Chapter 10: Officially Going to the Field "As long as you cultivate it diligently, even the most treacherous land can be...

Early in the morning, not long after Liu Yeshu opened his eyes, he heard someone knocking on the door. He walked closer and heard it was Liu's father outside the door asking if he had woken up.

Usually, it is Liu's mother who calls us for breakfast, but it seems that she has something going on today.

After Liu Yeshu opened the door, he saw that besides Liu's father, there was also Old Man Wang standing there, holding a basket of soil with a shovel and a wooden trowel stuck in the soil.

Old Man Wang grinned and said, "Girl, your father said your roof is leaking, so I came over to help fix it."

After entering the yard, he rolled up his sleeves neatly. Father Liu took a hoe and mixed the straw and mud together to make the roof.

I think Father Liu was worried about the leaky roof, so he asked Old Man Wang how to fix it. Unexpectedly, Old Man Wang was very enthusiastic and came over with him.

"Then I'll go borrow a ladder." Liu Yeshu said as he was about to walk out of the house.

Old man Wang waved his hand and said, "Why do you need a ladder? I'm still very strong. Climbing onto the roof is no big deal." After that, he jumped up and firmly grasped the eaves. With his hands, he pushed his toes against the wall and nimbly climbed onto the roof.

Liu Yeshu was stunned: "Uncle Wang, you are in great health!"

Old Man Wang smiled proudly: "Don't look at my age, my body is still stronger than many young people."

Father Liu helped pass the tools from below, while Old Man Wang skillfully applied the mud piece by piece.

"The morning sun isn't too strong, so the mud dries evenly and isn't prone to cracking. Roofing is no easy task; the mud needs to be spread evenly and compacted to prevent rainwater from seeping in."

Father Liu listened attentively, and when he saw the work was almost done, he winked at Liu Yeshu, who then went to get breakfast next door. Two corn pancakes and a bowl of bean porridge satisfied Old Man Wang.

After Old Man Wang left, Liu Yeling had already gotten up. Her complexion had improved considerably, and she was about to go fill her water bag. She had agreed with her father last night to go to the fields together today. Her mother stayed home, embroidering, and cooked lunch for Liu Yeshu to take.

Along the way, Liu Yeshu would occasionally glance sideways at Liu Yeling. Although Liu Di followed behind him, carrying a package on his back, his brows were slightly furrowed, his steps were a little stiff, and a hint of nervousness was visible in his eyes.

Liu Yeshu sighed inwardly. Her brother was still young, and the shadow cast by the unknown corpse was obviously still there. She deliberately slowed down her pace and stayed by his side.

Passing by Zhao Chunfang's land, Liu Yeshu noticed that Sergeant Sun was also there. He was standing at the edge of the field with his hands on his hips, directing Wang Dazhu to work in the field.

Sergeant Sun caught a glimpse of Liu Yeshu's family passing by, and a playful smile appeared on his face. He threatened Liu Di with a somewhat teasing tone: "Hey, little brother, your family's land is not ordinary. The farmland is very evil. Aren't you afraid of ghosts?"

After hearing this, Liu Di's body trembled.

Liu Yeshu smiled and asked, "Aren't there more ghosts on the battlefield than in the fields?"

The mischievous smile on Sergeant Sun's face froze instantly. Since this was a battlefield matter, he didn't dare to say anything nonsense. He had only intended to tease her, but he hadn't expected Liu Yeshu to outmaneuver him.

Liu Yeshu then said to Liu Di, "If you have peace of mind, ghosts and gods will stay away. The ghosts and gods in this world are probably afraid of people not being diligent in their work. As long as you work hard, even the most evil land can be turned into good fields."

Zhao Chunfang, standing by, initially tried to pretend she hadn't seen them. Her injuries had only just healed, and the sight of the Liu family reminded her of the public whipping she'd received from Steward Li. Hearing this, she rolled her eyes. This Liu girl was quite formidable; she hadn't noticed her last time.

Father Liu looked at his daughter with a smile on his face, looking very satisfied. He said to Liu Yeling, "Listen to your sister more from now on."

Liu Di nodded, walked forward and held his sister's hand, no longer afraid.

Sergeant Sun watched the Liu family's retreating figures, a sneer on his face. He turned to Zhao Chunfang and said, "Just wait and see. No matter how hard they try, it's all in vain if they don't use the right method. These fields are newly cultivated and not fertile. Not to mention the law requiring them to return double the seeds next year, I'm afraid they wouldn't be able to grow even half the seeds."

Zhao Chunfang was happy again after hearing this, and she rarely gave Wang Dazhu a good look for the whole day.

Arriving at the field, Liu Yeshu looked around. This piece of land, backed by the Qilian Mountains, had a unique location and fertile soil, but was a little far from the water source.

"Dad, we have to plan this land carefully and make full use of its geographical advantages." Liu Yeshu said calmly.

Father Liu nodded for her to continue. Liu Yeshu pointed to different directions of the plots and began to allocate planting areas for the three crops.

"First, this piece of land near the foot of the mountain has relatively moist soil and moderate sunshine hours, so we grow wheat here. Although wheat is drought-resistant, this slightly moist land allows it to take root more firmly and grow better."

Father Liu glanced at the field at the foot of the mountain and nodded: "Yes, wheat is just right there."

Just as Liu Yeshu was about to continue, the system's voice suddenly rang in her mind: [Wheat is indeed suitable for planting in moist soil, but pay attention to the soil's drainage and avoid waterlogging.]

Liu Yeshu was slightly stunned, then he corrected himself in his heart and said, "Dad, we still have to pay attention to drainage to avoid water accumulation and damage to the roots."

"Next," Liu Yeshu pointed to the middle plot, "This is the farthest from the water source, but the soil is relatively dry and there's plenty of sunlight, making it perfect for growing cotton. Cotton is drought-tolerant and doesn't require much water, so this is the best place to grow cotton."

Liu Yeling also nodded. Although he didn't understand much, he wanted to agree with what his sister said.

The system interrupted again: [Cotton has shallow roots. When planting, pay attention to maintaining soil stability, especially when the soil is dry.]

Liu Yeshu took note of it silently.

"Finally, this piece of land near the hillside," Liu Yeshu pointed to a place closer to the mountain. "It's slightly higher here, and the soil is loose. Although it's a little far from a water source, the corn has a well-developed root system and can adapt well to the environment here. Let's plant the corn here."

After hearing this, Father Liu immediately decided to follow his daughter's instructions and said, "Shu'er, you're very thoughtful. You mentioned earlier that you'd read some books on agriculture, but I didn't think much of it. I never thought it would be so useful."

Liu Yeshu was slightly startled. Seeing that his father didn't seem suspicious, he didn't explain further. He simply said modestly, "Dad, book knowledge is only part of the story. More importantly, we need to rely on practical experience. Let's give it a try first, and then adjust if there are any problems." He turned to look at his brother and said, "Ling'er, let's continue clearing weeds and rocks today. Spring planting is about to begin, so we have to hurry."

Liu Yeshu grabbed a bunch of weeds with one hand and swung the sickle with the other. The blade gleamed coldly in the sunlight, and with a strong cut, the weeds fell down. Her wrist turned the sickle flexibly, and soon a small pile of cut weeds had piled up at her feet.

Liu Yeling followed Liu Yeshu's lead, bending down like her, holding a handful of weeds in one hand and the sickle in the other, carefully mowing them. Although her movements were a little clumsy, she tried to be steady and accurate with each cut. As she became more proficient, her mowing speed also increased.

The sound of the sickle cutting through the air intertwined with the rustling of falling grass leaves.

[Congratulations to the host for completing today's task, and reward 50 points! ]

Since the system took the initiative to interrupt, Liu Yeshu asked, "How are the eggs hatching?"

The system's voice quickly rang out: "Currently, the eggs are hatching well, and chicks are about 10 days away. If you need to speed up the process urgently, you can redeem points for hatching acceleration."

Liu Yeshu frowned slightly and thought. Although it could make the eggs hatch faster, this unusual speed might arouse her mother's suspicion. She finally decided not to take the risk.

It was almost time for lunch, and Liu Yeshu came home from the fields to get food, while his father and younger brother stayed in the fields.

As soon as I entered the door, I smelled the fragrant aroma of rice. The dishes in the kitchen were already prepared and were steaming in the pot.

Liu Yeshu picked up a piece of stir-fried shredded radish and green vegetables with tofu, and tasted that it was fried with soybean oil. Although it was oily, it lacked fragrance.

Liu's mother was sitting by the bed, concentrating on embroidering with her head down. The needle and thread in her hands gleamed subtly in the sunlight, and she moved so smoothly that she didn't even notice that Liu Yeshu had returned.

Liu Yeshu walked into the kitchen and was about to pick up the lunch box to get some rice when she suddenly heard someone shouting at the door. She poked her head out of the kitchen and saw that it was Aunt Sun standing at the gate, looking inside.

"Shu'er, are you at home?" Aunt Sun called out enthusiastically with a smile on her face.

Liu Yeshu was slightly startled, then quickly walked to the door and replied with a smile, "Aunt Sun, have you eaten yet? Come in and sit down."

Aunt Sun waved her hand, saying that dinner was ready. She walked into the yard, surveying her surroundings as she spoke, "Shu'er, I've been eating your kimchi these past few days, and it's so delicious! Today's lunch was a little bland, and my husband kept craving yours. I want to learn how to make some, too. Could you teach me?"

Liu Yeshu smiled after hearing this and said, "Aunt Sun, there's nothing special about how to make this kimchi. It's just a common pickling method. Maybe it's because I use more spices at home, so it tastes special. You can take some more with you today. Whenever you want to eat it, if I have it, you can come and get it anytime."

Aunt Sun was a little disappointed after hearing this, but she didn't ask any more questions. She greeted Liu's mother and exchanged a few words with her, then picked up a few pieces of kimchi with her chopsticks and left.

Liu Yeshu returned to the field with the lunch box. His father and brother were already sitting on the rocks to rest. The sun was still strong at noon, and they squinted their eyes as they watched Liu Yeshu coming.

"I've brought the camel here too. I'll take it out for a walk nearby this afternoon." Liu Yeshu placed the food box on a stone beside her, opened the lid, and the aroma of hot rice immediately filled the air.

"Shu'er, you're back. You've been busy all morning and you must be starving." Father Liu said with a smile, picked up a bowl of rice, stretched out his chopsticks and took a big mouthful of food into his mouth.

Liu Yeshu said, "Auntie Sun from the village came and said a few more words."

Father Liu nodded. He had some impression of Aunt Sun's family because her daughter was lame.

Liu Yeling didn't even bother to wipe the sweat from her forehead. She hurriedly picked up the bowl and stuffed the food into her mouth voraciously.

Father Liu sighed, "Working in the fields is really exhausting, and it seems like we can't have enough food."

After finishing the meal, Liu Yeling licked her lips with a look of reluctance in her eyes: "Sister, I haven't eaten meat for many days. It's not satisfying enough."

After hearing this, Liu Yeshu couldn't help laughing. She pinched Liu Di's face and said in a relaxed tone, "Then I'll cook tonight and I won't let you down."