After quickly washing their hands, they also gathered around the wall.
"What's wrong? Haven't they sprouted yet? Maybe it's just not the right time yet, don't worry."
He peeked out as he spoke.
"Hey? Why are yours so scattered? How many days have you been planting them?"
On Sister Wang's rows of plants, only a few seedlings had sprouted sparsely, and they all looked wilted. Looking at her own, Jian Dan couldn't help but laugh.
"Did you just scatter the seeds directly? Did you water them?"
They're all from the countryside, so this little bit of work is nothing to them. Even Sister Wang herself was a bit overwhelmed.
"It's planted just like we used to when we farmed at home. Look at this, I finally understand what they're thinking. If this garden is like this, what can grow on the wasteland?"
Jian Dan seemed thoughtful. She wasn't a professional in farming, but she knew that black soil was a high-quality soil with good properties and high fertility, known as "one ounce of soil equals two ounces of oil," and was one of the most fertile soils in the world. It was rich in organic matter, suitable for plant growth, and particularly suitable for cultivation.
Its high organic matter content and good soil structure make it ideal for crop growth.
However, the plants just don't grow well here, which is ultimately due to a few reasons: soil quality, water, sunlight, climate, and pests and diseases.
Based on her limited agricultural knowledge, the first thing to consider is the issues of water and sunlight.
The climate is a major problem, one she can't solve, so she can only avoid it.
That leaves soil quality and pests/diseases.
I haven't heard of any pests or diseases. Besides, the temperature here is low, and there hasn't been any planting for many years, so the possibility of that is probably low.
The soil fertility of this black soil is undeniable, but it's possible that it's lacking one or two essential nutrients, or that it needs some treatment, or that the shallow soil lacks nutrients and needs to be deeply tilled, or that it contains too many impurities, who knows?
This was the first time she had ever seen the land fail to grow anything, and she didn't know why. These were all just her guesses. After all, she was just a novice, and she felt that she had already done her best to cultivate her own few plots of land.
However, looking at Sister Wang's pleading eyes, she could probably understand her feelings a little. When she first arrived in Liujiatun, everyone there felt similarly helpless, a sense of bewilderment and despair where no one answered their prayers.
"Sister-in-law, I still have some seedlings that I haven't finished planting. If you don't mind,..."
Sister-in-law Wang was surprised for a moment, then her face lit up with a smile.
"No, no, your smallest seedling is much better than mine, what's there to complain about?"
"Then come quickly, I've planted almost all of them, you can pick first."
Sister-in-law Wang is a very honest person. She is helpful, speaks and acts with tact, and is easy to get along with.
Walking around the main gate, Professor Wei, Cheng Jin's teacher, came in with Sister Wang. He rarely came over, whether to avoid suspicion or simply because he didn't like socializing. This was the first time he had come alone after so many busy days.
"Professor Wei? Please come in. Qinghuai hasn't returned yet. Please have a seat. He'll be off work soon."
Professor Wei, a man with a stern face, didn't show much change in expression upon hearing this; he simply nodded.
"I'm not looking for him."
He had overheard their conversation and then saw his neighbor's wife excitedly coming over to ask for seedlings, so he impulsively followed. From the moment he entered the yard, his eyes were fixed on the vegetable plots, which frightened Wang's wife so much that she didn't dare to say a word.
Everyone knows that three technicians have arrived. They're said to be incredibly skilled, always leaving early and returning late, and they're always accompanied by someone. Although they're neighbors, they've never spoken to each other.
For native rural people like Sister Wang, the status of educated people is extremely high. Before she joined the army, there were educated youths who came to their village. When they spoke, they held their noses high and looked down on people.
So in their minds, all scholars are like this. When she found out that Jian Dan was also a cultured person, she was nervous for a while. Later, when she saw that Jian Dan was different from other scholars and did not look down on her, she was deeply moved.
However, upon seeing the stern-faced old professor, she became nervous again, squatting down in front of the troughs she had just finished selecting to examine the seedlings, not daring to lift her head.
"Did you grow all of these?"
He vaguely remembered seeing greenery at her house on the day he first arrived. Later, when there were more people, Qin Yi and the others moved the trough to the east room, which was their master's bedroom, and no one paid any attention.
This is all the garden they planted? And they all survived?
"Ah, yes, I heard that it gets cold early and warms up late here, so I thought I'd try raising seedlings. Once it gets warmer, I can transplant them directly. Otherwise, if I plant them now and wait for them to sprout, it will take time."
Spring and summer are already short, so the sooner I get it ready, the sooner we can eat it.
She wasn't sure what this person meant, but since Cheng Jin and Cheng Chao were both at ease, they must have no bad intentions, so she wasn't too worried. She gestured for Sister-in-law Wang to choose the candidates herself, while she followed beside her.
“I came here last autumn, and I’m not very familiar with the climate here, but I used to be an educated youth in the countryside near the county town, and I did the same thing every spring.”
The cucumbers will ripen in no time, and the bok choy will be ready to be dipped in sauce or used in soup in a few days. The scallions and cilantro will also ripen earlier than these.
I thought it was a good idea, so I moved it over exactly like that.
Professor Wei listened and nodded, even squatting down to grab a handful of soil and gently rub it apart.
"Aren't you afraid that, just like they said, you'll end up with nothing, and all that work will have been for nothing?"
"If it doesn't bear fruit, it doesn't bear fruit. No one can guarantee that what you plant will definitely bear fruit. If it doesn't bear fruit this year, we can try again next year. Anyway, it's not like we're paying for anything. What if it does bear fruit?"
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