Sister Han is good at farming

After escaping from the wolf's mouth, Ruan Wantie seemed like a different person, busy at home and outside, very diligent.

Ruan Qingqing wanted to get down, but was stopped by him.

"You don't have to rush to work now. After you have rested well, you will have plenty of time to work."

"Okay, Dad! Now let's stop focusing on reclaiming the land and start preparing for how to fertilize the land. The land we're reclaiming is far from home, and it would be a bit troublesome to transport fertilizer to fertilize the land. It would be too much work and time-consuming to carry it one bucket at a time, and even our toilet wouldn't be able to produce enough fertilizer for five acres of land."

Ruan Wantie nodded thoughtfully. "This is indeed a problem."

It is not difficult to solve this problem. Ruan Qingqing thought of composting. However, the villagers in Zaoziling did not seem to know about composting.

Ruan Qingqing explained to Ruan Wantie for a long time before he understood.

But just composting isn’t enough, they can’t wait.

Because it takes at least a month for the compost to ferment from the time it is piled up to the time it can be used, they can't wait.

Ruan Qingqing thought of a simple and feasible solution - burning manure.

Burning manure requires combustible materials such as dried grass, grass roots, tree roots, and dried soil.

Don't worry about the dried grass, as there is plenty of it piled up next to the newly reclaimed land. Dried soil is also easy to get. Just hoe the previously cleaned up land again and dry it in the sun for two or three days before use.

So Ruan Qingqing redistributed the tasks: Ruan Wantie and Ruan Shiping concentrated on collecting rotten leaves and digging up the black soil underneath in the mountains and forests to bring back for compost, while Ruan Qingqing prepared to burn manure.

After the turned soil was dried, Ruan Qingqing selected two flat areas in the middle of each acre of land as manure fields.

Taking advantage of the fine weather, she started to make a fire after breakfast.

First, shovel the dried soil together and pile it into a cushion layer about two meters long, one meter wide and thirty centimeters thick. Use the iron rake borrowed from Mr. Ruan to rake the cushion layer flat, and use a hoe to dig three small trenches in the same direction to facilitate ventilation when burning manure.

Then spread the dried grass and combustible materials such as grass roots and tree roots evenly on the cushion soil layer, and then pile the dried loose soil on the combustible materials.

Combustible materials and soil should be evenly matched. If there is more soil and less combustible materials, the fertilizer effect will be poor. If there is more combustible materials and less soil, not only will hay, grass roots and the like be wasted, but the soil inside may also be burned into hard lumps due to excessive burning, affecting the fertilizer effect.

Ruan Qingqing had just burned two piles of manure when Old Man Ruan came over carrying a hoe.

"Qingqing, aren't you guys clearing the land? You're burning dirt and hay together. What are you doing?"

"Grandpa, I'm burning dung! When planting potatoes and sweet potatoes, cover them with a layer of dung and then cover them with soil, so that the potatoes and sweet potatoes will grow big."

Ruan Qingqing explained while busy with the work in her hands.

"Is there such a thing?"

Seeing that Ruan Qingqing was working well, Mr. Ruan put down the hoe on his shoulder and watched from the side.

Ruan Qingqing sighed, "It's a pity that my home is too far away from here, otherwise I could add some manure to the dung pile and it would be more effective as fertilizer."

"How did you know all this?" It sounded to Mr. Ruan like that.

Ruan Qingqing was stunned for a moment, then said casually, "I heard it."

Given Ruan Qingqing's previous experience of going from one house to another, Mr. Ruan didn't doubt it. "I'll also get some fire manure in the field later. I happen to be free now, so tell me how to do it and I'll help you."

"Okay, Master!"

Ruan Qingqing agreed readily.

Mr. Ruan is also a good farmer.

After Ruan Qingqing explained it briefly, he understood what was going on.

He burned the dung quickly and well, so that the grandfather and grandson finished burning twelve dung fields in half a day.

After the dung is burned, you can't just carry the hoe and go home directly, you have to collect the dung in time. That is, use the hoe to dig up the dung, mix the ash with the burnt soil, and then pile it into a pile.

That's it.

There was some unburned dung in the pile, and it would keep smoking.

The smoke will become thinner and lighter over time.

Looking back at the twelve plumes of smoke on the ground, Ruan Qingqing felt at ease. She felt at ease, but some people felt uneasy.

"Why is this Ruan Lao Si just playing with fire in the fields with his children when he is reclaiming wasteland? Don't let the surrounding mountains and forests set on fire?"

When Ruan Qingqing was mixing the seeds, someone came to laugh at them again.

"This Ruan Lao Si is not farming at all, he's just playing house like a kid playing in the mud!"

Because they cut the potatoes into small pieces with sprouts and then mix them in stove ash, isn't it just like playing with mud?

When Ruan Qingqing and her friends were planting potatoes and sweet potatoes, some curious people came to watch and laugh.

I saw them digging holes, pouring manure water into each hole, shoveling fire manure, putting sweet potatoes and potato pieces with sprouts into the hole, then covering them with a layer of fire manure, and finally covering them with soil.

The whole process is extremely cumbersome.

Someone asked with a smile: "Ruan Laosi, why is it so troublesome for you to grow potatoes and sweet potatoes? Do you know how to grow them?"

Since Ruan Wantie escaped from the wolf's mouth, he has been obedient to his own daughter, Daya, and has protected her in every way. If anyone dares to question his daughter's good ideas now, that would definitely not be acceptable.

"What do you know? This is a farming method I learned from an expert. It can increase the yield!"

Those people all sneered when they heard it.

"Ruan Laosi, who used to stay in the gambling house all day, has turned over a new leaf and is now farming at home. But he is just messing around in the fields and refuses to listen to advice. He even boasts that he got a high-yield method from a master. He is really hopeless!"

This statement was very contagious. In just half a day, it spread throughout the fields of Zaoziling and was used by everyone as a joke during breaks.

"Alas, Ruan Laosi! It's good enough that he can stop gambling. Do you still expect him to farm? He was reclaiming some wasteland some time ago, and I heard that he was almost eaten by wolves. It's really funny!"

"Well, don't say that. How can he not provoke wolves when he is so tender and delicate?"

"Hahaha!"

When Mr. Ruan heard these words, he didn't even bother to work in the fields and hurried to Wudaoling to find out what was going on.

Everything else is easy to deal with, but as for the land reclamation, Qingqing and Shiping have both made great efforts. If the fourth child dares to do something reckless, he will be the first to object.

"Old Four, Old Four! You bastard! What the hell is going on?"

Ruan Wantie, who was covering the soil, stood up in confusion, "Dad, what's going on?"

"Dad, I heard everyone laugh at you for wasting the land. What's going on?"

Ruan Wantie's face darkened. "They are just bored. My land is growing well, but they insist on making up stories about me wasting it. They are just a bunch of bored people. Dad, ignore them!"

Mr. Ruan didn't respond, but stood by and watched them work.

After taking a look, he saw something of the clue.

"I say, Lao Si, why are your potatoes still dripping with manure in the pit? You've covered them with manure and thick soil, how can the potatoes sprout out?"

"Dad, doing this can make the potatoes grow bigger and won't have green skin." Ruan Wantie explained by imitating others.

Ruan Qingqing, who was standing by, heard this and after thinking for a while, she decided to explain it to him.

"Master, this drop of manure is to make the soil below softer and provide some fertilizer. Covering the top with fire manure is to fertilize the potatoes. The loose fire manure will not block the sprouts from growing upwards. Once the sprouts grow out of the fire manure layer, it will not be difficult for them to drill out of the thick soil above."

Mr. Ruan looked at Ruan Qingqing thoughtfully.

"Did you hear this too?"

"Ah."

Ruan Qingqing couldn't tell the truth, so she could only respond vaguely. Then Mr. Ruan left half-believing and half-doubting.

After this episode, Ruan Qingqing and her friends continued to grow potatoes and sweet potatoes.

They planted one acre of potatoes and one acre of sweet potatoes temporarily. The remaining land will be planted after the sweet potato vines emerge.