In the eyes of most people, Jiang Zhi was being morally blackmailed!

However, she could not have it.

Whether they agree or not, both families are now facing the same difficulty and must stand together through thick and thin.

There are many things I need to do in the future, and they are things that a peasant woman like Granny Jiang would never understand.

It's impossible to explain things to people every time. To make things convenient and simple, you must have absolute authority.

Jiang Zhi pulled Xiaoman up and patted the rain off his shoulder with a smile: "Xiaoman, from now on, you'll have to listen to me in everything you do!"

"Yes, yes, yes! I'll listen to my aunt!"

Xu Errui was laughing so hard his eyes disappeared from his grin.

The mother gave birth to two children, but the father was injured and could not do heavy work. The mother was busy with farm work and was momentarily negligent. The six-year-old eldest brother followed her into the field and fell into a ditch and died. Only he was left as the only son.

So even though Xiaotian was just a cousin, his grandparents and father still secretly taught him to act like a younger brother, saying that Xiaotian was pitiful because he had no parents and that he should share the good food with Xiaotian.

Therefore, in his heart, he always regarded Xiaotian as his own brother, and he also felt that it was his mother's bad temper.

But Xiao Tian left with someone else, and he was always sad. Fortunately, he had Xiao Man Dang by his side.

Although he and Xiaoman were from the same village, they were busy with work and rarely spent time together. Only Xiaotian and Xiaoman, who were about the same age, spent time together every day.

Now she has friends, and... Xiaoman doesn't hate her mother!

Since the two families are going to farm together, they naturally need to discuss when to plant the seeds.

When Xiaomanye heard that Jiangzhi was still sowing wheat, he was immediately surprised and asked, "Errui Niang, wheat is usually sown in early winter. If you sow it now, will you even be able to harvest it?"

He thought Jiang Zhi was going to plant corn, and now was the perfect time.

The area where Xujia Village is located only grows winter wheat; I've never heard of wheat being grown in the spring.

This creates an information gap problem.

Both spring wheat and winter wheat are correct; the sowing time depends on the local climate.

However, in the information-poor Great Yan Dynasty, anyone who could walk a hundred miles was considered a worldly and capable person.

The vast majority of people are born and raised in the village, marry wives in the next village, and are buried in the mountains next to their own village. If you were to mark their footprints, it would definitely be a circle.

All technical experience is passed down orally, and a single old saying can be repeated to death.

The people here have been growing winter wheat for generations and have never seen spring wheat, let alone dared to try it, for fear that missing a season's harvest would cause their families to go hungry.

Jiang Zhi lived in an era of advanced information technology and was born and raised in a farming family. Although she did not work in the fields every day, she helped out at home during winter and summer vacations, so she knew what crops to plant in each season.

Winter wheat is sown around National Day, while the best time to plant spring wheat is in early March.

The specific time will depend on local weather conditions and temperature changes.

If it's too early, the cold weather will affect the germination and growth of wheat; if it's too late, the high temperature will lead to more pests and diseases.

Temperatures are now gradually rising, so as long as the wheat seeds are planted quickly, the harvest will not be reduced.

Jiang Zhi didn't want to explain too much to Xiaoman's grandfather. She was worried that the more she talked to the old man, the more she would give herself away.

He only said one sentence: "Give it a try. I'm the kind of person who likes to try new things. Maybe it will work!"

Although she was no longer bound by her original self, she couldn't immediately become a mysterious woman who knew everything about astronomy and geography, and was omnipresent and omnipotent. She would just be someone who liked to cause trouble.

Xiaoman blinked. This restless fellow... could he even be restless in the soil?

Before, it was people who were being tormented; now it's the land that's being tormented!

For a moment, he began to doubt his decision.

well!

Errui's mother used to be someone who liked to stir up trouble in the village. Would these dozen or so kilograms of seeds be wasted?

But he had just said that Errui's mother would decide how to farm, so he couldn't go back on his word.

It seems the only option is to have Xiaoman clear a few more barren slopes to plant beans and sorghum. If Errui's efforts fail, the two families can still cook bean rice and sorghum rice to stave off hunger.

The rain is like a funnel that has been holding back for a long time, sometimes heavy, sometimes light, sometimes stopping and sometimes falling, and it has been drizzling for several days with no sign of the sky clearing up.

The firelight had faded from the mountain peaks; white smoke mingled with white mist, and rain clouds shrouded the trees, creating a hazy, white expanse where nothing could be distinguished.

Only the lingering smell of smoke and mud in the air indicated that the embers had not been completely extinguished.

The charred bushes, which were originally gray and black as if they were dead, came back to life as soon as they were drenched by the rain.

The branches have no leaves, yet they are tinged with green, a joyful scene of spring.

In the terraced fields, during a break in the rain, Jiang Zhi, Xu Errui, and Xiaoman planted wheat barefoot in the cold mud.

The wheat seeds were soaked in quicklime water beforehand, and even after drying, they remained plump and round, like a withered old man transforming into a voluptuous young woman, giving one a sense of impending harvest at first glance.

Sowing wheat seeds in early spring was a rare occurrence that Xu Errui and Xiaoman had never seen before, and soaking wheat seeds in quicklime water was something they had never even heard of.

The two looked at each other, their hair practically falling out of their sockets, still completely baffled as to what this meant.

Especially Xu Errui.

Jiang Zhi told him to pick up a small amount of fresh quicklime and soak it in a basin. It should be fresh quicklime with white lumps, not loose quicklime that has been released for a long time or has absorbed water and decomposed.

Then put the wheat seeds into lime water. Do not stir while soaking, so as not to break the lime film formed on the surface of the water, because it is said that it will affect the sterilization effect.

Bacteria, invisible bacteria?

Could it be that the oak mushrooms that the villagers picked in the mountains during the summer could be killed with quicklime, so that they don't bleed or sap?

Xu Errui and Xiaoman didn't understand, and Jiang Zhi had no way to explain to them the creatures that could only be seen under a microscope. She could only say, "This soil is made up of rotten leaves and grass on the ground. It's fertilizer, but there are definitely insect eggs and grass seeds in it."

Soaking seeds in quicklime is to prevent insects from eating away at the roots of the wheat before it even grows.

Xu Errui and Xiaoman immediately understood this explanation.

In the past, in the village, it was common for wheat seeds to be dug up and eaten by field mice and birds as soon as they were planted.

To ensure a good harvest, people living near villages would put up straw figures to scare away birds, while those living far from villages would have to guard the land until the seedlings sprouted.

The soil in these terraced fields was dug out from the forest and crevices in the rocks, and it contains a lot of grass seeds and overwintering insects.

If wheat seeds are placed in this kind of soil, they are very likely to be eaten by insects.

Quicklime can kill insects. In addition to using quicklime to repair houses, villagers also sprinkle it in the corners of the house and under the bed to kill woodlice.

Now my mother is using quicklime to kill it, which should also be effective.

The sowing process went smoothly.

Jiang Zhi and Xu Errui worked together to dig shallow ditches with hoes, while Xiao Man carried a wicker basket woven by her grandfather and walked along the edge of the ditch. With one hand she put seeds in the ditch and with the other she grabbed a handful of wood ash mixed with yellow mud and put it into the shallow ditch, then covered it with soil with her feet.

All three were used to farm work, and they quickly planted four terraces. However, before they could use up all the wheat seeds, the work was stopped!

Looking at the still empty terraced fields, Xu Errui and Xiaoman were puzzled: "Mom, there are still extra wheat seeds. Let's plant them all!"

If the two families combine their wheat seeds, they can plant five terraced fields with some left over. This is not because they have too much wheat seed, but because they have too little land.

Xu Errui thought that by growing more wheat, he could eat white flour more often in the future.

Jiang Zhi shook her head and moved her feet, which were almost numb: "That piece of land must be kept for breeding and seedling cultivation; it will be of great use! These wheat seeds can be planted in other places."

Okay, let's call it a day and go home to have some ginger soup to warm up. I'm freezing!