A group of people were already extremely envious and tried every means to get close to him, but he simply didn't give them a chance.
This opportunity has been presented to us; there's no reason for us to let it slip by!
Even if you can't eat meat, you can still have some soup. Fatty meat will leave your hands greasy after just a few bites, and you're all from the same village, so what's there to be afraid of?
Huang Shi was unaware of what his fellow villagers were thinking, and therefore found it particularly difficult to understand what was happening before him.
He completely underestimated the status of the second wife or Jiang Nuan in Huangjiakou.
"She said it could be done, it could be done!" Huang Shi roared in frustration. "You actually believed her when she said the earth was round?"
Upon hearing this, everyone answered in unison, "We believe you!"
Whether it's true or false doesn't matter; what matters is the person speaking. But I am not that person.
Upon realizing this, Huang Shi's face darkened.
Even if he's not as smart as others, he's still the clan leader. How can his words be so unbelievable?
"Fine, if you believe me, then so be it," he waved his hand defiantly. "It's settled then. Don't come looking for me if you regret it later."
"No, Chieftain..."
Before Brother Huang could finish speaking, Huang Shi laughed and said, "It's no use coming to me. I didn't force you to do this, so if something goes wrong, it's not my fault."
“That’s not what I meant,” Huang Sige said apologetically, glancing at the clan leader before speaking in a low voice, “Clan leader, you didn’t answer any of the questions just now.”
If we don't tell them these things, how will the villagers prepare?
Are you suggesting we poke a hole and throw in some melon seeds?
These words were another blow to the heart.
Sure enough, he shouldn't have been so presumptuous.
Instantly, the smile on Huang Shi's face froze, and a surge of anger erupted from his heart. "I don't know! Go ask whoever you believe!"
After saying that, he quickly left, clutching his chest.
He was afraid that if he stayed any longer, he would be so angry that he would die.
These old buddies, really, they don't give me any face at all.
"Clan leader, don't go!" Huang Youquan shouted anxiously. "Take us there! What if my fifth sister-in-law won't let us in?"
Upon hearing this, Huang Shi's pace quickened, almost as if he were fleeing in panic.
Without Huangshi, the group discussed it and decided to go to Huangjia together.
Because Jiang Nuan was a widow, the villagers would usually avoid her. In addition, the Huang family rarely received guests, so Jiang Nuan was quite surprised when she saw this group of people.
"Everyone, what brings you here?"
There were too many people, and she couldn't greet them all individually.
"Fifth sister-in-law," Huang Sige said with a somewhat lewd smile, "we've all come to discuss with you the plan for planting winter melons."
"Planting cold melons?" Jiang Nuan almost thought she had misheard. "Fourth Brother, you're going to plant cold melons together?"
Are these people crazy?
How could you believe such an outrageous thing so easily? Aren't you afraid of being scammed out of everything?
How could you be so naive?
No, they aren't really stupid people.
Jiang Nuan was pondering carefully when Huang Youquan interrupted her just as she was starting to get a clue.
"If my fifth sister-in-law tells us to plant it, we will definitely plant it. By the way, when should we sow the seeds? What else do we need to prepare? Will sandy soil really work? If not, we can switch to fertile land."
Upon hearing this, a flock of crows flashed through Jiang Nuan's mind.
This group of people was so enthusiastic that she could hardly believe it. She felt as if the roles of the two sides had been reversed, and that the other side was the one who initiated the Cold Melon Project.
“Once the land is prepared, we can start planting,” Jiang Nuan explained softly. “These next few days, you prepare the land while I take care of the seedlings. I’ll write down the points to note for you to see later.”
"Fifth sister-in-law, just say it directly. We're just a bunch of peasants, how would we know how to read?" Huang Laisheng said with a smile from the crowd.
Because of his wife's situation, he felt guilty towards the Huang family and had been looking for an opportunity to repay their kindness.
However, the Huang family was wealthy and powerful, and they weren't close to the villagers, so he had no way to make a move.
Having finally gotten a chance to interact, they were generous with their goodwill.
“Go ahead and say it,” Jiang Nuan thought for a moment and then said, “This matter can’t be explained in a short time. How about this, tomorrow I’ll have my son at home explain it to you in detail, and also tell you about the things we need to pay attention to in the fields recently.”
"What are the things to be careful about in the fields?" Huang Sige Han Qidi asked.
"Topdressing," Jiang Nuan said slowly, "The wood ash and manure sprinkled before planting crops is called base fertilizer, but that's not enough. After grafting, you need to apply fertilizer again. After topdressing, the wheat grains will be fuller than in previous years. I estimate that we can harvest 50% more."
“Well,” Huang Youquan said, both happy and troubled, “Fifth sister-in-law, all the wood ash in the house has been used in the paddy fields, and we’re out of it.”
“I have some at home,” Huang Laisheng added, “but not many.”
The wood ash in the house was scattered on the ground before the land was prepared. This is also what we just collected. There's not much, just two sacks, which is far from enough.
"It's alright, I'll have Huang Chuan and the others teach you how to compost. If you don't have enough wood ash, you can use manure instead."
"Compost?" Brother Huang's eyes flickered, as if he wanted to speak, but in the end he sighed softly, "Fifth sister-in-law, you don't need to do this."
Since the youngest son learned composting from the second wife, the family no longer has to worry about smelly, dirty, and annoying manure.
I only used it once as a trial, but it worked surprisingly well. The seedlings in the fertilized soil grew three fingers taller than those next to them.
Unfortunately, the farmyard manure I made as a practice run was just a small amount and not very useful. The second batch will have to wait a few more days and can't be used yet.
Even so, Brother Huang decided to make sure to fertilize the land before transplanting the rice seedlings.
After just one trial, he had already seen the immense value of farmyard manure. Because of this, he specifically instructed his son to keep quiet and not to spread the word, and even gave a warning to several other farmyard manure suppliers overnight.
Who would have thought that Jiang Nuan would actually plan to publish the recipe!
This is a family secret recipe, and it's not appropriate to give it to outsiders like this!
"Village chief," Huang Sheng asked疑惑地, "what happened? Do you know anything about it?"
Huang Sige did not answer, but looked at Jiang Nuan with a conflicted expression, as if he wanted to say something but stopped himself.
Seeing this, Jiang Nuan smiled.
"It's nothing. I should have said it a long time ago, but I was just being selfish and kept putting it off until now."
It wasn't a big deal, but the prejudice of the village women bothered her, and she ultimately wasn't magnanimous enough to make it public.
However, although she did not make it public or prevent the villagers from learning it, she let things run their own way, which allowed her to vent her anger while also bringing benefits to the villagers.
She originally thought that it was just a matter of two sentences, and the villagers should have learned it long ago, but almost a month has passed and there is still no progress. She is very puzzled. How could such a simple prescription be kept so well hidden?
It just so happened that these people came looking for her today, so Jiang Nuan took the opportunity to lay everything out on the table.
If we don't say anything now, it will be too late by April.
Having lived in Huangjiakou for a long time, Jiang Nuan has developed a deeper affection for both the place and its people. She hopes that the villagers of Huangjiakou will become more and more prosperous and have a better life.
At least, let's prevent a repeat of what happened with Lai Zi and Xiao Pang.
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