Wu couldnāt help but laugh and said, "Hey, Liang Yuan, are you wielding a big knife in front of Guan Gong? Growing stuff and you donāt even ask Granny Li? Youāre just fumbling around."
"Hmm? Granny Li?"
Liang Yuan was stunned and looked at Sister Wu.
Wu Qian laughed and said, "Donāt you know? When it comes to gardening, Granny Li is our community expert."
"There used to be an empty lot in the community that Granny Li fixed up. She could grow anythingāfruits and vegetablesāthat turned out better than those sold in the market."
Granny Li also walked over, shaking her head when she saw Liang Yuan directly putting seeds in the soil.
"Xiaoliang, itās obvious youāre an amateur. If you just plant the seeds like that, when do you expect them to sprout?"
"And this soil youāre using clearly lacks nutrients. If you donāt add some fertilizer and turn the soil, it will become compacted. How can anything grow in it?"
"Also, if you want the seeds to sprout quickly, you should soak them in water first. Let them absorb enough water, and once they sprout, plant them. Then theyāll grow faster."
With just these few simple sentences, Liang Yuan was already in complete awe.
He had no clue about growing vegetables.
Let alone him, most young people working in the city donāt understand this stuff.
Only the older generation, even after moving to the city, still think about growing something.
Obviously, Granny Li belonged to this type of elderly lady.
Seeing how proficient she was, Liang Yuan smiled and stood up, saying, "Granny Li, how about this? You help me plant these seeds, and if they grow, Iāll pay you a salary."
Granny Li immediately burst into laughter and said, "Oh, you said it. Haha, this is my specialty."
She turned around and saw the fish guts and blood in the trash can. Her eyes lit up as she asked, "What do you do with these fish intestines and offals?"
Yang Mei curiously replied, "Of course, we throw them away. In this heat, theyād stink up the house."
Granny Li regretfully slapped her thigh and said, "Oh my, you silly girl! This is good stuff."
"Why would you throw them away? Just mix them with the soil, put them in a big bucket, let them ferment properly, and youāll have a bucket of natural green organic fertilizer."
"Huh?"
Yang Mei was momentarily dumbfounded. She was good at housework, but she knew nothing about gardening.
Liang Yuan couldnāt help but admire Granny Liās expertise in planting even more.
The survival rate of these seeds was initially low anyway; the system showed only a 20% survival rate.
If he planted them himself, he might not even succeed in growing a single mutated sunflower.
But letting Granny Li plant them, he estimated there was still hope for one or two to survive.
Liang Yuan immediately decided, "Granny Li, Iāll leave these seeds to you. Iāll also select a room downstairs in Unit One as a greenhouse. Youāll handle all the fertilizing and planting."
"Letās try to grow more vegetables so we wonāt have to survive on meat alone."
"Oh, Xiaoliang, are you serious?"
Granny Liās wrinkled face lit up with joy, full of surprise.
Liang Yuan laughed, "Would I joke about this? We canāt live on just meat; we need vegetables too, otherwise, weāll face issues like scurvy and vitamin deficiency."
"So, we must take this seriously."
Hearing how important this task was, Granny Li immediately thumped her chest, "Xiaoliang, youāre right. Iāll handle this. Iāll find a few people to help out; what do you think?"
"Of course, thatās great. I wonāt let you work for nothing, either. Iāll provide three meals a day for you all," Liang Yuan smiled.
Granny Liās face lit up with joy, "Three meals a day? People outside would break their necks to do this! Xiaoliang, I think two meals a day are enough."
Liang Yuan chuckled, "Three meals. If youāre working for me, you wonāt be mistreated. But let me be clear."
"With the benefits comes responsibility. You have to do the job well, no slacking off, and definitely no stealing produce."
Granny Li solemnly assured, "Donāt worry, anyone who dares do that will answer to me first."
Liang Yuan nodded with a smile, "When Granny Liās in charge, I have no worries. You used to work for the community office."
Granny Li proudly smiled, "Thatās right, and Iām still a party member."
Everyone burst into laughter again.
Liang Yuan immediately proceeded to select a location downstairs.
But Granny Li quickly stopped him.
"If you ask me, we shouldnāt plant in a room. Letās use the rooftop. The room is too small, thereās no light, and watering will be a hassle."
"The rooftop has plenty of space. We can erect a structure and grow everything inside it."
Liang Yuan couldnāt help but laugh, "Granny Li, how long has it been since you went to the rooftop?"
"Uh, why?" Granny Li was puzzled.
Liang Yuan shook his head, "The rooftop is heavily flooded, and during storms, itās impossible to protect against the wind and rain, even with a greenhouse. Itās not practical to plant on the rooftop."