Chapter 215: Raising Seedlings and Planting Crops in the Spring
The sound of cannons did not stop all night on New Year's Eve. It was noisy until four or five o'clock in the morning, and then the sound of cannons gradually became quieter.
It is already the first day of the Lunar New Year.
Before dawn, the little kids in the village came to Chen Ling’s house to pay New Year’s greetings.
Wearing new clothes and cotton-padded jackets, each one laughed and called uncle and aunt, reaching out to the young couple for lucky money.
Wang Susu had already prepared the change. The amount was not large, just for a celebration, and every doll had a share.
Of course, peanuts, melon seeds, and candies are also placed in conspicuous places on the table. Anyone who comes to the house to pay New Year greetings will be given two handfuls, and their pockets will be stuffed full.
Most of the candies at home are milk candies bought by Chen Ling, as well as sweet halva candies and fruit candies. Even Chen Yuqiang and other adults came over and reached for the plates with playful smiles.
However, these things are laid out for people to eat. Whoever grabs two more handfuls and two fewer handfuls does not care, and the young couple will give them more when they finish.
When the people who came to pay New Year greetings were almost here, Chen Ling, Yu Qiang, Chen Ze and others went from house to house to pay New Year greetings to the elders in the village. Wang Susu also joined the mothers-in-law, visiting every door to pay New Year greetings. .
Men walk together, and women and children walk together. This can be regarded as a hidden rule. Members of the family and relatives must come to visit and pay homage.
In this way, it was lively from the first day to the fifth day.
After the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, people from ten miles and eight villages began to visit relatives.
As for Chen Ling's family, the daughter-in-law does not have to go back to her parents' home for the Chinese New Year this year. They have no relatives to go to, so they will stay at home.
On the 16th day of the first lunar month, there was a temple fair in the county. Liang Yuemin’s family of three came to his home to play for a day. After lunch, they also went to the temple fair for a walk.
On the twenty-fifth day of the first lunar month, Han Chuang and his wife also came over on a motorcycle.
After that, the flavor of the New Year became less and less intense, and the joy and bustle of the New Year gradually calmed down.
The Spring Festival of 1995 passed like this, and the new year began.
......
After the first month passed and February entered, the weather began to warm up day by day. Construction on Chen Ling's farm began again, and the primary school in the village also reopened.
Little kids like Liu Nier, Xizi, and Zhuwa came back to the village from the county town to go to school.
After all, compared with the county town, tuition fees in the village are cheaper, and parents don’t need to pick them up and drop them off at school.
As for Wang Zhenzhen, she stayed comfortably at home for more than a month during the Chinese New Year. On the fourth day of the second lunar month, Wang Qingwen and his wife sent her over.
The little girl got first place in the last semester. The teacher knew that she was far away from home and would have to rest at home during the Chinese New Year. During the winter vacation, he specially gave her a thick stack of papers to do. , this paper does not exist in the school, it was completely asked by the teacher, and he printed it for her at his own expense, for fear that she would fall behind in her studies.
I have to say that teachers at this time are still very responsible for students. They are like this to ordinary students, but they are naturally more considerate to good students who know how to make progress.
The little girl did not disappoint the teacher. When she came back, she finished the paper completely and made few mistakes. When Chen Ling went to pick her up, the teacher kept praising her, saying that she was really smart. With academic performance, you can learn English in advance.
At this time, English could only be learned after entering junior high school. Even in the city, it was not possible until fifth grade.
When Wang Susu found out, she was so happy that she supervised her sister's studies at home every day.
Wang Zhenzhen was a little proud at first and studied honestly for a few days. But after these few days, he began to get bored and couldn't learn anything. I have been muttering all day long, the weather is getting warmer, fish and shrimps are coming out of the water, the birds are about to lay eggs, I really want to go out and play.
"It is only for wild boys to catch fish and catch birds. You study hard at home. Next Sunday, I will take you to the market in Huangni Town. We will buy whatever you want."
Chen Ling saw her lying on the table with a sad face and comforted her.
"Really? Then I want to buy pens, paint pens, and pencil boxes, okay?"
Wang Zhenzhen suddenly became excited and became energetic immediately.
She had heard from her brother-in-law in Huangni Town a long time ago that there are many factories there, there are many rich people, and there are many delicious and fun places.
It’s no worse than the fair in the county town.
"I need a pencil case again. Didn't I just buy a new pencil case for you last year? It's still three-layered. Why buy it again this year?" Chen Ling remembered that he picked her up from school two days ago and saw her pencil case. , it is well cared for and is as good as new.
"It's for Teacher Zhang. Teacher Zhang's children are learning to draw."
"..."
"Okay, I'll buy it for you."
Chen Ling agreed as soon as she heard this. The little girl is a grateful person. The teachers in Fenglei Town are good to her, she will remember it, and the teachers in the county town are good to her, and she will also remember it.
Just like what Wang Cunye said, even though this girl is running around like a little wild horse all day long, she has her own ideas in her heart and can distinguish who is really good to her and who is not good to her. She is also a sensible girl.
"Hey, I also want to go to Teacher Zhang's house to attend the temple fair."
Okay, so I'm waiting here.
“Okay, I’ll let you go too, as long as you study hard at home, I’ll see you off then.”
……
"Aling, I have picked out the melon seeds, can you take a look?"
While Chen Ling was coaxing her sister-in-law, Wang Susu picked out the watermelon seeds and chose the big and plump ones. Prepare to plant some watermelons on the hillsides and ditch edges around the orchard.
If it grows well and produces a lot of melons, then take them to the county town to sell some. If the harvest is not good, it doesn’t matter, just keep it for your own consumption.
"Okay, it's good. I'm going to put it in Brother Xian's mushroom shed for germination..."
Looked at the seeds in the small iron basin and turned them over with his hands. After getting off, Chen Ling nodded and walked outside.
"You and Zhenzhen should stay at home. I'll go for a walk outside the village later and come back later for lunch."
"I got it."
......
When growing melons on the mountain, germination and seedling growth are required due to the low temperatures in the morning and evening.
First, let the watermelon seeds germinate in a warm place, and then plant the germinated seeds. Fill the waste pig troughs, livestock troughs, etc. with soil. You can do it in any way, as long as it can make the melon seedlings grow. Grow up intact.
After the melon seedlings have grown up and the temperature in the field has stopped freezing, they can be transplanted to the selected melon field.
After transplanting, wait for the melon seedlings to adapt to the soil of the melon field. If there is a lot of rain in the spring this year, then you can worry less and don’t worry about it. If there is little rain, then you have to go there frequently at the right time. Irrigation, because the watermelon will sprout soon after transplanting. It needs sufficient water during the sprouting period. It will not grow without water irrigation.
"Okay, Fugui, just leave it here and leave it alone. I will call you over when the seedlings grow in a few days."
Wang Lixian took him to put the seeds in the warm soil greenhouse. After putting it away, he waved his hand so that he didn't have to worry about it anymore.
He tinkered with this thing last year, so he was familiar with it, and his land was ten acres, which was too little compared to Chen Ling's, so it was a piece of cake for him.
He also made a lot of money growing mushrooms this year. He became more and more interested in this earthen greenhouse. He came here almost every day and was able to help Chen Ling take care of it.
"Well, brother Xian, why don't you bother, I have to go to the fields again." Chen Ling smiled, said a few words to Wang Lixian, and walked towards his farm.
The mushrooms in Wang Lixian's shed have long been sold out. After asking Chen Ling for his opinion, he decided to try growing some vegetables this year. At present, he only has two pieces of land, and the space is small, so he will follow his own vegetable garden. Just plant cucumbers, tomatoes, leeks, garlic sprouts, whatever you usually eat.
He won’t plant watermelons this year either.
One thing is that it is too busy. Another characteristic of growing watermelons is that you cannot grow melons in the same field for two consecutive years because the fertility of the land does not allow it.
"Come here and take a look, rich and noble?"
"Yes, come here and take a look, you are so anxious to pull the manure into the field to transport uncle." "Haha, you are not in a hurry. The crops are in a hurry this year. It's early in the solar term, so we are rushing to poop. Just watch, there will be more people pooping in two days."
Chen Ling took a look and saw that there were really people in the distance. Many people are also pooping into the ground.
Most of the people in the village who feed pigs and livestock pull the livestock manure they have accumulated throughout the winter into the wheat fields to fertilize the crops.
Otherwise, after a period of time, the winter wheat poles will start to rise, and you will not be able to step into the wheat fields casually.
As for what Wang Laiyun said, the solar terms are early.
Because it was leap August last year, a total of thirteen months passed, which caused the normal solar terms in previous years to be moved forward by one month.
For example, the Jingzhe. In previous years, the Jingzhe normally occurred in the second month of the lunar calendar, but this year it falls in the first month.
So this year’s second lunar month also appears to be much warmer than before.
"Is your village built soon?"
"It's almost done. It'll be ready in more than a month."
"That's pretty fast. When will it be built?" , and let us visit.”
“It’s hard to say, you can come and see it at any time.”
After chatting nonsense with the villagers, Chen Ling came to the farm at the foot of the mountain.
Half of the current farm has been built, and it will be basically completed by the end of March.
It is completely possible to move in before this summer.
So Wang Susu has been busy these days, preparing to hatch chicks and ducks. There is so much space on the farm. We need to hatch more this year and raise them all here.
As for the eggs and duck eggs, Chen Ling bought them from the county fair. The eggs laid by his own chickens and ducks are more expensive than ordinary eggs.
Wang Susu is reluctant to use her own eggs and duck eggs to hatch seedlings.
"Lao Gao, are you lazy today? It looks like there is no change from yesterday?"
The workers next to the wooden building and the bamboo building were all busy banging and banging. Chen Ling walked up to him. Look at the wood, look at the bamboo, then look at the bluestone slabs on the ground, and the sawn pieces of wood and bamboo, and suddenly frowned and said dissatisfied.
The foreman was immediately startled: "Oh, your kid is here to deceive us again. The stairs and the roof are too difficult to repair, but it doesn't look the same. If you hadn't insisted on building this bamboo The building and wooden building will be completed for you by the end of the month."
"Haha, I'm just kidding, take your time, quality is the most important thing."
Chen Ling grinned. Keep walking around and looking.
Wang Lixian has not been able to work as a supervisor for him recently. He spends most of his time here by himself every day.
Although it was Zhao Dahai who introduced them, and he is also acquaintances with these people, you still have to pay attention to things that should be paid attention to.
After walking around for a while, Chen Ling called two dogs and went for a walk at the foot of the west and north mountains.
Since the second month of the lunar calendar, the farm has been re-opened, and the two Heiwa and Xiaojin have returned to their former self, standing guard in the wind and rain. Strangers are not allowed to touch things, otherwise they will be barked. .
Even the people in the engineering team found this interesting and were amazed several times.
The villagers have long been accustomed to it. These two guys dare to fight with wolves. It is normal for them to be smarter than other dogs.
“It’s almost impossible to grow melons here.”
After strolling around, Chen Ling shook his head secretly. It’s better to grow melons in a place with enough light, but it’s not a big deal, anyway. He needs to use spiritual water to live it again.
Then I went to the more than ten acres of mountainous land at the foot of the west hillside to observe. This was the area of the old graves, but it belonged to the western half of the mass graves. It is said that people were piled on top of each other and bones were piled on top of each other. , in addition, this place is full of bumps and bumps, and there are also various miscellaneous trees growing there. It is rather gloomy, and almost no one comes here.
But since it was close to his farm, Chen Ling bought the mass grave here together with the old cemetery. The engineering team happened to be there, and they also cut down the trees here a few days ago. It has been renovated.
Wheat is grown in the western half of the mass graves, while rapeseed is planted in the eastern half of the old cemetery.
Wang Susu thought at first that there was no need to take over this place. The thirty acres of land we have now is enough trouble.
But Chen Ling said that there is not much money to spend now, and there can't be mass graves and cemeteries outside his farm. Although the graves have been moved, there is nothing now, but they are just left in such a mess. Here, it looks disturbing.
It is better to rent it out and make it a place for growing food and vegetables.
Wang Susu thought about it and let him do it.
As for why watermelons are not grown in these places, it is because watermelons require too much effort and there are too few people to work on them. Just let them grow according to the weather at the foot of the mountains and beside the ditch, and just take care of them when you have nothing to do.
My family is not planning to make a fortune by growing watermelons.
“I’ll start plowing the fields tomorrow and prepare to plant wheat.”
Chen Ling rubbed his hands and felt energetic.
I thought: After all, it’s better to have a bigger place, so I can do whatever I want.
Isn't that right? Including the orchard, he now has more than fifty acres of land.
Although old graves and mass graves are not good land, the fertility is not good, and it is difficult to clean up, but the important thing is that once you have a place, you can do whatever you want in the future without being restricted.
Seeing that it was past noon and the engineering team had started dinner, Chen Ling picked up the shovel and hurried home. He was still thinking that he would plant food first in the first half of the year, and then plant some in the second half. sunflower.
When you look around, the hillsides and foothills are all golden, which must be spectacular and beautiful.
After harvesting in autumn, it can also be sent for oil extraction.
He was happily planning, when suddenly there was a scream in the distance, and he saw a donkey running diagonally from the wheat field to the southwest, and it was actually pulling a cart, frightening the little kids playing in the wheat field. The children and the villagers who were applying fertilizer shouted in panic and ran to the side to hide.
This is a donkey startled.
Seeing the donkey cart rushing towards me, although it was not rushing towards me, but towards the slope, the farmland on the slope was filled with old people and children from the village. They often came to watch the construction of the farm, and they didn’t know. Can you escape in time?
Chen Ling gritted his teeth when he saw this. When the donkey cart rushed towards him, he swung a shovel and poked the donkey cart's wheels...
The donkey cart was rushing like a horse. It was as if a wheel of a cart had hit a big stone, and suddenly it tipped over from the side of the shovel. It rolled over with a thunderous clang, and the startled donkey was also hit to the ground, panting heavily and yelling "吭哧吭哧" With.
"Fugui, Fugui, are you okay?" Villagers from the surrounding farmland came running over.
"Uncle Fugui, have you been hurt?"
"I'm fine, but the donkey is probably in trouble." Chen Ling pointed and fell to the ground and screamed. Stopped donkey.
“Oh, it’s all those monkeys’ fault. I’ll go find their parents later...” Wang Lai stamped his luck. This is Wang Laishun’s brother. The donkey he used today is also Wang Laishun’s donkey. Unexpectedly, The donkey was shocked today.
After listening to him explain the cause and effect, everyone realized that it was a group of kids who saw them pulling dung out to fertilize the wheat fields, so they ran over and set off firecrackers to play with the dung.
As a result, I was playing with it and found it boring, so I went to fry the fresh excrement that the donkey had just pulled out. After frying it, I still felt that it was not enough. I don’t know who had a strange idea. When I saw that the donkey was a big male donkey, I used firecrackers. They went to fry donkey whips and donkey eggs. I heard that when a place like this was fried, the donkeys would urinate and poop. They thought this was quite fun.
So one by one they put firecrackers on sticks to fry donkey whips and donkey eggs. They were laughing and joking. It was quite enjoyable, but they also succeeded in surprising the donkey. .
If the donkey hadn’t been pulling the cart and was easier to subdue, it wouldn’t have ended well for anyone we bumped into today.
In short, if something like this happens, these little bears will never get over it.
(End of this chapter)