She was just an ordinary farmer, but now, standing in front of a group of people who had been farming for years, she seemed to have become an expert, which made her feel embarrassed.
However, they didn't try to hide it.
"As long as the indoor temperature is suitable, it can survive, just like the scallions planted in pots on New Year's Eve. However, I am also afraid that it will not grow well if I use seeds, so I use the roots that my fellow villagers transplanted for me in the past. This thing grows in batches in summer and winter."
Anyway, I burn a lot of firewood in my house, so it's not too cold. We've already harvested two crops this winter, so I only planted this little bit.
Anyway, it's not a lot, and there aren't many vegetables available in the dead of winter, so isn't it nice to have something fresh?
"Yes, yes, winter is all about radishes, cabbage, potatoes, and sauerkraut. If there's anything green, just looking at it makes me happy."
"That's right. Back in my hometown, we heard about some kind of greenhouse or something, a warm greenhouse, that said you could grow vegetables in winter, but we didn't believe it."
Winters here are so cold, the houses are drafty. How warm can a greenhouse be? How can you grow vegetables there?
Now that I see my sister-in-law here, I truly believe it.
In this family compound, Commander Lin and Qin Qinghuai are the two top leaders. Commander Lin's family has no female head of household, so Jian Dan's status in the compound is self-evident. Apart from the close Wang Saozi (whom he calls "sister") and the older women who call the political commissar's wife "sister-in-law," most of the family members call her "sister-in-law" following their husbands' lead.
Being called "sister-in-law" by a group of people much older than myself was initially a little uncomfortable, but now I've gotten thick-skinned and agree to it without any burden.
"Are you talking about off-season vegetables from the county town?"
"Off-season?"
The group looked at each other, and the word seemed quite fitting.
"Sister-in-law, you know about this?"
This matter is no secret in the camp, but the families haven't been informed in detail yet. Various preparations have already begun. Although it's not a secret, it's still an experiment, and the outcome is uncertain. Nobody is making a big fuss about it, and the families don't know anything about it.
Jian Dan didn't say much.
"Sister-in-law, isn't this method something that people have figured out? If others can grow it, what are we lacking? Right?"
Take chives for example. Do you think they're difficult to grow? In the dead of winter, everyone has to light a fire in their house, and I only water them every few days.
When it comes to vegetables and such in these gardens, you all probably have more experience than I do. But with the weather so cold now, and given your years of hibernating, you haven't thought about it, have you?
"If it's as you say, it's really not difficult."
"Yeah, that's true. How about we give it a try this winter?"
Sister-in-law Wang also seemed to be deep in thought.
That's definitely not the time; spring is just around the corner.
Jian Dan didn't say much, just sprayed some water on the vegetable seedlings growing on the kang (heated brick bed), and immediately everyone's eyes turned to him again.
Seedling cultivation isn't anything new; everyone in this rural area does it this way. However, knowing how hard it is to grow things here, they weren't in a rush to start seedling cultivation (in the local dialect, it's called "small seedlings"). But seeing that the seedlings on this half-bed of the bed had already sprouted quite evenly, Sister Wang had a better sense of things.
"Girl, it won't be warm here for a while, and we can't move these seedlings out. Why did you start so early? Why have you been keeping them indoors all this time?"
"When it gets warmer in a few days, we won't need to burn firewood like this anymore, right?"
Judging from the temperature here, it will indeed take some days for it to get completely warm outside. We're simply following the same pace as in Liujiatun.
"Sister-in-law, are you planning to plant the seeds as soon as the weather gets warmer?"
"yes,"
The group looked at each other.
"Back in our hometown, we started making preparations early on, but after we came here, the elders and men in the family said that it would take at least a month longer for the soil to thaw before it could thaw, so we weren't in a hurry."
Even if they're just seedlings, they'll catch up in another month.
"Doesn't the political commissar know about this?"
"No, that's not it,"
After a brief consideration, I decided to abandon the issue of the weather.
"Anyway, we're not busy now, so we'll let them grow indoors for now. In ten days or half a month, when it gets a bit warmer outside, we'll set up a small shed, move all these pots and troughs outside, and transplant the seedlings and soil into the soil. We'll make a small shed, support it with bamboo strips, and then cover the outside with plastic sheeting."
It's warm inside when the sun is shining during the day.
If you uncover the plastic sheet at noon to let it air out, it will grow faster.
Once the seedlings grow big, they can be transplanted later, and they'll grow faster than the ones you just planted.
"Sister-in-law, look at these bok choy leaves. I scattered them so thickly. When they grow bigger, I can eat them one by one, right?"
Several people's eyes lit up.
"It really is just like back in my hometown, isn't it?"
No, it's even better than back home.
"Sister-in-law, that plastic sheeting is a rare find; even the supply and marketing cooperative rarely has it."
"fine,"
Originally, this was just a gimmick, meant to make the upcoming greenhouses feel less abrupt and to increase their acceptance of starting work there. After all, she'd be living in this residential compound for several years, even decades, so naturally, she wanted as little trouble as possible.
"It would be best if you had one, but if not, you can use a piece of tar paper. At most, it won't let any light through. If that doesn't work, just spread it out a bit more during the day. That stuff keeps things warm, so it's pretty good."
She and Qin Qinghuai rarely went out, but with Cheng Chao as their readily available brother-in-law and the monthly expenses from the capital, it all made sense.
Hearing her say that, the military wives couldn't sit still anymore. Who wouldn't want to eat more vegetables? If they could really grow them sooner, they would be willing to work harder.
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