Chapter 10: Exile is a life practice
Wheat is suitable for deep, well-drained and fertile soil. The upper layer should be loose and porous, which is conducive to the coordination of water, fertilizer, air and heat, and the lower layer should be compact, which is conducive to retaining fertilizer and water.
Mulch is formed by the dead branches and leaves of trees in the topsoil layer of the forest after a long period of decay and fermentation. This soil structure is loose and porous, which is very suitable for wheat growth.
However, natural compost has poor water permeability and is contaminated with pests and diseases. It needs to be exposed to the sun, mixed with lime, and disinfected and sterilized.
"Aying, where did you watch it? Why haven't I heard of it?" Su Bucheng asked after listening.
"I was thinking about it myself. I was stepping on the thick rotten soil in the woods, and this thought flashed through my mind: wouldn't all these rotten leaves be fertilizer?
So many leaves and dead branches have rotted over thousands of years, it is definitely more fertile than wasteland!
"But the rotten soil is bound to have pests and diseases, so we need to kill them, otherwise the wheat will get diseases and pests." Su Ying spoke eloquently.
Su Bucheng and the others looked at each other, thinking that what he said made a lot of sense.
"When the humus is exposed to the sun, it must be turned over several times to dry it thoroughly. If lime cannot be found and it is not turned over and dried enough, the wheat will be prone to diseases and insect pests." Su Ying emphasized.
"Is there no other way to eliminate it?" Su Bucheng asked.
“Yes, steam or stir-fry!”
"Steaming, stir-frying?" Su Bucheng's eyes widened, thinking that his eldest daughter was teasing him.
"Yes, steam or stir-fry! High temperatures kill pests and bacteria! But the amount of compost required is huge, so steaming or stir-frying isn't practical. Plus, it'll drain nutrients from the soil, which is not worth the effort."
"Where can I find lime?" Su Bucheng was puzzled for a moment. Before one problem was solved, another one arose.
"Those exposed, bare mountains are likely to contain limestone, which can be calcined at high temperatures to produce quicklime." Su Ying recalled that there seemed to be such mountains on the way here.
"Ask the village chief tomorrow if he has any ready-made ones. If not, we can go see where there is a lime mountain." Su Bucheng said.
"Brother, Ah Ying is really amazing. She came up with this idea. With the humus, even without oxen and plows, the harvest next year should not be bad." Su Lao Er and Su Lao San said happily.
"Hmph, I've never farmed before, and what you're saying is just empty talk. There's only so much seed, and if there's no harvest next year, we'll all be left with nothing!"
Su He couldn't stand Su Ying stealing the show, so he said sarcastically.
"You kid, you think Aying is not good, so what do you think we should do?" Su Laoer scolded his daughter.
"I, how could I?" Su He said awkwardly, "I don't know how to do it, but I won't pretend to know when I don't!"
"Su He, read more when you have nothing to do, such as Xia Xiaozheng, Yueling, Lüshi Chunqiu. Four Chapters on Agriculture, Jia Sixie's Qi Min Yao Shu, and Fan Shengzhi's Fan Shengzhi Shu.
You are stupid, and you think everyone else is as clueless as you? "
Such a stupid and complacent idiot is also drunk. Ten good teammates are no match for one pig teammate!
"You!" Su He jumped up in anger.
"Okay, He'er, shut up!" Su Laoer scolded his daughter.
"Yeah!" Su He looked at his father with dissatisfaction. Shouldn't family members help each other?
Xiao Qin gently tugged at her daughter, and Su He finally shut up unwillingly.
Su Ying didn't want to argue with this stupid and ignorant cousin, so she said, "Aye, to ensure the germination rate of the seeds, let's soak the seeds in warm water before sowing."
"Soaking seeds in warm water can make them sprout more?" Su Bucheng, who had been a county magistrate for many years, suddenly became interested again.
"Well, after soaking in warm water, the seeds have enough water, which accelerates germination. The germination rate is higher than that of directly sown wheat."
"That's great, that's great! Why didn't I think of it before?" Su Bucheng stood up excitedly and paced back and forth.
This way, the wheat yield will increase! An acre of land will yield an extra 10 kilograms, a hectare of land will yield an extra 150 kilograms, and a county will...
In this way, the people of Chang'an County can have more harvests!
Suddenly he remembered that he was now a fugitive, not the magistrate of Chang'an County!
He slapped his forehead and stopped in his tracks in disappointment. His back showed regret and powerlessness, and he remained speechless for a long time.
"Oh my!" Su Ying sighed in her heart. It was a pity that she was born at the wrong time.
"It's okay! Aye was just too excited!" Su Bucheng slowly calmed down and returned to reality.
"Second brother, third brother, let's reclaim the land and divide it into two parts. One part will be done the old way, and the other part will be done the way Ah Ying suggested, humus and soaking the seeds before sowing.
Keep detailed records, including germination rate, growth rate, fertilizer application amount, and fruit set rate. Experiments and comparisons can be conducted to see how much the yield can be increased, providing a basis for future promotion."
Su Bucheng was just like when he was in the Chang'an County Government, carefully planning and arranging the assignments.
"You should also study and summarize seriously. Books are not only for reading, but also for applying. The fundamental strategy for governing a country lies in agriculture. If agriculture is not stable, the country will be unstable.
You should treat exile as a form of life practice, experience the people's livelihood, gain insight into current problems, summarize experience, and promote and spread it in the future.
"Everyone is destined to die. If I can write a book on agriculture that will be passed down to future generations, it will make my life worthwhile!" Su Bucheng said to his nephews and nieces.
"Aye (uncle) is right. I (nephew) will follow your teachings!" the nephews and nieces said respectfully.
According to the law, if a family is exiled, at least three generations of them will be affected and unable to enter officialdom.
Starting from Su Bucheng, it will take until his great-grandson to have the opportunity to restart.
Regardless of whether he would have the chance to leave in the future, Su Bucheng never thought of sinking into despair.
Whether we are lying dormant or gathering strength, as long as we are still alive and our descendants are still alive, we should prepare and plan for the future.
Passed down from generation to generation with perseverance, in just three or four generations, it will surely go beyond Lingnan.
"Second and third brothers, each of you will lead a team. One team will reclaim the wasteland, and the other team will dig up the rotten soil, clean it, and dry it.
We're a bit pressed for time, with only half a month until planting, so please work hard, everyone," Su Bucheng arranged.
"Yes, brother!" said Su Lao Er and Su Lao San.
A discussion then arose on the allocation of manpower, with voluntary combinations and the pairing of strong and weak teams.
Su Laoer was responsible for land reclamation, and the team members included: his sons Su Shiyan, Su Chenyan, and his nephew Su Zhongyan.
Su Laosan was responsible for digging rotten soil, and the only member was his eldest son Su Bangyan.
The women and children automatically formed a group to be responsible for carrying, screening, turning and drying the rotten soil. The members included three daughters-in-law, three cousins and the two youngest boys.
Su Bucheng, his daughter and his two daughters came back from the mountains and joined the reclamation team.
Old Mrs. Su is responsible for sunbathing and eating and drinking well.
"My second and third uncles taught us how to weave baskets."
A lot of containers were needed at the back, and Su Lao Er and Lao San were simply unable to handle it all by themselves. The young men took bamboo sticks to ask for advice, and their enthusiasm for learning was high.
People are not afraid of difficult environments, but they are afraid of losing their fighting spirit and goals.
Now everyone has goals and hopes. They are no longer negative and are full of passion and fighting spirit.
Only such a family has a future and hope!
Su Ying looked at the energetic family and smiled knowingly.
Old Mrs. Su didn't say anything. This scene reminded her of the past. Life at home was also difficult at that time, but her sons were all hardworking, studious and striving to improve themselves.
Later, she finally got through it, and her sons entered official careers one after another, and she herself lived the honorable life of an old lady.
Unfortunately, wealth and glory are like passing clouds, and they disappear in just a dozen years.
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