The weather this year is a bit unusual. It's the third day of the tenth lunar month now, which is the beginning of the Minor Snow solar term, so the temperature should be quite low.
But the temperature has been consistently high these days, reaching 18 or 19 degrees Celsius during the day, so people only need to wear a thick single layer of clothing.
The people of Huichuan County are very happy because this year, due to torrential rains and flooding, the land was dry enough to plant corn more than ten days later than usual.
I had thought that corn production would also decrease.
Who knew that even after the Minor Snow solar term arrived, the weather remained warm, which was just right for the corn to grow strong kernels!
Li Xiangdong thought it might be related to the upcoming earthquake that would shock the entire nation.
Recently, the corn in Lijiapo has ripened. From a distance, the sturdy, yellow corn sways gently in the wind.
Each corn stalk bore two to three large ears of corn, each as thick as a child's arm. The corn husks were white with a hint of green, and the previously bright red corn silks had dried and turned black.
All of this indicates that the "Pohong No. 1" corn is fully ripe.
Moreover, it's obvious from just a glance that the corn yield is very high!
Liu Donglai had been paying close attention to the corn yield of Lijiapo Brigade and had instructed Li Jin several times that he would personally come to measure the yield per mu of white corn when the corn was harvested.
Liu Donglai arrived at six o'clock this morning.
"Secretary Liu, come to my house and have a hot meal!"
"No more eating. We're starting to harvest corn today. We both need to keep a close eye on it and see how many kilograms of white corn and how many kilograms of dried kernels are per acre!"
Liu Donglai waved his hand, saying that this was related to the promotion of corn planting throughout the county next year.
In the cornfields of Lijiapo, many people have already started picking corn, and the sound of "crunch, crunch" can be heard everywhere.
Harvesting corn is hard work.
The corn leaves are covered with fine, short white hairs, and the edges are very sharp. When people walk in the cornfield, their faces and bodies will be scratched by the dense, crisscrossing corn leaves.
When breaking corn, hold the cob in the middle with one hand and pull it outwards with force. With a "snap," the whole corn will break off from the stalk.
Harvesting corn
Over time, your wrists will become sore.
After breaking off two rows, Li Xiangdong began to miss the corn harvesters of later generations.
We absolutely have to get another corn combine harvester!
Liu Donglai deftly broke off a large ear of corn from the stalk, pinched the husk at the top of the corn with his thumbnails, and tore it open with force. The plump, golden-orange kernels came into view. He pinched them with his fingers and found that the kernels were full!
"That's great!"
Liu Donglai exclaimed with satisfaction, "It seems that the claim of a thousand catties per mu was not just a boast made by Xiang Dong!"
Li Jin was even more invigorated. "Changhai, Xikaiwa, Beikaiwa, Ertiaodao, Lishuyuan, Dabaodi, and the two plots of land on the riverbankâweigh each mu as soon as it's harvested, and then quickly report the numbers to Secretary Liu!"
Liu Donglai instructed his secretary, Xiao Liu, to run with Liu Changhai.
Watching the two walk away, Liu Donglai said to Li Jin, "Let's not just stand by and watch, let's do it together!"
Although Li Jin knew that Liu Donglai had been sent to work in Yibai Mountain before, he did not expect him to be so capable in farm work!
Soon, Liu Donglai overtook Li Jin. Li Jin tried his best to catch up, but Liu Donglai still pulled ahead by half a ridge.
When the villagers working nearby saw that the county party secretary was also working in the fields, they immediately became excited.
"Secretary Liu, how come you're so good at picking corn?"
"That's right, that's right! He's a real workhorse!"
There were also spirited young men and women shouting from afar, "Secretary Liu, let's have a competition to see who can break the most!"
Liu Donglai threw the corn he had broken off into the corn pile, put his hands on his hips, and said loudly, "Let's see if your hands are faster, or if my hands, those of this old farmer from Yibai Mountain, are more nimble!"
A burst of cheers erupted from the crowd, and the enthusiastic atmosphere made the weather seem even hotter!
...
"Secretary Liu! Secretary Liu!"
Secretary Liu came running from a distance, stumbling along, shouting loudly for Liu Donglai.
Liu Dongjia shook his aching hands and emerged from the cornfield.
Because he worked so hard, his face was covered in sweat and dust.
"What's wrong?"
"Secretary Liu, snoring~"
Secretary Liu bent over, hands on his knees, and struggled for a while before he could speak fluently, "Secretary Liu, the yield per mu of corn for the seven plots has come out!"
"How many?!"
"They are 1976 jin, 1785 jin, 1813 jin, 1911 jin, 1798 jin, 1855 jin, and Dabaodi is 2048 jin!"
"What? The corn yield per mu has exceeded 2,000 jin?"
At this moment, the people standing behind Liu Donglai were all members of the Lijiapo commune, who stared intently at Secretary Liu.
When he said 2048 jin, everyone gasped, and then burst into thunderous applause!
The applause was thunderous and prolonged; some people clapped until their hands were red and still refused to stop.
The older folks had tears in their eyes. Good heavens, now the yield of one acre of land is equivalent to that of ten acres before!
Liu Donglai's eyes welled with tears. "Good! Good!"
People won't have to go hungry anymore!
It seems that Li Xiangdong's approach is correct; we must pay attention to the quality of seeds, because only good seeds can produce high-yield grains.
Simply relying on deep plowing, applying more fertilizer, and sowing more seeds will not increase grain yield at all!
"Where's Xiang Dong? That kid, he's not here at such a crucial time!"
Liu Donglai searched everywhere for Li Xiangdong, but couldn't find even a trace of him.
Li Jin didn't know where his second son had gone; he had ridden off on his bike early in the morning and disappeared without a trace.
"Secretary Liu, my second brother has taken a big watermelon to the market!"
Guo Yuxi shouted from the crowd, probably the only one in the entire place who knew Li Xiangdong's whereabouts.
Although Li Xiangdong took Li Guoqing and Li Xiangjie with him to explore the market, he didn't take him along, which made him very unhappy.
However, his second brother promised that he would take him when he was two years older!
Liu Donglai exclaimed in surprise, "The watermelon is ripe?"
While we were picking corn, everyone avoided the watermelons under their feet. Under the shade of green leaves, there were one big, round watermelon after another on the vines.
Li Jin chuckled and said, "It's still a bit lacking, but if we wait until it's fully ripe before looking for sales channels, it will be too late."
It's estimated that Li Xiangdong went to scout things out first, and only after setting a basic price could he send others to different places to promote the product.
Liu Donglai patted Li Jin on the shoulder, "Brother Li Jin, I really envy you! You have such a precious son, who has surpassed his father!"
Countless people in the audience shared the same thought, a mix of envy and jealousy swirling within them.
Li Jin, meeting the admiring, envious, and respectful gazes, grinned and laughed heartily without any restraint or modesty.
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