The practice of planting seedlings ahead of schedule caused a sensation in Xujia Village. No matter how much corn is planted, it is not until May. I have never seen it planted now, and even made seedbeds.

Xu Genyou was a farmer who did farm work, so he wasn't afraid of Jiang Pozi's fierceness. He kept asking why the seedlings had to be started in advance and what kind of seedbeds they were.

Jiang Zhi didn't hide it from him.

Everyone was starving. It was impossible for just one household to keep its food; it would be looted and plundered by others. We had to make sure that everyone around us had food to eat.

However, she only touched on the issue briefly, as missing a single season's harvest could mean the difference between a year's food and clothing, a heavy responsibility she couldn't bear the consequences herself.

Those incompetent teammates who can't be carried should stay away.

"Raising seedlings in advance can prevent missing seedlings from needing to be replanted, and it won't take up land. We're currently growing vegetables in the field, and we can plant wheat later!"

The people of Xujia Village used to be accustomed to sowing seeds directly. Every time the seeds were eaten by rats or birds in the ground, they had to be replanted, and this process was repeated several times.

Because of the different growing times, when it comes to harvest time, three generations of farmers, young, and old, are usually growing together on the same plot of land. This process drags on until winter, which delays the harvest of the remaining crops.

Xu Genyou and Tian Gui agreed that this made sense and that this was the right thing to do, but they didn't have enough seeds and would have to buy them themselves.

This time, no one was asked to make manure balls for seedling cultivation.

The fermented manure water was mixed with soil to form a thin mud, which was then spread out and smoothed. Jiang Zhi used a bamboo knife to cut it into evenly sized blocks.

Then Tian Gui, Xu Genyou, Xiao Man, and Xu Errui squatted down next to the clods of manure and pressed the seeds into the mud.

After each area is marked, cover the surface of the seedbed with fine, dry soil.

Because there was no plastic film to cover the ground to raise the temperature, we could only cover it with dry grass as a second layer.

Every morning when the sun comes out, we open the curtains to air them out, and then cover them up again when the sun sets.

Although these tasks were tedious, Tian Gui and Xu Genyou did them very seriously and responsibly.

These farm activities also attracted the attention of the Xu family members.

"Errui's mother, what are you doing, acting all shrewd and weird again?"

Some of her peers found it incomprehensible, simply attributing it to Granny Jiang's past strange behavior.

"These are seedlings; they can be planted directly in the ground later! You can give it a try!"

"Ha! I've never seen anything like this in my entire life. Just put it in the dung heap, and even if you burn it, it's worthless!" The man scoffed and walked away.

Jiang Pozi has always been at odds with people, and now she's pretending to be a good person and wants to plant it herself. Does she really have such a kind heart?

Grain seeds are precious, and I can't bear to waste them.

Jiang Zhi also scoffed, "Some people are blind and stupid. Even if you threw them into a cesspool, they wouldn't find any shit to eat. They deserve to go hungry!"

The man ran away in anger. That old woman Jiang was such a scoundrel; her words were still so unpleasant to hear.

Xu Errui manages the land in the village, and spring has arrived on the mountain.

Actually, with Xiaoman and Chunfeng managing those few acres of land so well, Jiang Zhi didn't need to worry about them at all.

Taking advantage of the pleasant afternoon sun, Jiang Zhi carried a small basket to the vicinity of the shack where the wounded soldiers had previously stayed.

Last year, the wildfires left the ground hardened and compacted, with little wild grass growing. It was still a bare, blackened mess.

But here are Peppa Pig's dung heaps and playgrounds for sunbathing and playing in the sand. Wherever the wild boars have rooted, tender leaves sprout from the broken soil.

Next to it, the pile of dung that the little wild boar had made has now been emptied by Chunfeng, leaving only a large pit.

With one pig that produces manure and a dozen chickens, plus rabbits, the manure in the field is enough.

Jiang Zhi walked in front, with Pei Qi following closely behind.

Seeing the mud that the wild boars had turned over, Jiang Zhi laughed: This saves trouble, but the wild boars can't come here to roll in the dirt anymore.

The wild boar, which was scratching itself and starting to dig in the dirt again, said, "Peppa, I've requisitioned this area. You'll have to find another place, okay?"

Peppa rolled her eyes as she was being scratched: "Mmm, mmm, mmm!"

"Okay, it's a deal! Peppa is really great!" Jiang Zhi patted the pig's head with satisfaction.

Having pigs to clear land is convenient. Jiang Zhi first used a hoe to loosen the soil in that area. There was no need to pick up the stones. The area had been burned, leaving behind ash, and the soil had become fertile due to the pig urine.

The seeds in the small basket had already been mixed with fine soil. A handful was then evenly scattered into the soil and casually covered up.

These are seeds of Viola yedoensis, collected last June when I was gathering medicinal herbs.

Viola yedoensis, also known as plowshare grass, is used to treat all kinds of sores, boils, and carbuncles, and is edible.

Magistrate Zhang said that if he wanted to make medicine pills, he would naturally need to plant herbs in advance.

Viola yedoensis is a wild herb and also a commonly used Chinese medicinal herb. Although it grows all over the mountains and valleys, it still needs to be dug up one clump at a time, which is far less convenient than planting it.

Jiangzhi will now sow the seeds, which will be considered wild cultivation, making it convenient to collect them later without affecting their medicinal efficacy.

Moreover, when the violets bloom, this place will be a magnificent sight.

It is one of the earliest flowering plants in spring, with a long flowering period, and is often used in landscaping.

He scattered a large patch of Viola yedoensis seeds, then placed several other herbs into the cracks in the rocks, and planted some Artemisia argyi roots before leading the wild boar away.

February has passed, and March is just around the corner; it's the season of lush grass and soaring birds once again.

The early corn that Xu Errui was in charge of has already sprouted from the seedbed.

Generally, corn sown in May can grow 20-40 centimeters tall in a month. Now the temperature is not high enough, so it barely grows to a little over 10 centimeters, but the leaves are thick and the corn is very robust.

"Mother, can we make ridges and transplant the seedlings now?" Xu Errui had never seen ridge planting before, nor did he know how to do it.

Jiang Zhi personally led people to dig the ground and build ridges.

"Digging sweet potato boxes" is hard work. In the past, after harvesting wheat, we would stand in the corn grove and dig them up. It was really hot and stuffy, and we even had to cut the corn leaves.

Now it's simple. Jiang Zhi uses a wooden stick that has been prepared in advance to measure the distance between each row. Then Xu Errui, Xiao Man and the others gather the loosened soil and pile it into rows to form furrows.

The corn is planted in the middle of the high ridge, while the intercropped sweet potatoes are planted on both sides of the ridge to prevent waterlogging caused by excessive summer rain.

Sweet potatoes are drought-tolerant but susceptible to waterlogging, so they are susceptible to being submerged in water and may even drown if soaked in water for a long time.

In the past, sweet potatoes in Xujia Village were planted on flat land. The sweet potatoes couldn't take root and grow vines, and they would be soaked in water several times a year.

Now, with soft, thick soil and protection from flooding, the sweet potato vines can extend further, ensuring a higher yield.

At this moment, a row of onlookers had already squatted by the edge of the field, staring at the furrows that were at least twenty centimeters high, and everyone fell into deep thought.

They were all farmers, and some things they didn't know until they saw them, but once they saw them, they understood. However, they were even more curious about Jiang Zhi.

"Aunt Jiang, where did you learn all this from? Why haven't you done it before?" A man looked at Jiang Zhi with a strange expression.

These words immediately drew everyone's attention, and everyone wanted to know where this method came from.

Jiang Zhi recognized this man. When Xu Changshou tried to extort land, this man slapped Pi, who jumped out to play the good guy, and said that he also wanted to seize the land of Chang Gengbo.

We all live in the same village, our houses are next to each other, our land is next to each other. It's not that there are no secrets at all, but you can hear the sound of pots and pans coming from each other's houses.

Granny Jiang is not a person who can keep a low profile in the village. If she had something to say, she would have said it out loud long ago. She certainly wouldn't have kept it hidden until now.

Facing a dozen or so skeptical gazes, Jiang Zhi remained confident; she had long known this day would come.