122 Rice-Duck Symbiosis?
◎But where can she find some water chestnut seeds...◎
The only two and a half acres of land owned by Xiaohua's family was not far from where they lived. Ye Yunzhao arrived after turning two corners with a large backpack on her back. She looked from afar and saw two people working hard to hoe the land.
"Little Flower Lady—" She stood at the edge of the field, waved her hand, and called out to her loudly.
The peasant woman, her clothes heavily patched, turned around when she heard the voice. When she saw her, the wrinkles on her face curved up. She hurriedly acknowledged and, holding her hoe, said to the person beside her, "Dad, it's County Magistrate Ye!"
The farmer, bent over his plough like an old ox, faltered, his cloudy eyes gleaming with a gleam of light. "Really? Let's go! Let's go! We can't let County Magistrate Ye wait for us!"
The two soon arrived in front of Ye Yunzhao, shaking off the dust and dried mud on their bodies. They smiled at her innocently. Xiaohua Niang asked, "Why did you come here in person, County Magistrate Ye? It's dirty here. Let's go home and have some tea."
After saying this, he pretended to lift his legs and leave.
Xiao Hua Niang was always enthusiastic. She quickly stopped him and laughed, "Xiao Hua Niang, I have other things to do today, so I won't be coming home. I'll come back for tea another day when I'm free."
"Yes, yes."
Xiaohua's father tugged at the woman's arm and said, "County Magistrate Ye still has things to do. Don't stop him rashly."
Xiao Hua Niang's face froze, as if she was afraid Ye Yunzhao would misunderstand her and hurried to explain. Ye Yunzhao waved his hand and said to the farmer with a smile, "That's too serious. It's nothing."
She changed the subject and looked at the farmland curiously: "Are you... cultivating the land?"
Little Flower's mother nodded hurriedly: "It's because the weather has been nice and not too hot recently, so we thought we'd take advantage of this to cultivate the land a few more times, hoping for a better harvest this year."
The soil in second-grade fields is either too compacted, making it difficult for plant roots to extend downward, or the low-lying terrain leads to excessive moisture, which in turn damages the seeds. Furthermore, second-grade fields are often filled with rocks, ranging from small ones like quail eggs to large ones like stone benches. Therefore, if you want to cultivate the land deeply, you must dig and collect the rocks over and over again.
Only then did Ye Yunzhao notice that there were a lot of stones of different sizes piled up on the other side of the field. He wondered how long the two of them had worked to dig them out.
She sighed quietly in her heart, thinking that in this poor and remote area, every family has its own hardships.
But there was no sympathy on his face, instead he smiled lightly: "Okay, if you encounter any difficulties, come to the county government office to find me."
Xiao Hua Niang's eyes narrowed suddenly and she nodded heavily: "Hey!"
Seeing that she was so ignorant again, Xiaohua's father secretly poked her on the back and said humbly: "County Magistrate Ye, I wonder why you are here today..."
Before he could finish his words, Ye Yunzhao slapped his thigh: "I almost forgot!"
Then he smiled and said, "Little Flower Lady, I have a good job for you to do. Do you have time?"
Their eyes suddenly lit up. They were deeply grateful and respectful to the young county magistrate before them. During the cold winter months before the Lunar New Year, County Magistrate Ye would frequently visit their home to check on their food supplies and bring home two sets of winter clothes that had been replaced by government officials. While the cuffs were a little worn, they were neatly patched and the cotton was soft. This helped their family survive the winter.
Xiaohua's father knew: People can't always rely on others for help. Each family has to live their own lives. The kind-hearted people in Ye County were willing to help them survive the cold winter. The two of them had hoped to work hard this year and not trouble County Magistrate Ye this winter.
But he never expected that it was just the beginning of spring and the bodhisattva-like County Magistrate Ye brought him good news again.
He knelt on the ground with a clang, and Xiaohua Niang also knelt quickly. With tears in his eyes, he said, "Thank you, County Magistrate Ye... Thank you, County Magistrate Ye..."
Ye Yunzhao was startled by the two men and quickly stopped them from prostrating themselves on the ground. He sternly threatened them, "Hurry up and get up! Didn't we agree that you're not allowed to kneel or kowtow? If you insist on not getting up, I'll find someone else to take care of this!"
Then the two of them stood up with tears in their eyes.
"This is a good thing, how can I cry?" Ye Yunzhao put away his frightening look. "Little Flower Mother, you haven't answered me yet. Do you have time?"
"Yes, yes!" She nodded vigorously like a chick pecking at rice.
"You don't even ask me what's going on?"
She wiped the tears from her face and said with a half-smile and half-crying tone, "As long as County Magistrate Ye is looking for me, I'm free anytime."
Ye Yunzhao's heart trembled. She was very sad after coming to Lingnan County. She didn't want to give up when she encountered setbacks, but every time she thought of the honest smiles and simple words of the people of Lingnan, she felt more courageous to persevere.
She said softly, "That's not tiring. I'll just wrap something with bamboo leaves. The county government has all the necessary items. You can go there tomorrow after breakfast. As for the wages, I haven't calculated them yet, but don't worry, you can get three or four cents a day."
Three or four cents can buy a lot of things in Lingnan County. If you can work for seven or eight days, you can earn more than twenty cents! Xiaohua's mother couldn't stop smiling, and Xiaohua's father hurriedly said, "Why don't you thank County Magistrate Ye quickly?"
After he reminded her, she hurriedly said, "Thank you, County Magistrate Ye, thank you, County Magistrate Ye!"
"No need to thank me, just do your job well." Ye Yunzhao said to Xiaohua's father, "You've been working hard to cultivate the land by yourself these past few days. I have something else to do, so I'll leave first."
She had just walked two steps away when she suddenly remembered something and turned around and said, "Don't blame Xiaohua when you go home."
After saying this, she left in a hurry without waiting for the two to ask further questions.
There weren't many poor families in Dongxiang, but after visiting every household, the burden of the backpack that had been causing pain in Ye Yunzhao's shoulders was much lighter.
She walked along the river. She didn't know if it was because of the heavy rain a few days ago, but the river that was crystal clear before was now very turbid, mixed with yellow mud and flowing downstream. She looked carefully and it seemed that the water level had risen a lot.
Just as she was lost in thought, someone suddenly called her from behind: "County Magistrate Ye! County Magistrate Ye!"
Ye Yunzhao looked in the direction of the sound and saw Dongxiangli stuffing the long bamboo pole in his hand into someone else's hand and striding towards her.
"Village head, what are you doing..." She pointed at the bamboo pole that he had just forgotten about, looking quite confused.
"Hey!" Dongxianglizheng flattered, "Didn't County Magistrate Ye ask me to take people to check the riverbank? I haven't rested for a moment. Look, I'm still keeping an eye on it!"
Ye Yunzhao nodded with satisfaction. He didn't expect that the old man would be so obedient. "Not bad, not bad."
Seeing her standing by the river, the Dongxiang people's eyes turned and said, "I wonder why the county magistrate came to Dongxiang today without sending anyone to announce it. Could it be that County Magistrate Ye is trying to understand the situation in Dongxiang and find a way for the people of Dongxiang to make money?"
How could she not know what he meant? She felt a little helpless. How could she figure out how to make money so easily? She wasn't a robot...
I clearly explained the secret to him, but every time he met me, the Dongxiang village head would ask me several times in a roundabout way. Ye Yunzhao's ears were so tired of hearing these words.
Ye Yunzhao responded: "I'm thinking about it... Don't worry..."
Dongxiang Lizheng kept saying, "No hurry, no hurry," but he followed her closely like a shadow, nagging, "Look, County Magistrate Ye, we have plenty of water here. What can we grow with so much water? I originally thought of growing water chestnuts, but they're not worth much. The price Ruyi Tower offered for them wasn't high either..."
"Look here, County Magistrate Ye! The mountains in East Township are very different from those in West Township. I've been to the mountains in West Township, and they're full of strange rocks and dangerous peaks, so you'd be hurt. Ours is different. It's mostly yellow mud—yes! There's even a lot of yellow clay! County Magistrate Ye, do you want to go take a look?"
Ye Yunzhao didn't say anything, and the Dongxiang village chief didn't seem to mind. He continued, "Alas, it's probably because I haven't read enough and don't have any new ideas in my head. County Magistrate Ye, you said there are so many paddy fields in Dongxiang. If we don't grow rice... what else can we grow? I think it would be best to grow something like the weaving mushrooms grown in Xixiang. They have a high yield and are very valuable! Don't you agree?"
She walked ahead, speaking coldly, "Didn't I tell you? If we don't grow rice in the paddy fields, what will the Dongxiang people pay when the grain tax is collected? And the Xixiang people who grow the woven mushrooms don't occupy any arable land at all; they use the idle land in their own yards."
The Dongxiang Village Chief's patience was limited: "County Magistrate Ye, then tell me what we should plant. I'm really at a loss as to what to plant."
Ye Yunzhao stopped, turned around and frowned at him, and said in a deep voice: "I have been thinking about this the whole time. It's only been two days, and you are so idle that you keep nagging in my ear. You have ruined all my good ideas!
Don't follow me! If you keep arguing, don't let me do anything about Dongxiang's affairs!"
It was indeed terrifying when a person who usually had no temper suddenly got angry. In addition, considering Ye Yunzhao's identity, Dongxiangli was nodding hurriedly, and she finally heard peace.
Ye Yunzhao knew he was doing this for the good of Dongxiang, but as the magistrate of Lingnan County, how could she ignore him? She had already explained such a simple truth, but he still acted like this. No wonder she was angry.
As for Dongxiang's affairs, she always kept them in mind. What can be grown in paddy fields...
Rice fields, needless to say, water chestnuts, water shield, and water chestnuts are aquatic plants that taste pretty good, and some even have medicinal value, but... Ye Yunzhao sighed. She had never seen these things since she traveled through time. She wanted to plant water chestnuts, but where could she get some water chestnut seeds...
In addition, lotus roots can be grown. Lotus roots have a high yield. If they are grown, no one in Lingnan County will starve to death. However, this thing cannot be sold at a high price. The people in Dongxiang already have a good life, so I think they are unwilling to change to growing lotus roots.
If I don’t plant anything… Ye Yunzhao thought as she walked. When she passed by a house, she suddenly heard a few chickens crowing in the yard. Her eyes lit up:
You can raise ducks in paddy fields. The symbiosis of rice and ducks can not only ensure the yield of rice fields, but also provide a new source of income.
In this way, duck manure can provide natural fertilizer for rice fields, and ducks love to roll in the water, so they can help loosen the soil. As for the insect pests on the rice, there is no need to find a way to solve them. The pests naturally become food for the ducks. In this way, people can save trouble, increase rice production, and easily feed the ducks to make them fat, so they can also enjoy a snack at home on weekdays.
The more Ye Yunzhao thought about it, the more excited she became. She has always been a person who does what she says. Once she had an idea in her mind, she immediately turned around and walked back, wanting to ask the Dongxiang village headman what he thought first. After all, he had been guarding Dongxiang and had a deeper understanding of this place. His opinion could basically represent the opinions of the majority of Dongxiang people.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
