After Liu Qiang finished speaking, he drank the tea in his hand in one gulp, glanced at Xie Yushu with a complicated look, then turned around and grinned as he disappeared back into the crowd to continue his drinking contest.
Xie Yushu asked Nanxing to keep an eye on Xie Tianqi and the others, reminding them that although it was a joyous occasion, they shouldn't get too drunk.
Han Zhongyu was annoyed by Xie Yushu's constant worrying and scheming, so he secretly tugged at her sleeve and led her away. The person he had been longing for for so long was finally going to get a formal title, so of course he wanted to take her on a date!
As for how to arrange a date—no candlelight dinner or anything like that, Han Zhongyu said he'd never heard of it!
The romance of a scholar is, of course, books.
As a result, Xie Yushu, who had been pulled away from the wedding banquet, was taken directly to Han Zhongyu's study in his mansion.
He showed her the rare ancient books he had carried with him everywhere he went all these years.
Fortunately, Xie Yushu was a studious person and had a decent interest in history. She enthusiastically followed Han Zhongyu's boasting and flipped through several geography books and travelogues.
If it were any other girl, being taken on a date to read a book would probably make her incredibly depressed!
Xie Yushu, on the other hand, found it quite fascinating. Ancient times weren't as developed as modern times. Modern society, with its information explosion, has truly realized...
"A scholar can know everything under the world without leaving his home."
If you don't go out, you'll only know what's happening in the next village. But reading is an effective way to understand the outside world.
As someone once said, reading history books is like having a dialogue with the ancients, and reading the books of sages is like having a dialogue with wise men. If you truly immerse yourself in a book, you will always gain something.
Xie Yushu, on the other hand, was quite interested in the geography and landforms of the area. She spent an afternoon in Han Zhongyu's study and managed to memorize most of the topography of northern Daqi.
She originally intended to examine the geographical features of the north to see if she could develop some high-yield crops or fertilizers. Little did she know that this geographical work would unexpectedly become a great help to her in the near future.
First, let's talk about what's in front of us. Xie Yushu spent the whole afternoon flipping through this geography book, and also read some travelogues and local state and prefecture records. She roughly determined that Tai'an Prefecture is mostly hilly and mountainous, and there are no particularly large rivers. If we have to match it with the terrain of later generations, although this place is located in the north, it is still far away from the rich Changbai Mountain and the black soil granary of later generations!
It's a bit like the Rehe region, a place where people can't make a living off the mountains or the water.
The largest mountain range here is Qinglong Mountain, where in normal years the trees are lush and dense, blocking out the sun. There are many poisonous snakes and ferocious beasts, and only a few people with the skills should hurry up and venture out. As for the river, it goes without saying that the river that leads from Tai'an Prefecture to Jinyang supports some families on both sides of the river and can fill their stomachs.
It cannot benefit the entire population.
If we want the people here to become rich, or at least above the poverty line, we have to start with the land.
Xie Yushu suddenly remembered the biogas digester she had read about in a book before. Although it could not produce biogas, it could be used as fertilizer by using biogas slurry and biogas residue!
It's green, pollution-free, and can also increase crop yields.
Moreover, the cost of building a biogas digester is not high, and it doesn't even require additional space. It can be built behind pigsties or chicken coops, and the livestock manure can be swept directly in, which is very convenient.
This biogas digester is even easier to make. In layman's terms, it's just digging a big pit, with a flat bottom, a wide belly, and a narrow opening. As for how big the pit should be, you can decide based on how much land you have.
Then leave two vents. Throw in the household waste, add water, and then add some straw to aid fermentation. Finally, seal the tank and let it ferment for two or three months. Once fermentation is almost complete, open the vents to release the biogas, and then you can use the fertilizer.
Xie Yushu thought about it more and more and felt that this was feasible, so she immediately put down her book and called Han Zhongyu.
"Eryu, come here, I'll draw you something nice!"
Han Zhongyu was repairing an old bamboo slip, glancing up at Xie Yushu every now and then. The afternoon sun shone on her, making her look like an elegant and languid cat, with a touch of docility rarely seen in her.
Of course, this is just a beautiful still image; once spoken, it all changes.
Helpless, Han Zhongyu got up and went over, retorting as he went.
"How old are you? Whose sister are you with?"
Xie Yushu glanced at him sideways, her demeanor suddenly changing, and spoke in a high-pitched voice.
"Brother~ Brother~, come here~"
I'll draw you something nice~
Han Zhongyu's heart skipped a beat; he felt as if he had fallen into a sheepfold and almost tried to run away.
Seeing his terrified and embarrassed expression, Xie Yushu laughed until tears streamed down her face.
"Hahaha! Han Zhongyu, you're hilarious!"
"You, be serious for once!"
Seeing that he was being teased by her again, Han Zhongyu could not do anything about it and could only say something lightly.
Upon reaching the table, seeing Xie Yushu reading several books—either geography or travelogues—he asked suspiciously...
"You like reading these kinds of books?"
"Otherwise what?"
"I thought you would prefer reading poetry collections or drawing books."
"Poetry is something that scholars and literati use to cultivate their minds when they have nothing to do. It is indeed nice to read it in their spare time. However, I am a practical person and may not be able to appreciate poetry yet."
"Grind the ink, and I, this princess, will bestow upon you another achievement!"
When Han Zhongyu heard her mention giving away political achievements, he knew she was about to pull off another big move, so he immediately started grinding ink.
"What came to your mind this time?"
biogas digester
What is a biogas digester?
Xie Yushu explained as she drew.
"It is a fertilizer made from fermented straw and manure. The materials are readily available and the cost is low. Every household can build it themselves. The fermented biogas slurry and residue are more conducive to increasing grain yield than directly applying farmyard manure."
If the current corn yield is 300-400 jin per mu, with the use of biogas slurry, the yield can be at least 500-600 jin per mu!
If this practice is promoted, and each household increases its grain production, the problem of food and clothing for the people can be directly solved.
Just like before, you send a group of people down to each town to build two samples, tell everyone the precautions, especially the importance of good ventilation during fermentation, and that people must stay away from the area.
Although biogas slurry is a high-quality fertilizer, biogas is toxic and can easily cause unconsciousness or even death if inhaled.
Furthermore, it cannot be exposed to open flames, as it is prone to explosion.
These two points especially need to be emphasized repeatedly; it would be best to write them down as catchy slogans and post them nearby.
"You...you're telling the truth?"
Han Zhongyu asked excitedly, unable to believe that there was actually a way to increase grain production.
"Of course it's true!"
The main reason for the low grain yield here is that the soil is not fertile enough, so the crops don't grow well. Fertilizer is the crop's nutrient, and by supplementing the lack of nutrients, the yield will naturally increase.
"Go ahead and promote it with confidence. There's no need to force it. Just find two plots of land near the market as test fields and compare the autumn grain yields of land that used biogas fertilizer and land that didn't. People will then know."
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