Chapter 323 Cotton Seeds
Xu Zhichun temporarily put aside the matters concerning the Qi family and focused on preparing for the spring plowing.
During this period, she also took Nanny Qin Qing and Chunfen to the farm in Hekou Town, Qingyang County to discuss the seed issue with Manager Mao.
The rice seeds for more than 600 acres of paddy fields have been prepared. Xu Zhichun actually wants to use the high-quality rice seeds in the warehouse space. More than 600 acres, what a wonderful effect a bumper harvest will be!
But after thinking it over again and again, I decided to give up.
Let’s talk about it later.
This is shocking.
I plan to plant 340 acres of cotton, 20 acres of peppers, and 40 acres of tomatoes on the 400 acres of land.
She provided all the pepper seeds and tomato seeds.
Before, Mao Guanshi said in embarrassment that cotton seeds were difficult to get, so Xu Zhichun told him not to worry about it and she would find a solution herself.
She didn't say anything definite, and what she meant was probably "It's good if you have it, but if not, you can plant something else." But she was of course absolutely sure that she could get the seeds, as there were plenty of high-quality cotton seeds in the warehouse space.
It is really hard to get the seeds that Manager Mao mentioned. This shows that very few people are planting them and there is a lack of reference for comparison. Even if her cotton grows very well, no one will be surprised when they see it.
Xu Zhichun came to the village this time to deliver cotton seeds, green pepper seeds and tomato seeds.
When Manager Mao heard her say she had gotten enough cotton seeds, he was stunned. "Madam, did you really buy cotton seeds? One acre of land requires at least four kilograms of cotton seeds. Madam, you want to plant 340 acres. This, this requires a lot of cotton seeds."
Xu Zhichun smiled as he had several sacks of cotton seeds brought in. "They're all here. Manager Mao, please put them away carefully. Don't use all the fermented manure in the paddy fields. Leave five or six thousand kilograms for basal fertilizer in the cotton fields. I'll tell you later how to apply basal fertilizer, how to sow seeds, and how to care for the cotton fields after sowing. There's no rush now. Start by making ridges for the land and plant when the weather warms up."
The biggest headache is the lack of fertilizer. Even if you have money, there is nowhere to buy it. After all, there are too few people raising large livestock these days. Ordinary families raise one or two pigs and a flock of chickens at most. The manure produced is not enough for their own fields. Who would be willing to sell it?
Fortunately, the farm raised forty cows. Later, Xu Zhichun had a pigpen built to his own design and drawings, raising thirty pigs. A small chicken farm was built within the orchard, raising over two hundred chickens. Manager Mao and his men also understood the importance of composting and monitored it daily. To support these livestock and poultry, they dug several large pits on the farm and fermented abundant manure.
When the time comes, you can add a lot more by mixing it with wood ash.
Even so, it is not enough.
Xu Zhichun decided to build a place to raise pigs and chickens after the spring plowing, and buy a dozen more cows if they looked good.
Although there were organic fertilizers and chemical fertilizers in the space, they could not be used in large quantities. She had to use them all by herself to apply the base fertilizer, and she was exhausted before she could finish it.
This time she came here to discuss these matters with Manager Mao again.
Manager Mao seemed stunned by the sight of so many cotton seeds. After a while, his face regained its vitality. "Madam, are you sure these are really cotton seeds? Could you have been scammed? You know, cotton seeds are really hard to buy. No one in Qingyang County or the two neighboring counties grows them, and there are no large-scale farmers in the provincial capital. Even if a vendor said they were willing to buy them for you, I don't know if they are true. If they are fake, the loss will be huge if we plant so much cotton on the land."
Xu Zhichun felt a little strange. If she was not 100% sure that the seeds were correct, she would have suspected that she had been cheated after hearing what Manager Mao said.
"Of course they're not fake. I know cotton seeds and have seen them all. These seeds are particularly good. Each one is plump and shiny. I'm sure they'll sprout beautifully if I sow them."
"Ah, that's good, that's good."
Manager Mao quickly asked someone to collect the seeds and store them in a thick wooden cabinet with a tightly fitting lid, otherwise it would be troublesome if they were eaten by mice.
That evening, as Xu Zhichun was about to retire, he told Nanny Qin Qing, "I don't know if it's because of Madam Fan's incident that I've become a little paranoid and overly sensitive, but I feel like Manager Mao's reaction to me talking about cotton seeds today wasn't quite right."
Originally I just had a slight doubt, but this little doubt couldn't help but ferment and grow bigger and bigger. It was really uncomfortable if I didn't say it out loud.
Nanny Qin Qing hesitated, "I also feel that Manager Mao's reaction seems a little strange. Even if he is happy and stupid, he shouldn't behave like that. Do you want me to keep an eye on him for the next two days?"
Xu Zhichun hesitated for a moment, but finally nodded: "Thank you for your hard work, Ma'am. Please hide it well and don't let him find out, otherwise it will seem that we are not kind."
After all, there is no evidence.
But Xu Zhichun did not live in the manor for many years, so this place was basically under the control of Manager Mao. If Manager Mao really had any ulterior motives, it would be a troublesome matter for her.
She had no intention of asking the tenants and farmhands how Mao was doing. No one would say anything easily if the county magistrate was not in charge.
Unless she hired someone to pretend to pass by and ask around after she left.
But seeing that everything was fine on the farm and the servants were all fine, she didn't need to cause any more trouble.
Nanny Qin Qing took note of this and said, "Don't worry, Madam."
The next morning, Nanny Qin Qing began to secretly keep an eye on Steward Mao. Seeing that Steward Mao was about to take a mule cart into the city, Nanny Qin Qing hurriedly followed him and said with a smile, "Steward Mao, are you going into the city? What a coincidence! Madam asked me to buy some needlework, and I happened to be on my way."
Manager Mao politely smiled and invited her to get in the car.
After entering the city, Nanny Qin Qing asked Steward Mao to drop her off at a street corner. There were many people on the street and the mule cart was moving very slowly. She followed it from a distance and was not discovered.
When she saw that Manager Mao did not return to his own home but went to a store that mainly sold seeds and some other miscellaneous goods, Nanny Qin Qing's heart sank, and she intuitively felt that there must be something wrong with Manager Mao.
But she had no way to follow in and could only worry outside.
Nanny Qin Qing estimated the time and it was about quarter of an hour before Manager Mao came out. He walked very hurriedly and looked unhappy.
Seeing Manager Mao leave and turn the corner, Nanny Qin Qing walked into the shop, looked around, and asked about the prices of various items such as peanuts, soybeans, mung beans, and sesame seeds.
The shopkeeper didn't answer for a few words before his face turned sullen. "Are you going to buy this or not? If not, why are you asking so many questions?"
Nanny Qin Qing was unhappy. "What kind of business attitude is this, boss? I may not be as well-dressed as the gentleman who just left, but I look like a big client. So, isn't my small business doing you a favor?"
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