After staying in Hexi County for a few days, Eunuch Zhao and his men left quietly. They came and went without making a fuss. When they left, they not only took the corn, sweet potatoes, and potatoes that had just been harvested this year, but also filled several notebooks with records of the planting methods and techniques for these three crops, as well as winter wheat. They also made detailed notes on the intercropping of winter wheat and summer corn.
After seeing the three people off, not only Xu Rao breathed a sigh of relief, but Xu Di also breathed a huge sigh of relief. These people had been staying here for the past few days, and he had many things to do but dared not do them. Not to mention, he hadn't even started working on the greenhouse he planned to build. All the materials were ready, and the location was found in the backyard. He knocked down the wall of the room that had been assigned to him, removed the roof tiles, and built a firewall on the north wall. As for the roof, Xu Di considered many things and decided to use sheepskin.
The sheepskin was specially tanned and made very thin. It was then pieced together and laid on thin bamboo strips. Xu Di had once visited the greenhouse at the Agricultural Research Institute, but now there was neither glass nor plastic sheeting. After thinking for a long time, Xu Di decided to try using sheepskin. He decided to give it a try and see if it would work.
It was already the end of the ninth lunar month, and the weather was already very cold. Half of the fields in the village were planted with winter wheat, while the other half remained empty. They planned to plant oats or other crops next year. This time, Xu Rao mobilized many people to plant winter wheat together, but most of them were village heads. They were reluctant to refuse because Xu Rao was the local official. They could only take out a piece of land from their own homes to plant it.
Xu Di had made up his mind. The corn he planted in the spring had yielded a good harvest. Apart from the corn that Eunuch Zhao had taken back to the capital, there was still a lot left. Xu Di didn't dare to eat it all now; he had to save some for seed. He estimated that next year there would be enough to distribute to the village heads and also enough for his own estate.
Xu Rao and Zhang Zhaoci were busy with their own things, while Xu Di was leading people to build a greenhouse in the backyard. Xu Zhi spent all day there with them, watching as the roofs of the three perfectly good houses were torn down, firewalls were built, and a large piece of sheepskin was used to cover the roof. Xu Zhi found it strange, but she knew her brother must have his reasons for doing it. Xu Zhi didn't keep asking Xu Di what he was doing; she just stood by and watched. Occasionally, when her brother had a moment to spare, she would pour him a bowl of water or some snacks.
The greenhouse is built; now it's time to prepare the soil for planting.
Xu Di still had a carpenter make many wooden boxes, and he also found a lot of humus from the mountain. After putting it into the wooden boxes, he began to sow the seeds.
I didn't even pick the tomatoes from the vegetables I planted last time to make scrambled eggs with tomatoes, and I didn't even make a spicy hot pot with the chili peppers either; I used them all as seeds.
Looking at the handful of seeds in his hand, Xu Di was overjoyed. He would plant them in the greenhouse first, and next year, he would set up a vegetable garden on the estate and plant more, especially chili peppers. Xu Di had thought that not only could they be eaten, but they could also be made into chili powder as his secret weapon.
Xu Di personally handled everything inside the greenhouse, with Xu Zhi helping out as well. He didn't dare ask anyone else for help. This wasn't something that outsiders would think was a joke, but a greenhouse this big, growing so many vegetables. To many people, this was pure gold in the dead of winter. The Xu family wasn't short of money, but rather of seeds. This time, Xu Di was preparing to collect more seeds.
It got cold, and after the winter wheat was planted, there wasn't much work to do in the fields. Granny Lu thought that her young master should come home this time and study hard like those other young masters from noble families. Who knew that he would cause even more trouble?
The commotion in the backyard made Granny Lu feel like she couldn't keep up with the flow of thought. She wanted to talk to the Third Master and Third Mistress about how a teenager should still be in school, but judging from their expressions, it didn't seem surprising at all that the eldest young master was doing this. Granny Lu sometimes reflected on herself, wondering why she had agreed to the Xu family matriarch's request to become the tutor of their ninth young lady. Not only had she followed them all the way to such a small place, but the children in the family were also different from other families. Granny Lu was somewhat confused. Had the world outside changed?
Xu Di knew exactly what Granny Lu was thinking. To be honest, Granny Lu was quite old and had come all the way to Hexi. In this family, Xu Di regarded her as the matriarch. To be honest, Granny Lu did a very good job. She loved the children very much, but she would also point out their mistakes. Xu Di was busy with the experimental fields, and Granny Lu would bring him three meals a day, always choosing the foods that Xu Di liked. Xu Di liked Granny Lu very much.
Xu Di thought it was quite good that he had taken down the roof of the backyard himself. Granny Lu looked incredulous, but she didn't stop him.
At lunchtime, it was Granny Lu who ate with Xu Di and Xu Zhi. Xu Rao usually ate lunch at the yamen. The food cooked by Granny Zhao's husband was quite good. As for Zhang Zhaoci, the chef from the General's Mansion was brought from the capital, and his food was even better. So, lunch at this house was usually eaten by these three people.
Xu Di said, "Grandma, don't look at me messing around now. Let me tell you, by next summer at the latest, I will be able to earn a lot of money, and then I will buy you a very, very big gold bracelet."
Upon hearing this, Granny Lu smiled and said, "Then I'll thank you in advance, young master."
Xu Di said, "Granny, our family is different from other families. Don't look down on me because I'm not studying properly now and I'm always thinking about planting crops and vegetables. Once I've sorted things out, I'll study hard and become a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) just like my father."
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