On this day, Qin Feng's home welcomed teachers from the county agricultural school.
The teachers came to Qin Feng's home this time to see how the windbreaks, sand fixation, and grass cultivation they had been doing in Daqingshan and Xiaoqingshan were doing. They also brought them a kind of melon seeds that grows well in the mountains and wilderness, especially in sandy areas, where there's plenty of sunlight. The melon isn't big, but because it's dotted with tiny dots, like shooting stars, it's called a "shooting star melon."
When Qin Muzhou heard the teachers had sent him melon seeds, he happily took the small packet with both hands and said to the teacher, "Thank you, thank you, teacher. My family will plant them well, and I will also keep a detailed record of the growth of this meteor melon."
The teachers praised Qin Muzhou for being sensible and polite, and for being serious and careful in his work, and said he was a good candidate for research.
After sitting at Qin Feng's house for a while, chatting, and drinking some water, the teachers followed Qin Feng and his family up the mountain. The teachers asked Qin Feng, "Where are you going to plant these melons?"
Qin Feng said, "We planned to plant on Xiaoqing Mountain. We first planted potatoes on this plot of land, and they grew well. Later, Qin Muzhou said that the teachers could get melon seeds, so we turned over this plot of land and exposed it to the sun to sterilize it. Then we opened another plot of land in another place and planted potatoes. This plot will be reserved for the shooting star melon."
A group of people came to the potato field in Xiaoqingshan and saw that the soil had been turned over and was exposed to the sun.
"Well, very good," the teacher said as he squatted down and grabbed a handful of soil. He looked at it, crushed it with his fingers, put it under his nose and smelled it. He stood up and said to Qin Feng, "This land is very suitable for growing this kind of melon. I hope you can grow it well and have a high survival rate. And, if it tastes sweet, that's the best. If this batch of melons can be grown well and taste good, please leave all the seeds. Our agricultural school will buy them all back at the market price."
The teacher looked at the potato field again and said it was too large, but there were only about 100 melon plants. He suggested planting rapeseed instead. Rapeseed also thrives here. Rapeseed has low soil requirements, a high yield, and a high market demand. The rapeseed seedlings can be eaten, and the mature rapeseed can be sold to oil mills. Then, a plot of land next door can be reserved for this popular melon.
Qin Wen nodded and said, "That's exactly it."
Another teacher said, "If we plant golden melons on this plot of land, we could also plant some watermelons. Watermelons don't have very high soil requirements, and I think the soil here is quite suitable for growing watermelons. If the watermelons here have a high survival rate and taste good, you can also save all the seeds and we'll recycle them at the Agricultural School. There's a huge market demand for them."
Qin Feng said repeatedly, "Okay, let's discuss it."
Qin Muzhou took the teachers from the agricultural school for a walk on Daqing Mountain and Xiaoqing Mountain, and saw that the free-range chickens in the red willow nests and the sedge nests were growing well.
The teachers said happily, "You are thoughtful and have successfully implemented diversified operations. The development is quite good. After these chickens grow up, their food and feces can improve the soil. This method can be promoted. It is very good."
Then I saw that the sunflowers they planted were growing well. They had already formed small green buds, but only a dozen or so seedlings had emerged, which were relatively weak, short plants, and were still growing leaves.
When the teachers saw the lush, gray-green branches of the Elaeagnus angustifolia trees on Daqing Mountain, dotted with small gray-green leaves, they said this tree is indeed suitable for improving sandy soil. Next year, the Elaeagnus angustifolia trees will produce fruit that people can eat, and the uneaten fruit will fall into the soil, providing nutrients for the soil. However, they shouldn't plant them too densely, as their swaying branches and leaves will make it difficult to intergrow other plants underneath.
That evening, after dinner, Qin Muzhou carefully handed the packet of meteor melon seeds to Ke'er. "Sister, take care of it. We'll plant it on Xiaoqingshan Mountain tomorrow."
Ke Er took over and said, "Okay, brother, no problem, I'll take care of it."
Ke'er put more than 100 meteor melon seeds in a small basin of water, rinsed them, and then infused the water with growth energy, so that they could grow quickly in the soil after planting, and take deep roots and become strong seedlings.
Ke'er had already decided in her heart that since the melon was so precious, and the seeds were obtained from abroad, and the teacher had only found a little over 100 seeds after much petitioning, the teachers simply wanted the melons to be suitable for growing in sandy soil and to take root and sprout in the soil of their own country.
Then, Ke'er, I will let this meteor melon bring economic income to my hometown and improve their living standards.
Ke'er thought so, and was quite persistent in planting meteor melons. She followed up every step from planting the seeds to harvesting the meteor melons. She also urged Qin Muzhou to observe more carefully and record more detailed information from time to time. She was better than the teachers in the county agricultural school.
On this piece of land on Xiaoqing Mountain, we planted meteor melons and early-ripening watermelons. Our little cutie Ke'er bought the melon seeds from a shop in the garden.
After the two kinds of melons were eaten, no one told anyone in the village. The villagers only knew that Qin Feng's family was like possessed. They dug holes and planted trees and grass on the small and large wasteland mountains. They also started to plant some potatoes, which became spirits. As for the others, not to mention becoming spirits, there was not even a trace of them. They were just messing around.
Three months later, the melons ripened, their pale white skin round and plump, instantly appealing. The irregular spots on the pale white rind resembled mysterious dewdrops on the bright moon, hence the name "Meteor Melon," a poetic and romantic name that the whole family loved.
The skin of the meteor melon is thin, and the taste is more delicate when you bite it. The flesh is crispy, soft and sweet. Teachers from the county agricultural school introduced that the sweetness of the meteor melon can reach up to 20°, but it has a refreshing factor, showing a wonderful quality of being sweet but not greasy. Especially after being chilled, it is sweet and refreshing, comfortable and stomach-soothing. It has a high water content, and the juice blends together, giving it a special taste.
After the meteor melon matured, it caused a sensation in the commune. County Chief Tang and Secretary Qian came to Qin Feng's small green hill to see the "meteor melon" in the field with their own eyes. They asked in detail about the experience of Qin Feng's family in growing the "meteor melon".
Qin Muzhou liquid detailed the experience and precautions during the planting process.
Qin Feng added, "Only one melon is left between nodes 8-12 on a vine. This ensures the melon absorbs sufficient nutrients and grows well."
The watermelons planted by Qin Feng in this field matured about a week earlier. The stems of the watermelons were thick and now turned yellow. The watermelons were round and big, lying all over the ground. Qin Feng picked a watermelon and cut it open with a knife. It had red sandy flesh and black seeds. It was juicy. He took a bite and the sweet juice flowed down the corners of his mouth.
The melons from Qin Feng's family have become famous.
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