Chapter 159: Chapter 159: Another Year of Peach Blossoms Bloom
New Year’s Eve.
Wang Chen was making dumplings at home.
The dumpling wrappers were made from flour processed from Cloud Wheat.
Cloud Wheat only grew on high mountains that were abundant with spiritual energy, yielding a very low production, thus, it was quite expensive.
It was for the New Year’s Eve dinner that he had bought ten pounds in Cloud Dragon City.
Normally, he really couldn’t afford it.
As for the filling, he used top-quality loin from the flower-spotted pig, winter bamboo shoots from his own bamboo grove, yellow mushrooms picked from his orchard, fish and shrimps caught and dried from the creek, and Chinese cabbage, among other things.
Wang Chen prepared three different flavors.
A full big basin.
While he was wrapping the dumplings, Yuanyuan squatted on the desk watching, its eyes brimming with curiosity.
Wang Chen smiled and extended a finger, dipped it in flour, and gently tapped it on its red nose.
Yuanyuan sniffled, “Eep eep~”
The little fellow had recently entered a voice-changing period, its calls were different from before.
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But just as cute.
“Don’t hurry,”
Wang Chen said consolingly, “You’ll be able to eat soon.”
Today, he was about to spend his second New Year since crossing over to this world.
To reward himself for the hard work over the past year, Wang Chen had prepared a lavish New Year’s Eve dinner for himself and Yuanyuan.
Besides dumplings, there were also sauce-braised bone clubs, braised lion’s head meatballs, steamed white creek fish, a three-vegetable medley, charcoal-roasted squab, stir-fried river shrimp with green onions, and more.
He pulled out all the stops, using all his culinary skills.
Yuanyuan was extremely happy.
Because of tonight’s feast, there were several dishes it had never tasted before, eating with its eyes nearly closed in delight.
Its little head buried in the bowl.
So so delicious!
“Don’t rush,”
Wang Chen said as he picked up a bone club for Yuanyuan, “It’s all yours.”
He himself filled a bowl with dumplings and ate slowly, watching the little one wolfing down its food.
He felt nothing but joy and contentment.
After the New Year’s Eve dinner, Wang Chen held Yuanyuan and went up to the roof of their house.
Gazing at the star-filled sky, they saw the old year out.
Yearning for every year to be full of triumph, every age filled with joy, all wishes granted, and every path taken to be smooth!
…
Winter passed and spring returned, the earth revived.
When the old willow by the creek sprouted new leaves, it was time to plant the new rice of spring.
Wang Chen had already purchased the rice seeds from the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall early on.
However, different from before, this spring farming season, he had a capable assistant by his side.
Mu Kui.
This Puppet Mechanism had ushered Wang Chen’s life as a Spiritual Plant Farmer into an era of mechanization on the spot.
It worked tirelessly, without the need for sleep or food, day or night, never complaining or getting tired.
The fifty mu of Spirit Fields were all tilled by Mu Kui.
And it did a much better job than he could have!
Sowing was also completed by Mu Kui, equally fast and efficient.
Wang Chen only needed to perform the Spring Rain Fertilization Technique on all the Spirit Fields once.
And thus, he completed the normally exhausting task of spring sowing.
This allowed him to have more time for cultivation, as well as to go to the creek to catch snails, fish for a treat.
This stream, originating deep in the mountains, was connected to a large river; now and then, river fish would swim upstream and enter Wang Chen’s territory, subsequently enriching his dining table quite naturally.
Steamed, braised, deep-fried, barbecued…
Although Yuanyuan was a Spirit Mouse, it also loved eating fish, capable of devouring three at a time!
When Wang Chen was catching fish,
it would squat on the rocks by the creek bank, calling out cheerfully.
However, this morning, when Wang Chen took the little one to the creek again,
Both father and daughter were stunned.
In the stream, only about ten steps wide and four to five feet deep, swarmed countless white and green fish.
Some of them were even two to three feet long!
You have to understand that small creeks can’t sustain big fish, so these large green fish all obviously came from the big river downstream.
All sizes of river fish and stream fish frantically struggled upstream, many so impatient they leaped from the water, crashing down heavily back into it, splashing sparkling droplets every which way.
Some of the big fish jumped too quickly and carelessly, ending up stranded on the bank.
Splat!
A two-foot-long green fish fell right before Wang Chen, as if destined to land there!
Wang Chen was speechless.
This kind of big green fish has tender and luscious flesh infused with the essence of water spirits, and was considered top-notch food.
He caught some before.
But he had never seen one this big!
And there were even bigger ones in the stream.
Wang Chen reached out to grab the squirming green fish into his hand and threw it into the bucket he had brought.
River fish are best when freshly killed and cooked, and since the Storage Bag can’t contain living things, it was best to carry them home in the bucket.
Yet, looking at his own bucket, and then at the big fish filling the stream…
For the first time, Wang Chen felt that having too many good things to pick up for free was a great worry!
At the same time, he grew incredibly curious.
What was causing these river fish to rush into the creek like mad?
Was this a yearly occurrence, or was there some special circumstance?
Considering the creek was within the boundaries of his own estate, Wang Chen didn’t rush to catch fish, but instead walked upstream along the bank, determined to find out what was going on!
It was when he reached the front of the valley that he began to see the clues.
The source of the creek lay within the valley, and where the mountain stream met the mouth of the valley, it created a drop in elevation. The fish-filled pool below, formed by the churning water, was crammed with green fish.
All of them were desperately vying for the peach blossom petals brought down by the creek’s upper reaches!
Wang Chen suddenly understood.
Peach blossoms bloomed once more this year, suggesting there must be quite a few peach trees further up the valley.
This secluded little valley had never been explored by him before.
So he wasn’t aware of what lay within.
But the strange phenomenon today was enough to spur Wang Chen to investigate.
After all, it wasn’t far from his estate.
If there was any problem that he hadn’t prepared for, it would be easy to be caught off guard.
After some thought, Wang Chen plucked one of the peach blossom petals floating on the surface of the creek.
A faint fragrant scent, carrying traces of light and watery spirit, stealthily infiltrated his nostrils.
Wang Chen finally fully understood.
Why all these big fish were frenziedly scrambling for the peach blossom petals.
The spiritual energy contained in these petals was not the slightest inferior to the yellow millet he grew!
Then he had even more reason to go in and take a look.
From these petals, it could be judged that the peach trees in the valley must be much stronger than the ones in his own orchard.
If he could relocate a few to his place,
the Spirit Peaches they bore, whether for his own consumption or as gifts, would be fantastic!
Most importantly, this territory was unclaimed.
Wang Chen taking them was not considered theft.
After a moment’s thought, he flicked the petal in his hand back into the pool.
But before the petal even touched the water, a large green fish suddenly leaped out and swallowed it with a gulp.
However, before it could fall back into the water, Wang Chen reached out and caught it, tossing it into his own bucket!
This was like the mantis catching the cicada, with the oriole waiting behind.
Wang Chen set the bucket filled with live fish to one side, then proceeded into the valley with Yuanyuan beside him.
In the Inner Sect lands of the Cloud Sun Sect, there were neither wild Monster Races nor Evil Wraiths.
It was very safe.
——-
The first update delivered.