Lu Chuan, on the other hand, had no concept of this before; he only knew that manure was a good thing and could be used to grow crops.
However, what is not known is that manure needs to be fermented before it can be applied to the field. If fresh manure is applied directly to the field, it may burn the crops.
This is not Lu Chuan's fault at all; it's mainly because Lu Chuan had never farmed before and knew very little about it.
However, other farmers down the mountain should know this, but they probably won't compost it.
If Xu Han succeeds, it will benefit not only herself but also other people.
After listening to Xu Han's words, Lu Chuan started working with some skepticism.
Grandpa Zhao was also very confused by Xu Han's actions and couldn't help but ask, "Is it really that simple? Can this really work?"
"If nothing unexpected happens, it should work. Normally it will succeed, let's give it a try first," Xu Han replied to the two of them with the same words.
As long as the temperature doesn't pose a major problem and the compost pile is turned over in a timely manner, composting is almost always successful.
When dried herbs are mixed with animal excrement, many bacteria can be produced for fermentation.
As long as the temperature does not exceed 60 degrees Celsius, there shouldn't be any major problems. However, if the temperature is too low, fermentation will not be successful.
A little over 60 degrees doesn't matter. In this era, there are no thermometers, so Xu Han really can't be precise to 60 degrees.
Temperatures above 60 degrees Celsius can kill insect eggs and grass seeds inside, but temperatures above 70 degrees Celsius will also kill fungi inside.
Therefore, the most important thing to pay attention to when composting is to keep a close eye on the temperature of the compost pile. If the temperature gets too high, you need to turn the pile over and cool it down in time.
After turning the compost pile several times, the temperature of the compost pile will gradually disappear.
Once the compost pile cools down, the straw and other debris inside will have completely decomposed, which means the composting process is complete.
Compost can be used immediately after completion, or it can be left to sit for a period of time and used when needed.
Although Xu Han told Lu Chuan and Grandpa Zhao that she didn't know if she could succeed, she was still confident in her heart.
Ancient animals grew up eating grains and grass, unlike modern animals which are raised on feed.
Therefore, the excrement produced is very easy to decompose, and when mixed with herbs, the success rate is very high.
Following Xu Han's instructions, Lu Chuan began turning over the manure pile to ensure the materials were thoroughly mixed together, which would facilitate better fermentation later.
Xu Han also took a shovel and helped Lu Chuan turn over the manure pile.
After looking at the large pile of manure in front of him, Grandpa Zhao also picked up a shovel and helped.
When three people stir it together, it's much faster, but it really, really smells awful.
Xu Han endured the pungent smell and continued turning over the manure pile, thinking that these were things that could make the grain abundant, and therefore very precious and good. She comforted herself as she continued to stir and mix.
Mu'er also smelled the pungent stench and very tactfully moved to the side, pushing Ze'er along with her as she went.
After seeing his eldest son's actions, Lu Chuan silently gave him a thumbs up.
After turning it over once, Xu Han took out a pair of gloves, put them on, grabbed a handful of manure, and squeezed it hard, but it still felt a bit dry.
After splashing some more water on top, the three of them started a new round of stirring.
They would take a break when they got tired, and then continue mixing. They worked until sunset before all the manure was properly mixed.
Xu Han grabbed a handful of manure and squeezed it tightly. She saw that the manure and the herbs could be squeezed into a ball, but it would fall apart with the slightest touch.
We know that the current humidity is just right and there is no need to add any more water.
“That’s fine, but this manure pile is too big. It’s not good for fermentation and the temperature is hard to control. Let’s divide it into three smaller manure piles. That way, one tarpaulin can cover one manure pile, and the sealing will be better.”
"Okay, then let's divide the manure into three parts."
This is very simple; the three of them finished it in no time.
"After covering it with tarpaulin, just weigh down the edges with stones."
As Xu Han spoke, she pulled the oilcloth over. Seeing this, Lu Chuan quickly came over to help.
The three of them each took charge of a small pile of manure, and they finished it all in no time.
"Alright, that's all done for today. We'll just leave the rest to time. We can come back to check on it tomorrow. Let's pack up and go home."
After Xu Han finished speaking, she started packing her things, while Grandpa Zhao took the children back first.
After Xu Han took the opportunity to put the items into her spatial storage, the two of them walked home together.
After arriving home, Xu Han went to water the flowers she had planted a couple of days ago without even taking a break, and Lu Chuan followed suit to water the vegetables.
We definitely can't water all the vegetables today. It's getting dark, so we'll have to wait until tomorrow morning to continue watering them.
"We've been working hard for the past few days, so tomorrow I'm going to cook a big meal for everyone to treat us properly."
"We're eating food from the space again today," Xu Han said as she ate.
"Haha, I love hearing you say that," Grandpa Zhao said with a chuckle.
"Is there anything you'd like to eat? Order quickly so I can cook it for you tomorrow."
"I want to eat super spicy tripe. I haven't had it in a long time. It's so delicious with rice," Lu Chuan said.
"Okay, I'll make it for you tomorrow. What about Grandpa Zhao? What would you like to eat?"
"This is pretty good. I haven't had this for more than half a year. Let's have this! Add more celery to it. I like celery."
“Sure, I’ll arrange it for you tomorrow at noon,” Xu Han said readily.
It has to be said that Xu Han herself has been missing this for a long time.
"Now that the compost pile is ready, the next step is to plant beans, corn, rice, and sweet potatoes," Lu Chuan said, changing the subject.
"Let's plant sweet potatoes first; the vines are already quite long," Grandpa Zhao suggested.
"Well, aren't you waiting for the Taoist priest to arrive?" Xu Han asked with a smile.
"I don't know why he's so slow this time. We've finished the composting work and he still hasn't come," Grandpa Zhao said with a look of disdain.
"Maybe something happened on the way that caused a delay. Wasn't it supposed to take ten days? It should be soon."
Xu Han silently calculated in her heart that three days had passed since the Taoist priest last wrote a letter. In these three days, she had neither waited for the Taoist priest nor received any other letters.
Logically, it should have arrived in the last two days. Including the time for sending letters and waiting, almost seven days have passed, so it should be arriving soon.
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