Chapter 146 Chapter 146 Rubber Tree

Because of his contribution to educating the mountain people, Yan Xuanqing was selected as the outstanding county magistrate of the year in his first year.

This was selected in the first year of Lin Si's reign, so its value can be imagined.

Yan Xuanqing has been promoted to the prefect of Nanzhou, the capital of Xiguang Road.

Because of the favorable climate and season in Xiguang Road, rubber trees were planted on a hilltop when Lin Si first ascended the throne.

Lin Si not only exchanged rubber tree species from the system mall, but also sent the planting manual to Xiguang Road.

The cotton planting techniques are now very mature and farmers are very adept at it.

This was the first time that rubber trees were planted. When Ding Shui got the booklet, he gathered all the farmers who were planting rubber trees together and trained them again and again.

Since the farmers were illiterate, Ding Shui asked Bai Zhi to take turns explaining to them and ask them to memorize the text.

The planting cycle of rubber trees is long, requiring at least four years.

Now that Lin Si has been on the throne for more than four years, Yan Xuanqing has been asking Ding Shui to keep a close eye on him and send someone to report as soon as he grows up.

Unexpectedly, today, the people sent by Ding Shui came to report that the rubber trees had grown!

Yan Xuanqing immediately postponed all work arrangements for the day and asked someone to prepare an ox cart and set off.

Ding Shui has always been very attentive to the rubber trees.

Xiguang Road was originally poor, and now apart from cotton, which can be grown in other places, and cement factories distributed everywhere, there is nothing unique here.

The success of rubber trees is the hope for Xiguang Road to get rid of poverty and become rich.

After all, Ding Shui remembered that His Majesty once said that if the rubber tree could be tapped, it would have many uses.

Ding Shui also postponed his work as prefect and rushed to the rubber tree planting area with his subordinates.

Ding Shui arrived early and left in a hurry. The dense rubber forest was still shrouded in a layer of white mist. The red mud under his feet stained his shoes and the hem of his clothes, but Ding Shui didn't care at all.

In front of us are the farmers responsible for planting rubber trees.

Most of these farmers lost their land in the cold snap a few years ago, so Ding Shui arranged for them to plant rubber trees in exchange for a piece of land large enough for them to grow food, as well as a monthly subsidy.

The farmers naturally agreed, feeling that it was no different from a blessing from heaven.

Although they had never planted rubber trees before, they had some experience in farming as they had watched their ancestors plant them and had been doing so for many years.

The rubber trees have been well maintained in recent years.

And they will also keep in mind the standards for being able to tap rubber.

The first thing to consider is the age of the tree. Trees under four years old cannot be tapped. The second thing to consider is the tree circumference, bark thickness, and whether the crown is lush and leafy.

Perhaps it was because of the good climate in Xiguang Road, or perhaps it was because the farmers who planted the rubber trees took good care of them, but this first batch of rubber trees grew surprisingly strong.

Ding Shui hurried into the woods, where the farmers were already waiting.

"The governor is well."

Ding Shui hurriedly asked, "Are you sure? Can we really tap rubber?"

A farmer held a hemp rope in his hand and said, "We have just measured the circumference of the tree. The thickness of the bark is also sufficient, more than half of the standard."

Ding Shui was a little excited at this moment. "Okay, okay, I'll wait until Magistrate Yan comes before cutting it."

If these rubber trees can really be tapped, then the people on Xiguang Road will definitely become rich!

He and Yan Xuanqing can add another entry to their resumes.

Yan Xuanqing hurried over, and Ding Shui didn't say a word. "The bark, age, and girth of the tree are all up to date. The bark and girth exceed the standard by more than half."

Yan Xuanqing nodded and wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Then let's choose a tree to cut first."

The farmers nodded. They had already prepared the tools for tapping rubber. The rubber tapping knives were also carefully made, with a thin blade and a duck-billed tip, which made it easy to control the depth and angle.

In addition to the rubber tapping knife, you also need a container for the rubber. The large bamboo tube has a hook that can be hung directly on the bark. There is also a bamboo diversion piece to guide the rubber into the bamboo tube.

The farmers had practiced using the rubber tapping knife countless times before, but it was their first time tapping a large rubber tree, and with so many people watching, they couldn't help but feel a little nervous.

What if the rubber tree is not cut properly and is destroyed? Will my land be taken back and will I be punished?

But Yan Xuanqing dispelled his concerns with just one sentence. "It's okay to cut it off."

The farmer carefully placed the blade of the knife close to the bark and cut a section with one stroke.

Everyone stared at the cutting line nervously, praying that what would flow out would be a milky white gelatinous liquid.

After all, if the cut is too shallow, only clear water droplets will flow out, while if the cut is too deep, reddish-brown liquid will flow out.

It would be fine if the cut is shallow, but if it is too deep, the bark will rot, the growth will stagnate, and the tree will be ruined.

Yan Xuanqing blinked nervously, and Ding Shui swallowed nervously.

Under everyone's attention, a milky white gelatinous liquid emerged and dripped into the container along the guide vane.

The first ones to get excited were Ding Shui and Bai Zhi, who were under Yan Xuanqing's command.

The rubber tree has been successfully planted, and as those who have participated in it, their resumes will look good, and they will have materials for future promotion.

Yan Xuanqing calmed his excitement and said, "I will write an urgent memorial to His Majesty right now. The rubber factory on Xiguang Road can be started up."

*

In the summer of the fourth year of Jinghe, Fan Ying embarked on a journey to Anjing University.

Lin Si attached great importance to this first batch of college students. He specially arranged a unified time and used ox carts to pick them up and drop them off.

Originally, Fan Li and Song Pan wanted to see her off.

After learning that the court had arranged the pick-up and drop-off, he felt much more relieved. However, he kept reminding her to take good care of herself when she was away from home.

It would be a lie for the couple to say they weren't worried about their daughter, whom they had raised since she was a child, going to such a far place alone.

Looking at Fan Ying's back carrying the luggage, Song Pan quietly wiped away her tears, and Fan Li couldn't help being moved.

Fan Ying was actually a little reluctant, but her emotions were soon filled with the excitement of leaving home and exploring the vast world.

Fan Ying also saw the top scorer in the college entrance examination whose name was ranked above his.

The other person was completely different from what she had imagined. She was actually an older sister.

Only then did Fan Ying realize that this exam included not only students of college age, but also people of all ages.

For example, when she was distributing dry food just now, she unexpectedly found a man who was about thirty years old.

There are also older people attending night school, but generally they will not take the middle school entrance exam after getting their diploma. After all, their energy is really limited when they are older. Also, most of them are parents at this age and will subconsciously focus on their children.

Even fewer people can finish middle school, take the college entrance examination and pass it.

The sister who was the top scorer in the college entrance examination looked only six or seven years older than Fan Ying, and this man could almost be Fan Ying's father.

The older man adjusted his beard and faced the curious questions of the other students with a look of disappointment.

"My son is truly not cut out for study. He failed math in elementary school. I nearly vomited blood when I was helping him with his homework. He couldn't even figure out simple addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. His homeroom teacher would have a conversation with me every month. I really thought he was ruining our family's future, so I signed up for middle school and took the college entrance exam. To my surprise, he passed. It's true, it's better to rely on yourself than on your children and grandchildren."

After listening to the young man's story, Fan Ying applauded him with approval.

The other students below were expressing their admiration. "This student is truly inspiring."

"My classmate is right. It's better to rely on yourself than on your descendants."

Anjing University was a three-story building constructed of cement, and the playground was also paved with cement. All the windows were glass, giving it a particularly bright and imposing appearance.

In addition to the teaching building, there are also two separate dormitory buildings.

Fan Ying carried her bags and went to her dormitory according to the assigned dormitory number.

When you push open the door, you will see a bright room with four beds, but the beds are on top and there is a table below.

Fan Ying thought this design was very good, as it would allow him to read in the dormitory.

Fan Ying did not choose a bed first, but waited until all four people in the dormitory were present before she suggested choosing.

Fan Ying didn't expect that he would live in the same dormitory with the top scorer in the college entrance examination, Sister Bai Jinzhi.

We all came here together by ox cart. Although we weren't very familiar with each other, at least we knew each other's names.

The other two roommates were very happy.

"We actually shared a dormitory with the first and second place students in the college entrance examination. We were really lucky."

"Yes, now we don't have to worry about not knowing how to answer any questions. You two will definitely be able to answer them for us."

Bai Jinzhi said softly, "No, no, we should all make progress together."