Chapter 307: Step by Step

Two days later, Sui Yu lifted the oilcloth again, and the cotton seed spores emerged from the soil. They had already taken root in the mud.

This time she called Xiaozai and Ashui, as well as Huaniu and Aqiang. She took the four children to squat on both sides of the mud block and count the sprouting cotton seedlings.

"One hundred and seventy-six plants." said A Shui.

"I have one hundred and sixty-three plants here." Hua Niu continued.

"One hundred and fifty-seven trees." said A Qiang.

"Ninety-two trees." The boy rubbed the dirt off his hands. He felt a little embarrassed because he was the slowest at counting.

"I counted 145 plants, which adds up to 733 seedlings. That means 117 cotton seeds haven't sprouted." Sui Yu took out a charcoal stick and made a note on the wooden board. Then she scooped a little water and sprinkled it on the cotton seedlings. She called the four children to help cover them with oilcloth, and sent them back.

Seven hundred and thirty-three out of eight hundred and fifty seeds germinated. I don’t know if Sui Wen’an had selected them, but this germination rate is pretty good.

The first batch of cotton seedlings was planted. When Zhao Xiping was off duty, Sui Yu helped him make mud molds and taught him how to dig holes and plant seeds.

Seven hundred cotton seeds were planted in the second crop. It took a total of fourteen days from making the mud mold to the germination of the cotton seeds. Six hundred and thirty seeds germinated, which was a higher germination rate than the first crop of cotton seeds.

After half a month of growth, the first batch of sprouted cotton seedlings have grown leaves the size of the tip of the big toe.

On March 20th, Sui Yu took Zhao Xiping to make clay molds again, preparing to breed the third batch of cotton seeds.

At this time, spring planting has begun in Dunhuang. It is still a bit cold in the morning and evening, but there is no need to wear a cotton jacket at noon.

On the third day of April, the third batch of cotton seeds germinated. Only 147 out of the 300 cotton seeds germinated, and the germination rate was less than half.

Sui Yu made a correction next to the comment he wrote half a month ago: It seems that the higher the temperature, the more cotton seeds will germinate.

She was so worried about this that she couldn't sleep in the middle of the night. When she woke up the next day, she dug another foot-long mud block and planted another hundred seeds according to the previous planting method.

From then on, she had only 118 cotton seeds left out of the 2,600 seeds in her hand. She kept the remaining seeds in a ceramic jar in a cool place for future use.

The fourth crop of cotton was planted on April 8th, thirty-four days after the first crop sprouted, and eighteen days after the second. The first crop's seedlings were almost as tall as Sui Yu's palm, with three or four leaves and a thin rhizome. The second crop's seedlings grew faster than the first crop's at the same time, which was mainly reflected in the leaves, which were superior in color and size.

"When will the first batch of cotton seedlings be transplanted?" asked Zhao Xiping.

"In another seven or eight days, I suspect the soil isn't fertile enough, so they're growing so weak. I'll go back and add a bucket of manure water and sprinkle it on them, then observe for a few more days." Sui Yu sat down on the ground exhausted. She looked up at the sky and said, "It's still a bit chilly these past few nights. I'm worried the cotton seedlings will catch a cold after we transplant them into the field."

Zhao Xiping laughed, "It's a human? And it caught a cold."

"They are more precious than people. I don't even take care of my son this well. I'm busy all day and night taking care of them. I dream that these cotton seedlings died of disease overnight. I'm so scared that I run to the fields as soon as I open my eyes." Sui Yu smiled bitterly, "Let's wait a little longer. Once the wheat and beans sprout, I'll transplant the cotton seedlings into the fields. Bean and wheat seedlings can break through the soil and grow, so there's no reason why cotton seedlings, which are stronger than them, can't withstand the wind."

When Zhao Xiping heard the sound of camel bells, he stood up and looked south. After about half a cup of tea, the camels carrying people came into view. A large group of camels stepped on the dust and yellow soil on the ground, making it impossible to see what the people on the camels looked like.

As they got closer, the merchants looked at the white thing on the west side of the river curiously. They looked at it for a long time but couldn't recognize what it was. It just looked like cloth. But they couldn't understand the meaning of covering the ground with white cloth. Even the graves of the dead wouldn't be lined up in a long row.

"Isn't that Captain Zhao?" The escort with good eyesight recognized the man.

"Captain Zhao, what are you doing?" the escort asked loudly.

“Growing crops.”

"You guys go first, I'll go take a look." A merchant jumped off the camel.

"I'll go take a look too."

Sui Yu and Zhao Xiping saw the three merchants rushing towards them. Even though they had expected it and had explained it three or five times before, they still couldn't help but feel nervous.

"What are you doing? Oh, this is oilcloth. I thought it was something else." The merchant waded over and looked inside through the open hole in the oilcloth. It was all green, and the things inside looked like sesame seedlings or thin hemp stalks, but upon closer inspection, the color was wrong.

"What kind of crop is this? I have never seen it before," asked the merchant.

"Cotton seedlings," Sui Yu said, "I brought them back from Dayuan last year."

It was clear that Sui Yu had no qualms about letting people know about this. She was determined to spread the word about the cotton seeds she had brought back from Dayuan. She wasn't afraid of people knowing she could grow it; on the contrary, she was afraid of people not knowing. Merchants were the most effective transmitters of information, and with their constant travels, their whereabouts were uncertain and their gossip was hard to silence. If anyone coveted her cotton, the news would have already spread. Everyone knew the cotton seeds were grown by Sui Yu, and this fact couldn't be changed. Anyone considering attacking her would have to think twice.

"Is this an edible crop or a vegetable?" asked another merchant.

"Neither. It's said to be like hemp and can be used to make cloth." Sui Yu said uncertainly, "As for whether it's true, I won't know until I grow it."

"You might have been ripped off. How much did you pay for these seeds?" The merchant, who had been looking over his shoulder, straightened up and said with a smile, "If there were such good things outside the Great Wall, they would grow them themselves and wouldn't sell them to you. Take the fine horses, for example, the Dayuan and Wusun horses with their fine bloodlines. They wouldn't let any of them enter the Great Wall except as tribute."

"I'm also worried. I've been busy with this thing since mid-February, planting one crop after another, but the seedlings that grew look like weeds. I want to throw it away but I can't bear to. After all, I've already invested the money. Look at my oilcloth. The oilcloth made of coarse linen is not as light-transmitting as the oilcloth made of silk. I only use oilcloth made of silk, and it cost me a lot of money." Sui Yu complained.

Zhao Xiping glanced at her. She was so good at talking nonsense that even though he knew all her lies by heart, he couldn't help but look at her sideways every time he saw her acting without changing her expression.

The merchants felt a little sympathetic towards her and couldn't help but say that a certain caravan had once brought seeds back from outside the Great Wall. The Hu people had deceived them by saying that they would grow big melons, but in the end they grew a field of smelly weeds.

Sui Yu chuckled inwardly. Merchants love all kinds of news. They listen a lot and have a strong desire to share. Once they tell a secret, it's no longer a secret. She felt reassured that the credit for her cotton planting would not be quietly taken away by those with ulterior motives.

"By the way, you are from Chang'an? Have you seen my family's caravan and the Song family's caravan? My brother led the caravan to Chang'an to sell horses last year." Sui Yu asked.

"Is it your caravan transporting a large number of Dayuan horses to Chang'an?" the merchant was shocked. "We heard the news, but we haven't seen anyone. The Dayuan horses were snatched up by officials as soon as they entered the imperial city. Last summer, a snow-white Ferghana horse caused a sensation in Chang'an, and at the end of the year, another shiny black Ferghana horse arrived. I heard the gatekeepers say that these two horses changed hands several times and even made a round at the Imperial Stables, for the emperor's amusement."

"How much did the dark horse sell for?" Sui Yu asked.

"We don't know about this. I guess your brother is hiding it on purpose. If he doesn't reveal it, we won't be able to get in touch with the buyer, and only a few people will know the price." said the merchant.

Sui Yu glanced at Zhao Xiping proudly. Her brother was not stupid.

Zhao Xiping laughed.

"The sun is about to set. When are you going back?" The merchant satisfied his curiosity and planned to go back to the inn to eat.

"You go first, we'll wait until dark before going back," said Zhao Xiping.

The three merchants waded away again. Zhao Xiping talked with Sui Yu for a few words, then he stood up and called the camel that was grazing in the distance. He then went into the city to take up his post in this dirty clothes.

Sui Yu gathered up the scattered things and waited for the wind to pick up. She then lowered the oilcloth, leaving a gap for the first and second crops of cotton seedlings to ventilate. She also covered the newly emerged third and fourth crops of mud blocks tightly.

After finishing all this, she picked up her things and walked back.

She didn't rest when she returned. The servants had all gone to the fields to plant wheat. Sui Yu was too lazy to wait any longer. She was dirty anyway, so she simply blocked her nose and covered her face. She scooped two spoonfuls of manure water, added river water, and stirred it with a straw spoon. The next day, she asked Erhei to carry it to the field, and she fertilized the mud with her own hands.

Afterwards, Sui Yu called on his servants to mix the dried camel dung with wheat straw and set it on fire. After it burned, they shoveled it up and piled it together, covered it, and simmered it with sparks for two days and two nights. The dung fertilizer mixed with grass ash was ready.

"Why bother with all this effort? Why not just mix grass ash with camel dung and spread it on the ground?" said Zhao Xiping.

"I thought that grass ash can prevent insects, and burnt camel dung is also another kind of grass ash. When transplanting cotton seedlings, grab a handful and throw it into the pit. It not only has fertility but also prevents pests from eating the cotton roots." This was Sui Yu's random thinking. She only remembered that in her previous life, her grandmother would throw a handful of chemical fertilizer into the pit when planting cotton, and would also throw fertilizer when planting vegetables. She didn't know if it was ammonia fertilizer, phosphate fertilizer, or something else.

Whatever it was, Sui Yu understood that the cotton seedlings needed to be fertilized when transplanted. She was worried that the manure fertilizer applied directly would be too strong and would burn the cotton roots, so she thought about burning it with fire to reduce the fertility.

Zhao Xiping was thoughtful. That night, he ordered his servants to burn manure, intending to apply it as fertilizer before planting beans, and wait until autumn to see if there would be a good harvest of soybeans.