This year's spring seems to have come earlier than in previous years. It will be the third month of the lunar calendar, and the ice on the river has already melted. Although I still feel the piercing spring breeze when I go out, it doesn't affect the tenacious plants in the wild in the slightest.
All things recover, and the earth gradually begins to regain its vitality, showing vigorous vitality. And this means that the villagers of Huaping Village will enter a new busy farming period.
Under the line of the village chief, Xi Yanqing bought two more plots of land near his home. The size of these two plots is about the same as that of the three vegetable gardens combined. It may be larger than that. Been doing it for a long time.
Xiyan Qing wanted to fix the fence before the seedlings started, but after calculating the demand for wood, he thought about it and put this work aside. The main reason is that there are too many. Besides, the mountains are very dangerous in this season, and it is not suitable for logging.
In the end, Xi Yanqing decided to temporarily give up building a fence for Xinyuanzi. During the day, he took Luo Yong and Luo Ji outside to clean up the garden and prepare to plant things. At night, he re-planned the land to be planted this year, and picked the seeds.
During the autumn harvest last year, Luo Fei collected a lot of nightshade seeds, and the vegetables in the garden also kept seeds. For the two newly purchased fields, Xi Yanqing plans to plant all nightshade, and in addition to planting the vegetables they will eat for a year, Xi Yanqing will continue to leave the fruit seedlings that survive successfully, as well as Xi Yanqing's autumn harvest. grape seedlings.
Although nightshade fruit is good and has a high utilization rate, its taste is still incomparable with raspberries, blueberries, and grapes, so the key is to make a perennial berry garden.
Seeing that the sky was getting warmer, Xi Yanqing was going to unearth the grape seedlings that had been buried in the soil for the winter, and also prune and plant the small grape seedlings that were harvested last year before they sprouted.
There was no wind on this day, Xi Yanqing took Luo Yong and Luo Ji to work in the garden.
They have cleaned up the weeds in the garden and fallen leaves that have drifted from nowhere this year, the ground has been turned over again, and fertilizers have been added where farmyard manure should be added.
Xi Yanqing drew all the pictures, where to plant what, and how big is the land.
Jingrong and Luo Yong have always followed Xi Yanqing's style in farming, and they will do whatever Xi Yanqing does. So Xi Yanqing had to divide the map into three parts, and the three families finally made the land into a similar appearance.
There is only a piece of about twenty-five square meters of land to be planted with different contents. Here Xi Yanqing and Luo Fei plan to plant all kinds of peppers, while Jingrong and Luo Ji are not very fond of spicy food, so they decided to add potatoes and leeks when the time comes.
As for Luo Ru, she likes cucumbers, so Luo Yong decided to plant all cucumbers for Luo Ru when the weather warms.
However, before this was done, it was wiped out by the banquet, because if the land of more than 20 square meters was used to grow cucumbers, and only two people would eat it, the cucumbers would be old before they were finished.
In the end, Luo Ru decided to plant half of the land with cucumbers and half of potatoes.
"Brother Xi, the grape seedlings have been planted as you said. Come and see if they will succeed." Luo Ji was more cautious, so Xi Yanqing asked him to help him to plant all the small grape seedlings obtained last year into the gardens of the three families. As for the future harvest, whoever owns the land will naturally belong to whoever.
"Brother, take a break first, I'll go after I unearth this seedling." Xi Yanqing took Luo Yong to work on the unearthing of old grape seedlings. Because the winter in the north is too cold, the grape seedlings must be buried in the soil, otherwise they will freeze to death when it snows. No, the soil and seedling work have to be done in the spring.
"Then you guys get busy first. I'll go and see how Jingrong is doing. In the morning, I told me that there will be sheep to give birth today."
"Come on, eldest brother, hurry up." Xi Yanqing said, "Call us if you have something to do."
"Brother Xi, did you have more grapes this year than last year?" After Luo Ji left, Luo Yong asked Xi Yanqing. Last year, he didn't eat enough grapes, and he wanted to eat more this year, so that Luo Ru would also eat more.
I remember when he was in his hometown, there was a plum tree at the head of their village. The plums are not big, but they are golden in color and very sweet when you bite into them. When the plums are ripe every year, a bunch of kids try to get there to get enough plums. In the end, who can eat them all depends on kung fu, and sometimes they have to fight. Compared with now, it is really a sky and an underground. How good it is now, as long as you work hard, you will have fruit to eat in summer and autumn.
"It must be more than last year, and there will be more of everything." Xi Yanqing carefully cleared the soil to avoid bruising the seedlings. After he re-emerged the vines, he cleaned up the soil and pruned them so that they could germinate this year.
"Why didn't you find out when you were in war before that, Brother Xi, you still grow grapes?" Luo Yong asked him while studying Xi Yanqing's work.
"People are not allowed to plant grapes during the war. I can't tell everyone that I can plant grapes." After finishing the row of seedlings, Xi Yanqing counted them, thinking that he would have to get more climbing frames this year. to make.
"Brother, Brother Qing, come and help, there are sheep to give birth!" Luo Fei suddenly ran over from the front yard and shouted, and then ran back.
Spring is the peak time for ewes to give birth. At this time, most of the sheep farmers are busy, not to mention Jing Rong who raises more than 70 sheep. He hasn't slept very well for several days, and he is afraid that some sheep will give birth at night, so he has to go from time to time. Sheephouse glanced.
Fortunately, the night has been very peaceful, and I have saved it until this morning.
Jing Rong and Luo Fei had already washed their hands with wine, and their nails were round enough. Although generally speaking, most ewes can produce lambs naturally, but it should be just in case. If some cannot give birth normally, human help is required.
Luo Fei watched Jing Rong appease the ewe there, and then carefully straightened the fetus (?) It seemed like this, his heart was pounding and beating non-stop, feeling like he had a fight with when he gave birth to a tiger cub.
The little tiger is with my aunt. This kid can stand with things now, and he is very arrogant. It's probably because the angle of standing high and looking at things is different, so he especially likes to stand, and he will stand whenever he has the opportunity. Unable to stand, the little butt twisted. Now he was standing in his little chair, watching the sheep.
"Bah!" The little tiger pointed at one of the sheep and looked at Luo Fei.
"Well, baa baa is a sheep." Luo Ru said, "Who is this?" He pointed to Luo Fei.
"Daddy."
"Yes, yes, the little tiger is so smart! What about me?" Luo Ru pointed to herself.
"Dudu!" said the little tiger in a milky voice, "dudu!"
"It's Auntie, not Dudu." Luo Ru was dumbfounded.
"Dudu!" The little tiger pointed out: "Gugu!"
"Gugu is a chicken in his eyes, so Gugu is a chicken, and you are Dudu, Sanbao." Luo Fei laughed unkindly after saying that, "I guess it will take a little older to change it."
"Come on, Dudu Dudu." Luo Ru pinched the little tiger's face, "Why do you think you are so funny?"
"Dad!" The little tiger saw Xi Yanqing.
"The little tiger is good." Xi Yanqing still had soil in his hands, so he didn't go to hold the child, but came over to give him the bull, and then made the little tiger giggle, he stood by and watched for a while.
Jing Rong is obviously very familiar with helping sheep in midwifery. After correcting the baby's fetal position for a while, the ewe really doesn't seem to be in as much pain as before, but it took a lot of physical effort before, so she didn't get it right away quickly. Lambs are born.
"Brother Xi, help me get some water and some concentrate. Big brother, look at those two, take their afterbirth as soon as possible after the lambs come out, don't let the ewe eat it, or the ewe will eat the afterbirth. Maybe it will develop the habit of biting lambs." Jing Rong wiped the sweat with his sleeves after finishing speaking, "If this one still doesn't give birth, I have to help it pull the lamb out, Luo Fei, help me. ."
"Okay, don't let it run around, right?" Luo Fei swallowed nervously. Now their names have been changed. He, Xi Yanqing, Luo Yong and Sanbao all call Jing Rong "Brother Qi". As for him, because the name "Brother Luo Fei Qi" is really a bit magical, I simply let him Luo Yong and Jing Rong called out their names directly. It's still messed up occasionally, but it doesn't matter.
"Then can I help?" Luo Yong asked.
"Look at the little tiger, I'll go make lunch." Luo Ru said, "Everyone is tired this morning, and they must be hungry too."
"Sure, let's go, little tiger, uncle hugs you!" Luo Yong went to hug the little tiger. The little tiger turned his head: "Dad!"
"Your dad's going for the water!" said Rofe.
"Dad!" The little tiger sat down on his own chair, and when he saw Luo Yong coming to hug him, Luo Yong fiercely said, "Da Da Da Da!"
"Okay, let him stay here, or I'll have to scratch you in a while." Luo Fei told the little tiger, "Sit there and wait for Dad, Dad will be here in a while."
"Dad!" the little tiger also called, showing a few small deciduous teeth. His hair has grown, and after 100 days of this place, he doesn't want to cut his hair, so it's shoulder length. girl.
Luo Yong saw this small appearance that he vowed not to go with him, and he didn't force it, he went to fetch water and helped Luo Ru make lunch.
When Xi Yanqing brought the water and concentrate, his hands had already been washed. He picked up the little tiger and went to the garden to see if the grape seedlings planted by Luoji needed to be changed later. By the way, Let the little tiger bask in the sun.
Jing Rong fed the ewe some water. After resting for a while, the ewe finally saved some strength, and finally gave birth to its lamb.
When Luo Fei held it, his expression was not so sour, but he quickly realized that something was not right.
"Why isn't this lamb breathing?!"
"Let's take a look." Jing Rong took a look and hurriedly lifted the lamb on its hind legs and made it head to the ground, "Hurry up and pat it on the chest."
"Is it ok to shoot like this?" Luo Fei was also confused. He only heard that the child didn't cry and raised his butt to slap, but he didn't expect this sheep to be similar.
Fortunately, the little lamb was just choking something in his nose, and Jing Rong and Luo Fei finally eased after such a toss.
Jing Rong also took the afterbirth of this baby and put it outside, then distributed some food and water to the sheep, and put the lamb aside.
About animal instinct, the ewe soon came to lick his lamb.
The lamb couldn't stand up right away, and was obediently licking on the straw by its mother.
"Does it mean that lambs have to be born almost every day recently?" Luo Fei asked. This morning, three ewes gave birth to lambs. So far, a total of five ewes have been born, and one is in the belly of the goat mother who was a little difficult to give birth just now. I guess I'll have to rest for a while. Among the five lambs born, there are three females and two males, and the situation is not bad.
"Almost, spring is the high-yielding period. I'm sure I'll be busy these few days." Jing Rong turned around and found that several lambs were in good condition, so she got up to get something to eat. He had been squatting in this sheep shed all morning, and his legs were almost out of his own.
"By the way, Luo Yong, Big Brother, Jing Rong and Luo Fei will take care of the lamb this afternoon. You and I will cut some straw. I think the chickens are starting to lay eggs one after another in the past two days. Then we have to transport them to the town. A little straw, otherwise it will be easy to beat." Xi Yanqing found out when feeding the chickens this morning that there were several eggs in the chicken basket.
"I think we need to get more chicken baskets, otherwise, there will definitely not be enough chickens waiting to lay eggs." Luo Fei smiled, "I can't let the chickens line up to lay eggs, right?"
"Hahahahaha! Second brother, why are you so funny!" Luo Ru almost laughed.
"It's really yours." Xi Yanqing thought about the scene of a group of hens lining up, and couldn't help but want to laugh, "Then cut the straw and make up more chicken crates."
"In the afternoon, eldest brother will help Jingrong, and I will make a chicken basket with you." Luo Fei said, "But I can't. Brother Qing, you have to teach me."
"No, Luo Yong and I made up." Xi Yanqing shook Luo Fei's hand under the table, "Think about what flowers we will plant in our yard this year, and make the yard look better, I remember you before. Ask Aunt Zhou for some flower seeds."
"I want a lot, then I'll look back and see where to plant it." Luo Fei knew that this was because Xi Yanqing was reluctant to do rough work.
In the afternoon, Jingrong and Luo Ji were busy in the sheep shed, Xi Yanqing and Luo Yong were cutting straw and weaving chicken baskets. Later, Luo Tianqi and his wife came over. The two were also going to plant some vegetables, but unfortunately this was the first time in their lives, they had no seeds in their hands, and they didn't know how to plant them.
In addition to being familiar with Dr. Liang and his wife in this village, Luo Tianqi was also familiar with Xi Yanqing and them, so he thought about it and asked if he could buy some.
Luo Fei was afraid that the seeds would not be enough every year, so he kept a lot of them. Hearing this, he was very happy to give Luo Tianqi some points, and also taught them the date of sowing and what to pay attention to when planting.
Luo Tianqi and his wife were both literate, and they wrote it down when they listened, and decided to follow this when they decided to go back.
"Brother Qing, where do you put the eggs when you are transporting them?!" There is no cardboard box or anything, so you can't put all the eggs in the basket.
"I have already agreed with Chen Huazhang to make a few larger wooden boxes." Xi Yanqing took the water bowl that Luo Fei handed over and drank some water, "Have you thought about where to plant the flowers?"
"Think about it, two or three rows of various kinds on both sides of the gate, and then plant some more along the fence in the yard."
"Second brother, do you have a lot of flower seeds? If you have more, give me some, and I want to plant them too." Luo Ru had seen Luo Fei decorate the garden with flowers before Luo Fei had moved in. It was so beautiful, so she I also want to make the yard look better.
"There are a lot of seeds, enough for three families. Let's plant them together when the weather is over." Luo Fei took the water bowl that Xi Yanqing had drunk, and carried the sleepy little tiger into the house. It's time for the little tiger to sleep again.
Xi Yanqing and Luo Yong made up the chicken baskets for a long time, and finally made thirteen chicken baskets at night. Luo Yong's craftsmanship is not very good, but he will be able to use it. Xi Yanqing put all the chicken crates in the chicken coop. Fearing that it would not be enough, he spread more straw in the chicken coop, thinking that if the chickens were in a hurry, it would be okay to go down to the straw.
Luo Fei felt that more than ten chicken crates would be enough. After all, not all chickens lay eggs at the same time, there are always before and after. But a few days later, he discovered that Xi Yanqing's idea was not without reason.
The warmer it is, the more chickens start laying eggs. At the beginning, it was three or five a day, and within two days it became ten or eight, and then there were more than 20, more than 30. In less than ten days, the production of eggs became at least fifty a day.
Luo Fei's favorite thing to do every day is to pick up eggs with a little tiger on his back. As he picked up and counted, the little tiger listened to him by the side and pointed at the eggs from time to time: "Egg!"
The cost of each egg is probably less than half a copper plate, but the price is a penny.
In winter, an egg was worth a penny, but now the price of eggs has gone up. Part of the reason for this is that after Shi Shi and the others started making ice cream, they had received a lot more eggs, and the supply was in short supply. Another reason was that the cost of raising chickens was higher.
Most chickens and ducks are usually raised in the same year. They are killed in the same year, and only a few hens are left to lay eggs for the Chinese New Year. The cost of eating food is naturally high.
When Xi Yanqing went to Shi Shi to discuss the issue of receiving raw materials, he mentioned the price. In the end, Shi Shi received 90% of the market price from Xi Yanqing, and it will be the same price in the future. In Shi Shi's words, this has helped a lot.
"There are very few people who raise chickens intensively. You are still the largest household in our neighborhood." Shi Shi said, "If you hadn't told me earlier that you wanted to raise chickens, I would have been really worried. The ones I looked for before are the ones that raise the most. It's only forty or fifty. It's better in the future, and what you send is enough for the raw materials in our area. "
"What about the other processing points?" Xi Yanqing had seen a map drawn by Shi Shi, which marked the locations of more than ten processing factories.
"At present, it is still charged by local people, and the price is similar to that of this place. The eggs used are still relatively small. In fact, after the summer, the best selling is those popsicles." First, the price is cheap, and secondly, the coldness is also high, naturally more popular.
"This year's berry output will definitely be more than double that of last year." Xi Yanqing said, "I can make more popsicles. When I get back to the house, I will probably go out for a walk and find some new ones that are suitable for my home. Fruit trees planted in the north." Xi Yanqing said and took out a few sheets of paper full of words, "Brother Shi, look at this, the new recipe, and the new pattern."
"Preserved fruit in the popsicle?"
"Yeah. But this popsicle isn't pure ice, it's added with some milk and eggs, but the amount is very small." The recipe Xi Yanqing brought this time is similar to ice cream from an ice factory, and some brands are also called sand ice. .
"Have you brought a sample?"
"Take it and give it to Uncle Zhang to freeze it."
"I'll try it later." Shi Shi helped Xi Yanqing to refill a cup of tea, "Is there any more fruit dumplings?"
"No, I just made some years ago. If Brother Shi wants to eat, you can make some at home, but if you sell it, it's really not enough."
"It's Haicheng. After eating it, he said it was delicious, and he begged me to get him some more. If it's convenient for Brother Xi, just help me make two more boxes. He really gave me a headache. He said. five times the price."
"Since it's Brother Hai, it's okay to raise the price. I'll bring two boxes when I come back." Haicheng, Xi Yanqing, had met Shi Shi once, and the dress that Kua Luofei made for him was beautiful. The person who was there was particularly straightforward and could say that he was now helping Shi Shi manage his business in Huaian City. There were the most shipments last year.
"Then there will be Brother Roshi. Thank you Brother Luo Fei on my behalf."
"You're welcome." Xi Yanqing took a sip of tea, "That's right, Big Brother Shi. You have many friends here. If it's convenient, can you ask them to bring some local fruit seedlings when they come?"
"Of course there's no problem. Besides, there are a lot of things on your side, so don't run back and forth in person from now on. I personally go to your place every three days."
"That's great, I was worried about this."
Xi Yanqing felt that he was about to die. If he didn't come to Shifu, he would have a class in the village tomorrow. The villagers all want to know the method of dry cultivation and sparse planting. What he promised before is naturally to keep his promise.
Improving the quality and yield of grain is a big deal for every household, so it is natural to not pay attention to it. The villagers knew that Xi Yanqing was starting the class, so they brought their little horses over and sat in rows in the courtyard of Luo Fei's house like a primary school student.