Swallow millet!
A Zhen's heart moved.
His uncle Meng Zhixu was at the border and said that there was an extremely drought-resistant crop in Yan land called Yan millet.
One year, there was a severe drought. The Yan State relied on the crops of Yan and millet to avoid the tragic situation of starvation in the fields, stabilized the government, and developed into a powerful country that could compete with Daxia.
Yan millet was once grown in the border farms, but due to seed and technical problems, the Yan millet grown on the border in Daxia has a hard texture and is difficult to digest when eaten. It is generally used as feed for cattle and horses.
Unless there are special circumstances when marching and fighting, soldiers are generally not given this kind of food.
The Yan State's millet is said to be different from those grown on the border. Their seeds have been improved to be more drought-resistant and have softer grains that are easier to digest. They can be used as a substitute for wheat during severe droughts.
It's not that Meng Zhixu didn't want to get the improved Yan millet seeds, but the Yan State regarded the seeds as precious as jade seals. They sent envoys to negotiate many times and were unwilling to provide seeds to Daxia even if they exchanged gold and silver treasures.
Even envoys who leave Yan State have to be searched, lest they carry Yan millet seeds with them.
According to the law, the people of Yan State must be beheaded if they sell Yan millet to Daxia.
Therefore, Meng Zhixu's team climbed high on the border and looked into the distance to see the Yan country's harvest of Yan and millet, but they couldn't do it.
If improved Yan and Millet seeds were available in Daxia and popularized, wouldn't it be possible to save the people of the world from the dire straits of drought?
"Brother A Zhen, look at this land, it's cracked, but the millet is still growing well."
Xiao Fuyuan pulled A Zhen to squat down and pointed at the land under Yan Shu. He saw that the land was dry and cracked.
You can't even notice it if you don't look carefully.
Bai Dazhuang deliberately did not water the crops in order to test their drought tolerance.
The drought tolerance of Yan millet was simply beyond Bai Dazhuang's expectation. If other crops were not watered for two months, they would have died of thirst or their leaves would have withered.
Unexpectedly, the Yan millet was still green, showing a vibrant scene.
"Sister." Bai Dazhuang came back from the fields and called out when he saw Xiao Fuyuan and A Zhen squatting in front of his field of corn and millet.
"Brother is back from the fields? Are you thirsty?"
Xiao Fuyuan turned around and smiled at Bai Dazhuang.
Bai Dazhuang's head and face were covered with sweat, and his rolled-up trouser legs were stained with mud. Xiao Fuyuan got up and ran to the kitchen, asked Qiuniang for a large bowl of cold water, sprinkled it with sugar and served it to Bai Dazhuang.
Bai Dazhuang raised his head and poured it into his stomach, filling his thirsty heart with a hint of sweetness.
Bai Dazhuang came to Yanshu Tian and inspected it carefully. He is a man who loves crops as much as his life, especially the field of swallows and millet he grows, and he takes care of it as carefully as a child. No one in the family except Xiao Fuyuan is allowed to enter his "experimental field".
"Brother, are you still going to the fields?" Xiao Fuyuan asked.
Bai Dazhuang nodded and frowned: "Go, I and others will come to the village chief's house to push the water cart. The ground is too dry to plow, so we need to sprinkle water first. Alas, it hasn't rained for so long, and the water in the river is shallow. ”
Seeing A Zhen staring at Yan millet without moving, Bai Dazhuang thought that his rich son was curious about crops, so he said: "This is Yan millet. It is difficult for us to grow crops in Daxia."
A Zhen stood up, pointed at the green millet and said, "Brother Bai, I have something to ask you about this millet."
Bai Dazhuang was surprised that a wealthy young man like A Zhen, who was indifferent to grains, had become interested in crops for some reason.
"Brother Bai, do you know how long this swallow and millet can withstand drought?" A Zhen looked like he was asking for advice humbly.
Bai Dazhuang thought for a while and said: "These seeds were planted after the Spring Festival. Except for watering once when sowing the seeds, they have not been watered until now. You also know that it has not rained since the beginning of spring. Specifically, it can withstand drought. It’s hard to say to what extent, but you can see they are still green now.”
A Zhen nodded.
He suddenly remembered that his uncle Meng Zhixu mentioned that it was difficult for Yan millet seedlings to emerge. He wondered how Bai Dazhuang cultivated Yan millet seedlings.
"Brother Bai, I heard that it is difficult for millet to sprout. How many seeds did you sow on this land?" A Zhen asked.
Bai Dazhuang suddenly smiled and said to Xiao Fuyuan: "Thanks to my sister. Last autumn, when you were kidnapped, she brought back a few ears of seeds from the Mine Temple. I sowed them directly, and so many seedlings came out."
In the past, Bai Dazhuang encountered wild swallow and millet seeds in the mountains and brought them home to plant. However, seedlings rarely emerged, and even if they did, they withered quickly. Unexpectedly, the seedlings brought back by his sister would grow quickly without any effort on his part.
Otherwise, how can we say that my sister is loved by everyone, flowers bloom when she sees her, and even hard-to-grow seeds like swallows and millet sprout when I see her.
Bai Dazhuang looked at Xiao Fuyuan with pride.
"Yan millet is rare in Daxia. I have seen wild ones in the mountains before, but they can't survive. Then I went to the temple near the mine to look for more yan millet ears, but the temple was burned down. I've been looking around for a long time but I haven't seen any spare millet."
Bai Dazhuang looked regretful.
A Zhen remembered another thing. His uncle also mentioned that it is difficult for Yan millet to produce seeds. His uncle's men once cultivated it on the border for many years before it produced seeds.
Now Bai Dazhuang has sprouted seedlings, but it may not be able to catch the seeds.
"Brother Bai, I heard that it is difficult for Yan millet to produce seeds."
"No way, Brother Azhen, my eldest brother has already harvested a crop." Xiao Fuyuan said with wide eyes.
As soon as these words came out, A Zhen looked in disbelief.
When it comes to setting seeds, Bai Dazhuang looked pleased and continued: "What my sister said is true. I planted the oats and millet seeds she brought last year to set seeds, and harvested two bags in late autumn. I thought there were wheat The same should be true for winter wheat, spring wheat, and millet. Different seasons have different harvests. Look at the seeds I sow during the Spring Festival, I will definitely be able to harvest them this summer."
A Zhen's heart moved.
Bai Dazhuang continued: "My family bought the hilltop for my sister in Shangyang Village. I don't know what I planted on it. I also spread the seeds of yanma and millet. Now it is full of green."
A Zhen asked again: "Brother Bai, do you still have Yan millet seeds at home?"
Without waiting for Bai Dazhuang's answer, Xiao Fuyuan said, "Yes, does Brother Azhen want Yan millet seeds?"
A Zhen nodded and said seriously: "I also want to plant some on my family's land."
Bai Dazhuang said: "If your family wants to plant seeds, I will help you sow the seeds later."
Although this kind of seed will grow easily when sown in the ground, it cannot be wasted. Bai Dazhuang does not trust others to sow the seed, so he wants to do it himself.
After hearing this, a smile appeared on A Zhen's face, and he cupped his hands at Bai Dazhuang and said, "Thank you, Brother Bai."
Bai Dazhen waved his hand and said, "You're welcome." He fell in love with A Zhen even more. It was rare for a wealthy man like A Zhen to be willing to learn more about crops.
When Bai Dazhuang was happy, he walked into the barn, opened the bag of Yan millet seeds, took a small handful of seeds, put them into a bowl, handed them to A Zhen and said, "Look, these are Yan millet seeds."
(End of chapter)
