The next morning, the lords were summoned by the patrol station to begin learning how to operate the tiller.
Zhao Gang thought that his family would also have a tractor later, so he took Grandma Meng and Meng Da with him to learn how to use it.
Zhao Xiaoxiu opened the shop door and, together with Sister Hou, laid out the items to be sold on the counter. She asked Xiwa and Meng Er to keep an eye on things for her while they worked, and to call her when someone came in.
He turned around, shouldered a roll of hemp rope, took the suspension board, and walked towards the pond.
The water level in the swamp has receded, leaving behind a patch of foul-smelling silt.
The once clean pond is now crowded with drifting branches and roots, so Peter Pan has to stay in the river next to it; his comfortable home is gone.
These past two days, Zhao Xiaoxiu has been hearing Peter Pan's cries in her head, asking her to help tidy up its nest.
I couldn't stand the noise anymore, so I dragged my reluctant sister Monkey along to clean the pond.
The piranhas in the water had been moved away little by little by Little Flying Man himself. Monkey Sister was a good swimmer and jumped into the water with a splash. Zhao Xiaoxiu threw a rope to her on the shore so that she could tie the rope to the tree roots that had sunk to the bottom.
Once the rope is tied, Zhao Xiaoxiu can pull the tree roots out.
This small person is surprisingly strong; pulling out a tree root weighing several hundred pounds is no problem for them.
If they encounter those who are really stuck, they put a rope around Peter Pan's body, everyone pulls them out together, and then Peter Pan uses his levitation magnetic field to throw them into the poplar forest on the other side.
After a busy morning, Zhao Xiaoxiu finally finished clearing the tree roots and branches from the pond. She was hot and tired, and her long sleeves and trousers were soaked with sweat, sticking to her body.
But the silt in the pond hadn't been cleared yet. Zhao Xiaoxiu raised the back of her hand to wipe the sweat from her forehead and squatted by the water, unsure of what to do.
The pond is wide and deep, so ordinary cleaning nets won't work. Do we have to go underwater and use bags to collect the silt?
Just as they were struggling with their decision, Zhao Gang, who had gone out to work as a coach, returned. With a little sense, he was able to pinpoint the location of his cub and strode towards the pond.
Unexpectedly, I saw a wet, muddy little child squatting on the shore, with an even more disheveled mud monkey standing next to him.
Above the child and the monkey, a floating silver fish moved with the sun, casting a shadow to shield them from the sunlight.
If it weren't for the stench of the mud wafting over, Zhao Gang would have thought the scene was quite harmonious and heartwarming.
"Why are you still wearing long sleeves and pants?"
A familiar voice came from behind, and the baby and the monkey, whether exhausted or sunburnt, turned around in unison.
"Dad!" Zhao Xiaoxiu was overjoyed. Her gloomy little face lit up instantly when she saw her father.
Zhao Gang's attention was still on his baby's sweat-soaked long sleeves and pants. He didn't mind the baby being dirty, grabbed him by the collar, and carried him home.
Zhao Xiaoxiu didn't resist, but kept saying that she had encountered a problem and didn't know how to clear the silt from the pond.
She wanted to give Peter Pan a clean and tidy home!
When Sister Monkey heard what the cub said, she became jealous. The cub was being too nice to this silly fish.
The monkey gave a human-like smirk, then defiantly patted its chest towards the sky, looking fierce as if it wanted to drag Peter Pan down and beat him up.
Peter Pan flicked his fishtail, drawing a perfect parabola in the air, and leaped into the river with a "plop," swimming happily in the cool water, completely ignoring Monkey Sister's provocations.
Without the sunshade above her head, Sister Monkey instantly felt the heat of the July sun, as if all the fur on her body was about to be burned. She quickly caught up with Zhao Xiaoxiu and her father and daughter and hid inside the house to cool off.
Zhao Gang found Zhao Xiaoxiu's summer short-sleeved shirt and shorts and changed her out of her wet, muddy clothes.
There were no outsiders on the second floor. The tentacle emerged and used a cold water washcloth to wipe Zhao Xiaoxiu's cat-like face clean.
The little girl's hair was also messy, so Zhao Gang tied it back into a high ponytail, making sure there wasn't a single stray hair on her neck or forehead, and slicked it clean.
Zhao Xiaoxiu finally stopped feeling hot, and the sweat stopped flowing out. She sat comfortably on the balcony chair, enjoying the breeze.
However, they still didn't forget to clean up the silt in the pond.
Zhao Gang threw the dirty clothes into the bathtub in the bathroom and let the tentacles wash them clean. Hearing the cub's mutterings, he said, "Daddy will go clean up."
Without warning, Zhao Xiaoxiu was already standing by the pond when he left.
Zhao Xiaoxiu immediately leaned over the side railing of the balcony, curiously watching how her father dealt with the silt.
This was no challenge for Zhao Gang. He simply transformed his arm into a thick, long tentacle, plunged it into the pond, stirred it up, and scooped out a thick pile of silt.
Nature has its own way of cleaning. After a few days in the sun, the silt dries up, and then fresh, mutated weeds grow back, and the pond bank returns to its original state.
Perhaps because of the strong nutrients in the mud, the mutated weeds here will grow even more luxuriantly.
Peter Pan was so happy he almost shouted out loud, but unfortunately he didn't seem to have any vocal organs, so he frantically slapped the water with his tail, making a loud "splashing" sound to express his excitement.
Zhao Xiaoxiu smiled happily, and seeing her father calmly walk back after retracting his tentacles, she exclaimed, "Dad is the best!"
With just one sentence, Zhao Gang felt as if his heart had suddenly melted into a lump of water, becoming utterly soft.
He stood downstairs and waved to the happy little girl, "Xiaoxiu, come here, Daddy will teach you how to grow potato seedlings."
"Mmm!" Zhao Xiaoxiu immediately ran downstairs, carrying a basin of water, and followed her father into the greenhouse with the rainproof cloth open.
The evolved tomatoes were all moved outside the greenhouse by Sister Monkey so they could get plenty of sunshine, which helped them grow faster.
The greenhouse is now empty, making it perfect for sprouting potatoes.
The task assigned this time is to plant all the potatoes harvested in the first round.
Each lord's potato production is recorded at patrol stations, and at least 50% must be planted.
Zhao Xiaoxiu's family harvested 80 evolved potatoes, gave 5 to the Meng family, and ate quite a few themselves, leaving only 60.
Zhao Gang plans to plant them all so that he can harvest more potatoes before winter.
First, germinate the seedlings, then plant them at the end of July. They should be ready for harvest around the end of November or the beginning of December.
Based on the data from the first potato planting, it is estimated that 60 potatoes should be able to produce at least 1,200 sprouts, so three acres of land need to be reserved for planting.
Potatoes are easy to sprout; just pay attention to the temperature and humidity.
The weather is getting warmer now, and the temperature is just right.
The only thing to pay attention to is humidity, so Zhao Gang only gave Zhao Xiaoxiu one task: to water the plants.
Water the potatoes, sprinkle water on the ground, and then cover the greenhouse with the tarpaulin that had been removed, creating a humid and hot environment.
After all the arrangements were completed, 60 potatoes were neatly arranged on the perforated shelf in the greenhouse. In just half a month, they will sprout tender shoots.
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