Chapter 223 Second Season Rice
The glutinous rice and paddy fields have been empty, and she has also removed the ridges in the middle of the fields, intending to burn several plots of land together.
The weather was dry and hot, and the dry straw in the fields had already turned golden brown. When it encountered the fire, it spread instantly. In just a minute, several plots of land were surrounded by fire.
Zhao Yeqing’s isolation and fire prevention work was done well, and the crops nearby were not affected at all.
However, the already hot weather, coupled with the heat wave from the fire, caused the temperature near home to rise sharply. Zhao Yeqing felt suffocated and was about to faint when he stood next to the field.
When the fire gradually died down, only black straw that had turned into carbonized ash remained in the fields.
The ridges of several fields had been razed to the ground, and they had to be rebuilt, and then bamboos had to be cut or ditches dug to make waterways to drain the water into the wheat fields to soak them.
We have to wait until the water softens the ground a little, and then it is time to turn the soil over. The straw ashes have to be turned into nutrients.
Zhao Yeqing calculated the workload - rebuilding the ridges, cutting bamboo and carrying it back, or digging ditches to divert water...
She might as well plant rice in several fields at once. It would be a little more work, but the yield would be greatly increased.
If several plots of land could produce rice again, the two of them would be able to eat as much rice as they wanted before next year's spring plowing without worrying about not having enough to eat.
In order to avoid bad seeds or accidents with seedlings, more seedlings are usually grown during the seedling raising process.
This was the second time they had grown seedlings using dry soil. The two had experience, and no accidents occurred during the process. The seedlings were very healthy in all aspects.
If the rice seedlings are planted a little wider, several plots of land can be almost fully planted.
In this way, there is no need to dig new ditches and cut bamboo to divert water. Instead, the water inlet of the water source can be opened wider, increasing the flow of water from the stream into the fish pond, and then the water from the fish pond can be released into the rice field.
The water flow gradually spread and covered three pieces of land.
The last time he planted rice, the fields were not soaked for enough time, making subsequent transplanting more difficult. Zhao Yeqing plans to soak the fields for two more days this time, waiting until the soil is soft enough before plowing the fields.
She was very considerate and added freshly harvested corn kernels into the feed of the cows that were about to go to work so that they could work only after they had eaten well.
Now that the weather is getting warmer, the cattle and sheep pen built with red bricks is a little hot, so Mu Xi opened two windows on it to ensure ventilation inside.
The calf at home has grown a lot and is full of energy every day. When it sees the big cow being led out to work, it also wants to rush over to play.
He was stopped by Da Huang's barking and finally had to follow the main group out to eat grass.
Mu Xi sat at home rubbing corn. After his buttocks were sore and his neck was so stiff that he could not bear it anymore, he exchanged jobs with Zhao Yeqing.
The two of them took turns, and by the time all the corn had turned into kernels, all the seedlings in the field had been planted.
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The seedlings of the second-season rice gradually stabilized, and Mu Xi processed the cotton seeds according to the information in the book.
He did not take out all the seeds. "We don't need that much cotton, so we don't need to plant a whole field. Now that the corn has been harvested, there is space between the soybeans, so we can interplant the cotton."
Zhao Yeqing calculated, "Soybeans can be harvested next month, and peanuts will take about half a month. By the time peanuts are ready, the rapeseed flowers will be in bloom."
Mu Xi asked, "Should I wait until after I harvest the peanuts before going out? I can still shell the rice and wheat during this time."
Zhao Yeqing raised his hand with the watch on it.
"Look, it's already 31 degrees. In half a month, after we finish harvesting peanuts, it will be time to harvest soybeans. We'll be busy all the time. You go first. You can still come back before the peanuts are harvested. I can take my time with the rice harvesting."
It is very busy before and after harvest and sowing, but there is nothing we can do about it. The climate is abnormal now, and the temperature is gradually rising when it should be getting cooler.
If we delay any further, the animals will probably become more aggressive like they did last year, and the water sources will gradually dry up, making it more uncontrollable to go into the mountains.
Mu Xi: "Okay, I'll be back soon."
After the two of them worked together to plant the cotton, Mu Xi packed up his things and went into the mountains to explore the way.
Zhao Yeqing was so busy at home this time that he had no time to think about anything else. He had to water and fertilize the newly planted cotton, and also move the rice out and pour it into a wooden pestle to remove the husk.
She planned to process 30 kilograms of rice first. After all, it was her first time to operate the wooden pestle to thresh rice by herself.
Not only was he unskilled in operation, but halfway through using the pestle, problems arose. He had to disassemble it, inspect and repair it before continuing grinding.
Zhao Yeqing recalled that when she was a child she asked her grandparents why they could do everything, from repairing circuits to machines to farm work, and they could do everything by themselves.
Now she knows that when she really needs to face life on her own, life will teach her everything.
It took a day and a half to turn thirty kilograms of paddy into brown rice.
There are still a few residual rice husks on it, so it will be rough after cooking, so it needs to be put into a stone pestle and pounded gently.
This job was very testing of one's patience. Zhao Yeqing thought that Mu Xi would be returning to Meishan soon, so he could move the power supply over and the family would have electricity.
So he took out his mobile phone and the last two half-charged power banks that Mu Xi brought back from the tourist area to recharge his phone.
Listening to the familiar singing and dancing, the work in my hands became much easier.
After a busy day, the rice in the stone pestle was put into a winnowing basket, which was tossed up and down to let the residue inside fly out, leaving only the white rice.
You can smell the rich rice aroma when it is lifted up. This newly harvested rice is really different.
Mu Xi didn't have the chance to enjoy the meal for the time being. In the evening, Zhao Yeqing ate three bowls of rice while watching the variety show with tears in his eyes.
Rice with germ is different from ordinary rice. In addition, it is freshly made, the rice grains are crystal clear and plump, and the rice aroma is very strong. You can eat a whole bowl of rice without any side dishes.
After I eat it, the dog at home must also have a taste of it. I have to go out to graze every day and watch over the pasture. It doesn't make sense for me to eat the new rice and let the dog eat the stale rice.
After dinner, blood sugar rose, so the man and four dogs sat next to the sorghum field in the backyard, listening to folk songs and looking at the stars. The sound of insects chirping made people drowsy.
The stars were obscured by the bright moonlight and only a few could still be seen hanging in the sky.
Occasionally a breeze blew by, and it was also warm, but not as warm as the new palm-leaf fan in her hand.
But the wind from the cattail leaf fan was only strong and not cool, and was not as good as the taro leaf she had brought back before.
The wind created by the taro leaves was cool, but unfortunately it couldn't be kept for long, so she made pickles with the stalks and leaves.
I wanted to plant some, but the taro was too tender to keep seeds. I had to wait more than a month before digging up fully mature taro with a high starch content to keep seeds.
Zhao Yeqing smacked his lips——
Candied taro, taro cake, candied taro, taro paste cake...what should I eat first?
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