Daily life of farming and supporting a family on the ancient Loess Plateau

Upon hearing this, Ji Yongling couldn't help but ask curiously, "Dad, is the persimmon tree at Aunt's house some kind of special variety? Otherwise, why does it produce so few but sweet fruits?"

Ji Manchuan smiled and said, "Child, fruit trees in this world are just like people; they all have their own temperament and destiny. Some trees are born to grow tall and lush, bearing a lot of fruit, but the taste is just average; while some trees are inconspicuous and bear few fruits, but they are just very good. The persimmon tree in your aunt's house is probably one of those naturally unique varieties."

Looking at the densely packed persimmon trees in full bloom along the roadside, Ji Yongling pondered, "Has my aunt's family ever tried grafting other persimmon trees?"

Ji Manchuan looked puzzled: "What is grafting?"

Ji Yongling felt that she had found a way to get rich and said excitedly, "Grafting is to attach a branch or bud of one tree to another tree, so that the two parts grow into a complete tree. The fruit produced by this method can combine the characteristics of different varieties."

“I thought it was something strange, but it’s just grafting! This persimmon tree has been grafted before, how come it hasn’t? Persimmon trees are easy to grow, you see there are plenty of wild ones on this mountain, so your uncle used to graft this wild persimmon tree with a branch from the persimmon tree at home, but it didn’t work.” Ji Manchuan shook his head and said.

Ji Yongling frowned and thought for a moment. She seemed to have seen it in her grandfather's agricultural book before. It said that persimmon trees contain an alkaline substance called tannin. This substance is prone to chemical reaction when it comes into contact with oxygen in the air, so the wound will turn yellow and black and is not easy to heal.

Having made up her mind, Ji Yongling said, "Dad, can we graft the persimmon tree and jujube tree at the gate of the yard? I'll do the grafting this time. I heard Granny Liu say that it will definitely work."

Ji Manchuan glanced at his daughter, pursed his lips, and said, "Go back and try it. Anyway, your grandpa has wanted to cut down that persimmon tree for a long time. The persimmons it bears are extremely astringent and inedible! It's just that your grandma always stops him, saying that the tree sprouted and grew on its own and has a spirit, so it can't be cut down recklessly or it will be punished by heaven."

Ji Yongling shook her head, expressing her disapproval of her family's tendency to bring up gods and ghosts from time to time.

Speaking of persimmons, Ji Manchuan suddenly thought of Ji Shuicao's two daughters.

He glanced at Ji Yongling, hesitated for a while, and then said, "Girl, do you still have any of those Tiancang cookies?"

Ji Yongling asked, puzzled, "Dad, do you want to eat it?"

Ji Manchuan sighed and lowered his head, saying, "Sigh, no. I was just looking at your two cousins ​​at your aunt's house. They're so pitiful. They probably haven't even eaten any food bought from the county. The other day I was eating at your aunt's house. When your aunt was making potato porridge, she put in too much flour. I saw the two kids staring at it from the doorway. It made my heart ache so much."

Ji Yongling thought about that scene and felt a pang of sadness in her heart.

She recalled that in the past, when guests came to their house, Ji Yongning and Ji Yongzhou would always peek through the crack in the door, hoping that the guests would finish eating quickly, because the leftovers could be given to them.

She understood that although the Ji family was currently living on the edge of abject poverty, and by today's standards, they hadn't yet escaped poverty, compared to her aunt's family, they had recently earned a considerable amount of money selling herbs and making medicine pouches. Even her grandmother, Yang, was no longer stingy with potatoes based on the number of people they ate. Of course, this was mainly because she had bought more grain for the family, so they weren't short of food for the time being, and they had also run out of potatoes.

Ji Yongling thought for a moment and said, "Dad, there are still some left. I'll prepare a few pieces for my aunt, uncle, and two cousins ​​to try."

In fact, Ji Yongling usually doesn't take the finished food from the storage warehouse out easily. In all this time, she has only let her family taste it once. She also gave Ji Manchuan some compressed biscuits to take on the road, since pulling a cart by hand is very tiring.

Although Ji Manchuan was only 28 years old, the same age as his future self, he looked like a man in his 40s from his future life.

Ji Manchuan looked up at the rows of yellow earthen ridges in the distance and sighed, "Your aunt's family has really had a hard time. Life is really tough for people in these mountain valleys. They rely on the heavens for food, but when it doesn't rain, they rely on the land for harvest, but the mountains are steep and narrow. How much skill can people have? Even if these farmers endure all the hardships in the world, they still can't grow enough food to feed their families."

Ji Yongling felt distressed upon hearing this. She had always known the hardships farmers endured while cultivating the land. In later generations, various mechanized farming machines made farming simpler and less strenuous. However, in this ancient era where everything had to be carried by hand, people were like mules and horses, or even worse off. All their sweat was poured into the land, yet they might not even be able to make a living.

She clenched her fist, her nose stinging, and said, "Dad, there are plenty of grain seeds in our granary. After the crops in the fields are harvested this year, let's plant the seeds from the granary instead. The yield will definitely be high."

“I’m afraid that won’t work. If something goes wrong with these seeds, the whole season’s harvest will be gone, and the whole family will starve to death. That’s definitely not going to do. We farmers can’t afford to take such a big risk. Besides, your grandfather definitely won’t agree to it,” Ji Manchuan said, shaking his head in disapproval.

Ji Yongling understood Ji Manchuan's thoughts and continued to persuade him, "Dad, let's give it a try. Look at the things I took out from the Heavenly Granary, aren't they all good? You have to believe that the seeds in the Heavenly Granary are different, and they might bring surprises. Besides, we can try planting them on a small plot of land first, and if the harvest is good, we can expand the planting area. We have to try it to know if it will work."

Ji Manchuan refused without hesitation, saying, "Child, one shouldn't be too greedy. Keep those treasures safe; they'll run out eventually. In this place, we depend on the weather and the land for our livelihood. Who knows when the heavens or the earth will turn against us? If we encounter a drought or locust plague, you'll still have something to rely on. It would be best if you could help your sisters in the family. If not, you'll have to fend for yourself."

“Father—” Ji Yongling’s eyes suddenly welled up with tears.

This simple and honest man from Northwest China may not be able to articulate any profound truths, but the genuine human warmth he exudes cannot be concealed by poverty.

Seeing his daughter pursing her lips and looking like she was about to cry, Ji Manchuan thought for a moment and realized that it must be because he hadn't agreed to her request that he had upset her.

He hesitated, touching the black stick at his waist. Thinking that this was a treasure that even the capital city might not be able to produce, he struggled with his conscience for a while before finally making up his mind. He nodded and said, "Girl, when I get back, I'll talk to your grandpa about planting some to try. Don't cry, it's windy here, look how chapped your face is. We don't have any lard for you to rub on right now."

The sadness that Ji Yongling had just begun to feel was instantly dispelled by Ji Manchuan's words. She grinned and asked, "Dad, you agreed?"

Ji Manchuan sighed and said, "What can we do if they don't agree! Sigh, I've only had you all these years, and I've spoiled you rotten! I hope that the seed in your coffin can really bring some good luck to this yellow land."

Ji Yongling smiled and said confidently, "If you trust me, Father, I definitely wouldn't joke about the crops. However, you'd better tell my grandfather that we bought the seeds from merchants in the south, or that they were already in the cart when we got the mule cart?"

Ji Manchuan scratched his head and said, "Then just say that when they delivered the mule cart to us, there were already some in the cart. Anyway, all those grain seeds and other seeds on the cart were stored in your kiln. I heard that people in the south grow rice, so where would they get wheat seeds? You can't even make up a believable lie!"

Ji Yongling nodded awkwardly.