When Mrs. Lin came in from outside, she saw her daughter dazed with her chin in her hand. She walked over and waved her hand in front of her daughter's face: "Hasn't the land been planted? Why do you still look so worried?"
Li Yan came back to her senses, took Lin's hand and asked her to sit down beside her, and said with a smile: "Mom, I'm thinking about digging a pond, can you help me with it?"
"Dig a pond? Why did you think of this?" Lin asked in confusion.
Li Yan then recounted the story of her uncles and aunts carrying water to irrigate the fields today. "The land near the foot of the mountain is relatively easy to work with, but those fields further from the spring will be quite troublesome to cultivate in the future. I'm thinking about digging a pond right in the middle!"
After hearing what her daughter said, Mrs. Lin no longer had any reason to object. The distance was far, and carrying a bucket of water back and forth was not only tiring, but also really troublesome!
Li Yan continued to recount her thoughts, "But I want to use the ten-plus mu of land further down the mountain to plant forsythia cuttings! I can also plant other medicinal herbs, like honeysuckle, licorice, ginger, or even potatoes!"
Seeing her daughter speaking with such confidence, Mrs. Lin thought that this girl must have been planning this for a long time.
However, she had never heard of such a planting method before, so she could only say, "I don't understand what you are saying. I can't help you much, so I won't argue with you. When your father comes back, talk to him and hear what he has to say!"
When the family gathered around the dinner table that evening, Li Yan told her father about her plan: "Dad, just let me give it a try. Those fields are far from the mountain springs, so they are perfect for intercropping!"
For people of this era, asking them to use the land used to grow crops to grow medicinal herbs is a shock to them in terms of concept change.
Worried that her father, who was deeply influenced by this idea, would not support her decision, Li Yan listed the benefits of intercropping in detail.
"Dad, if this intercropping is successful, we won't just be able to harvest food, but the medicinal herbs we harvest will also bring in a considerable income! Without us saying anything, the uncles and aunts in the village will come to us for advice. Wouldn't this be a great way to lead the entire village to prosperity?"
Li Erlang looked at his daughter who was talking freely. It was this child who was taking care of all the spring farming matters at home, and he, as a father, could not get involved.
My daughter has already planned this matter in great detail, and I don’t have any good advice to give her.
Li Erlang rubbed his daughter's head and said, "Since you have made up your mind, just do it. But since you want to bring everyone in the village with you, don't rush this matter!"
Li Yan nodded in a good mood, convinced her parents, and then went to ask her grandfather for help!
Speaking of spring farming, Li Erlang remembered what County Magistrate Zheng had mentioned the day before about planting sweet potatoes.
Li Erlang inquired, "Zheng County Magistrate also told you to cultivate these sweet potatoes well. He will definitely come to see them when the harvest is ready. If it is as you said, he plans to promote their cultivation in the northwest next year!"
Li Yan could also understand that after all, no one had ever seen this thing with their own eyes. Asking them to use the land they depended on for survival to grow something they had never seen before would definitely not be something they dared to try easily.
The already poor people dare not gamble. If they lose, the lives of the whole family will be in vain!
Li Yan patted her chest confidently and assured, "Dad, just wait and see! I will definitely not let the county magistrate down!"
Several people laughed out loud at Li Yan's smug look. Li Erlang said proudly, "Okay, Dad is waiting for your good news!"
Nothing happened that night. The next day, when Li Yan came to the foot of the mountain to look for Grandpa Li, she found that nearly half of the more than 30 acres of wasteland had been turned over.
No wonder the old farmers at that time regarded cattle as their lifeblood. This strong ox was equivalent to three or four strong laborers. If there were no cattle, it would take at least ten days for a few people to turn over the thirty acres of wasteland!
Li Yan stood in the field and called out to the busy old man Li: "Grandpa, come here, I have something to tell you!"
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