Chapter 125: Relieved (Additional update for 75,000 Yunqi recommendation votes)
Even if you want to make fertilizer, you have to choose a method that you can do. In "The Development History of Farmyard Manure from Ancient Times to the Present", Manbao selected a total of three methods that they can do.
The three methods cited by the author were developed one after another. Manbao felt that one of them was the same as the current method of composting at home. That one was also OK, but it was very slow and needed to be fermented for a longer time.
The one they are using now is much faster because it uses thermal insulation measures and performs secondary processing on the discarded materials.
Because the weather has been warming up recently, Manbao and the others have decided to plant ginger in a while. A large amount of farmyard manure will be needed at that time, so she chose this method.
Seeing that her father really had no intention of blaming her, Manbao became bolder and said to him proudly, "Dad, I'm not sure if this method will work, so I let my fourth brother try it first. I'll tell you when it succeeds."
Old Zhou was indeed delighted. He patted his daughter's head with satisfaction and said, "Manbao, you've been very thoughtful. Your eldest brother and I just took a look at this idea. It's indeed a good idea. You've only been digging this pit for seven or eight days, and it's already fermenting. Maybe it will rot out in a few days."
Manbao perked up and said immediately, "The book says that we need to control the temperature and not let it get too hot, otherwise the fertilizer will be burned. So when the temperature is too high, we need to dig it up to dissipate the heat, or let it dry in the sun. When the temperature drops, we can pile it together again and add some manure for secondary fermentation. Dad, do you think our temperature is high enough?"
Old Zhou had no idea. He had never used this method before, and it was the first time he heard that the temperature of the manure pile should not be too high.
But he has been farming all his life, so even if he doesn't understand, he can still think about it. Unlike Zhou Silang, he just does whatever Manbao says.
So after a little thought, he asked Dalang to open the straw cover again and then turn the fertilizer.
Old Zhou kept several of his sons. Of course, Manbao, the only one who could read and was the one who taught the profession, also stayed. The others and the children went back first.
Zhou Xi glanced at the child standing among a group of adults, and helped her mother back.
Obviously, the trouble caused by Fei was not a small one, and the whole family was involved. When Zhou Xi found out that Zhou Silang used her as a cover to steal Fei, she was so angry that her chest hurt, and she almost couldn't help but beat him on the spot. After Manbao appeared, her mood had been up and down, but now she calmed down.
The Zhou family members walking back were very quiet. Qian asked Datou and the others to run home first, while she held Zhou Xi's hand and walked slowly, saying to her as they walked, "You are too impatient. When you are impatient, you will get into trouble. You should be more calm in the future."
Qian laughed when she said this, "You have to learn this from your sister. Look how cowardly she was just now. She even knew to check your father's expression first."
Zhou Xi couldn't help but say, "That kid is so clever."
Zhou Xi supported her mother and couldn't help but speak out her heart, "Mom, if I don't get married in the future, can you raise my youngest sister for me?"
Qian was startled and frowned, asking, "Why do you think so? Manbao is already six years old, and she is still..."
Qian didn't finish her words, but her meaning was very clear.
Zhou Xi said, "I didn't ask her to call me mother. I just wanted to have a child to be closer to me. When I'm old and dying, someone can come to see me and tell me whether I'm dead or alive. Mother, I really don't want to get married."
Qian's face was tense and she didn't say anything. Zhou Xi looked at her expression and didn't dare to say anything more, but his feelings were revealed.
Manbao knew nothing about this. She was squatting far away, watching her brothers being instructed by her father to dig out all the manure from the manure pit and spread it out to dry.
Sure enough, the temperature in the middle of the fertilizer pile was very high. Although Old Zhou had never encountered such a situation, combined with what his little girl said that too high a temperature would burn the fertilizer, he knew that it was burned.
So he had people push the manure aside to dry. As a result, everyone saw that the basket of rotten leaves they poured out first had turned black. They broke into pieces with just a touch of a hoe, which was much faster than piling up straw.
You know, nowadays they usually take a year to compost.
From the end of summer when fertilizer is no longer used to the early spring, it takes more than half a year for the rice straw to decompose. This is a new method learned from outside by the villagers. In the past, rice straw would not decompose.
Zhou Dalang and Zhou Erlang couldn't help but look at each other, and both felt that their daughter really looked like her father. Manbao really looked like her father. The composting method improved by the village back then was obtained by her father in exchange for two steamed buns.
Old Zhou rubbed the fertilizer with his hands and said with satisfaction, "Not bad, let it air dry overnight and put it back in the pile tomorrow."
He added, "If this method works, let's dig a compost pit at home. This way, the process will be faster and we'll get more fertilizer."
Because Manbao's new method will use animal manure, but in a smaller proportion than they use now, it increases the demand for dead leaves and other soil, which means that they can accumulate more fertilizer with the same amount of animal manure.
For country people, the most difficult part of farm fertilizer is animal manure, because not every family can raise so many livestock.
The reason why they have it is because they have many people in their family and they raise a lot of chickens.
Old Zhou planned to dig two large pits next to the manure pile at home to make compost together, and he should act quickly before the rice seeds were planted.
As for the fertilizer needed for rice seeds, well, let’s borrow the fourth brother’s fertilizer pile first. Didn’t this kid steal the fertilizer from home?
Let him use this to compensate.
When Zhou Silang heard that he didn't have to be beaten or scolded and only had to pay for the fat, he immediately agreed, completely ignoring the other master's opinion.
Manbao was worried about his ginger, so he quickly said to Old Zhou, "Dad, I'll give you the fertilizer from this pit as compensation. When I need fertilizer for growing ginger later, you have to pay me back."
"I said I've already paid for it, why do you still want to pay it back?"
"I don't care. I have to pay it back, otherwise my ginger won't grow well."
Old Zhou thought his daughter's behavior was very much like that of a farmer, and he laughed heartily. He nodded and said, "Okay, I'll compensate you."
Just dig one more fertilizer pit. He didn't have much else, but he had many sons. He sent them all to the mountains to dig mud and sweep up rotten leaves. They would take as much fertilizer as he wanted.
Sons: ...
Manbao knew nothing about it. After receiving Lao Zhoutou's affirmation, she happily took his hand and went home. Zhou Liulang wanted to carry the book box for her, but was rejected by Lao Zhoutou.
Old Zhou personally held the bookcase for her, held her hand, and earnestly instructed her, "Manbao, you must study hard in school and listen to Mr. Zhuang's words, okay?"
Manbao nodded.
He added, "Read more books, especially those on composting and farming. If you find anything interesting in them, be sure to tell Dad. When we make some money, Dad will buy you some meat."
"Dad, you said the same thing last time. You said you would buy me meat when we made money, but you didn't. In the end, I bought it anyway."
Old Zhou was exposed and chuckled, saying, "Your mother has all the money. Do you want to eat meat? Then go talk to your mother and ask her to give you the money."
(End of this chapter)
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