Chapter 88: The First Crisis of Tea Mountain
Shen Lingning raised an eyebrow and saw a thin old man standing next to him.
His skin was dark, his wrinkles were so deep that they looked like they were carved with a chisel, and he wore a straw hat.
He was wearing an old Zhongshan suit that had been washed to a pale color, with the top button buttoned meticulously. He stood with his hands behind his back, and his eyes scanned the messy tea fields with a critical look.
She probably knew who this person was. This was the technician that Director Jiang had mentioned sending before. His surname was Niu, and he had a temper so stubborn that even ten cows couldn't pull him back. Everyone privately called him "Old Stubborn."
Shen Lingning smiled and asked, "Do you understand?"
The stubborn old man surnamed Niu widened his eyes and said, "I don't understand why you are the factory director?"
Shen Lingning nodded honestly: "It's okay as long as you understand! Professionals do professional things! I can sell tea, how about you?"
The stubborn old man's eyes widened even more: "Me? I'm here to grow tea!"
Shen Lingning smiled sincerely: "So, I'll be the factory director, and you grow tea. Let's work hard together!"
Old Man Niu: ...
He glared at Chen Lingning, then walked towards the shed with his hands behind his back in angrily.
Shen Lingning followed behind and asked, "How can you live here? Doesn't the base have dormitories?"
The old man didn't want to pay attention to her.
"Hey, uncle, let's go for a walk in the mountains together?"
The old man walked quickly with his hands behind his back. Shen Lingning followed behind him and explained the situation of the tea mountain slowly.
The old tea plantation has been revitalized. The tea plantation on two hills covers an area of about 130 mu. Some tea trees have been transplanted and new seedlings have been planted...
The sun in July is very hot, like a fire.
It was only one day since he had gone up the mountain, but Shen Lingning felt something was wrong when he entered the tea garden.
On the tea mountain, the originally green tea seedlings are wilting, with curled edges and an unhealthy yellow color on the leaves.
What's worse is that a kind of unknown small black insects are densely packed on the back of the tender leaves, sucking the juice. Wherever they pass, the leaves curl up and turn black.
Shen Lingning squatted on the ground, gently pushed aside a diseased leaf with his fingers, his brows twisted into knots.
Sweat slid down her temples and dripped onto the cracked dirt, where it was instantly absorbed.
“Tsk.”
There was an impatient smacking sound from the old man next to him.
Shen Lingning subconsciously looked up at him.
Niu Laowu felt very sad. He had been at the base for three days and usually spent his time in the experimental field fiddling with his bottles and jars. He clearly looked down on Shen Lingning, the new tea mountain manager who had just started working there.
"See? I told you this won't work!"
The stubborn old man spoke with a sting in his voice: "Tea seedlings are delicate, how can they withstand such sun? And these insects... Humph, I told you to spray pesticides in advance to prevent it! Now you are at a loss, right?"
The pesticides he was referring to were chemical pesticides like 666 powder, which are commonly used these days.
Shen Lingning didn’t argue with him, but stood up and patted the mud on his hands: “Uncle, spraying pesticides can be fast, but the smell of the medicine is pungent and the residue is large. What will happen to the quality of tea in the future?
We want to make this tea better and for the long term."
Old Man Niu glared and said, "During working hours, please call me Comrade Technician."
"Long-term? What's the point of talking about long-term when all the seedlings are dead?"
He grew angrier as he spoke, "You're too soft-hearted! When the pest outbreak is complete, it won't be enough time for you to apply pesticides!"
"Mom, Miaomiao is thirsty, and Chongchong is bad."
Fubao was led by Aunt Sun to bring water to Shen Lingning. He pointed at the tea seedlings with his little hand, and his little face was sunburned red.
Shen Lingning was annoyed and didn't pay much attention to Fubao's inner thoughts. He just took the kettle and took a sip.
After drinking some boiled water, I calmed down my anger a little.
The stubborn old man glanced at Fubao, ignored him, and continued his "education": "The temperature is high and the evaporation is large, so you have to water it desperately! It won't work if you don't water it thoroughly!
"To get rid of pests, you have to use strong medicine! Don't do those fancy things!"
Shen Lingning knew that it was useless to confront this old man.
She pursed her lips and spoke as calmly as possible: "Technician Niu, you are very experienced. Can you think of a way to reduce temperature, moisturize, and prevent insects while also being harmless to the tea?"
"No!"
The stubborn old man refused outright, "Farming is not like embroidery! You have to be ruthless!"
After saying that, he put his hands behind his back and walked towards his temporary workstation with a huff to prepare his pesticide spraying plan.
Shen Lingning looked at his back, then at the dying tea seedlings, her heart heavy. This was the biggest crisis she had ever encountered. The golden finger could provide information, but it couldn't directly conjure a solution.
The situation worsened over the next two days, the hottest days in years, with temperatures rising to around 38 degrees Celsius.
The sun scorched the earth, and the tea seedlings were either dead or injured.
The stubborn old man had already prepared the medicine and was ready to spray it early the next morning.
Shen Lingning could hardly sleep at night. He ran to the mountain at dawn and blisters appeared on his mouth.
That afternoon, she took Fubao to check the tea fields, feeling heavy-hearted.
Fubao was squatting on the edge of the field, playing with mud.
She dug a small hole with a twig, put a few fresh grass leaves in it, and carefully put in a few ladybugs she had caught on the road. Then she covered it with a thin layer of soil, muttering to herself: [Cover yourself with a quilt, so the bugs can sleep and won’t bite the seedlings…]
Shen Lingning had no intention of watching the children play, but Fubao's words were like a glimmer of light, suddenly piercing her anxious mind!
[Cover yourself with the quilt]…[Sleep like a bug]…
cover?
Moisturize?
Use natural enemies?
Isn't this the most useful measure?
She almost forgot how tea farmers used the old methods to deal with the high temperatures in Jiangsu and Zhejiang...
She stood up suddenly, her heart pounding!
She remembered that the space data also contained specific operations such as "green grass cover" and "biological control"!
Before, she had been obsessed with the specific technical details, but forgot the simplest principles!
"Fubao! My good Fubao!"
She excitedly hugged her daughter and kissed her hard.
Fubao was a little confused by his mother's sudden enthusiasm, and then he started giggling.
Patting his chest, he said, "Bao is Xiao Fu Fu! He needs to help me."
Shen Lingning took action immediately. She first went to find Aunt Sun and Liu Jinfeng.
"Auntie, Sister Jinfeng, please organize some people immediately to cut all the fresh grass you can find, especially the ones with thick leaves!
Then get the kids to catch ladybugs—the round ones with dots on their backs. The more the better!"
Although Aunt Sun and Liu Jinfeng didn't understand why, they immediately agreed to do it out of trust in Shen Lingning.
Then, Shen Lingning took a deep breath and went to find the stubborn old man.
"Technician Niu, don't spray the pesticide yet! Give me a day, I have a way to try!"
The stubborn old man glared and said, "Nonsense! The bugs will eat up all the remaining seedlings in one day!"
"If my method doesn't work, you can apply the pesticide tomorrow. I won't hesitate! And if my method fails, I'll pay for the pesticide myself!"
Shen Lingning said in a decisive tone.
The stubborn old man was stunned for a moment. He didn't expect her to be so stubborn. He snorted, "You said it! I want to see what tricks you have!"
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