Two days passed in this way. It was a sunny day, perfect for work. Song Anxin was helping Lin Fengnian soak chili seeds in warm water in the backyard. Lin Fengnian asked, puzzled:
"Mom, why do you soak the chili seeds in warm water?"
Song Anxin explained to him, "Soaking seeds can promote germination, which helps to shorten the time it takes for seeds to germinate in the soil."
Lin Fengnian nodded and silently noted it down, planning to write it down with pen and paper when he got back to his room. His mother always said, "A bad pen is better than a good memory."
As soon as Song Anxin finished speaking, she immediately remembered what she had forgotten. She raised her hand and tapped her head. Oh dear, how could her brain forget something like that?
Lin Fengnian was very anxious about his mother suddenly tapping him on the head:
"Mom, what's wrong? Does your head hurt? Did you catch a cold? I heard Granny Han and the others say that older people shouldn't let their heads get chilled. Why don't you go inside and rest? I'll take care of things here."
Song Anxin: "......." Your mother isn't that old yet, is she?!
Forget it, I won't argue with this straightforward fool. Song Anxin said seriously, "No, Fengnian, let me ask you, don't you all know about soaking seeds? Don't you soak rice seeds in water?"
Lin Fengnian asked curiously, "Mother, you know that rice seeds are soaked in water, scattered in the paddy field, and then they germinate and grow into seedlings, don't you?"
Upon hearing this, Song Anxin immediately realized that the practice of soaking rice seeds did not exist in this era. Rice seeds were directly sown in paddy fields, which not only resulted in birds eating them but also had a very low germination rate, and the seedlings that emerged were of uneven quality. No wonder the rice yield was so low in this era.
She began, "In a good year, rice seeds can actually be soaked in water just like chili seeds. Soaking rice seeds can filter out bad seeds, which may carry pathogens that could infect good seeds and reduce their germination rate."
Not only do you need to soak the seeds to kill pathogens... then you need to germinate them. Sowing seeds with sprouts in the field helps the seedlings grow faster... and the resulting grain yield will be higher.
Song Anxin patiently explained the benefits of soaking seeds to Lin Fengnian, who listened in a daze. "Is that even possible?!" he exclaimed.
But he knew his mother wouldn't lie to him, and then a huge spark ignited in Lin Fengnian's eyes:
"Mother, if this is really true, it can increase grain production and allow for an earlier harvest, that would be wonderful! Mother, please teach me!"
Lin Fengnian thought for a moment and then shook his head: "No, no, Mother, you tell me later, I'll go find Grandpa Village Head to listen together."
Lin Fengnian is a genuine farmer who works the land. He knows how hard farmers work to grow crops. If we can increase yields, we should all work together so that everyone's hard work will be more worthwhile.
Lin Lizheng rushed over, and when he heard what he heard, he was utterly astonished. A method of soaking rice seeds to promote germination? Could this really increase seed germination and grain yield?!
However, if Fengnian's family could even grow mushrooms, what else could they not believe? In any case, Fengnian's mother had never made a mistake. Lin Lizheng excitedly said:
“Fengnian’s mother, this is a big deal. If it’s really as you say, you must report it to the magistrate immediately. These days are when everyone is drying their seeds. I also need to go and tell the villagers to keep their rice seeds and not scatter them.”
Song Anxin thought it made sense; she needed to get the magistrate to report it to his superiors as soon as possible. So she told Anfu to hitch up the carriage and take Granny Wei to the county government office.
Meanwhile, under the large ginkgo tree in Linjia Village, the forest magistrate was gathering the villagers to inform them of this matter. The villagers were all very surprised, especially some experienced farmers who had been farming for years and had never known that seeds needed to be soaked and germinated!
At this moment, Aunt Fangtou said sarcastically from below, "Village head, is what Sister-in-law Lin said reliable? This is not like before. This is a major event concerning this year's autumn harvest. If the seeds are damaged, there will be no rice to plant this year. If there is no rice harvest, we will all starve."
The villagers below also felt that this was indeed a big deal. Although Aunt Fang's tone was a bit sarcastic, what she said made sense.
Lin, the drunkard, didn't go to the distillery or the county bar today. He rarely had a day off, and even more rarely did he not drink. He was standing under the big ginkgo tree, wearing his Dafeng factory uniform, and said:
“When has Sister-in-law Lin ever been unreliable? When have we ever fallen into a pit following her? Life has only gotten better and better. No matter what you think, Uncle, I believe in this plan. I’m definitely going to follow Sister-in-law Lin.”
Lin Dazhuang also stepped forward and said, "I trust Second Sister-in-law's family. She would never do anything reckless in such a big matter. But could you teach me what this seed soaking method is? I don't understand how to do it just by listening to it."
Aunt Tietou also came out and said, "Fengnian's mother has always been capable. How could a young lady like her make such a joke? Village head, we believe in her too. Please teach us!"
The villagers also chose to believe her. Based on their extensive experience, following Aunt Lin was definitely the right thing to do. Aunt Lin was someone who could even grow mushrooms in winter. More importantly, although Aunt Lin looked gentle and mild-mannered, she possessed a kind of power that made people believe in her from the bottom of their hearts.
However, things didn't go so smoothly for Song Anxin.
Inside the county government office, Song Anxin and Magistrate Yan's advisor, Yan Shuping, sat in the main hall. After listening to what Song Anxin said, Yan Shuping's dark eyes brightened considerably.
Master Fan, however, wore a serious and worried expression. It wasn't that he didn't believe her; he had witnessed Lady Hui's abilities. It was just that this matter...
"Heh, no wonder the rice yield is so low every year. It turns out the problem lies in the initial sowing of rice seeds. I wonder what those people in the Ministry of Agriculture in Kyoto are doing," Yan Shuping sneered.
"Therefore, Lord Yan should report to the court as soon as possible, so that this year's planting can have a good start," Song Anxin said.
Master Fan cautiously suggested, "The matter of grain is of paramount importance to the nation. I think it would be better not to report it to the capital so quickly. We can first conduct a trial on a small plot of land to prove that this method is reliable and can indeed work as Ru Hui said, and then present the evidence. This way, the people in the capital will be more convinced. We will avoid being impeached by some malicious individuals who say that we are treating the nation's most important agricultural matter as a joke."
After listening to Master Fan's words, Song Anxin thought it made sense. It was only natural for her to think that way, because it had been done in her time without any mistakes, so she was 100% certain of it.
But this method of sowing was something that had never been seen or heard of before in this era. Grain was a major concern for people and a major concern for a country, and no monarch would risk such a matter.
Unlike the waterwheels and earthen beds she mentioned before, which have immediate effects, this requires a certain amount of time to prove itself.
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