Chapter 191: Planting Lotus Roots and Raising Chickens

Xia Juanjuan cultivated the lotus pond, not for the commune, but mainly because she wanted to eat lotus roots. Lotus roots stewed with pork ribs, lotus roots stuffed with meat, fried lotus root boxes, etc., just thinking about it makes me drool.

Unfortunately, over the past year, I haven’t seen any of it for sale in the county or in town, so I have to grow it myself - it’s also convenient for me to use up the space.

If the commune stepped forward to build a lotus pond and buy fish seedlings and lotus roots, the whole village would be watching. If she wanted to dig a few pieces to eat, she would probably be gossiped about.

It's different if you grow your own crops, just like raising chickens and ducks, her family can get a share of the profits. That way, even if someone complains, she's still right!

Secretary Zhao was deeply moved after hearing this and said, "Mrs. Lizhan, your selfless spirit deserves praise..."

Xia Juanjuan interrupted him as soon as she heard this and said, "Secretary Zhao, please stop talking like that. I just want to eat lotus roots and lotus seeds... Don't we advocate that people should work hard to have enough food and clothing?"

After saying a few more words, he went back.

Secretary Zhao told the higher-ups and the villagers about the lotus pond. The higher-ups advocated this kind of selfless dedication, so naturally there was no objection.

As for the villagers, when they heard that they had built their own lotus ponds, bought lotus roots and fish fry, and when the harvest came, they would share the harvest with the commune for free, they thought, how could anyone object to such a good thing? They all agreed.

Xia Juanjuan mobilized several strong laborers from the village, and together with Xia Shuangshan and Li Jie, they built a pond. After it was built, they diverted water from the river. In just a few days, a watery pond was completed.

As a thank you, Xia Juanjuan gave each of the families of the able-bodied workers who came to help her home some homemade tofu and bean sprouts, and also three or four pickled wild duck eggs. These families were naturally overjoyed.

Lotus roots in the north have to be planted in April or May of the solar calendar, which is March or April of the lunar calendar. There is still a month to wait, but Xia Juanjuan is not in a hurry. In summer, there will be lotus ponds with "lotus flowers that are particularly red in the sun" to enjoy, and lotus seeds to eat...

Lin Yuru was happily discussing with Aunt Wu and other core women in the village whether to buy chicks and ducklings, or whether the commune should hatch and raise chicks and ducklings itself.

In the end, everyone unanimously decided that there was no need to spend this money. The commune would hatch it itself!

The commune already had big roosters and big ducks, so some of the eggs laid by the old hens and ducks were fertilized and could hatch.

Although poultry can also lay nests to hatch chicks and ducklings, every household in the village has to raise some, and relying solely on hens and ducklings to hatch them would definitely not be enough.

Fortunately, there were people in the commune who had made a living by hatching chicks in previous years and had this skill, so they asked them to help hatch chicks and ducklings, and the village would collect some food, rice, etc. as payment.

It usually takes about nineteen to twenty-one days to hatch chicks and ducklings.

First, hold the eggs under the light. If you can find the small black spots, they are the eggs that have been inoculated and can be hatched. Then put the chicken and duck eggs on the kang bed with the appropriate temperature, and monitor the temperature changes day and night until the chicks and ducks hatch.

In the old days there were no thermometers, so controlling the temperature depended entirely on the experience of the old masters, which is why there were people who specialized in this for a living.

It was also the first time for Xia Juanjuan to see chicks hatching, so she, like other curious villagers, pushed a cart over from time to time to take the triplets over to take a look at them.

During the days when the chicks and ducklings gradually broke out of their shells, the hatching hut became a sacred place for the children. Xiaowen, Xiaowu and Beibei would run to see the chicks as soon as they finished their meals, leaving their bowls behind.

Fortunately, there wasn’t much farm work to do at this time, so many adults also sneaked over to take a look!

In the last few days, goose-yellow little chickens and ducklings were seen on the kang bed, prying open their shells with their little red beaks and staggering out. The little kids in the village were simply going crazy with excitement.

Xia Juanjuan also took the time to pick up Yanyan, Yeye and Yaoyao one by one and let them see them.

When the three little guys saw the chicks and ducklings for the first time, they opened their eyes wide in surprise and shouted "Oh!" and "Hmm!" while stretching out their little hands as if they wanted to touch them.

Xia Juanjuan didn't dare let them touch the public's chicks and ducklings.

A four-month-old baby has very strong hands. If you accidentally grab the chicks or ducklings too tightly and kill them, it will be troublesome.

But at night, she would still secretly take out the chicken from the space and let the three brothers touch it as much as they wanted, making them dance with excitement.

As for Xiaowen, Xiaowu and Beibei, she no longer dared to take things from the space and give them to them to eat or play with for no reason.

Fortunately, the chicks will be distributed to everyone in a few days, and the same thing will happen if we observe them closely in a few days.

When the chicks and ducklings are almost hatched,

They were distributed to every household in the village, and each family took three or five chickens home to feed according to their own situation.

Chickens and ducklings also need to consume food and feed, so no one dares to be greedy, otherwise the food for people will be gone and the gain will not be worth it.

Xia Juanjuan asked for three of each the chicken and the duck.

Together with the five that Lin Yuru received from Xia Village, there were a total of eight chickens and eight ducklings.

There is no need to raise piglets. They are dirty and tiring. It is better to just spend money to buy and eat them.

Xia Shuangshan had already woven bamboo cages for raising chickens and ducks in advance, so he didn't have to worry about the chickens and ducks running around in the yard and pooping everywhere.

Xiaowen, Xiaowu and Beibei became the main forces in taking care of the chickens and ducklings at home. Every day they scrambled to cut cabbage leaves and the like to feed them, and sometimes they even caught earthworms to feed them.

Xia Juanjuan didn't want to discourage their enthusiasm, so every time she saw them catching earthworms, she would hide far away, afraid...

Soon after bringing the chicks and ducklings home, it’s time to plant lotus roots and release fish fry.

Xia Juanjuan wrote a letter of introduction saying that she was going to the county to buy it, but in fact she took the letter of introduction to buy back the remaining rooms and yards in the front and back of the Luo family's house.

Then on the way back from the county town, he took out lotus roots and fish fry from the space, saying that he bought them.

Two days after the lotus roots were planted and the fish fry were stocked, Secretary Zhao suddenly sent someone to call Xia Juanjuan over.

Xia Juanjuan agreed and went over.

Secretary Zhao pointed at the two men in Mao suits and said, "Mrs. Lizhan, these two are comrades from the Beijing Workers, Peasants and Soldiers University. They want to investigate the child trafficking case of Xia Fangfang's father and grandmother, and whether her impersonation is true."