Although Xiang Dejin and others want to live in the mountains, they have to build a separate shack that is not leaking from rain or wind. They can stay there for two months and leave after their injuries are healed.
They can survive in any wind or rain outside, and they are not squeamish.
It's not easy to find a good homestead in the mountains, and you don't have to be so particular about building a shack.
The shack was not located close to the two families. They did not like to live next to the tall green trees, but chose a sunny slope.
Because the place had been burned by fire and there were fewer bushes and weeds, a few wounded soldiers felt that it was open and bright, so as to avoid being unable to see the sun in the following days.
More than a dozen handymen worked together to dig and pad the sloped land to create flat land for two rooms.
The top part is simple. Just tie the wood to the tree pole, put the tarpaulin on it, and build two shacks in half a day.
By the time it was getting dark, the handyman came down and the shack was ready for people to live in.
Xu Errui and Xiaoman will do the rest of the repairs and renovations slowly by themselves.
As long as the roof is covered with thatch, there is nothing to worry about.
Although it can accommodate people, there are no beds.
Fortunately, it's still autumn, the sun is shining brightly during the day, and it's not too cold at night.
The handyman carried several door panels on his back, laid them on the mats made of grass weaved by Mr. Man, and then laid them on bedding, which was better than the big bed in the hospital shed.
Xiang Dejin and the others handed over the food to Xiaoman's house and everyone ate together. Since Li Laoshi wanted to stay, he naturally did laundry and served others.
The mountain became more popular and lively. In the next few days, Xiaoman and Xu Errui moved thatch to cover it, cut wood to make wooden benches for fences outside the shack, and moved stones to pave paths for people to walk.
With Xu Errui and the others watching, Li Laoshi became honest and obedient, working diligently every day.
Because if he doesn't work, he has nothing to eat.
Xiang Dejin and the others live in a well-behaved manner on the mountain. They only eat at Xiaoman's house every day and eat medicinal broth. The rest of the time they play on the hillside to recuperate.
With these people around, Xiaoman and Xu Errui are the happiest.
After the two of them finished their work every day, they would go there at night with torches to listen to people telling stories about the outside world, and then practice boxing.
For two farm boys who had no contact with society, this was a rare big class, much more interesting than the previous literacy classes.
The least happy one should be Peppa Pig.
There were strangers on the mountain. The little wild boar was very wary at first and followed Xu Errui several times to make sneak attacks.
It is difficult for two fists to defeat four hands. The opponent is a group of people. It is a little pig. Every time it is held down by others, it cannot move and howls in anger.
Finally, in order to retaliate, it moved its cesspit to the shack and went there every day to go to the toilet.
Pigs are very clean animals, and their excrement has a fixed location.
Peppa Pig's former toilet was located outside the chicken pen, but now it is next to the wounded soldiers' shack, causing Xu Errui to apologize to people every day.
Every time he dragged Peppa Pig home by the pig's ears, it was like pulling a boat, and both the pig and the pig were exhausted.
This is just a small episode on the mountain.
………………………………
Autumn is getting stronger, and all the miscellaneous trees on the hillside have shed their yellow leaves. Only the green hills are still lush.
Young Man and Jiang Zhi were looking at the rice beside the terraces. They were both on tenterhooks these days.
The rice was planted too late. According to the season, breeding should have started in February, but now it has been delayed by more than a month.
The weather changes in autumn, and the two families are most worried about the loss of rice production due to frost. Now they can finally make up their minds and wait only a few days for the rice to be harvested.
Some time ago, water management was needed after the rice went to flower. Xu Errui did not dare to be distracted every day.
As a result, people were on their backs and dogs and chickens were restless in the commotion on the mountain. After things settled down, they were busy planting wheat again. Everyone ignored the rice fields. When they looked back now, the rice fields were already dry.
Little Man squatted down and touched the low-hanging ears of rice in the field. He then looked up at the sun in the sky and said happily, "We've survived! It's already full. If we get a few more suns, there won't be any reduction in production this year."
In the early stage of grouting, ensure that the rice fields retain three centimeters of water, keep them moist in the mid-term, and in the final stage of grouting, the fields can be drained to prevent lodging. During this period, the water needs to be carefully maintained.
This terraced field is the first year of transplanting, and the soil layer is not thick enough to grow dryland plants, but it is difficult to grow rice.
Because water seepage is serious, water needs to be released into the fields sooner or later during the hottest times.
The ditch above alone is not enough to store water. The spring water of the two families must also be used sparingly to satisfy the water in the fields as much as possible.
Now that rice can be harvested smoothly, yields can be guaranteed.
What Jiang Zhi was most concerned about at this time was the rice in one of the terraces, which looked no different from the others.
Only Qiaoyun and himself know the secret.
There are probably nearly a hundred rice plants here that have undergone "male removal" surgery, that is, artificial cross-breeding and replanting.
At that time, before the "rogue bandits" went up the mountain, the cotton harvest had just been finished and the rice was in bloom.
Because he was dissatisfied with the yields of wheat and corn, Jiangzhi thought of high-yielding hybrid rice.
It's just that everyone knows that there are hybrid varieties, but few know the specific technology. Even old farmers are used to purchasing seeds from professional seed companies.
Pharmacy also has the technology of artificial industrial cultivation of medicinal materials. Jiang Zhi didn't take it seriously and had almost forgotten about those standardized greenhouse technologies.
But she understands the "male parent" and "female parent" of rice, as well as "catching flowers" and "artificial pollination".
Therefore, in order to eat white rice in the future, she wanted to use the most ancient hybrid technology to cultivate improved varieties.
During those days, she had to collect herbs during the day, and in the morning and evening she and Qiaoyun would quietly squat on the field ridge, using specially shaved bamboo slices to pull out the highest filaments at the top of each rice flower in the green rice husk.
Rice is hermaphroditic and self-pollinating. The stamens you usually see are male flowers, while the ones underneath are female flowers.
rice flower
When in bloom, the female flower of the same spike can only be pollinated by its own male flower.
If you want to hybridize, you must remove the male flowers of the original ear before the sun comes out to prevent self-pollination.
At this time, the remaining female flowers can be used as female parents and crossed with other male parents to produce hybrid rice seeds.
When Jiang Zhi explained it to Qiao Yun, Qiao Yun kept asking questions even though he didn't understand, forcing Jiang Zhi to try his best: "This is to kill your own man and then go out to borrow seeds to have children!"
Qiao Yun was covered with clouds, and his three views were shattered. He only felt thunder rolling from the sky and dared not ask any more questions.
Jiang Zhi thought it was funny. It was nothing. If the simple Qiaoyun knew that the cultivation of various delicious citrus was actually a large-scale "incest" history, that would be the most explosive thing.
Joking aside, Jiang Zhi didn't want to share this skill.
Qiaoyun is his daughter-in-law, and as the top of the family food chain, he has complete control over her.
Qiaoyun couldn't understand what he said and didn't dare to refute it.
If these words were heard by old people like Mr. Xiaoman, no matter how reasonable they are, they would be regarded as evil.
Moreover, as a peasant woman, I have too many things, which are beyond what Xiao Manye and the others can bear time and time again, and they will get into trouble.
Only when everyone accepts the reality like boiling frogs in warm water and cannot even escape from it, will they not have too many questions and even help wash the floor.
The rice except for the stamens is marked, and Jiangzhi will harvest and store the rice separately as seeds.
The rice flowers only last about 10 days. The pistils are removed in the morning and evening, and twigs are used to drive the flowers for pollination at noon.
Mother-in-law and daughter-in-law rushed to catch the flowering period morning and night, which made Jiang Zhi's back hurt from exhaustion.
But thinking about how many generations of crossbreeding will allow us to eat enough white rice, it’s worth the trouble.
