Chapter 10: Poor, really poor

  Shen Si thought for a moment, the black lines on her forehead were actually not bad to eat, but peeling off the skin was really troublesome. She added three older brothers, and it was still very hard work. Moreover, what she feared most was peeling this thing, every time she peeled it, her hands would be stained with black for several days, which was really distressing.

  However, she sighed, life is hard now, what else can be eaten besides this? The yield of taro is high and the leaves of the wisteria are also edible. It's really a good choice for planting in dry land with water shortage.

  But this stem and leaf don't have oil, it's really not good to eat! Speaking of which, I miss the lard, sesame oil, salad oil, and chili oil from modern times... Here, all kinds of oil are precious, expensive to the point of heartache. Salt is also one of the most important taxes for the imperial court at this time, so it's extremely expensive. An ordinary family needs to exchange at least thirty eggs for a catty of salt, which shows how expensive it is. Now, salt costs two yuan per catty, and if converted to RMB, it would be at least twenty yuan per catty. Of course, the eggs here are not as precious as those in modern times, and there's no distinction between native chicken eggs and foreign chicken eggs. Villagers who want to exchange money for goods are reluctant to eat eggs, unlike in modern rural areas where people have become wealthy, even if they raise chickens and produce eggs, they still keep them for themselves to eat and don't mind selling a few eggs because their living conditions have improved.

  She washed her hands while glancing at the stems and leaves, it would be great if there were some chili peppers.

  She thought of this and her heart moved slightly. She remembered that there was a chili pepper seasoning in the Food God's Tower, which didn't exist on the market in this era...

  She suddenly felt delighted at this thought.

  If so, she's easy to handle, chili pepper... is a good thing.

  At home, there are only three mu of land left, not even top-grade land, and they can only grow some sweet potatoes and wheat. She's really had enough to eat, heaven knows how much she wants to eat rice, white rice. In modern times, rice is the most ordinary thing, but here it's a luxury...

  Thinking of the black soil fields in her space, she began to plan carefully, with a mix of emotions and excitement that couldn't help but show on her face. Even the thinnest porridge and darkest pancakes became easier to swallow.

  Zhong Gensheng looked her up and down several times, but still didn't dare ask. He knew his daughter was picky and never really liked these things, but he could only provide them. Even if he asked, he wouldn't be able to take back the remaining words, so he simply fell silent.

  He sighed and said: "It's not easy to cultivate three acres of land at home, plus the few acres we rented, the two of us are getting more and more tired..."

  She looked at Da Bao and said: "Da Bao is eleven years old now. In another year or two, he'll be a big help..."

  The couple loves their child, in fact, children of this age in other families are absolutely a labor force during the busy farming season, but the couple can't bear to let the child work, fearing that the child will not eat well and be tired, and worrying that they won't grow tall in the future.

  She looked at the couple, in just eight years, there were already white hairs on their heads, actually they were not even thirty yet. In ancient times, people married early and had children early, but they also worked hard and aged quickly...

  Deep in thought, she felt a pang of sadness. No matter what, she was determined to bring her family a better life, especially the three brothers. They couldn't spend their whole lives with their faces to the ground and their backs to the sky. They had to learn some characters, so that if an opportunity arose, they could live a better life.