Daily Life in the Countryside After Being Reborn
Chapter 62 - 59: The Farming Competition Between Grandfather and Granddaughter (Part 2)

Chapter 62: Chapter 59: The Farming Competition Between Grandfather and Granddaughter (Part 2)

After everything was ready, Xiao Xian began to pack the underlayer of soil over the sown rice, completing the initial phase of dry cultivation of seedlings.

At that time, Zhu Shijun hadn’t even sown his rice yet.

Xiao Xian didn’t voice it, but she was somewhat annoyed in her heart that Zhu Shijun didn’t take her farmland seriously. Upon learning that her grandfather was going to use the water cultivation method for rice seedlings, she contrarily opted for the dry land cultivation method. Different cultivation practices required different sowing times. By her calculations, her seedlings were sown a week earlier than Zhu Shijun’s water-grown seedlings.

Seedlings planted in mid-February could be transplanted in early March. During the process from sowing to the growth of seedlings, someone was even more anxious than Xiao Xian.

Every day after finishing chores, Sister-in-law Lian squatted at the edge of the field. Her husband had gone out to work this year, so their fields weren’t planted with labor-intensive rice, but with vegetables and loofahs that didn’t require daily attention.

Half a month after the seedlings were sown, even Zhu Shijun’s water seedlings, which were planted seven or eight days later, had sprouted and grown leaves. Xiao Xian’s three-point seedbed, however, still showed no signs of life.

"Xiao Xian, why don’t we change the method? Let’s switch to water seedlings like your grandfather. Everyone in the village uses that method for seedlings. If you use dry land, I’m afraid they won’t grow. Don’t let the rice seeds go to waste."

"Xiao Xian, how about I go ask the village chief for some rice seeds and cultivate another bed next to it?"

In the end, on the tenth day, Zhu Shijun’s late-sown seedlings were ready for transplantation. Sister-in-law Lian could no longer keep calm, "How can Xiao Xian, a seven-year-old boy, be so patient!" Sister-in-law Lian suggested, "Xiao Xian, why don’t you follow me and give up on rice? Just plant some taro and tomatoes; those are easy to grow."

Xiao Xian couldn’t hold back either, not because of the rice seeds in the field, but because of Sister-in-law Lian’s nagging, "Sister-in-law Lian, please stop fussing. Tomorrow, just head to the field early in the morning and you’ll see the rice seeds have sprouted."

Sister-in-law Lian still didn’t believe it, thinking how Xiao Xian could be so prideful. However, she didn’t dare to say this in front of Xiao Xian. Looking at how the grandfather and grandson attended to their own fields without bothering to ask how the other’s were doing, both were very confident. Being just an assistant, she didn’t feel it was appropriate to interfere.

Despite saying that, early the next morning, Sister-in-law Lian went to that few acres of land an hour earlier than usual and took a look. And she indeed found that something was up - seedlings had appeared in the field, around a thousand of them in the small three-point plot.

In the days that followed, up until the day before Xiao Xian was forced to "go to school" in the temple, standing at the edge of Ge Village’s fields, the eye could see a verdant expanse. The seedlings’ leaves were three times larger than those in other fields, and the height was half taller than Zhu Shijun’s split seedlings. To put it simply, Mr. Zhu’s one-acre of seedlings were the delicate girls of the Jiangnan region, while Xiao Xian’s three-point seedlings were the typical strong men of the north-east.

Once the seedlings reached about ten centimeters, it was time to start transplanting. The original plan of transplanting rice seedlings over an acre of land, now with their promising growth, could cover three acres.

After the seedlings matured, it was time to split them. Sister-in-law Lian refused to let Xiao Xian help, fearing that the locusts in the field would sting them. Instead, several women from Ge Village who, like her, were idle at home, got involved. Each brought over five home-raised eggs and, with damp towels wrapped on their bamboo hats, rolled up their trouser legs, gathered their collective strength, and went to the field to move the promising rice seedlings from the seedbed to the paddy field.

Xiao Xian, unable to enter the field, stood on the field ridge and watched the adults transplant. Sister-in-law Lian grabbed a handful of seedlings, soaked her feet in the water, separated the seedlings with her index and middle fingers, and with a gentle press of her thumb into the soft mud, the seedlings neatly entered the paddy.

The seedlings were transplanted in order from west to east. Xiao Xian, itching to join in but unwilling to go against Sister-in-law Lian’s wishes, grabbed a handful of seedlings. The seedlings in hand had well-developed roots and clear veins. Picking a spot in the paddy, Xiao Xian released the seedlings in a parabolic motion.

The seedlings landed steadily in the soil, stirring up a small splash like a spray of rain. Seeing this, Sister-in-law Lian called out a few times from the edge of the field, and then let it be. Xiao Xian, not heeding her, continued tossing seedlings, which flew towards every corner of the paddy like the pointed shuttlecocks Xiao Hua often played with next door. As long as the distance was right, the vitality of the "flying seedlings" was no lesser than that of the ordinarily transplanted seedlings.

The whole day’s work anticipated for transplanting was reduced to half a day due to Xiao Xian’s "interference". Sister-in-law Lian, still unconvinced, thoroughly checked the three acres of seedlings to ensure that every seedling was inserted upright and tight before she stepped onto the field ridge.

During the time of transplanting, the white pear tree behind the Zhu Family’s house also had a bountiful harvest. Mr. Zhu shared a few kilograms with the village chief’s family, San Gouzi’s household, and planned to send a few kilograms to the Li Family and the Great Wizard in the following days. After accounting for it all, there were still over three hundred pears remaining.

"It’s really strange, how many fruits did this pear tree bear last year? Yet this year is a big year for pears," Zhu Shijun thought. He saved some for his family and handed the rest to San Gouzi to sell down the mountain.

"Mr. Zhu, what price should they be sold for?" Before descending the mountain, San Gouzi inquired. Even San Gouzi, who was not knowledgeable about market prices, knew that pear trees across the nation were only just budding, and the fruits were yet to come. Being the first fruit to market, logically, to hike the price by a buck or eighty cents was reasonable. The white pear tree in the Zhu Family’s backyard was densely fruit-laden, and since hibernating birds had yet to leave their nests, the fruit that was often pecked and blemished by birds in previous years, now each appeared evenly-sized and attractive this year, weighing one pound in the right hand, and needless to say, the taste was exceptional.

"Just make it one yuan more expensive than the market price. It’s a pity that the year has passed. If it could have been sold during the festival, the market price would have been different," Zhu Shijun decided. He asked a village carpenter to weave dozens of willow baskets, lined them with straw, and loaded them onto San Gouzi’s truck.

Recently, Mr. Zhu was in better health and liked to do things himself, keeping up with the young lads in the village.

San Gouzi then headed down the mountain with a full load of pears. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, we welcome you to recommend it by casting your recommendation ticket and monthly ticket at Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation.)