24 Chapter 24
◎The land should be plowed once, leaving enough time for stubble to fertilize the field◎
The men worked very quickly and dug a well in just one day.
The well was not deep, less than 10 meters, and the water was turbid. The leading man said, "Let's leave it like this for a few days and raise some fish." Raising fish is a routine way to test whether the water is drinkable.
That’s not all. To prevent the well from collapsing, they need to reinforce the well wall with bricks and stones. They will have to come again in a few days.
After the water fetcher left, Qi Song and Mu Yun cleaned the yard.
No need to worry about getting mud all over the yard, the ground can be paved with stones.
Qi Song said that a wheel should be installed on the well.
Gui'er sat there and concentrated on twisting the hemp rope.
Mu Yun went to the hillside to chop some wood and dragged it back. Zhao Datian had not finished harvesting the alfalfa yet. When he was taking a break in the evening, he saw Mu Yun tinkering with the wood. He went over to give him some pointers and then helped polish the wood.
After five or six days, the well and its surroundings were completed, and the water in the well became clear.
The alfalfa drying in the field could be harvested. Mu Yun and Gui Er spent three or four days bundling it before pulling it all back in an ox cart.
The walls of the barn and greenhouse were just started. The barn had three walls, and the greenhouse had only the north wall.
They piled the alfalfa up at the back door, making a big haystack.
***
After Zhao Datian finished harvesting alfalfa, he didn't dare take his apprentice directly to Cheng Mu, because he was busy harvesting alfalfa and had no time to study the sickle. Madam Cheng had hoped that it could be used when harvesting alfalfa, but she was trying to seize the right time and missed the opportunity.
While waiting for the alfalfa to dry in the field, he worked with his apprentice on the project. After failing twice, he finally made a pair of large push-to-go scissors. However, there were no blades, only grooves on the wood.
This blade is large and a bit difficult to make. It needs to be specially made. I don’t know if the blacksmith shop can make it.
Zhao Datian pushed the clippers in front of Cheng Mu with great distress, "Madam Cheng, do you think this is feasible?"
It was a little funny. Cheng Xi couldn't help but smile and looked at them. "Who is this?"
"My apprentice Shitou, Zhao Shitou."
The woman in front of him stood smiling, wearing a goose yellow smock. Her skin was whiter than snow, with a faint pink tint, her eyes were like clear springs, and she had a good complexion and a beautiful look. Zhao Shitou stared at her in a daze, as if he had been cast under a spell.
Zhao Datian shouted, "Shi Tou, Shi Tou!" and pulled his ears hard.
Shitou was confused. "Huh?"
"You are stupid. You haven't met Madam Cheng yet."
"See you, Madam Cheng..."
Zhao Datian said that Shitou was a good helper in carpentry work, and asked Cheng Mu if she wanted to hire another person.
Shitou begged, "Madam Cheng, please let me follow the master and just eat. I don't want a penny."
Zhao Datian is old and does not have much talent in carpentry, but he is skilled with his hands. Zhao Shitou is seventeen or eighteen years old and can be trained with emphasis.
"Since you two are used to working together, I have a lot of farm tools to work on later, so I can hire one more person. But I can't deny you a penny in wages. Your master earns two taels of silver a year, so how about you earn one tael and five cents a year?"
This gave him the space to honor his master. He could give five cents to his master and still keep one or two cents for himself.
Zhao Shitou was very happy, "Thank you, Madam Cheng, thank you, Madam Cheng..."
"Master and disciple, keep thinking about this," Cheng Mu said, pulling out another blueprint. "Here's a diagram of a spreader. Take a look."
"Dad, after the alfalfa in the field has dried, bundle it up as soon as possible. The land needs to be plowed over to leave enough stubble for fertilizing the soil. It's time to plant wheat when the autumnal equinox arrives."
"Hey, okay. Let's start collecting tomorrow."
Zhao Datian borrowed an ox cart from Cheng Mu and took the harvested alfalfa directly to the horse farm.
***
Next, we need to plow the alfalfa field and start the preparatory work.
Cheng Mu called Gui'er over and said, "I made an agreement with the Eighth Master last time. You should go to him and tell him that we need help to till the fields. Ask him to find four people."
Guier nodded and ran away like a gust of wind.
"Muyun," Cheng Mu called to the young man who was placing the bucket by the well at the back door of the main hall, "Come here."
Mu Yun had grown noticeably taller, his head now reaching Cheng Mu's eyebrows. "You've grown quite a bit taller. Your clothes are too short. Ask Aunt Yu to loosen them up a bit."
"No, it's convenient."
"Has the well in the greenhouse been dug?"
Considering that both livestock and vegetable fields needed water, Cheng Mu decided to dig a well in the greenhouse. Two wells and a cellar cost a total of eight taels of silver.
"It's done, the walls are built, and now it's time to build the roof."
"There's no rush. Tomorrow you and Uncle Qi should go to town and look for suitable materials. Divide the vegetable plot into a well-shaped pattern and pave the path with stones."
"good."
From the side room came Dong'er's voice teasing Xiaoliu and Xiaoqi. Cheng Mu asked, "The two little ones are awake. Should we go check on them?"
Mu Yun nodded and quickly went to get some water to wash the mud off his hands.
Babies in confinement eat frequently, and Dong'er stays by their side all the time. Cheng Mu can eat her fill and have meat every few days without any other worries. Dong'er's complexion has improved a lot. As they spend more time together, she talks more and is not as reserved as at the beginning.
"Little Master, Little Six and Little Seven seem to be escaping. If you chat with them, they will look at you and move their mouths as if they are about to speak."
"Look at these little arms, so chubby, and these eyes are bigger than when they were first born."
Dong'er was happy and kept chattering.
Mu Yun made a clicking sound as he teased the two little ones, hugging one and weighing it, then hugging the other and comparing them.
"Auntie, Xiaoliu is heavier than Xiaoqi."
Dong'er said, "Little Six is good at eating and sleeping, but Little Seven is a bit more delicate. It would be better if uncle took care of the two kids more."
Cheng Mu said, "Xiao Qi has suffered a lot."
"Mrs. Cheng's child has a blessed life." Dong'er was indescribably envious.
***
After finishing her work, Guier came back and took a walk around the barn. The three hens had not been eaten yet, and she could pick up three or four eggs every day. Guier looked at them with treasure. Now that she had a barn and a chicken coop, she wanted to hatch chicks and raise more chickens.
But the hen didn't want to do that and didn't want to stay on the roost.
Gui Er complained to Cheng Mu angrily, "I can't even hold it down. I almost want to hatch it for her."
Dong'er said, "Wrap it in a coat and put it in a warm place, and it will hatch."
"real?"
Cheng Mu said, "We need to control the temperature, not too high or too low. Gui'er, we only have hens. Have you used a light to shine on the eggs? Are they hatchable?"
Gui'er didn't understand and touched her head, "Does a rooster need to watch over the hatching eggs?"
Dong'er couldn't help but burst out laughing, and Cheng Mu couldn't help but laugh, "There has to be a rooster first, and then the hen can lay eggs and hatch chicks."
Guier argued, "Even if we don't have a rooster, hens can still lay eggs!"
"Hens can lay eggs with or without a rooster, but without a rooster, the hens' eggs can only be eaten and won't hatch chicks."
"Why?"
Cheng Mu didn't know how to explain the matter of fertilization to her in detail. Logically, Gui'er had begun to develop and should have known something, but the dynasties were different, so Cheng Mu didn't dare to enlighten her rashly. "You should ask Aunt Yu."
Gui'er frowned and looked at Dong'er, who was laughing so hard that tears came out. "Sister Dong'er, you must know why."
Dong'er wiped the corners of her eyes with the back of her hand and laughed so hard that her voice was shaky. "Go ask your mother."
***
Mu Yun took the cloth bag and stuffed it into his arms.
Cheng Mu instructed, "Qi Bo has difficulty walking, so don't walk too fast. Wait for him."
Mu Yun nodded and stepped over the threshold.
Gui'er stretched her neck in the yard to look over here. Seeing Mu Yun leaving the main hall, she quickly shook the water off her hands, threw down a basin of clothes, and ran after him.
"Muyun, are you going to town? I want to go too!"
"Qi Bo and I will go. You have nothing to do today."
"I'm going to buy a rooster."
"You have money?"
Gui'er really had no money. She patted Mu Yun's shoulder and said, "Can't you buy one? I want to hatch chicks. Madam Cheng said that without a rooster, the hens' eggs can only be eaten and won't hatch chicks."
Mu Yun lowered his ears and listened attentively, "Why?"
Gui'er didn't know why, and her mother wouldn't tell her. She glared at Mu Yun and said, "You'll find out when you buy one."
Mu Yun saw Qi Song waiting for him in the distance and said to Gui Er, "Sister-in-law is calling you."
"What do you call me for? I didn't hear you." Guier looked back.
"I should tell you about planting winter wheat, but you won't go?"
Guier turned around helplessly and could only remind him, "Remember to buy a rooster."
Back in the main room, Mrs. Yu scolded, "Where have you been again? If you don't wash the diapers quickly, they'll be gone soon."
"Madam Cheng called me."
Gui'er jumped over the threshold and asked, "Madam Cheng, you called me?"
Cheng Mu was writing under the window. "Hmm?"
"I was just about to go to town with Mu Yun. He said you called me to talk to me about planting winter wheat."
Cheng Mu's eyes flickered. She had just given a bag of ginseng to Mu Yun and asked him to go to the restaurant to deliver the goods. Mu Yun sent Gui'er back, probably because he didn't want to go with her and be discovered by her about selling ginseng.
"Oh, there is something I need you to do. First, go find a longer stick."
Gui'er went and came back with a long stick after a while.
Cheng Mu measured out the area, leaving about a meter of sticks and cutting off the excess. "Use this to measure the land. Three sticks this long is a large plot, and two sticks this long is a small plot. The large plot is for planting winter wheat, which needs to be limed and plowed deeply. The small plot is for planting alfalfa, so don't worry about it."
"Oh." Gui'er didn't understand why, but she would do as she was told.
"Time is running out. We'll start work tomorrow. Deep plowing needs to be at least this deep," Cheng Mei said, using the broken piece as a ruler. "This is the depth gauge. Take it. Go to the field tomorrow and monitor it. Be sure to shovel the alfalfa roots when plowing."
"Yeah." Gui'er suddenly remembered, "Big Daddy's hay hasn't been finished yet."
"It's okay. Turn over the land on your side first, and then pull it over there. No need to wait."
Why didn't I think of that? Gui'er nodded continuously, "That's a good idea."
"Go ahead."
***
Mu Yun quickened his pace and walked up to Qi Song.
Qi Song held out the hand he was holding.
"What is it?" Mu Yun spread out his palm and caught the stones he put down.
Qi Song raised his chin towards a tree in the distance and said, "There are two birds on the treetop. Let's try."
The distance is a bit far, so it requires a lot of strength. Moreover, using such a small stone to shoot the bird down requires even more strength.
Mu Yun threw a stone over. The two birds were not startled and no one knew where the stone hit.
He walked forward for a distance and threw two balls in a row. The bird flapped its wings and flew away.
Qi Song shook his head. He produced another stone in his hand and showed it to Mu Yun. He said, "The attack you just used was a Yang attack, using your arms to generate power. Let me show you a Yin attack."
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