Chapter 433 Cotton is susceptible to insects
After lunch, Shen Zheng and Cheng Zhao left Dahe Village and headed to Huzhou to continue their studies.
Zhao Ergou went to Ping'an County to promote the restaurant franchise and to book a boat from the Cao family. Not the luxurious boats on the big river, but smaller, more delicate boats that could shuttle among the lotus leaves, for a more refined experience.
Cheng Wanwan stayed at home to continue planning the flower garden. Originally, she planned to use it as a planting site for raw materials for skincare products, but since it had other uses, she couldn't just plant peach blossoms and jasmine. It was spring and summer, and the temperature was suitable, so basically anything could grow. She selected some flower seeds suitable for the soil and water of Dahe Village from the mall and had Cheng Yuanyuan plant them.
They're busy in the flowerbeds, and they're busy in the fields too.
After the wheat harvest, Zhao Dashan had already plowed the fields once, and next he would plant some crops such as sesame, beans, and peanuts.
Two years ago there was a locust plague, and last year there was a drought. The village hasn't planted these crops for two years, and we have to go to the city to buy seeds and plant them acre by acre.
Since there were only a few acres of land, no farmhands were hired to help. Cheng Wanwan helped Zhao Dashan with the work in the field, sowing the seeds, watering, and fertilizing, and that was about it.
"Mother, go back and rest." Zhao Dashan wiped the sweat from his brow. "I'll go check on the cotton field again. I passed by there yesterday and found a lot of insect eggs on the back of some leaves. We need to get rid of those eggs quickly, otherwise we'll be in trouble when the insects multiply in summer."
Cheng Wanwan remembered that when she was a child, around the 1990s, there was a large cotton field near the orphanage. Local farmers often sprayed pesticides, but they still couldn't kill them all. They had to manually find and kill the insects. When she was four or five years old, she wasn't afraid of insects. A farmer asked the children to catch insects. He paid them one cent for each insect, and they could earn two yuan a day to buy candy.
Modern pesticides cannot kill all these cotton bollworms, let alone in ancient times when there were no pesticides.
Currently, we can only prevent and control them, eliminating them while they are still eggs.
Cheng Wanwan said, "Please have the farmhands go to the cotton field with you. If they find insect eggs on the back of a leaf, that leaf is no longer usable. Pick all the infested leaves and burn them. This needs to be dealt with as soon as possible."
Zhao Dashan had dealt with many agricultural pest problems, and his practical knowledge was richer than his theoretical knowledge. He nodded and immediately took action. He also told the village head about the matter. After all, every household grew some cotton, ranging from a small plot to an acre. Because the land was small, having a child keep an eye on things would be enough to kill the insect eggs in time.
Cheng Wanwan's family has a total of 150 mu of cotton fields. Such a large area cannot be dealt with in a day or two. Zhao Dashan was so busy that he didn't come back until dinner time.
After dinner, Zhao Ergou and Wu Huiniang returned, both with happy expressions on their faces.
Wu Huiniang took the child and sat down, saying, "Mother, many people in the city are talking about our Dahe Village today, and they're all talking about the lotus pond."
“I made a special trip to the entrance of the Nanfu Academy in Hekou County. All the scholars there were talking about lotus leaves and flowers, and they were all incredibly curious,” Zhao Ergou said. “Some of the scholars even seemed to want to come to our Dahe Village to admire the lotus flowers. It seems that the reputation of the lotus pond that my mother planted has spread far and wide, at least in the nearby counties.”
Cheng Wanwan smiled, it seemed that yesterday's poetry gathering was a great success.
However, it wasn't enough to just attract scholars and literati; there were also many wealthy families in nearby counties and towns, and the noble ladies and young women of wealthy households were among the people who were drawn to the area.
She needs to figure out how to open up the market among women.
"Many people have asked about the franchise opportunity," Zhao Ergou said. "However, they are all locals from Ping'an County. Only one franchise is allowed per area, so they have to take their families and go elsewhere to make a living. Therefore, most people are interested but haven't taken any action. I'll spread the word to other places another day, and I believe some people will be willing to join."
Cheng Wanwan nodded: "This can't be rushed, let's take it slow."
As night deepened, the family members went to rest.
As summer approached, the thick blankets became too heavy, so I switched to a thinner one and slept soundly through the night.
The next day, when Cheng Wanwan woke up, everyone in her family was already up and busy with their own things.
Zhao Dashan went to work in the fields, Zhao Ergou and Wu Huiniang went to the restaurant, Zhao Sanniu learned martial arts, and Zhao Sidan studied.
Cao Yingying sat in the courtyard looking at the account books. She owns many properties and has been organizing these accounts recently to keep track of everything.
Seeing Cheng Wanwan come out, she greeted her with a big smile: "Good morning, Mom."
Cheng Wanwan picked up a meat bun from the table and started eating. She sat down next to her second daughter-in-law and asked, "I see that the mulberry trees in the mulberry orchard are almost fully grown. When are you planning to expand silkworm farming? Do you need to hire people?"
Cao Yingying nodded: "We will officially start recruiting in June, mainly women, with a tentative target of around thirty people."
“Once the cotton harvest is plentiful, I might have to do a business deal with you,” Cheng Wanwan laughed. “But there are still a few months to go, so there’s no rush.”
Cotton has many uses, but in the first year, I plan to make cotton quilts and cotton clothes, because these two are relatively simple and are the things that ordinary people need most.
She had to keep some for herself to make sanitary napkins... cough cough, she used to secretly buy them from the mall and burn them immediately after use.
It's convenient for her, but with two daughters-in-law and several young girls at home, every time this kind of thing happens, even as an outsider, she finds it troublesome. She'll have to find a way to improve things.
Another busy morning has passed.
After noon, a luxurious carriage stopped in front of the house.
"Greetings, Madam Sui!"
The person who got out of the car was Mr. Qian, who was in good spirits and had a hearty voice.
Cheng Wanwan quickly welcomed him in. When Qian Hui came to Dahe Village yesterday, she had told him that the first batch of glycerin had been put into storage and that the old man could take some time to come and discuss the follow-up details. She didn't expect him to come today.
"Mr. Qian, please have a seat," she said. "Hongying, bring tea, and some fruit and snacks as well."
Wei Hongying nodded: "Yes."
Soon, a strong tea was served. It was top-quality Maojian tea, cultivated and roasted using modern techniques, with an extremely mellow and fragrant aroma.
"Excellent tea, truly excellent tea!" Old Master Qian took a sip and couldn't help but praise, "Where did you buy this tea from? I'd like to have someone buy some too."
Cheng Wanwan casually said, "I bought it by the roadside when I went to Huzhou last time. It's a rare find."
She immediately changed the subject, "Little Hammer, go get the finished product."
Wu Xiaochui nodded and went to the glycerin workshop next door. A short while later, he returned with two small bottles.
The two white porcelain bottles were printed with the four characters "Dahe Zhao Shi" and decorated with a few leaves. Below them were some small words, one of which read "skin oil" and the other "moisturizing cream".
"First apply the moisturizing oil, and your skin will become very hydrated and radiant." Cheng Wanwan applied glycerin to the back of her hand, spreading it evenly, and then opened another bottle. "Next, apply the moisturizing cream to lock in this hydrated glow, otherwise it will lose its effect after an hour. It contains aloe vera, so it smells very refreshing and fragrant. Mr. Qian can also try it."
Grandpa Qian tried it, and incredibly, his dry, aged skin became smooth after applying the two products.
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