This year, it's not necessary. Looking up, you can see the Donghe River flowing gently in the distance, with two huge waterwheels turning and churning the water, which flows into the ditches and then into the fields. Once the irrigation is almost complete, the farmers will use hoes to block up the water inlets and outlets in the corners of the fields with mud.

"Fengnian, what are you doing?" Song Anxin asked as she walked down to the edge of her field.

From afar, she saw Lin Fengnian and Qingshan Anfu... The two of them were on either side of their own field, holding a rope and moving back and forth in the rice paddy, constantly shaking the rice ears.

Hearing this, Lin Fengnian, holding a rope in one hand and scratching his head with the other, smiled somewhat embarrassedly and said, "Mother, I'm pollinating the flowers. I read in a book that if you want the fruit to grow well, the pollen between flowers needs to be transferred to each other more often."

Although this is a term used to describe planting fruit, I thought, aren't all crops about flowering and bearing fruit? Rice is also the fruit of flowers, so I thought I'd try pollinating the rice while it's heading and flowering.

Song Anxin was genuinely surprised. Wasn't this just pollination? Her boss had really stumbled upon this by accident. This reminded her of something.

She said, "Fengnian, you're right. Do you remember the story of Grandpa Yuan that I told you before?"

Lin Fengnian was very happy to receive his mother's affirmation. When his mother mentioned the person he admired most, he asked, "Of course I remember. Grandpa Yuan was the one who grew rice that yielded a thousand catties per mu."

Song Anxin said, "Actually, this kind of rice is called hybrid rice. It is a hybrid variety of different rice. The interbreeding between plants actually relies on the spread of pollen."

Lin Fengnian's eyes lit up, and he immediately interjected, "Mother, can I also try hybridizing different types of rice?"

Song Anxin smiled and said, "Fengnian, don't rush, let your mother finish. Actually, your understanding of rice pollination is not entirely correct. Vegetables and fruits rely on cross-pollination, but rice is a self-pollinating plant. That is to say, it can pollinate itself. The way you are pushing the rice to encourage self-pollination will indeed make it more productive."

Each rice flower contains both stamens and pistils, and under normal circumstances, there is no opportunity for hybridization. My mother only knew that Grandpa Yuan accidentally discovered a hybrid rice plant in the field, but she didn't know the specifics. Grandpa Yuan spent many years developing hybrid rice and dedicated his life to its improvement and perfection.

Therefore, in a bountiful year, you have to take it slowly; you can't rush it.

After listening, Lin Fengnian admired Grandpa Yuan even more. He nodded solemnly, his eyes filled with determination: "Mother, I understand. I believe that as long as I don't give up, I will definitely discover hybrid rice just like Grandpa Yuan."

After finishing his sentence, Lin Fengnian turned around and plunged into the rice paddy to study the pollen on the rice plants.

Song Anxin smiled, shook her head, and went back, hoping that her boss could get what he wanted in this life.

————

On an ordinary day, in a courtyard at the end of Linjia Village, Song Anxin was listening to a storyteller with a group of ladies, led by Madam Liang.

After that visit to Linjia Village, Madam Liang became a regular at her home. After chatting and drinking tea a few times, she got bored and invited some storytellers and musicians to come over.

Today, the storyteller is telling the tale of a down-on-his-luck scholar and a young lady from a wealthy family. The ladies and young misses are completely engrossed in the story, and they even shed tears when they hear that the two are forced to separate.

In contrast, Song Anxin, with her numb expression, seemed completely out of place. She didn't want to be like this either; it was just that in her time, there were so many diverse and exciting films, TV dramas, and novels—compared to this, the plot was utterly weak, nothing compared to the thrill of jumping off the Execution Platform.

Song Anxin was drowsy listening to the story in the backyard.

Anji Angui was drying several large baskets of chilies he had picked from the chili field when a young servant approached and said with practiced ease:

"Anji, Angui, you're busy, come on, let me help you."

An Gui said, "Brother Achang, no need, we're almost done."

Achang was a servant brought by Madam Liang. As he came more frequently, he became familiar with the younger Angui and Anji.

After finishing drying several baskets of chili peppers, Anji and Angui sat down on the ground under the shade of a tree in the corner of the wall with Achang.

“I must say, you guys are really working hard, even doing these farm chores,” Achang began to chat.

An Gui said with a smile, "Brother Achang, this is not hard work at all. It's much more enjoyable than those jobs where you have to serve others and read their faces. Plus, you can rest as soon as you're done."

Achang nodded and said, "That's true. When I serve my masters in the Liang family, we servants don't even dare to breathe when their expressions change. We have to be on high alert at all times. It's true that I'm not as happy as you guys."

Ah Chang was speaking from the heart. The servants in the Ruren Mansion were really different from them. They always seemed very satisfied and happy, but they didn't have any real thoughts.

"Hehe, so it's really great that we can come to Ru's house! I'm going to feed the rabbits later, they might have given birth, they've had several litters recently, and the newborn bunnies are so cute."

Angie happily shared her joy with others.

Achang smiled insincerely and agreed with a few words, then casually picked up a chili pepper drying on the ground and played with it, changing the subject:

“Anji, Angui, I must say, your wife is really amazing. She can raise rabbits, and she can even come up with a fan. I’ve never seen this kind of chili pepper before, and it smells really good. Your wife knows so many new and interesting things.”

Angie proudly declared, "No, our lady is the most capable! We've recently been planting a new crop called potatoes, which was also discovered by our lady. She said those potatoes..."

Anji was interrupted by a voice before he could finish speaking.

"Anji, Angui, what are you doing!"

Granny Sun approached and looked at A-Chang with displeasure in her eyes. She said, "You're Madam Liang's servant, aren't you? Didn't your Liang family teach you not to run around in someone else's residence? If you offend our mistress, can you take responsibility for it?"

Ah Chang had finally managed to glean some useful information, only to be interrupted by this suddenly appearing old woman, leaving him extremely resentful.

His expression changed quickly, and he immediately put on a different face.

"Yes, yes, it was my fault. I was just being friendly to my two younger brothers, An Gui and An Ji, and that's why I lost my manners and came to find them. I'll leave right away, I'll leave right away."

Achang immediately ran away after saying that.

Anji Angui stood up, somewhat reluctantly saying, "Grandma Sun, Brother Achang just came to chat with us. He's a very nice person and will even help us with our work. He won't offend the master."

Granny Sun rarely gave them a cold look: "Anji, Angui, I think you've been too comfortable staying in the Madam's residence. That Achang is obviously asking about the Madam's affairs. Can't you tell? You still think he's a good person. What kind of dutiful servant would ask about the affairs of someone else's master?"