Cucumber was originally also called courgette, and many other fruits and vegetables with the prefix of Hu Zi, cucumber is not native to the Central Plains, this is the Western Han Dynasty when Zhang Qian sent to the Western Regions to bring back the Hu species, so it is called courgette.

Courgette, carrot, eggplant, pepper, walnut, bean, garlic, coriander and other Huzi series of fruits and vegetables were basically introduced to the Central Plains from the Western Regions in the Han Dynasty, in addition to watermelon, pomegranate, alfalfa, grapes, etc.

When cucumber was first introduced into the Central Plains, it was called courgette, but when it came to the time of the Wuhu Chaohua, Emperor Shi Le of Later Zhao tabooed the word Hu, so Hanchen Xiangguo County Shou Fan Tan changed courgette to cucumber, which has been used since then.

By the time of the Tang Dynasty, cucumber was also an ordinary vegetable, which was both a vegetable and a fruit. However, this is a summer time crop, and it is all available in the summer. Only the royal court and some wealthy families will use greenhouses to grow some green vegetables in winter.

It is not easy to grow some fruits and vegetables in a greenhouse in winter, and the cost of eating a fresh cucumber is not low.

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

Out-of-season vegetables to the later generations, that is also extremely popular, in the season very cheap fruits and vegetables, out of season on the market, can be sold several times or even ten times the price, although the planting cost is high, but the profit is also high.

At present, the situation of the Li family is very embarrassing, the ancestral house and shops, land, and money have been taken away by the Zhang family. Especially at the moment, the top priority is to settle their group, and they have to take care of Li Zhen, Zhao Wan and others.

The weather is getting colder and colder, and even those few thatched huts can't escape the wind and cold.

There is no food in the tank, there is no cotton on the bed, how can this cold winter wax moon survive.

Although Lanqiao Township is said to be in the Qinling Mountains, it is a small place, but because it is one of the main roads in and out of Guanzhong, there are many people passing through, and many of the people passing by are eunuchs and business travelers, although the town is small, but the consumption capacity is not low.

If it is in an ordinary small mountain village, even if there are cucumbers, it is difficult to sell them, and there is no market for the products. But here, Li Xiao believes that he can earn his first pot of gold.

Reach out and pluck a cucumber from the green vine leaves.

The green cucumber is like jade, and the cucumber is better than a small cucumber. The freshly picked cucumber is verdant with small spikes and yellow flowers on one end.

The top flower is thorny, and the tender one should come out of the water, and if this cucumber is taken out and sold, this appearance is absolutely attractive.

Li Xiao walked to the edge of the spiritual spring, watered and washed the cucumbers, and the cold winter wax moon, but the water of the spiritual spring was not cold, but a little warm.

It is strange to say that in this mysterious space, there is no sun or even wind, and not even a bee can be seen, but after Li Xiao got cucumber seeds from outside last time and planted them, they grew surprisingly well. He can even clearly remember that the cucumber was actually planted by him more than half a month ago.

Ordinary cucumbers normally take at least three months to mature, but Li Xiao's rows of cucumbers have only been planted for less than a month, and they can already pick the first crop of cucumbers.

After washing it with water a few times and wiping it with the palm of your hand, the small thorns have been wiped off.

With a check in his hand, Li Xiao estimated that this cucumber would have to be about a catty.

The slender cucumber looks very good, and when you pick it up and take a bite of it directly to your mouth, it is very crispy.

Sweet in the mouth.

Usually this kind of cucumber is only a few taels, and if it is bigger, it is not so delicious, but most of the cucumbers here in Li Xiao weigh about this catty, but they are still so tender and crisp, which is really surprising.

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

In this space of more than ten square meters, he planted a small half of cucumbers, and there were 300 cucumber seedlings, and now they have all set up shelves, and the first stubble is ripe.

These cucumbers have seven or eight cucumbers, the first stubble can be picked is the root melon, the first to grow below, a stubble is about three or four per seedling, and this stubble has to have a thousand cucumbers.

One weighs about a catty, which is at least a thousand catties of cucumbers.

Looking at this growth, these two cropped cucumbers will be able to be picked again in a few days. According to Li Xiao's understanding of cucumbers, an ordinary cucumber seedling can pick twenty or thirty in one season, and these three hundred cucumbers can harvest five or six thousand catties.

The production capacity of general cucumbers per mu reaches 450,000 catties, and more than 4,000 can be planted per mu, and each can produce about 10 catties. But Li Xiao estimated that his cucumber has the effect of spiritual soil and spiritual spring, and each cucumber can produce twenty or thirty catties, and the production capacity per mu exceeds 10,000 catties.

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

After picking a few more cucumbers, Li Xiao went out silently in his heart, and reappeared in the pine forest.

Holding a few fresh cucumbers, the cold air outside hit his face, which made Li Xiao, who was still in an extremely comfortable space, shudder.

It's still comfortable in the space.

Facing the wind, Li Xiao walked to Zhuangzi at the bottom of the hillside.

The cold wind is howling, and the mountains and fields are bleak.

Xiao Zhuangzi is still so simple, and Dr. Zhao has already arranged for Guo Biao and more than a dozen other people to live in each house. Although there are only a few households in this small village, and there are only a few simple thatched houses, everyone is still very enthusiastic about the young owner Li Xiao who came back, and they are also very polite to the people he brought back.

There are a few in each thatched house, and as long as everyone doesn't dislike it, it's crowded into one room.

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

Some stumps and other miscellaneous wood that could not be sold for money were erected on the fire pit in the house, and the red coals of the fire also brought some warmth.

Approaching Zhuangkou, Zhao Wan was already standing there waiting.

Her clothes were thin, and her mouth and nose were red from the cold.

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

"Where have you been?"

She seemed to be worried that her husband would never return, that everything just now was just a dream.

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

"Cucumbers?"

Zhao Wan took the cucumber handed over by her husband in surprise, her face full of disbelief. This cucumber is very long, especially very fresh, heavy to start, but also with thorny flowers, one has to be about a catty.

"Where did this come from?"

Where did it come from, that's a question.

Li Xiao thought for a while and said, "This is what we bought from a merchant on the way back, I saw that there were such good cucumbers in this season, so I thought that I would buy some and sell them to make money." ”

Zhao Wan was not uninformed, looked at the cucumber in her hand and nodded.

"I heard that there are greenhouses in Chang'an City, which are not aristocratic homes, and fruits and vegetables are grown in winter, but I didn't expect that there are also in the east. But just these cucumbers, I'm afraid they won't sell for much. ”

Li Xiao smiled.

"Not only these ones, I bought thousands of catties, and I used them to pay you for freshness. Let's go, I'll make you a cucumber to eat later. ”

Shoot the cucumber and still not done.

Because Wan Niang's kitchen is very simple, a clay pot as a pot, a few wooden bowls, a few pairs of bamboo chopsticks, and then there is nothing else.

Not to mention the seasonings, there is not even oil, there is only a small salt shaker, which contains about one or two taels of salt, not white salt, but the kind of coarse and black salt grains, Li Xiao even wonders if it is salt.

No soy sauce, no vinegar, not to mention other seasonings.

Patting cucumbers as a home-cooked cold dish can be eaten all year round, and it is also convenient to make.

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

A cucumber, a little coriander and a little cooking wine, add some aged vinegar, soy sauce, get some garlic and chili, and then put some sesame oil, the material is simple, the method is not difficult, the cucumber is broken, and then cut into pieces, and then add various seasonings to mix cold.

But Wanniang has nothing here, although there are cucumbers, but cucumbers alone can't make cucumbers. At least there must be vinegar!

There is no vinegar, and this cucumber really can't be done.

In the end, Li Xiao simply sliced the cucumber and regarded it as a cucumber fruit plate.

"Everyone repays it, this is a gherkins in winter, which is very rare."

Dr. Zhao took a piece of cucumber and tasted it.

"Well, yes, crisp and refreshing, I can't imagine that there are such crisp cucumbers in this season, even more delicious than the cucumbers in season in summer, refreshing, crisp, sweet!"

Zhao Wan tasted more gentle, she was embarrassed to eat in front of so many people, but she couldn't bear Li Xiao's persuasion, so she took a chopstick and sent it to her mouth, and she didn't forget to raise her cuffs to cover her mouth, and ate it in small bites.

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

Li Zhen is also very delicate when she eats, but she is not so shy in front of her brother, and she is full of praise after eating a piece.

The small room was full of people.

Everyone, you have chopsticks and I have chopsticks, and you will eat cucumbers.

I have eaten it with great praise, and it seems that in this cold winter day, eating a piece of crisp and sweet cucumber around the fire is a supreme delicacy.

"Uncle Zhao, you said that this cucumber will be sold on Lanxi Street, will anyone buy it, can it be sold for money?" Li Xiao asked.

Doctor Zhao stroked his goatee, "This cucumber is sold, someone must buy it, but I suggest that it is best to send it to a restaurant to sell, in fact, you have a horse, if you are willing to run, send it to a restaurant in Chang'an, it will definitely be sold at a good price." ”

Lanqiao is forty miles to Lantian County, and it is only eighty miles to Chang'an. If you don't have a horse, it's a long way to go back and forth, but if you have a horse, you can go back and forth in a day.

"Uncle Zhao, I think so too, if this cucumber is sold to ordinary people, the price is too high for everyone to afford, and the price is not cost-effective. So it's still cost-effective to sell to restaurants and large households, I have about 1,000 catties of cucumbers in my hands, Uncle Zhao thinks how much is the right amount of money to sell for a catty? ”

Uncle Zhao stroked his beard, "I see that these cucumbers are about the same size, each of them has about a catty, just don't weigh it and sell it, sell it directly by the root, and it is not called cucumber, change the name, it is called jasper cucumber, and each one is sold for two pennies." ”

"One only sells for two pennies? It's so cheap, I'm not an ordinary cucumber! Li Xiao has some different opinions on the price of one pound and two articles.