Chapter 190: The Professional Nanny Rong

After a full day of effort, Yan Yu finally dug two hundred pits that she deemed satisfactory.

Her little helpers had all gone home.

Only she and Nanny Rong remained in the field.

Yan Yu double-checked, “Will they really grow? My dad said they need to be dried and split open.”

Nanny Rong wrote on the ground: “With healthy, plump, and intact embryos, the right temperature, humidity, oxygen levels, and a certain duration of light exposure, the germination rate of the fruit pits will be very high.”

Yan Yu sighed in admiration: See? This is what it means to be a professional.

She handed the fruit pits to Nanny Rong with full trust.

Nanny Rong picked out a few pits that looked no different from the others. Yan Yu knew that these must be the ones that wouldn’t sprout.

Then, Nanny Rong began rubbing each fruit pit between her fingers.

Curious, Yan Yu took one of the processed pits and compared it to an untreated one.

The most obvious difference was in weight and texture—both had changed drastically.

Upon closer inspection, each processed pit had a uniformly long crack along its edge, as if they had all been manufactured on the same production line…

Once all the pits were prepared, Nanny Rong wrote on the ground again: “Are you sure you want to plant them today?”

Yan Yu asked in return, “Is the season not right?”

Nanny Rong nodded and wrote four characters: Late autumn, early winter.

Yan Yu pressed her lips together. “No choice. This batch of seeds, including the saplings, won’t last until then. They have to be planted now.”

Nanny Rong smiled and nodded, indicating that she understood.

Instead of using the pits Yan Yu had dug, she chose a different spot, cleared a small patch, and began her work. With one hand holding a short, thin wooden stick, she carefully poked holes in the ground. With the other hand, she steadily placed the fruit pits into the holes. If a pit’s placement or angle wasn’t to her satisfaction, she adjusted it with the stick before gently covering it with soil. She then picked up small grass twigs and stuck them into the ground beside each pit as markers.

Her watering method was unique, neither pouring nor sprinkling—she sprayed the water…

This truly opened Yan Yu’s eyes.

After lightly moistening the soil surface, Nanny Rong then used a fine, steady stream to evenly water the pits.

A pile of dried leaves and grass was set ablaze. As they burned to ash, she scattered the still-warm plant ashes around the area.

Finally, she dusted off the dirt from her clothes and gave Yan Yu a warm smile.

Watching the entire process, Yan Yu cheered excitedly, “That’s it? It’s all planted? That was so fast! Nanny Rong, you’re amazing!”

Nanny Rong’s smile deepened. She then pulled out a cloth bundle from who-knows-where and handed it to Yan Yu, signaling for her to open it.

Yan Yu tilted her head as she untied the bundle, chattering nonstop. “What is it? Why so mysterious?”

When the cloth was opened, a collection of speckled quail eggs appeared before her.

A familiar aroma wafted up to her nose.

Yan Yu was so happy she almost cried.

“Nanny Rong, you’re too good to me! When did you even marinate these? Boohoo! My hands are wrapped up like a dumpling, I can’t peel them! Never mind, I’ll just wait for my dad to get back and have him do it.”

She spoke while swallowing saliva.

Nanny Rong carefully washed her hands with the remaining water, then picked up a tiny quail egg and skillfully peeled off its shell. A small, tender white egg was gently placed into Yan Yu’s mouth.

Yan Yu ate one after another, bubbling with happiness.

“Nanny Rong, we still have potatoes at home! They’ve already sprouted—let’s plant them too! Oh, and sweet potatoes! The red ones!”

Nanny Rong thought for a moment, then picked up her wooden stick and wrote: “Not many—better to plant them in the courtyard for easy care.”

Yan Yu now fully trusted Nanny Rong’s judgment. The fruit pits were planted, and her dad hadn’t yet brought back the saplings. Since they had some free time, why not plant the potatoes now?

The two of them returned to the homestead, where Yan Yu began explaining her plans for the yard to Nanny Rong.

“We want to level the ground with cement. Do you know what cement is?”

Seeing Nanny Rong nod, Yan Yu continued, “Our house follows the most common ‘gate’ layout. The two central rooms—one will be the main hall, and the other a study. The three rooms on the east side are for my eldest uncle, big brother, and big sister. The three on the west are for my parents and me, with the last one as the kitchen.

“We added heated walls between every room except for the main hall and study. Altogether, six heated walls. Honestly, I think we should add one there too, but Master Lu said that since these two rooms already share a heated wall, there’s no need for more—it would just waste bricks.” Yan Yu pouted, still holding a grudge over that one missing heated wall.

“It’s enough for now, but when my mom gives birth to the new baby, we’ll need more space for storage. I also want to build a pigsty. Oh! And a proper toilet! It can’t be too close, but it also can’t be too far—I don’t want to run across the yard in winter… Ideally, we’d have a drainage system so we could flush, but I don’t have time to figure that out right now. We’ll deal with it later.

“Ah! I forgot to tell my dad and Master Lu—we need to leave space for these things! Otherwise, our house’s foundation is all stone, and remodeling later will be a nightmare.

“Anyway, we’ll definitely need more rooms. I discussed it with my parents, and if we expand, we’ll build more behind the main hall and study.

“So, this will be our courtyard setup: the front yard stays clear—nice and open. The backyard, here and here, we’ll use for growing vegetables.”

Nanny Rong might not have construction skills, but when it came to planning a vegetable garden, she was top-tier.

She wrote on the ground: “Place the garden here—better sunlight.”

Yan Yu thought for a moment and agreed immediately.

“Huh? That looks really familiar… Haha! This is exactly how traditional farmhouses are set up! Well, that makes sense—this must be the most practical layout.”

Pointing to the sketch on the ground, she said, “That’s the spot! Let’s start.”

By we, she really meant Nanny Rong, since her own hands weren’t up for detailed work.

Li Xuemei was under strict supervision and had already completed her work hours for the day.

It was Da Ya who overheard the noise and came over to check.

Seeing Auntie Rong still busy, she hurried over to lend a hand.

Nanny Rong carefully cut the tubers, ensuring each piece had at least one sprouting eye, then dusted them with plant ash.

At last, the Yan family’s homemade fertilizer, stored up for days, finally found its use…

—

Yan Huaiwen and Liang Manshan headed home as night fell, their hearts longing for the warmth of home.

As they neared the village, they spotted the brickwork of the new house standing out prominently in the dusk.

Getting closer, they saw the construction workers sleeping in their clothes, and Yan Huaiwen instinctively softened his steps.

He had assumed that by this hour, his family would have already eaten and that Auntie Rong would have returned to rest.

Which meant Tianyou would have to cook a separate meal just for his late-returning elder brother…

But as he approached, the sight of his home filled him with warmth.