Chen Lan immediately got excited, her gossip-loving mind buzzing; she wondered if there was a story behind this. She then began to muse out of curiosity, "Hmm! There must be some convoluted and dramatic story here." So, just like everyone else at the dinner table, she pricked up her ears to listen.
As the older woman spoke, she glanced at Uncle Fu and Xiangxi, the father and son pair, sitting opposite her with impassive faces.
She continued, "Hongxiu, don't blame me for always talking to you. How many times have I told you? They are father and son, how could they possibly have any enmity? It's all the rambling of that wandering Taoist priest. Do you really believe him? Little Watermelon is just a bit too lively, and more spirited and cheerful. Your Uncle Fu has old-fashioned ideas and just can't stand it, so he always scolds him a couple of times. What father wouldn't love his own son? This is just 'the deeper the love, the sharper the criticism.'" Su Dan Novel Network
After speaking, the older woman reached out and patted Mother Liu's hand twice, then looked at the father and son pair again, continuing, "Hongxiu! You just think too much. Look at them now, father and son, aren't they doing well! And look at them now, with their filial piety and paternal affection, how good it is! I said back then that when Little Watermelon grew up and became a father, he would understand his father's painstaking efforts, as the saying goes, 'Only when raising a child do you know the kindness of parents.' And now look! We don't even have to wait for him to become a father to understand; we can see it now."
Upon hearing the older woman's words, Mother Liu's old face flushed, and she sheepishly confessed, "It's my fault, I've been thinking too much and got it all wrong! Brother Fu, Xiangxi, please don't be truly angry with me!"
How could Xiangxi and Uncle Fu possibly be angry with Mother Liu? Both father and son knew that it was because Mother Liu cared too much about them, fitting the saying "concern leads to confusion."
All the work in the valley was proceeding in an orderly fashion, with a scene of prosperity and vibrancy everywhere.
One day, Chen Lan wandered over to the mountain opposite, intending to check on Xiangxi and their engineering progress. Looking at the mountainside, apart from two animal pens that had been built, the rest of the area was empty. She felt it was a great pity that such fertile black soil was left idle, a waste of land resources. Chen Lan felt it would be better to plant something here.
Chen Lan pondered for a long time but had no ideas. As she walked, she observed the surrounding environment of the valley, always feeling as if she had forgotten something.
She opened the system warehouse with her mind and searched through it. Apart from a black bag discovered in the corner where she usually kept things, she didn't find anything else special.
Chen Lan was curious about what was in the black bag. So, she took it out of the system warehouse with her mind and opened it. Instantly, she was so happy she could have burst into laughter.
It was truly a case of searching high and low for something and finding it unexpectedly. She was worrying about what to plant here, and now someone had sent seeds.
The black bag contained a bag of sugarcane seedlings. These were a gift from the online seed company when she had previously purchased wheat and rice seeds from the system. Chen Lan had been too busy with spring planting at the time to pay much attention, so she had kept them in the system warehouse. If it weren't for her sudden whim today, this bag of sugarcane seedlings would have remained in the system warehouse.
Looking at the sugarcane seedlings, Chen Lan couldn't help but think of sugar. Sugar was a rare commodity in this era. Sugar was good for providing energy, adjusting the taste of food, increasing appetite, and could also soothe one's mood, making people happy and increasing their sense of well-being.
Chen Lan fully opened the bag and roughly estimated that there were about three to five hundred sugarcane seedlings in it. A planting guide was also included. Since she had sugarcane seedlings and a planting method, and it was currently the season for planting sugarcane.
Chen Lan was a decisive person, so she immediately decided to plant about two mu of sugarcane this year to try. Since she wasn't selling them to anyone and only wanted to give the children in the valley something sweet to enjoy during the winter hibernation, she had no reservations. Having made up her mind, she acted immediately.
According to the planting method described in the guide provided by the seller, planting sugarcane was quite simple. Each mu required about two thousand sugarcane seedlings. The planting rows for sugarcane were one and a half meters apart, and the plant spacing was forty centimeters. The roots of the sugarcane seedlings should be buried about three centimeters deep.
So, Chen Lan went back to the system and found the same online seed store. She placed an order for thirty-five hundred sugarcane seedlings.
This store immediately gave Chen Lan another bag of beet seeds as a gift. This time, Chen Lan was truly at a loss whether to laugh or cry, but she had to admire the store's shrewd business tactics.
Chen Lan no longer dwelled on it. Since she had decided to plant sugarcane, planting another crop – beets – was not a big deal.
So, Chen Lan wasted no time and immediately turned back to head back. She planned to gather the members of the valley's women's farming team immediately after returning, bring out the bulldozers and tractors, and prepare to embark on a new round of farming.
Upon returning, Chen Lan quickly assembled her team. Chuncao, Ruyi, Xiaoxue, Qian Yingzi, and Liu Man'er, driving bulldozers and tractors, arrived at the mountain with great vigor, which startled Xiangxi and his construction crew.
Chen Lan quickly stepped forward to explain to Xiangxi and Uncle Fu, "Uncle Fu, Little Watermelon, don't misunderstand. We are preparing to try planting about two mu of sugarcane here to give the children something sweet to enjoy during the winter hibernation; and plant about ten mu of beets. We'll try to boil our own sugar during the winter ourselves, so we can make more pastries for the New Year."
Uncle Fu chuckled upon hearing this, "Good, good! That's great. Sugar is a precious thing. It would be wonderful if we could boil our own sugar!"
Xiangxi also earnestly praised, "Little Lan, brother is truly impressed. You can even think of this."
Chen Lan tilted her head up and said proudly, "Of course, it's necessary. Otherwise, how could I be in charge here in the valley?"
With that, she turned and directed Liu Man'er and Ruyi, who were operating the bulldozers, and Zhang Dani to begin the land preparation work.
Both beet and sugarcane cultivation require fertile land that is not uneven. Furthermore, the soil must be loose during land preparation.
After the land was quickly prepared, Qian Yingzi, Xiaoxue, Zhang Xiaohe, and Wang Yuling followed behind with tractors, carrying out deep plowing, ditching, and ridging.
After more than a month of spring plowing labor, the women were now seasoned hands. They worked quickly and efficiently, coordinating seamlessly with each other. All preparation work was proceeding in an orderly fashion.