Chapter 142 Girl, please tell me
After dealing with the Jiang family, Shen Xiangwan had nothing to do, so he went to the village with Wei Chengyi to familiarize himself with the environment. Yong'an Village has more than 200 households, nearly 3,000 people, and covers a very large area. The couple held each other's hands and walked for nearly 25 minutes from the end of the village to the east. June was the busy farming season, and most of the villagers were busy working in the fields.

“Is our land here too?”

Looking at the busy villagers, Shen Xiangwan smiled slightly. It would be difficult to see such a harvesting scene in the future world.

"Yes ma'am, our land is at the innermost."

Hearing her question, the guard following behind trotted forward and pointed in the direction of the mountain as he spoke.

Looking in the direction of his finger, Shen Xiangwan squatted down and grabbed a handful of soil, then looked up and asked again, "Is the land here all sandy?"

"Well, the whole village is sandy, and so is our wasteland. The sand is thin, and the grain harvest is poor. Even though every household has a lot of land, it is difficult for the villagers to make a living. During the slack season, the strong laborers will go out to work to supplement the family income. However, I heard that few of the landlords or managers outside are good people, and they often deduct wages. For a month's work, it is considered good to get twenty days' wages. This is also the reason why everyone in the village is very poor."

Of course, one of the reasons is that the court's taxes are becoming heavier year by year.

When Konoe responded, he couldn't help but sigh deeply. It was not that he was compassionate. It was just that although they were all war orphans, they were once from farming families. Seeing the hardships of the villagers, they could empathize with them to some extent.

"is it?"

Standing up and clapping his hands, Shen Xiangwan stepped into the field and said, "Uncle, are you planting all millet? How much can you harvest per acre?"

"You are...Oh, you are from the Wei family, right?"

The middle-aged man who was tying millet stalks was suddenly stopped by someone. When he saw the two guards, he immediately guessed her identity, and his expression and tone became much kinder.

"Yes, I am the daughter-in-law of the Wei family, and this is my husband, Wei Chengyi."

Pulling Wei Chengyi who had followed into the field over, Shen Xiangwan said with a smile.

"Uncle, what's your name?"

Wei Chengyi was now very easy-going, putting aside his usual aloofness.

Hearing this, the man waved his hands and said, "It doesn't matter if it's expensive or not. My name is Zhao Dahe, Zhao Dashan is my eldest brother, and I'm the second oldest. If you don't mind, just call me Uncle Zhao."

"Second Uncle Zhao."

The two of them didn't bother to be polite with him and shouted in unison.

"Hey."

Seeing that they were totally different from the exiled commoners in the past, Zhao Dahe sat down on the pile of millet stalks and said, "What did you ask just now? Oh, now I remember, it's millet. Only millet can fill our stomachs. Unfortunately, the land here is too thin. Even if we take good care of it, we can only harvest about one stone per mu at most."

This is based on God's blessing and good weather. Otherwise, the output will be even lower. Zhao Dahe couldn't help but sigh deeply. With such an output, there would be little left after paying taxes, and people would starve to death every winter.

"About one stone."

According to the conversion in the future world, one stone is 120 kilograms, which is too low.

Shen Xiangwan couldn't help but lower his eyes and thought for a long time before he asked again: "Uncle Zhao, after the millet is harvested, will you plant a second crop of grain?" "A second crop of grain?"

Zhao Dahe was stunned, then waved his hand and said, "Our land is already scarce, how dare we grow a second crop of food?"

They planted two crops this year. What if it affects next year's harvest? If they can't pay taxes, won't the government skin them alive?
"what?"

Shen Xiangwan was stunned for a moment, then asked again: "Are you worried that the land will be thinner after planting the second crop, affecting next year's harvest? Don't you guys apply top dressing?"

"What is topdressing?"

Zhao Dahe had a question mark on his forehead, obviously not understanding what she meant.

"Top dressing means applying fertilizer to the land. Simply put, after you harvest, add fermented fertilizer when turning the land and bury it under the soil. This can not only make the newly planted crops more productive, but also fertilize the land, laying the foundation for next year's harvest."

Shen Xiangwan became more and more excited as she talked, so she simply followed Zhao Dahe's example and sat down on the pile of millet stalks on the other side. Wei Chengyi, who was with her, could only shake his head helplessly when he saw this. It was his fault for marrying such an unrefined wife.

"Fertilizer? How to ferment it? Can it really fertilize the soil after applying it as topdressing?"

Hearing this, Zhao Dahe also became interested. If what she said was true, even if they didn't have to grow a second crop of crops, they could at least grow vegetables in the fields, and the harvest would also be an income, right?
"Forehead···"

Shen Xiangwan's forehead went dark. Is agriculture in this world so backward?
"Girl, you tell me what's going on."

After waiting for her response for a long time, Zhao Dahe couldn't help but urge her urgently, as this was related to whether they could make more income.

"To make compost, you need to dig a big hole in the ground, pour all kinds of feces into it, and then throw some leaves in to make compost together. It will take about one or two months to make compost. In addition, there is an even simpler method, which is to go to the mountains to collect rotten leaves on the ground, commonly known as humus soil, and mix them into the ground to make fertilizer."

There are far more ways to fertilize the land. Shen Xiangwan only mentioned the two simplest ones. Since they have settled in Yong'an Village, she doesn't mind helping them.

"Really?"

Zhao Dahe jumped up excitedly, looking like he wanted to try it right away. It was enough to imagine how desperate they had been driven to by life. As long as there was a little bit of hope, they would want to try it.

"Well, I'm not the type to joke about such things."

Shen Xiangwan nodded with a smile and stood up. "Also, I see that our village is all sandy. Sandy soil is quite special. It has good air permeability but poor water and fertilizer retention. It is not suitable for growing grain crops such as millet and wheat. Why don't you grow some root crops? For root crops, flowers and trees, and medicinal trees, sandy soil is undoubtedly the most suitable soil for growth. The yield is definitely higher than millet."

Because her space is suitable for planting, she knows a lot about planting. Sandy land is not the same as thin land. If used well, the yield will be quite gratifying. For example, peanuts, potatoes and sweet potatoes are very suitable for planting in sandy land. There are also fruit medicines such as watermelon, yam and licorice. Loose and breathable soil is undoubtedly a breeding ground for their rapid growth.

“What are root crops?”

She said it easily, but Zhao Dahe was full of questions.

Not only him, Wei Chengyi and the two guards were equally confused. They had only heard of classifications such as millet, rice and wheat, and had never known of any root crops.

【End of this chapter】

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