Colorful years

To speed up the sowing process, they would get up before dawn every day, carrying dry food and water, and work tirelessly until the sun set and the sky was tinged with the afterglow of the sunset.

At noon, they simply ate some of the food they had brought in a corner of the field, rested briefly, and then threw themselves back into their busy but orderly work with renewed vigor.

During the sowing process, they encountered many challenges. For example, some plots lacked water due to drought, which posed a significant obstacle to seed germination.

Faced with this situation, Zhang Zhong decisively ordered Erniu to draw clean water from a nearby water source for irrigation, in order to increase the soil moisture and create favorable conditions for seed growth.

Through the concerted efforts and tireless struggle of the four, the task of sowing was finally completed successfully within the scheduled timeframe.

Although everyone was exhausted, their hearts were filled with boundless longing and anticipation as they gazed at the land where the seeds of hope had been sown.

However, the end of sowing does not mean the end of the work. On the contrary, the subsequent tasks of weeding, fertilizing, and guarding are equally arduous and important.

Weed control is characterized by its continuous and timely nature. Weeds, with their astonishing growth rate, compete with crops for precious soil nutrients, water, and sunlight if not removed promptly, thus severely impacting crop growth.

Therefore, weeding needs to be done regularly. Although manual weeding is time-consuming and laborious, it can accurately remove weeds without damaging crops. Given the economic conditions at the time, they naturally chose this arduous but effective method.

Fertilization plays a crucial role in the growth and development of crops. Crops at different growth stages have different fertilizer requirements; therefore, it is particularly important to scientifically and rationally select the type of fertilizer and the timing of fertilization.

Base fertilizer acts as a solid support for crops, providing them with long-term and stable nutrient support; while topdressing is like timely rain, supplementing the necessary nutrients according to the growth status of crops.

Controlling the amount of fertilizer applied is crucial; too much can lead to soil pollution and resource waste, while too little will fail to meet the growth needs of crops. Based on local conditions, Zhang Zhong cleverly used homemade organic fertilizer—wood ash—to avoid the problem of improper fertilization.

Protection work is equally important. On the one hand, they need to guard against natural disasters such as torrential rains, strong winds, and droughts, and take timely measures for protection and remediation; on the other hand, they also need to be vigilant against the threat of pests and diseases.

As an important crop, corn faces many challenges from nature during its growth. Among them, being eaten by eagles and monkeys is particularly troublesome.

Eagles, with their exceptional flying ability and keen eyesight, often circle in the air searching for targets. Once they spot ripe corn, they swoop down quickly and devour it all. This not only directly causes the loss of corn but can also damage the corn plants, negatively impacting subsequent growth and harvest.

Monkeys, on the other hand, are more agile and cunning. They are adept climbers and can easily enter cornfields to freely gnaw on the corn cobs. Moreover, monkeys usually move in groups, causing even more damage.

To fend off the eagles, Zhang Zhong racked his brains and came up with various methods. Initially, he placed mannequins around the cornfield, dressed them in brightly colored clothes, and made them sway in the wind, hoping to scare the eagles away. However, over time, the clever eagles saw through this trick.

So they installed bird deterrents, which emitted special sounds to scare away the eagles. However, this was not a long-term solution; the bird deterrents needed regular inspection and maintenance to ensure they functioned properly.

Preventing monkeys from entering was even more challenging. Zhang Zhong had previously set up a fence around the cornfield, but the monkeys could easily climb over or destroy it. Later, they added barbed wire to the fence and applied an irritant to it in an attempt to keep the monkeys away.

Meanwhile, they also assigned people to patrol near the cornfields and drive away any monkeys they spotted. However, this required a significant amount of manpower and time.

Left with no other choice, Zhang Zhong took out his hunting rifle from home and fired a few shots into the air every day to scare away the eagles and monkeys.

Through his long-term struggle with eagles and monkeys, Zhang Zhong deeply understood the hardship and difficulty of fighting against nature. This not only requires them to constantly try new methods and technologies, but also requires a significant investment of human, material, and financial resources.

However, in order to protect this hard-earned land and the hard-won harvest, they will persevere and continue to explore more effective coping strategies.

It must be said that wood ash, a great invention of farmers in their production practices, plays an irreplaceable role in traditional farming, providing valuable nutrient support for crop growth.