Transmigrated as a Stepmother: Time to Bring the Family to Prosper!-Chapter 219 - 218: Killer Melon

Anticipating that the family might add more livestock in the future, the livestock shelter being renovated this time was built on the slope near the latrine, far from the main house, to prevent any odors from affecting daily life.

The entire livestock shelter is made of wood, and it’s one and a half stories.

The first floor is a complete space, while the second floor is a half-roof space for storing fodder.

The top is covered with thatch, held down with bamboo poles removed from the old stable, sturdy enough not to worry about being blown away by normal winds.

The bamboo from the old stable that can’t be reused is directly used as firewood, nothing goes to waste.

Within the large overall space of the livestock shelter, half-walls made of stone were used to ensure cows and horses have their own spaces.

Additionally, according to Qin Yao’s request, Uncle Jiu, taking advantage of the slope, built a meter-high vaulted space under the livestock shelter, with a stone wall enclosing it. The excrement of the cattle and horses can fall directly down, preventing it from being mixed with where they lie and facilitating everyday use of manure as fertilizer.

This kind of livestock shelter, when placed in the Liu Family Village, could even be considered luxurious.

Villagers who came to observe couldn’t help but exclaim after seeing the residence for the cows and horses, "It’s better than where people live."

"Isn’t it?" Liu Dafu chimed in from the side.

But after all the villagers left, he silently moved next to Qin Yao and asked if there were any benefits to all this trouble for the livestock shelter.

Qin Yao explained, "This way, it’s cleaner and can effectively reduce the probability of the cattle and horses getting sick, and it’s also convenient for storing manure."

"They won’t get sick?" Liu Dafu was a bit skeptical.

Qin Yao reiterated, "I said it reduces illness, not that it’s a hundred percent disease-free."

"Look at the excrement and urine, if they get on the body, they attract a lot of mosquitoes, which themselves carry diseases and can indirectly infect the cattle and horses."

"Now, by channeling this waste into the pit below, the mosquitoes on the cattle and horses are reduced, and it also makes cleaning the livestock shelter easier; a few buckets of water can wash it clean."

Having said all she could, Qin Yao earnestly told the slightly tempted Liu Dafu:

"The trouble is now, the labor-saving is long-term. Your family has this condition, so I recommend you renovate a livestock shelter like this."

Having said that, she went into the yard to get busy.

She also needed to help move things, pass some tiles, and so on.

This time, only one house was being built, so it was just her, Uncle Jiu, and the brothers Liu Bai and Liu Zhong, a total of four people working on it.

With fewer people, there are benefits; Qin Yao didn’t need to cook, as He directly took the meat she bought back to the old house, prepared it, and let them come over for a meal at noon, saving the good meat from being ruined by Qin Yao’s cooking.

The extra meat juices and such could be dipped in bread for the children at home to have a taste of meat.

Qin Yao’s family took five pounds of fatty pork belly, advising the big sister-in-law not to be so frugal, to make more for the children.

Unfortunately, she wouldn’t listen, rendering down the fat for oil and salting the lean meat to eat it little by little.

However, everyone in the old house felt there was nothing wrong with He doing this and was quite happy since they could have meat for a long time.

Especially during this busy farming season, having meat to replenish the body gave much more strength for work.

The other families in the village were even more frugal, fearing a famine this year, they only ate one meal a day when there wasn’t work to be done.

Qin Yao had a big appetite, and only went to the old house for lunch on the first day of construction, thereafter always eating at home.

Because when it comes to food, she couldn’t economize at all!

It took ten days to complete the new warehouse, and according to Uncle Jiu, it would be ready to move into after airing out for half a month.

This warehouse was built at the northeast corner of the backyard, a standalone house, very spacious, about one and a half times the size of Qin Yao’s bedroom, over thirty square meters.

Not to mention using it as a granary: with a bullock cart and horse cart, there was still plenty of space left over.

Moreover, the ceiling height was high, and the second floor had a small loft for storing infrequently used farming tools.

As a result, the utility room behind the original kitchen no longer had to be crammed full and could store durable fruits and vegetables.

Speaking of fruits and vegetables, Qin Yao also wanted to dig another cellar.

Unfortunately, Uncle Jiu wasn’t handy with underground work, and a cellar couldn’t just be dug without considering the geology, otherwise it might collapse and be a waste.

Qin Yao had to temporarily put the cellar on hold and happily got busy tidying up the new warehouse.

The freshly aired warehouse still had moisture, so Qin Yao, learning from a remedy given by Mrs. Zhang, sprinkled rice bran in the corners to absorb moisture, and used stones to raise a platform before moving the ten thousand pounds of grain over.

Now the entire family’s bedrooms could return to their original neatness, making both adults and children happy.

Looking at the increasingly comfortable home, Qin Yao felt a spontaneous sense of satisfaction.

Especially after the original animal shed by the back door was removed, the air in the entire yard became fresh, making it very relaxing to take a deep, oxygen-rich breath in the morning.

After the home construction was complete, it quickly came to mid-April, the time for the second transplanting of rice shoots.

Last time she went into town, Qin Yao specifically instructed, so Liu Ji did not dare defy her and came back home just as the rice transplanting was needed.

However, he had only been away for just over a month, and how had everything changed?

Wait, that was not the point.

The point was: they built a new house, so why hadn’t they expanded his small room as well!

With a gloomy face, Liu Ji walked through all the rooms in the house, and returned to his small room, realizing it was the smallest and dimmest.

Feeling upset, angry, and even wanting to go mad!

Qin Yao handed him a Divine Power Book Box, and Liu Ji’s escalating anger quickly subsided, his wounded heart greatly comforted.

The new book box gave him endless possibilities, made from untreated timber, highlighting an eco-friendly, non-toxic approach.

Qin Yao jokingly called it, "Don’t you want something more eye-catching than Fan Xiucai’s? This allows you to do just that."

She wasn’t being sarcastic, and seriously added, "If you need paint, you can go to the factory and find Liu the carpenter; I’ve already informed him, and the cost of the paint will be on my tab."

Qin Yao winked at him: consider it a reward for studying diligently during this time.

As he met her sincere eyes, Liu Ji’s heart skipped a beat, and he felt a bit touched—how could this be?

During the second transplanting of rice shoots, Liu Ji worked exceptionally hard, convinced he would disappoint his "villainous wife" otherwise!

Qin Yao, turning away, smiled subtly, having played her hand perfectly.

This year, they only had to plant eight acres of rice; with six members of Qin Yao’s family working together, they finished in two and a half days.

With two spare acres, Qin Yao wanted to plant watermelons.

Afraid that the children wouldn’t be careful and damage her painstakingly cultivated seedlings, Qin Yao only called Liu Ji, and the couple together planted the remaining two acres of dry land.

After finishing, Liu Ji suddenly remembered to ask, "Wife, what exactly are you planting?"

Qin Yao replied, "Watermelons."

Liu Ji scratched his head, "What kind of melon is a watermelon?"

"It’s an edible melon." Qin Yao replied impatiently.

Liu Ji continued to question, "Pumpkins and winter melons are edible, too. What’s different about watermelons?"

Qin Yao responded, "Its flesh is red."

Liu Ji was shocked, "Red? Isn’t that a killer melon?"

Qin Yao nodded gravely: "Yes, and very sandy!"

Liu Ji’s pupils shook. Was she joking?

She must be, right?

Right!!!