Cucumber was originally also called Hu Gua. Like many other fruits and vegetables with the character "Hu Gua", cucumber was not native to the Central Plains. This was the Hu seed brought back by Zhang Qian on a mission to the Western Regions during the Western Han Dynasty, so it was called Hu Gua.

The fruits and vegetables of the Hu-like character series of courgettes, carrots, eggplants, peppers, walnuts, beans, garlic, coriander, etc. were basically introduced to the Central Plains from the Western Regions during the Han Dynasty, and there were watermelons, pomegranates, alfalfa, grapes, etc.

When cucumber was first introduced into the Central Plains, it was called Hu Gua. However, when the Five Barbarians invaded China, Emperor Shi Le of the Later Zhao Emperor was afraid of the word Hu, so Fan Tan, the Han minister of Xiangguo County, changed Hu Gua to cucumber, and has been used to this day.

By the time of the Tang Dynasty, cucumbers were considered ordinary vegetables, both vegetables and fruits. However, this is a crop in the summer season and is all on the market in summer. Only the royal palace and some wealthy families would use greenhouses to grow some green vegetables in winter.

It is not easy to grow some fruits and vegetables in the greenhouse in winter. It is not cheap to eat a fresh cucumber.

Li Xiao looked at the rows of cucumber shelves on the spiritual soil of his space, and a way to make money came to his mind.

Off-season vegetables are also very popular in later generations. When the seasonal fruits and vegetables are on the market off-season, they can be sold at several times or even ten times the price. Although the planting cost is high, the profit is also high.

The situation of the Li family is very embarrassing. The ancestral home, shops, land and money have been taken away by the Zhang family. When Li Xiaogang came back, he could not fight the Zhang family rashly. This must be discussed for a long time. Especially at the moment, the top priority is to settle their group and take good care of Li Zhen, Zhao Wan and others.

The weather is getting colder and colder, and those thatched huts cannot hide from the wind or avoid the cold.

There is no food in the jar and no cotton on the bed. How can I survive this cold winter month?

Although Lanqiao Township is located in the Qinling Mountains and is a small place, it is one of the important roads to enter and exit Guanzhong, so there are many people passing by, and many passers-by are officials, businessmen, and towns are small, but their consumption capacity is not low.

If it is in an ordinary mountain village, even if there are cucumbers, it will be difficult to sell them, and there is a product but no market. But here, Li Xiao believes that he can make his first pot of gold.

Reach out and pick a cucumber from the turquoise vine leaves.

The green cucumber is like jade. It is better to say that cucumbers are small cucumbers. The newly picked cucumbers are green and have small spikes, and one end is covered with yellow flowers.

The top flowers are covered with thorns, and the tender ones are about to come out of water. If the cucumber is sold for sale, the appearance is absolutely attractive.

Li Xiao walked to the Lingquan side of the Lingquan and watered the cucumbers. In the cold winter, the water in Lingquan was not cold, but it felt a little warm.

It's strange that this mysterious space has no sun or even wind, and it can't even see a bee. However, after Li Xiao took cucumber seeds from outside and planted them last time, it grew surprisingly well. He could even clearly remember that this cucumber was actually planted by him more than half a month ago.

Under normal circumstances, ordinary cucumbers will take at least three months to produce fruit and ripen, but Li Xiao’s cucumbers have only been planted for less than a month and can already pick the first batch of melons.

After washing the water a few times, I wiped the palm of my hand and wiped it away.

After weighing it in his hand, Li Xiao estimated that the cucumber would be about one pound.

The slender cucumber looks very good. It is picked up and sent to the mouth to take a bite. It is very crisp.

Sweet entrance.

Usually, this kind of cucumber is only a few taels per piece, and it is not that delicious if it is bigger. However, most of the cucumbers in Li Xiao are weighing about one pound, but they are still so tender and crispy, which is really surprising.

He looked at the clear spiritual spring and then at the spiritual soil under his feet. He estimated that this was related to the special water and soil in the space.

He planted half of cucumbers in this space of about ten square meters and had 300 cucumber seedlings. Now he has set up a shelf and the first fruit is ripe.

Each of these cucumbers has seven or eight cucumbers. The first crop can be picked, and the first one that grows below is ripe. Each crop is about three or four seedlings. In this crop, there must be thousands of cucumbers.

Each piece weighs about one pound, which is at least a thousand pounds of cucumber.

Judging from the growth, these two cucumbers can be picked again in just a few days. According to Li Xiao’s understanding of cucumbers, an ordinary cucumber seedling can be picked twenty or thirty in a season, and these 300 cucumbers can be harvested for five or six thousand kilograms.

The good yield per mu of cucumber planting reaches 40,000 to 50,000 kilograms, and one mu can plant more than 4,000 kilograms, each pill can produce about ten kilograms. But Li Xiao estimated that his cucumber has the effect of spiritual earth and spiritual spring, and each pill can produce twenty or thirty kilograms, and the yield per mu exceeds ten thousand kilograms.

Of course, the space here is limited, and the entire plant is only about ten square meters in size.

After picking a few more cucumbers, Li Xiao thought silently and went out, and then appeared again in the pine forest.

Holding a few fresh cucumbers, the air conditioner outside rushed over, causing Li Xiao, who was still in an extremely comfortable space, to fight a cold war.

It's still comfortable in the space.

Facing the wind, Li Xiao walked towards the village under the hillside.

The cold wind whistles and the mountains and fields are bleak.

The little village is still so simple. Doctor Zhao has arranged for Guo Biao and more than a dozen people to live in each house. Although the little village only has a few families and only a few simple thatched huts, everyone is still very enthusiastic about the young owner Li Xiao who came back and is very polite to the people he brought back.

There are a few thatched huts arranged in each thatched hut. As long as everyone doesn’t dislike it, there will be a crowd of people in the room.

Although the house is broken, fortunately it is at the foot of the mountain, and there is no shortage of firewood and firewood. The farmers are reluctant to burn charcoal, but firewood can burn very well.

Some tree stumps and other miscellaneous wood that cannot be sold for money are built on the fire pit in the house, and the red charcoal also brings some warmth.

When he approached the entrance of the village, Zhao Wan was already standing there waiting.

Her clothes were thin and her mouth and nose were red.

When he saw Li Xiao coming back, he showed a happy face.

"Where have you been?"

She seemed worried that her husband would never return again, and she was afraid that everything that had just happened was just a dream.

Li Xiao picked up a cucumber and gave it to her, "Show good things to you."

"cucumber?"

Zhao Wan took the cucumber handed over by her husband in surprise, and her face was full of disbelief. This cucumber was very long, especially very fresh, and it was heavy, but it was still full of flowers and thorns, and each one had to be about one pound.

"Where did this come from?"

Where did it come from? This is a question.

Li Xiao thought for a while and said, "This was bought from a merchant on the way back. I saw that there were such good cucumbers this season, so I thought I could buy some and sell them again and make money."

Zhao Wan was not unaware of it. She looked at the cucumber in her hand and nodded.

"I heard that there are greenhouses in Chang'an City, and green vegetables are grown in winter, but I didn't expect there are them in the east. But just these few cucumbers can't be sold for much money."

Li Xiao smiled.

"More than these, I bought a thousand pounds. I used these to compensate you for freshness. Let's go, I'll make a cucumber for you later."

The cucumbers were still not made.

Because Wanniang's kitchen is very simple, she has a pot of clay pot, a few wooden bowls, and a few pairs of bamboo chopsticks, and then nothing else.

Not to mention seasonings, there was not even oil. There was only a small salt tank with about one or two taels of salt inside. It was not white salt, but the coarse and black salt grains. Li Xiao even doubted whether it was salt.

There is no soy sauce or vinegar, let alone other seasonings.

Cucumbers are used as a home-cooked cold dish. They can be eaten all year round and are also convenient to make.

Li Xiao used to make cucumbers, which were simple and convenient to make, but delicious, and also had the effect of appetizing and removing fire.

A cucumber, a little coriander and a little cooking wine, a little aged vinegar, soy sauce, some garlic and chili, and then some sesame oil. The ingredients are simple and the method is not difficult. Smash the cucumbers, cut them into pieces, and then add various seasonings to cold.

But Wanniang has nothing here. Although she has cucumbers, she can’t make cucumbers. At least she has jealousy!

There is no vinegar, so I can't make this cucumber.

Finally, Li Xiao simply sliced ​​the cucumber simply and regarded it as a cucumber fruit plate.

"Everyone compensates, this is a small cucumber in winter, which is very rare."

Dr. Zhao picked up a piece of cucumber and tasted it.

"Well, it's not bad, crisp and refreshing. I didn't expect that there are such crisp cucumbers in this season, even more delicious, refreshing, crisp and sweet than the cucumbers in summer!"

Zhao Wan tasted quite gentle. She was embarrassed to eat in front of so many people, but she couldn't resist Li Xiao's persuasion, so she picked up a chopstick and sent it to her mouth. She didn't forget to raise her cuffs to cover her mouth and ate it in a small mouthful.

Seeing her eyebrows raised and her eyes were smiling, Li Xiao also smiled.

Li Zhen was also very delicate when eating, but she was not so shy in front of her brother. She praised her after eating a slice.

The small house was full of people.

Everyone, I will pick up cucumbers and eat them.

I have praised all the things I have eaten. It seems that on this cold winter day, eating a crispy and sweet cucumber by the stove is the supreme delicacy.

"Uncle Zhao, do you think this cucumber will be sold on Lanxi Street. Will anyone buy it? Can it be sold for money?" Li Xiao asked.

Dr. Zhao stroked his goatee's beard and said, "The cucumber is sold for sale, and there must be someone who will buy it, but I suggest it is best to send it to a restaurant. In fact, if you have a horse, if you are willing to go there, you can definitely sell it to a restaurant in Chang'an. It will definitely be sold for a good price."

It is 40 miles from Lantian County, and only 80 miles from Chang'an. There are no horses, so it is quite far away for a round trip, but if there are horses, you can go back and forth in one day.

"Uncle Zhao, I think so too. If this cucumber is sold to ordinary people, it will be too high for everyone to buy it, and it will not be cost-effective if it is low for the price. So it is better to sell it to restaurants and wealthy families. I have about a thousand pounds of cucumbers on my hand. Uncle Zhao thought how much is a pound per pound?"

Zhao Bo stroked his beard, "I see that these cucumbers are about the same size, each of which has about one pound. They should not be sold by weight or resale by weight. They should be sold by the root, not by cucumber. If you change the name, it is called Jasper Cucumber, each of which costs two cents."
Chapter completed!