Li Shaozhong has soaked the cotton seeds according to Ye Shuning's instructions. He will prepare the land today and plant the cotton tomorrow.
After resting for a whole morning, Ye Shuning got up at noon to make lunch. Her husband had worked all morning, so how could she bear to let him come back to cook again?
When Li Shaozhong came back, he was so happy to see his wife had already prepared the meal. He knew that his wife still cared about him.
He put Guyucheng's lunch box in the office beside him and went back to his room to eat. He looked at Ye Shuning and said with a chuckle, "Wife, you've worked hard."
Ye Shuning rolled her eyes at Li Shaozhong and said, "You said you didn't get much rest last night. Aren't you tired?"
Li Shaozhong chuckled and said, "I'm not tired. I have plenty of energy."
Ye Shuning snorted, "Don't be too indulgent even if you're not tired. Hurry and eat."
For lunch, Ye Shuning made steamed buns filled with cabbage and a lot of meat, which were very delicious. Li Shaozhong devoured the bun in a few bites, as he also loved it.
After dinner, Ye Shuning asked Li Shaozhong to take a rest.
The wolfberry seedlings from the hardwood cuttings at the research institute have already taken root and sprouted. Ye Shuning is waiting for them to grow long, tender shoots before using softwood cuttings to cultivate a batch of seedlings, which can then be transplanted outside.
No one except Ye Shuning and Li Shaozhong would go into the greenhouse in the yard. That afternoon, Ye Shuning cleared out a space inside. She transplanted some of the well-growing wolfberry seedlings from the research institute into the greenhouse. This way, she could select some tender shoots from here and some from the research institute.
The next day, the cotton seeds were soaked, and Ye Shuning joined the others in planting cotton. The farmers working at the base were all skilled farmers, so planting cotton was easy for them. However, Ye Shuning and her team had to go through the extra step of laying the mulch.
Spring plowing has begun, so Li Shaozhong asked these farmers to go back and help with the spring plowing in the village first, and then come to the base to work after the spring plowing is completed.
The new mushroom grass seedlings that Li Shaozhong and Guyucheng cultivated using the cutting method have now survived, and the two began to transplant them to open land.
The mushroom grass planted by Ye Shuning using seeds also grew very well. It seems that in the future, mushroom grass can be propagated by both seeds and cuttings.
After the villagers finished their spring plowing, Li Shaozhong had the returning workers plant 20 mu of the remaining land with corn and soybeans. Since the land was not yet in use, but couldn't be left empty, these two crops were planted.
The seeds for both crops were produced by Ye Shuning's research institute. Ye Shuning also wanted to test-plant them outside to see how they would yield. They certainly wouldn't be as high-yielding as those grown at the institute, but if they were higher-yielding than the varieties currently grown in the northwest, then they would be worth promoting.
The cotton plants covered with mulch quickly sprouted and are growing well. Northwest China experiences little rain, with only one rain since the beginning of spring, leaving the land somewhat dry. This situation is common in the region, and Ye Shuning was prepared. She hoped the crops at the base would withstand the drought.
It was May, and the weather was already quite warm. The vegetables Ye Shuning had been growing in the greenhouse were growing beautifully. Because she watered them regularly, they weren't affected by the drought at all. Vegetables like bok choy, leeks, cilantro, and lettuce were already ready to eat.
The wolfberries planted by Ye Shuning in the greenhouse have grown long branches and are almost ready to be used.
In the evening, Ye Shuning cut some chives in the greenhouse and made dumplings with chive and egg fillings that night. Li Shaozhong ate a dumpling and gave it a thumbs-up. "Wife, it's so fresh and delicious."
Ye Shuning smiled and said, "Of course it's fresh. I cut it and cleaned it in the evening to make dumplings. But there are no vegetables this fresh anymore. Many vegetables in the greenhouse are edible. From now on, we can eat fresh vegetables in the open."
Li Shaozhong ate delicious dumplings and thought life was wonderful. He'd adapted to farm work. Every day, he'd come home to a delicious meal cooked by his wife. In the evenings, when they had nothing to do, they'd study or have something exciting to do. He felt it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he was living like a god.
Ye Shuning said, "Hubby, the wolfberry seedlings in the greenhouse are almost ready for tenderloin cuttings. I'll be cutting them down in a few days."
Li Shaozhong nodded and said, "The Juncao seedlings in one greenhouse have been transplanted out, and the greenhouse is now empty. It's just right for cultivating wolfberry seedlings in that greenhouse.
It's definitely dry here, but the cotton is growing well, and the corn is germinating well, too. The soybeans aren't quite as good. I'm planning to replant.
Ye Shuning didn't hold out much hope for these two crops. "We're just trying corn and soybeans. If the yields aren't satisfactory, that's fine."
A few days later, Ye Shuning cut off all the wolfberry branches in the greenhouse, and then cut each branch into several cuttings.
Ye Shuning also specially found naphthaleneacetic acid and indolebutyric acid from the research institute to prepare rooting liquid.
Use naphthaleneacetic acid that promotes taproot growth and indolebutyric acid that promotes capillary growth in a ratio of one to one, dissolve them with alcohol and prepare rooting liquid. Then add talcum powder to make a paste. The concentration should be enough for the cuttings to be coated with the paste.
The land in the greenhouse had also been watered. After making a series of preparations, Ye Shuning, Li Shaozhong and Guyucheng started to do softwood cuttings.
Guyucheng studied carefully beside him and asked questions when he didn't understand.
Ye Shuning had done a lot of homework before, so she could answer any questions about Guyu City immediately.
Because the number of cuttings was limited, they finished the work in one day, and the planting area only occupied less than half of a greenhouse.
When the mushroom grass in the greenhouse grows to a certain height, it is cut off and used to cultivate seedlings.
More than ten acres of mushroom grass have been planted in the open air land around the greenhouse in several batches. The mushroom grass planted at the beginning has grown to more than one meter and is growing very well, and does not seem to be affected by the drought.
However, Ye Shuning also knew that if the land was not so dry and barren, the mushroom grass would grow better. Now it was already very good.
Juncao, sea buckthorn, cotton, and corn are all growing well now, and we'll see how the wolfberries do in the future. We'll see the results when we harvest them.
Ye Shuning had been feeling a bit lazy these past few days, feeling rather listless and lethargic. She'd wake up in the mornings feeling sleepy, fall asleep not long after lunch, and doze off early at night.
Li Shaozhong also noticed his wife's abnormal state. "Xiao Ning, have you been feeling unwell recently? Why do you look so listless? Are you tired?"
Ye Shuning shook her head. "No, I just feel weak all over sometimes and often want to sleep."
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