During dinner, Chen Lan fed rice cereal to the dragon-phoenix twins while telling everyone about her plan to raise Gaitou cashmere goats in the valley.
Uncle De took a sip of tea and smiled, "Xiao Lan, your idea is truly excellent. The goat meat can be eaten, and the cashmere can be spun into yarn for clothes and bedding. When we go to work in the greenhouses tomorrow, I'll ask your Uncle Zhou and the other old folks when would be a suitable time to go to Gaizhou. We can catch a few pairs to raise!"
Uncle Fu asked with great confusion, "Xiao Lan, why did you suddenly think of raising cashmere goats?"
Chen Lan quickly fed Jia Yao a mouthful as he opened his mouth wide, and explained with a smile, "Isn't it because Brother Xiang Dong and the others are going to pick up Mingxuan's comrades? Firstly, I'm worried that after they come to the valley, they might feel inferior due to their disabilities, worried that they'll feel like a burden and be uncomfortable staying in the valley. Secondly, I'm worried that they'll suddenly have nothing to do and feel stifled. So, I plan to find something for them to do, something that gives them a mental anchor to pass the time, so that time goes by faster. Besides, we'll be raising sheep in pens, so this job is relatively easy and simple. It's also suitable for those with physical limitations and isn't too dirty. Secondly, it gives them common ground to talk about, allowing them to chat and share their lives together daily! This way, they won't become depressed and disheartened. Thirdly, cashmere goats can provide meat to improve everyone's diet. Changbai Mountain doesn't produce cotton, so the goat cashmere can be spun into yarn to make clothes and cashmere blankets for everyone. For us, this is also a source of income. Fourthly, the green grass that cashmere goats eat is abundant throughout our valley, it'll just take some effort to cut it. We can also plant some forage grass, which is incredibly simple to grow. Just sow the seeds in our black soil and it will grow. Besides, our corn stalks and peanut stalks from this year have been used to fertilize the fields, which is a shame! These are good feed for cashmere goats, and their manure is also excellent fertilizer for the fields!"
Everyone nodded in agreement after listening and praised, "Xiao Lan, your reasoning is sound! Your idea is really good!"
Uncle De also said with a smile, "I told you so, Uncle Fu! I've been wondering these past few days. Why haven't they been coming to the greenhouses early every day? It turns out they were feeling stifled at home. I always thought it was because it was warm in the greenhouses, but that's not it!"
Chen Lan wiped the twins' mouths and then spoke to everyone about "The Three Oddities of Northeast China."
Her mother-in-law, mother, Mingwei, Mingzhe, and Wen Kai became even more interested and eagerly asked what it was all about.
Her mother-in-law said, "I only know the Three Treasures of Northeast China: ginseng, mink fur, and ula grass. I don't know what the Three Oddities of Northeast China refer to. Xiao Lan, tell us quickly."
Her mother and younger siblings also looked at Chen Lan with curiosity.
At this moment, Uncle Fu chimed in with a smile, "I know this. When I was in the capital, I met some old timers who had traveled to Guandong. We were drinking and chatting, and they mentioned it. The first oddity of Northeast China is 'Young women holding large tobacco pipes,' which is truly remarkable. It is said that the earliest settlers in Northeast China were mostly Manchu and Mongolian herders! The Manchu and Mongolian people are straightforward and hospitable. They offer dry tobacco to guests. Coupled with the fertile land of Northeast China, which is very suitable for growing tobacco, it's perfectly normal for young women to hold large tobacco pipes in the region."
Uncle Fu paused after speaking, took a sip of tea, and looked at everyone. Seeing that they all looked eager for more, he coughed and cleared his throat, then continued, "The second oddity is 'Raising a child by hanging them,' which means placing the child in a cradle. This makes it easier to lull the child to sleep, and also, because there are many forests and animals in the Northeast, this is done to prevent the child from being bitten by insects and snakes, and to prevent them from being carried away by animals when adults are not around."
After speaking, he took several more sips of tea and continued, "The third oddity is 'Window paper pasted on the outside.' As the name suggests, the window paper is pasted on the outside of the window. Families with good means usually use Korean paper. Before pasting the paper, they mix salt water and ghee into a paste and evenly spread it on the Korean paper, then paste it on the outside of the window. This prevents the Korean paper from falling off after being soaked by rain and also serves to protect against sunlight, cold, and rain."
Mingzhe asked curiously, "Uncle Fu, but why paste the window paper on the outside?"
Uncle Fu was stumped for a moment. He really didn't know how to answer, as he hadn't asked why the window paper was pasted on the outside at the time, and now he truly didn't know.
Uncle De interjected with a smile, "I know this. Because the weather in Northeast China is cold, and the houses are heated with kang beds, the indoor temperature is vastly different from the outdoor temperature. Therefore, frost flowers easily form on the window paper. Due to the cold and heat, the frost flowers can easily wet the window paper, and over time, the window paper can become cracked and fall off. If the window paper is pasted on the outside of the window and then brushed with salt water and oil, it can effectively prevent water damage."
Mingzhe said dismissively, "If the window paper gets damaged, just replace it. Why go through so much trouble?"
His mother-in-law scolded loudly, "You little brat, what do you know? You don't know the price of things until you manage a household! Do you think this is the capital? I heard from some of my sisters-in-law from Heilongjiang and Liaoning provinces that many things here, like salt, iron, and paper, are very scarce. Do you think you can buy them just because you have money?"
Seeing that a fight was about to break out, Chen Lan quickly intervened and asked, "Mother-in-law, we know about ginseng and mink fur from the Three Treasures of Northeast China you mentioned, but what is ula grass? We really don't know. Can you tell us about it?"
Chen Lan's interruption made her mother-in-law stop scolding Mingzhe. Seeing Chen Lan asking, everyone also looked at her curiously, waiting for her to continue.
She then explained, "When they first arrived, I saw them putting a type of grass in their shoes, so I curiously asked about it. They said it was ula grass, which could keep them warm and protect them from the cold. It's a unique treasure of this Northeast region."
After speaking, the mother-in-law paused and looked at everyone. Seeing that they were all craning their necks for more information, she felt very satisfied!
She continued to explain, "As everyone knows, Northeast China is too cold to grow cotton. But how can people survive the winter in such extreme cold without cotton? Many poor families couldn't afford warm clothing like mink fur. So, they would pound the ula grass and put it in their shoes to keep warm. Wearing it would prevent them from feeling too cold and protect their feet from frostbite. They also used ula grass to make grass mattresses and bed pads, which helped keep them warm. Otherwise, how could they get through the winter? Therefore, poor families considered ula grass a treasure. That's why there's talk of the Three Treasures."
Chen Lan nodded and said, "So, we shouldn't underestimate the wisdom of the people. These are all the crystallization of collective wisdom accumulated and summarized by the people through long-term daily life."