Traveling through the busy farmland of a peasant girl

Shen Li hummed a little tune as she walked into Shen Xuan's room. The room was quiet and peaceful. The sunlight shone through the gaps in the window onto the old desk, forming bright spots of light.

She gently brushed away the dust on the table, then took a blank booklet and a brush from the bookshelf in the corner, picked up a piece of ink from the pen holder, and began to grind it slowly in the inkstone.

The scent of ink gradually spread throughout the room, and Shen Li's eyes were focused and bright.

She first wrote the words "Grain Seed Planting Information" neatly on the first page of the booklet. Although her handwriting was a little childish, it revealed a sense of seriousness.

Recalling the knowledge she had learned before, she picked up the pen, dipped it in ink, and began to write carefully on the booklet.

"Before sowing new grain seeds, you need to first select those that are plump and intact, and soak them in warm water for half a day to promote their germination..." Shen Li muttered softly as he wrote, as if he was having a conversation with the pen and book in his hands.

When she encountered a detail she was not sure about, she would frown slightly, stop writing to think for a moment, and then continue writing.

Occasionally, the sound of birds singing could be heard outside the window, causing her to look up at the lush green courtyard outside.

But soon, she looked away and immersed herself in the work of organizing the information.

With each stroke of the pen, the characteristics of the grain and suitable soil conditions are determined.

Shen Li sorted out the information and handed it to Bai Jin, who then left in a hurry.

At this time, Bai Jin stood in front of the county government's meeting hall and said to the village heads with a serious expression, "Everyone, fortunately, Mr. Fuxi's prayer for rain was successful. Now the land is moist and the reservoir is filled with water. This is a godsend. The planting of new crops such as corn, sweet potatoes, and potatoes is urgent. It is related to the food and clothing and future of the people in our county. We must not make any mistakes.

I have something to inform you of. The Emperor has placed great hopes on our county and has entrusted the large-scale seed breeding to Qingshan County. The Shen family has been ordered to provide grain seeds, but they must receive 50% back when the harvest arrives.

As soon as these words were spoken, the meeting hall erupted in discussion. One of the villagers, with a worried look on his face, said, "Sir, with only 50% harvest left, the villagers have worked so hard, and there's very little left. We have so many people in our family, and we were counting on the new crops to help us out. If this happens, I'm afraid we'll have trouble making ends meet."

Other village heads also echoed this, saying that the villagers would be panicked when they heard about this, worrying that their year-round hard work would be in vain.

Bai Jin raised his hand to signal for everyone to be quiet, and said calmly, "I understand your concerns.

But please listen to me, although the emperor has issued an order to recall the new grain seeds, they are meant to benefit the people.

The Shen family provides grain seeds, giving everyone the opportunity to grow them, which is a rare opportunity.

Think about it, the yield of corn, sweet potatoes and potatoes is quite high. Even if 50% is recovered, the remaining part will still be more than the harvest of traditional grains in the past.

Furthermore, if this planting is successful, our county’s grain production will surely increase significantly, and our lives will only get better and better.”

A village head still had some doubts: "Sir, although the output may have increased, the villagers are worried that if a disaster strikes, after the 50% is collected, there will not be enough food left at home. What will they do?"

Bai Jin patiently explained, "The county will also make some plans. I will arrange for someone to organize the villagers to properly store surplus grain during good years to prepare for emergencies."

At the same time, once the planting of new grain varieties is successful, our county's status in the court will also be enhanced. At that time, the court will certainly provide support and assistance in other aspects.

Village heads, you must convey these principles to the villagers so that everyone can focus on planting crops and not let immediate concerns cloud long-term interests."

Seeing Bai Jin's sincere words, the expressions of the village heads gradually eased. One of them said, "Your Excellency is absolutely right. We will definitely convey your words, do our best to appease the villagers, and actively organize planting."

Bai Jin nodded and said, "That's good. Next, after you all return, you need to immediately organize the young and strong laborers in the village to start tilling the fields. Since it has just rained, the soil is soft and suitable for tilling. We also need to clear the fields of crop residues left over from the drought. This is the first priority for planting new crops. Do you have any difficulties?"

A village headman bowed and replied, "Sir, tilling the fields is a top priority, but it will take some time to mobilize manpower. We will definitely arrange it as soon as possible. However, none of us villagers are familiar with this new grain. How should we plant it?"

Bai Jin continued, "I've already made some arrangements. The county clerk will work with several experienced farmers to compile a detailed planting guide as soon as possible, following the methods provided by Fuxi Xiangjun. We will then distribute it to every household in the village, ensuring that every villager involved in the planting has a copy, ensuring that everyone is fully aware of the planting steps."

When planting corn, you must first select seeds with full grains and no diseases or insect pests. Before sowing, dry the seeds in the sun for a day to enhance their activity.

When sowing, dig holes about five inches deep, with the distance between the holes kept at about two feet. Put two or three seeds in each hole, then cover with a thin layer of soil and gently compact it.

When the seedlings grow three or four leaves, thin them out and keep the strongest one.

When planting sweet potatoes, you should choose healthy tubers as seedlings and cut them into small pieces, ensuring that each piece has one or two buds.

Make ridges on the prepared field, about one foot high and two and a half feet apart. Plant the potatoes on the ridges with their eyes facing upwards, at intervals of one and a half feet, and then water them thoroughly.

For potatoes, choose seed potatoes that are undamaged and disease-free. When cutting, each piece should have at least one eye and be of moderate size.

Similarly, ridge planting can be done, but the ridge height can be slightly lower than that of sweet potato ridges, about eight inches, and the ridge spacing is two feet. The seed potatoes are planted at a spacing of one foot, and then covered with soil and slightly compacted.

Another village head asked, "Sir, where do these grain seeds come from? And how do we grow them?"

Bai Jin replied: "A special seedling cultivation base will be opened near the county seat. I will select careful people to be responsible for the seedling cultivation and strictly control the environmental conditions.

Once the seedlings grow, a special transport team will deliver them safely to each village.

As for the source of grain seeds, the Shen family is currently providing some of them. Later, I will also contact other channels to see if these crops are available.

During this period, each village must also make preparations, such as checking and repairing farm tools to see if hoes and plows are usable. If there is any damage or shortage, report it in time and the county will arrange for craftsmen to make or allocate them.

In terms of fertilizer, Fuxi Xiangjun recommends using household fertilizer made by mixing domestic manure and wood ash.

For corn, apply 2,000 kilograms of this blended household fertilizer per mu as base fertilizer, and apply appropriate amount of topdressing according to the situation during the growth period.

The base fertilizer for sweet potatoes is mainly this kind of household fertilizer, about 3,000 kilograms per mu. Some wood ash can be appropriately added in the later stage of growth.

For potato base fertilizer, apply 1,500 kilograms of household fertilizer per mu, and apply a small amount during the flowering period according to the growth situation."

Another village head stepped forward and said, "Sir, is there any explanation for the fertilizer mix ratio?"

Bai Jin said: "Mr. Fuxi mentioned that manure and wood ash can be mixed in a ratio of roughly three to one.

In addition, I will organize inspection teams to regularly inspect the fields in each village and supervise the planting process. If any operations are found to be not in accordance with the regulations or problems are encountered, they will be corrected and resolved in a timely manner.

In addition, the county scholars will go to each village to hold planting knowledge lectures during the slack season. We should organize villagers to actively participate so that everyone can understand the scientific planting principles and management points of this new grain variety.

Everyone, this planting mission is arduous, but I believe that as long as everyone works together, we will succeed. Do you have any objections? "

The village heads shouted in unison: "No objection, we will fully cooperate with you!"