Chapter 199 Orchid
Wait for the rain and take a rest at the same time, and occasionally weed during the rest period.
It has been ten days since the wheat was sown.
After the germination period, it officially enters the tillering period.
The malt branches out to form stems and leaves. This stage will continue for more than twenty days before entering the next stage, the jointing stage.
Now is the time to compete with weeds for nutrients.
The weeds in spring are very vigorous, and the two men have no herbicides, so they can only weed manually.
I had been waiting for the spring rain to arrive, and then I would go into the mountains to look for wild vegetables.
But what I didn't expect was that after the spring rain, not only the crops grew, but also the weeds that could not be pulled out and grew taller than the crops in just one night.
It rained for three days. The two men wore straw raincoats and pulled weeds in the rain. This way they could go out to dig wild vegetables as soon as the rain stopped.
This time out, Zhao Yeqing was once again impressed by the power of nature.
Originally, you could still see the bare land in the meadow, but after a spring rain, the entire meadow was covered with tender green. The grass that was only a little bit tall a few days ago has now grown to the point where it is soft when you step on it.
"With this growth rate, I don't have to worry about the food for the cattle and sheep at home."
Zhao Yeqing was wearing rain boots and skipping on the meadow. This was the first time for the two of them to go into the mountains properly since winter, and they didn't know what delicious food they could find.
It makes me happy just thinking about it.
The weeds on the meadow were covered with a layer of accumulated water after the spring rain, and when you stepped on them, you could hear a crisp "piapia" sound.
We didn't go to the side near the pine forest. That place has been sparsely populated before, and wild boars, bears and wolves have appeared there before.
The two chose the path that went down the mountain, and by the way they could go to the bamboo forest to dig up two bamboo shoots.
After a winter, the few dried bamboo shoots that were in stock had been eaten up, and we were just waiting for this bite.
The bamboo shoots have not grown out yet. When he arrived at the bamboo forest, Mu Xi only saw the tip of a bamboo shoot poking out.
Use a hoe to carefully dig up the surrounding soil and dig the bamboo shoots out intact from the soil.
Zhao Yeqing looked around but didn't see any bamboo shoots, so he turned around and looked for other wild vegetables.
Fortunately, the situation was not as bad as she had expected. Most of the plants poked out their green heads from the gaps between the withered plants.
She saw the Artemisia selengensis that was used to make Qingming dumplings.
The last time was at home. After picking this Artemisia selengensis and making dumplings, I went to chat with my grandparents.
I’m afraid it won’t work this year.
I still picked two bunches and took them home so that I could give some to the original owner to taste.
While wandering around, she discovered a wolfberry tree, which was also sprouting new leaves at this time.
The tree survived the cold winter and is now full of vitality again. Zhao Yeqing was very moved and accepted its newly grown leaves.
Wolfberry leaves are delicious when cooked into soup.
Remember this location, and when autumn comes, you can pick the wolfberries and make tea or soup.
By the time she had picked half a basket of wolfberry leaves and returned to the bamboo forest, Mu Xi had already dug three bamboo shoots and was holding a bunch of wild orchids in his hand.
I also saw it when Qingming was in Meishan.
Mu Xi smiled and shook the bouquet in his hand and handed it to her.
Seeing her take it, he remembered something and couldn't help laughing before saying, "Do you remember picking orchids when you were a child?"
Zhao Yeqing was stunned for two seconds, then he remembered what he was talking about and burst out laughing.
That was when they were children. Before the Qingming Festival that year, they ran to the mountains to pick orchids.
She was very young at the time and had only been into the mountains a few times. Her grandparents didn't let them go far, but the orchids were in full bloom that year, and the two of them picked orchids along the way and unknowingly went into the mountains.
A large patch of wild orchids was discovered in one place.
The two were so happy that they ran and jumped around, and picked a lot of fruits to give to the two grandmothers.
Later, after the Qingming Festival, as the orchid season was about to end, they thought about picking another bunch to keep at home.
They sneaked out of the house and ran to the same place as last time. As soon as they arrived, they were dumbfounded.
The place that was originally full of orchids, on the small slope next to which they jumped up and down, now had a bamboo pole with a white grave flag hanging on it.
The term "dancing on graves" had not yet appeared at that time, and the two children were almost scared silly.
They looked at each other and ran home quickly. Mu Xi was scared but said nothing.
Zhao Yeqing, however, threw himself directly into his grandmother's arms and started crying.
Several old people were confused and asked Mu Xi what was going on, but Mu Xi was just a child at that time, and his family members had to comfort him for a long time before they could find out the reason.
Grandpa explained that the grave was an old one and not all the descendants remembered to visit it every year. The tombstone used to be made of wood, but it disappeared and has never been replaced.
Although Zhao Yeqing found it funny when he thought about it, he still felt a lingering fear.
Mu Xi laughed and said, "I had a nightmare for a long time at that time."
Zhao Yeqing rolled his eyes at him, "I don't know who it is, but he came to tell me the next day that he wasn't afraid at all."
"If I didn't say that, wouldn't you be even more scared?"
That's true.
If you are afraid of this emotion, it is useless for your elders to tell you not to be afraid. Only when your peers say that there is nothing to be afraid of, will it be convincing.
Bringing a bunch of wild orchids back home, Zhao Yeqing put the flowers in a vase and added some long-leaf grass, which gave it a wild feel.
On the way back, I also picked some Artemisia selengensis, which has leaves very similar to those of Chrysanthemum chrysanthemum, but the special thing is that there are white hairs on the leaves.
It is extremely delicious when mixed with flour and is also a traditional Chinese medicine that can be used to treat wind-cold, dampness and arthritis, and can replenish the qi.
Mu Xi left enough for one meal, washed the rest, put them in a winnowing basket, and took them to the yard to dry.
After Zhao Yeqing put the orchid in the vase, he put the willow branches he had cut on the way in the kitchen.
Light a fire to dry the rain water above.
In spring, willow branches grow tender leaves, which can also be used to feed sheep. I just brought some back when I saw them.
It has been raining these past two days, so I didn’t dare let the cattle and sheep out for fear that they would get diarrhea from eating watery grass.
Throw the fresh willow branches into the sheep pen and walk straight into the original owner's house.
I took out the seeds of various fruits and vegetables that I had prepared earlier from the seed packets.
After the night frost and the spring rain, it is time to plant fruits and vegetables.
I'm too lazy to grow seedlings in the room this year, and the climate is suitable now, so I might as well just spread them directly in the soil to grow seedlings.
The temperature at night was still relatively low. After Zhao Yeqing scattered the seeds on the ground, he covered the ground with plastic film.
In order to save plastic film, all kinds of vegetables and fruits are concentrated in one square meter for seedling cultivation.
The growth time of several kinds of fruit and vegetables is similar. They can be transplanted in about twenty days and will sprout in a week. Remember to thin out the seedlings at that time to avoid overcrowding and poor development.
The biggest fear in farming is natural disasters.
I learned from childhood that if the fog lasts for a long time, it will be cloudy; if the fog lasts for a long time, it will be clear.
One morning after a day that was both sunny and cloudy, Zhao Yeqing was covered in fog as soon as he opened the door.
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