He still wanted to listen, but Kong Xiaode was afraid of causing trouble, so he interrupted Lao Yang: "You go and prepare the ammonia first, and I will wait for the good elder to come."
Lao Yang said: "Okay, I'll go right away. I'll do it for your house first, and then I'll do it for mine when it's done." After that, he asked Heini to go with him. Only then did Kong Xiaode feel relieved.
After dinner, Yun Suji originally planned to go to the director of the village farmers' association, but after hearing what others said, he knew that the work was not real, so he wanted to investigate among the masses first, so he said to Lao Qin: "Eat." I’ll help you fertilize after dinner.”
Although Kong Xiaode said "I don't dare, I don't dare", Yun Suji picked up the guy and followed them to the fields.
The so-called ammonia, Yun Suji knew, was a soil-based chemical fertilizer that Tiandihui had launched in a few areas. The output of synthetic ammonia was very small, and it was very difficult to promote it. It was only practiced in a few areas with better conditions.
However, the application of ammonia is very inconvenient. Tiandihui promotes the use of ammonia in Lingao using a local method, using oxen or donkeys, or simply using several people to pull a small cart, carrying a container of ammonia, or a can or a barrel. , filled with ammonia with a pungent and eye-catching smell, connected through a thin bamboo tube to a hollow iron sickle-shaped object with a long wooden crotch. During operation, the long sickle-shaped object is inserted into the earth. , a trickle of ammonia flowed into the ground. To operate in this way, after applying ammonia to an acre of land, you have to go back and forth countless times from the beginning to the end of the field. It also makes the operator burst into tears, and he looks like he is bitter and resentful. Therefore, The job of applying ammonia was very unpopular at first. It was not until people really saw the effect of ammonia that they began to accept it.
Yun Suji has been a local agricultural technician in Lingao for several years. He knows everything in the field and can use any furniture he picks up, especially the ammonia equipment. He taught Lingao ammonia fertilization step by step.
However, he also had some doubts: because it seemed that the ground was planted with red flowers and grasses all the way - these things were originally used to fix nitrogen in the ground, so there was no way to apply nitrogen fertilizer to the green manure. When I went to the ground, I saw that they were growing winter wheat.
Kong Xiaode’s family and Lao Yang’s family don’t have cattle, and farmers here in Hainan don’t raise horses or donkeys. I had to get a small cart to haul the ammonia buckets. Originally, I had to drag and apply the ammonia buckets by one person. When Yun Suji came, it was much easier for the two old men to pull the cart in front.
Yun Suji asked while applying fertilizer: "You don't have any animals to tie up when you farm?"
"I don't want to tie it up." Kong Xiao pulled the cart while holding a cigarette in his mouth and puffing out smoke. "My mother-in-law and my aunt are the only two people in my family. It's good to cultivate the land to make a stutter. It's easy to farm here, and the income is light. Why tie up an animal? Raising a calf. It's more laborious than raising a baby! Besides, the land No matter how well you plant, what's the use? If you can't save the family business, you'll be wiped out."
Before Yun Suji could say anything, Lao Yang was already joking: "Lao Kong, you are in good health. Your wife hasn't broken the trust yet, right? Just have another one."
"We have old bones, and we are half buried in the earth. If there is a baby, who will support the baby!" Kong Xiaode sighed, "I don't want to, life is easier now. A few more days are just a few days."
Yun Suji thought that such negative emotions were not good, so he gave some words of advice.
"I would like to tie up a big animal, but I don't have the money. The big cow can't afford it, and the calf doesn't dare to buy it." Lao Yang bent forward and pulled the cart hard.
“Doesn’t Heaven and Earth have cattle loans?”
"I don't dare to borrow loan sharks to buy cows." Lao Yang said, "If the cow dies, I will lose my land. My family relies on this to live. We have had cows die in my hometown. One of them died." Half the sky has fallen! Slowly save up money to buy it."
Yun Suji said: "The interest on the cattle loan is only one and a half cents per year, and it will be repaid in three years. Your family has two laborers. My wife can also help. In two years, Heini will be able to help with grass and cattle." ―There is grass all year round here, and we don’t waste too much fodder. Are you worried about not getting enough? As for cattle diseases, there is a veterinary station in the county.”
"Let's get to the county from here. It will take half a day at least. The doctor may not be there - I went to the veterinary station when I was on business. There were three people there, and they were so busy that they couldn't touch the ground every day, waiting for him to line up. By my time, the cows have long since died." Lao Yang said, "Although my family has two laborers, we can't handle the many dispatches. In counties, villages, and villages, no matter when there is a notice, labor will be sent out, and it will take at least half a day to go there. , it’s too late to farm. As for female labor, Heini still has a sister. She is fifteen this year, and she can handle half of the labor, but she can’t use it now.”
"Why can't it be used?" Yun Suji already knew from the chat that there were too many laborers at the grassroots level. But what's the deal with a fifteen-year-old girl who is out of labor force?
"As soon as the summer was over, she went to Lingao to attend some kind of class. I heard that she was asked to 'join the Youth League'." Lao Yang said, "People from the village don't know what joining the Youth League means. Anyway, we will follow the orders from above. That’s it, it’s been more than three months since I left. Last time I heard from the village chief that I wouldn’t be able to come back until before the Chinese New Year.”
Yun Suji asked again: "If red flowers and grass are not planted here, why are they growing wheat?"
"Everyone wants to grow wheat, but we can't get used to eating rice..." Kong Xiaode stopped the car, straightened up and thumped his waist, knocked off the ashes and filled the tobacco leaves again, "Rice, that's an expensive grain. But you won't be hungry if you eat it. . It always feels like I haven’t eaten.”
Lao Yang said: "Yes, but the village does not allow planting, saying that the wheat harvest is small. After the rice is harvested, red flowers and grass must be planted to accumulate fertilizer." He said that now every household in the village is just like planting other cereals, in the fields. Just plant a little on the ten sides of the ground and harvest as much or as little as you want to satisfy your craving.
"Then why did you give up again?"
"According to the instructions from above, our village can grow a little winter wheat, but it is not allowed to exceed 500 acres." Lao Yang said, "It's hard to say whether we can eat this wheat."
"how?"
"I heard from the village chief that this wheat is going to be used as tribute to the Senate,"
Yun Suji didn't like it at first, but it was probably the truth. Because of the problem of flour supply, the elders have expressed their opinions on this issue many times. This is probably arranged by the General Office - no wonder there is a quota of ammonia here, it turns out that it is prepared for growing special wheat for the Senate!
Yun Suji chatted with two old men while working. He not only helped the Kong family, but also gave guidance to Lao Yang and other families. Everyone said, "It's really a good way to grow crops."
After working for a while, I asked the guards to take turns to continue the work, and then I sat down and chatted with the people. It was just an ammonia application. The people who applied fertilizer sat under the old trees at the head of the field to rest, drink water, and eat dry food. They squatted in a circle and asked questions about Yun Suji. Only Kong Xiaode still stood respectfully and did not dare to speak casually. Lao Yang said: "Chang Yun! You are really good! You must have a lot of land at home, right?"
Yun Suji said: "My family has no land, but we have done a lot. I am the technical director of the Lingao Tiandi Association."
"No wonder you are so good at farming." Lao Yang said sincerely, "We didn't know until we arrived in Hainan that there was such farming in the world! The elders are really like gods!"
"It's so amazing," Yun Suji said, "Farming is also a science. There are even schools in Australia that specialize in this."
“Do you need to learn how to farm?”
"Why don't you want to learn? Do you think the agricultural technicians of the Tiandihui are all born with the ability to farm? Farming is complicated." Yun Suji thought about doing some popular science education, "Let's just talk about this kind of red flowers. Do you all know how to use it?"
"I know, it's green manure. When plowing in the spring, just pour it in and use it as fertilizer. I've seen the rice farmers here doing this."
"Green manure is true, but why don't you just leave the land unused and let weeds grow instead of growing grass like crops? You can just turn the weeds in and fertilize the land."
"This grass is probably fat."
"You're right," Yun Suji said with a smile, "This red flower grass is a treasure. Where is the treasure? Everyone knows that what you plant in the ground will grow, but if you don't fertilize it, the ground will become thin after a few crops. , the soil fertility will be gone. But this red flower grass is different. Not only does it not consume the soil, but it can also add fertilizer to the ground. That’s why we have to plant red flower grass.”
"Chief, are you saying that this red flower grass can fertilize the ground?"
"Yes." Yun Suji said, "The ammonia water we just made has the same purpose as red flowers and grasses. They both add fertility to the land."
The people around him were both surprised and convinced. A woman said: "It's better for the chief to speak clearly. He can explain it clearly in a few words. How can he be like our village chief, who only knows how to yell and tie people up..."
Yun Suji saw that the woman talking was the young daughter-in-law who was checking at the entrance of the village when she entered the village in the morning. Just as she was about to say something, her husband scolded her: "You woman, what are you talking about? How many days do you have the right to interrupt a man?" If I don’t spank you, your buttocks will become tight?”
The young daughter-in-law didn't dare to say anything anymore, so Kong Xiaode quickly came out to smooth things over: "Liang Zhu! Don't scold her. She was just quick to speak for a moment, and she won't be offended." After saying that, he bent down towards Yun Suji and said, "Mr. Say yes?"
Yun Suji smiled and said: "Yes, yes, everyone is just gossiping."
Liang Zhu felt that this not only caused trouble, but also caused trouble to the villagers. He believes that since ancient times, "officials have protected each other." It's not a good thing to give a smiling face to an official - who doesn't know that they will fall out of favor faster than turning over a book! If Yun Suji returns to the village hall and talks about it, something will happen immediately. Angrily, he slapped his wife in the face and cursed: "I can't silence you! Go back and see if I don't slap your buttocks to pieces!"
Lao Yang quickly pulled him away and said, "You idiot! Why are you afraid of this woman's nonsense? Chief Yun even said it doesn't matter, so he's so afraid of you!"
Liang Zhu fell silent after he said a few words. Seeing that the atmosphere was a little awkward, Yun Suji smiled and said: "Since ancient times, people with a little power cannot afford to offend them. When I was in Australia, I also went to the countryside. I heard the farm workers say that people with a little power can't afford to offend. Those who trembled, they made up a jingle. (To be continued.)
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