Due to the extreme busyness of spring planting, and Uncle De and Uncle Fu being unable to get away, the plan to have Grandpa Zhou take them to Gaiszhou to buy Angora goats after the land thawed in early spring had to change.
As time was of the essence, and the livelihood of everyone in the entire valley for the year depended on it, coupled with the urgency of purchasing the Angora goats, they had no choice but to entrust Grandpa Zhou with the matter. The purchase of Angora goats was entirely delegated to Grandpa Zhou.
Thus, Grandpa Zhou, along with Grandpa Xu, Grandpa Chen, and Grandpa Li, set off for Gaiszhou. After Grandpa Zhou and his companions departed, Uncle De informed Chen Lan about the situation.
With everyone already on their way, Chen Lan had nothing more to say, but she asked with some curiosity, "Uncle De, where did you get the travel expenses and money for buying the Angora goats for Grandpa Zhou and the others?"
Uncle De sheepishly rubbed his nose and smiled, saying, "Xiao Lan, it's not that we intentionally didn't tell you. It's just that you've been so busy lately, leaving early in the morning and only coming back as it gets dark, so we didn't want to bother you with such a small matter. Everyone chipped in, and we gathered enough money. Your mother and your mother-in-law also contributed some, and even the children's New Year's money was used. We've accumulated quite a bit. Uncle Fu and I roughly calculated it to be over three hundred silver dollars!"
Chen Lan was almost speechless. So, they were all little millionaires! Each with their own little fortune. Only she was the money-dispensing child; they could easily pool over three hundred silver dollars with just a little effort, which was no small sum.
Due to the demands of agricultural work, Chen Lan had no time to personally arrange for Xu Mingxuan's comrades. She fully entrusted the matter to her mother-in-law and informed her about it.
Her mother-in-law was very understanding and readily agreed, promising to make perfect arrangements for them and assuring Chen Lan to focus on her own tasks.
Chen Lan had a quick bite to eat at noon and rested briefly.
In the afternoon, Chen Lan, along with Mingwei, Ruyi, and Xiaoxue, went to the wheat fields. Mingwei, being a high school student, had a stronger learning ability than Ruyi and Xiaoxue. She had already learned how to operate a bulldozer. Chen Lan asked her to level and clear the uncultivated land from the previous year, while also letting Ruyi and Xiaoxue learn to operate the bulldozer under her guidance.
Chen Lan herself continued to work on the one hundred and thirty acres of wheat fields. This task was time-consuming and required great patience. It was crucial to plow and harrow deeply and thoroughly, ensuring no areas were missed. The soil needed to be finely broken down without obvious clods, the surface flat, with a loose topsoil and firm subsoil, and sufficient moisture in the lower layers, to prepare thoroughly for spring wheat sowing and germination.
The return of Xiangxi and Xiaoshuan was a great help in solving the labor shortage for spring plowing.
The next day, Chen Lan didn't even have time to ask her mother-in-law about the final arrangements for Xu Mingxuan's comrades and their families. After a quick breakfast of a steamed bun, she, along with Mingwei, Ruyi, and Xiaoxue, left home for the wheat fields. Before long, Xiangxi and Xiaoshuan also arrived.
With the help of Xiangxi and Xiaoshuan, the land preparation work proceeded quickly. The three of them spent another two days preparing all one hundred and thirty acres of land, making it ready for spring wheat sowing.
Chen Lan used a wide-row planter. The advantage of this planter was that the seeds were evenly distributed, the depth of soil cover was consistent, resulting in uniform wheat germination, and good ventilation and light penetration in the later stages, facilitating mechanized management.
Chen Lan demonstrated the operation to Xiangxi and Xiaoshuan, then handed over the planter and spring wheat seeds to them. She herself moved on to the greenhouse to prepare the land for rice seedling cultivation.
Mingwei, Xiaoxue, and the three of them continued to use the bulldozer to clear virgin land.
As the saying goes, "Good seedlings guarantee half the harvest, and good seedlings ensure half the rice crop." This highlights the importance of good seedlings for a bountiful rice harvest.
Chen Lan, along with Uncle De, Uncle Fu, Chuncao, Liu Man'er, Zhang Dani, and a group of young wives, first had to prepare nutrient soil for the seedbeds.
Chen Lan explained to them meticulously, and they listened attentively. Chen Lan first explained the method of preparing nutrient soil.
As Chen Lan worked, selecting soil, she explained loudly, "Nutrient soil should neither be sandy nor clayey. Sandy soil has poor nutrient and water retention, and the rice roots cannot form a compact mat. Clay soil is too sticky, has poor aeration, and the rice roots tend to become oxygen-deprived, which is not conducive to rice respiration."
Qian Yingzi asked, "Then what kind of soil should we use for nutrient soil? We never grew rice at home before; we mostly grew corn and sorghum."
Chen Lan paused, then continued her demonstration, saying, "We generally select soil that has been air-dried and composted in winter, then sieved and set aside. We then add seedling strengthening solution at a ratio of one kilogram of solution to one hundred and fifty kilograms of soil, mixing thoroughly to create the base nutrient soil."
Chen Lan stopped and looked at them, seeing that they were all listening attentively, and continued explaining, "This year, in the greenhouse, we are using the flat-tray seedling method. This involves filling the seedling trays with nutrient soil, to a thickness of about two to two and a half centimeters. Each tray will hold about four catties of nutrient soil. After filling the nutrient soil, we will level it and arrange the trays neatly. Then, we water the nutrient soil. The first watering must be thorough. After that, we evenly scatter the rice seeds on top, and finally cover them with another layer of soil.
The advantage of this sowing method is that the number of seeds sown is relatively uniform, the depth is consistent, germination is neat, and management is easy."
At this point, Uncle De asked, "Xiao Lan, is the selection and sowing of these high-yield rice seeds the same as other ordinary varieties?"
Chen Lan nodded and said, "Basically, they are the same. Of course, the seeds must also be pre-soaked, disinfected, germinated, and sprouted. The sprout length must be controlled to within one-fifth of the seed length, and the root length should be within one-third of the seed length before sowing.
Transplanting of rice is generally started when the average daily temperature stabilizes at 15°C. The transplanting period should not be too long; we should try to shorten it as much as possible."
At this moment, Uncle Fu quietly came over and whispered, "Xiao Lan, how many acres of rice are you planning to try planting this year? There are already over a hundred people in our valley who need to eat, and that's not including those who haven't returned with Xiangdong and Erhu yet. Is it reliable to grow rice here? Perhaps we should clear more land this year and plant more potatoes and corn to be safe."
Chen Lan nodded and replied, "Uncle Fu, the exact acreage hasn't been decided yet. It depends on the germination rate of the seedlings. If the situation is good, we'll plant one hundred and fifty acres. If not, we'll reconsider.
As for the potato fields, cornfields, peanuts, and soybean fields, I've already asked Mingwei to lead Ruyi and Xiaoxue in clearing and preparing the land. This year, we'll use the land they prepare for potatoes, corn, soybeans, and peanuts. We'll also plant several dozen acres of rapeseed for oil this year. We'll see how much land they clear and then decide what to plant."
Upon hearing that Chen Lan had already made arrangements for these matters, Uncle Fu said no more and watched Chen Lan operate and listened to her explanations attentively.