"Although these seeds are drought-resistant, they can't be left dry for too long. It's best to water them every two or three days. Just like other crops, early morning or after sunset is the best time to water them."
The village chief nodded, while his youngest son, beside him, carved the words on the wooden board with a small blade. He had attended the village school for two years, had learned to read and write, and could recognize a few words.
Jiang Yue saw that he moved slowly and spoke slower.
"The leaves of these sweet potatoes can be eaten as a vegetable. They're sweet and delicious. Not only are they good for humans, but they're also great for feeding chickens and pigs. Sweet potatoes and potatoes are very productive, but if they have too many vines and leaves, they'll rob you of nutrients. It's like when your hair grows too long, your complexion will look worse..."
Huh? There's such a saying? The village chief didn't know about this.
If that's the case, then shouldn't their village cut their hair short? The villagers' hair is all yellow, just look at his son's, it looks like dried grass. Unlike the Jiang couple's hair, which is black and shiny.
He stole a glance at the other two's heads; it seemed theirs was indeed much shorter than theirs, and it didn't have lice either. In the village, no one didn't have lice. It would be strange not to have lice if they only washed their hair every five or six days.
Well, he decided to let his wife use scissors to cut the hair of the villagers tomorrow.
Jiang Yue didn't know that the village chief was also sentimental about their hair, so she continued, "...Occasionally, cut off some of the vine leaves, so that the sweet potatoes and potatoes will grow bigger."
Upon hearing this, the village chief was shocked even though he had never seen these two things before. Eating vine leaves would make the crops grow better?
Done! He looked at the field, his eyes becoming even more fiery.
Everyone was worried about getting sunburned, so they tried not to go out in the middle of the day. Every morning, you could always hear the humming, ha-ha-hei, and one-two-three calls. This was all Jiang Yue's teaching, but it made her suffer because she could no longer sleep in...
The village now tries to reduce water use as much as possible, but life is much better than last summer!
Having tasted the sweetness, they began to prepare for the coming winter in the hot summer.
Everything must be done ahead of accidents in order to have hope of survival.
In addition to renovating the roof, they kept collecting firewood. When they came back, they were injured. After asking, they found out that the people were frightened by the snow disaster. Many people ran to the mountains to grab firewood, and fights broke out accidentally.
But getting injured less and less is also a kind of progress.
Jiang Yue went to the village chief for help.
"We want to build a kang. Even when it snows in winter, a kang is still necessary to keep us warm. It's better than burning any amount of firewood."
Upon hearing this, the village chief hurriedly asked how to make the kang.
It was only then that Jiang Yue realized that the technique of making a kang had already appeared and was mostly popular in the north. In this area, it was only used by people in the city. In the countryside, few people made kangs except for those who were slightly better off.
The yellow mud in their village has been almost dug up, but it is still possible to look for it outside, but it is risky.
The village chief paced back and forth, recalling the scene of the snowstorm two years ago. He thought for a while and said, "Madam Jiang, if you can teach us how to build a kang, we will be responsible for finding yellow mud and help your family build the kang. You don't have to do it yourself."
There is nothing wrong with Jiang Yue.
The last time they were in the provincial capital, they watched their master do it, and the principle was not difficult.
From that day on, the villagers had an additional task - to find yellow mud.
On hot days, many villagers crowded into the village chief's house, waiting to see what the kang looked like.
Although the Jiang family was the first to build a kang, they didn't dare to go in to see. It was nothing like the village chief's house, where someone was sitting on the edge of the kang.
Not to mention the people sitting on the edge of the kang, everyone else crammed into the room was practically going crazy with the heat, sweating profusely. But no amount of sweat could compare to the excitement in their hearts.
"It's only been burning for a quarter of an hour, and the room is like a furnace!"
"This is connected to the kitchen. From now on, when I boil water, I can heat up the whole house at the same time. This saves a lot of firewood!"
"With this kang, I won't be afraid of freezing to death no matter how much snow falls!"
"Then we have to hurry and find more firewood, otherwise we won't have enough to burn!"
A group of people came and went in a hurry. The village chief grinned and said, "A whole family can sleep on the same kang. Just thinking about it makes me warm!"
Jiang Yue didn't need to remind him. The village chief's youngest son was smart and asked his father if it was possible to grow vegetables and crops in the warm house in winter.
His father was confused by this question, then he slapped his thigh and said, "You can give it a try!"
Anyway, it's just a matter of hard work to find more yellow mud and make use of the abandoned houses in the village. If there is really an accident and someone's house collapses, they can move to another house.
In mid-August, the well water began to run dry and the small river outside also dried up. Amid the crying of children, the villagers began to pump water from the fish pond to irrigate the fields.
They were very careful, and the few fish they caught were stewed into soup and eaten by the children. This time, their eyes stopped watering, but their mouths began to water instead.
In early September, the branches and leaves of the potato plants on the ground began to turn yellow and wither, and the village chief's youngest son ran to find Jiang Yue.
After she nodded, I excitedly found someone to start digging potatoes.
These were all kinds of grains that no one had ever seen before, and everyone was curious. Except for the guards, everyone, young and old, men and women, gathered in the open space, staring with wide eyes.
The village chief carefully dug up the soil with a small hoe.
One by one, pale yellow fruits as big as a child's fist appeared. When the whole nest was almost dug up, he held his breath, pulled the main vine, and pulled up four or five potatoes along with it.
"Are these beans that grow in the soil? There are fewer of them than the beans we grow above..."
"But it's a big head! This kid is full after eating one."
"Why do I think it looks so much like the pears on the tree?"
Everyone was discussing the matter. Jiang Yue was not as cautious as the village chief. She quickly dug out another nest, which also contained five eggs. She had a rough idea in her mind.
"Let's switch crops next year. Plant beans in this field for one year, then switch to this one. Turn the soil deeper, and maybe they'll grow more and bigger."
The village chief trembled in his heart. These potatoes were cut into pieces and sprouted before being planted. One sprout eye could produce a whole nest, and each nest weighed almost two kilograms. Who dared to say that these potatoes were not as abundant as beans!
His dark face was full of smiles, and his wrinkles became more and more obvious. This is what farm work is like. The wind and sun can easily make you look older.
"Stop looking! Hurry and dig up all the potatoes before the sun comes up!"
"Okay!"
"Oh! You are so clumsy, you broke such a big one!" The old woman tremblingly picked up a potato bigger than her fist. There was an obvious scratch on it, and the flesh was exposed.
"I'll do it, I'll do it. No need for a hoe, just dig with my hands!"
The village chief also threw away his hoe and started digging directly. The young lady said that these potatoes must be stored properly. If they get moldy and sprout, they will be poisonous!
How can such good food be ruined by carelessness?
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