allonlinenovel Chapter 205 Can sweet potatoes be grown for two seasons?
Chapter 205 Can sweet potatoes be grown for two seasons?
Several older children in Xiuying's family go up the mountain to dig medicinal herbs every day during the day.
They carried bamboo baskets on their backs and held small hoes in their hands, with determination on their energetic faces.
Shi Liu meticulously searched for ripe herbs, digging carefully, fearing to damage the roots. The younger children, the sixth and seventh, followed behind, helping to place the dug herbs into bamboo baskets, their faces flushed with exhaustion, but they never complained.
The children of Sun Dasao's family also came to help enthusiastically. Sun Da's eldest son, Jindan, was strong and sturdy, carrying the bamboo basket full of medicinal herbs and walking briskly.
The youngest daughter, Sun Huahua, is very clever and helps sort the herbs with swift and accurate movements. The children chat and laugh as they work, making the hard work full of joy.
……
The village had a really good harvest this year. Although it was a year of famine, every household had stored a lot of grain by growing drought-resistant and high-yield rice, and everyone's face was filled with the joy of a good harvest.
Five other families followed suit and tried growing sweet potatoes. Unexpectedly, the results were remarkable. The yield of one acre of sweet potatoes was as high as 1,000 kilograms, which made everyone very happy.
Seeing that we have a good harvest this year, everyone has started to actively plan for next year. People who depend on the weather for their livelihood have to prepare for a rainy day and cannot relax just because we have a good harvest this year.
The villagers flocked to the five families who had previously planted sweet potatoes, all wanting some to save for seed. With over 300 households in the village, there wouldn't be enough sweet potatoes to go around. Although it wasn't plant time yet, everyone wanted to take some home for seed. Xiuying had said they wanted to use the vines from the seed potatoes for planting.
The five families who had previously planted sweet potatoes were now in a dilemma. They thought to themselves that they had to save some for themselves after all the hard work they had done all year and they deserved to taste the fruits of their labor. They also had to save some for seeds, hoping to continue planting sweet potatoes and have a good harvest next year.
The head of one household frowned and said to the villagers who came to ask for sweet potatoes: "Hey everyone, it's not that we are stingy, but we really have to keep enough for ourselves. We can't give it all to you and then not plant it next year!"
The hostess of another family also echoed: "That's right, we are in a difficult situation too, please everyone understand!" Despite this, the villagers who came to ask for sweet potatoes still refused to give up. For a while, the yards of several families were filled with noisy arguments.
The villagers were arguing over the issue of saving sweet potatoes for seed, and in desperation they called the old village chief, who came hurriedly with a serious face.
Arriving under the old locust tree, the old village chief raised the gong in his hand and struck it "clang clang clang". The crisp and loud gong sound instantly broke the tranquility of the village and spread to every corner of the village.
When every household in the village heard the gong, they put down their work and hurried to the old locust tree.
Xiuying also arrived in the crowd, still holding unfinished needlework in her hands, with beads of sweat on her forehead from the work, and her eyes showing her concern for the matter.
The old locust tree was soon crowded with people. Everyone was whispering and talking, wondering why the old village chief had called them together.
The village chief spotted Xiuying in the crowd and stepped forward to tell her, "Xiuying, everyone's having a hard time saving sweet potatoes for seed! The few sweet potato growers won't give more, and the others want all the potatoes. It's a stalemate, and this isn't going to be easy!"
The village chief frowned and looked worried. He sighed helplessly as he spoke. He felt that both sides were right and he was in a dilemma.
The sweet potato seeds that Shi Liu had sown in the valley were now ready for harvest. Xiuying felt happy when she thought of the abundant harvest in the valley.
The sweet potatoes she had grown from the seeds she had saved had already been harvested in advance by the villagers.
Xiuying stood on the edge of the field and shouted to everyone, "Don't worry, I have a solution!"
The scene fell silent instantly.
Xiuying told everyone, "The sweet potato vines that Shiliu found in the valley might still be there. We can go over there and look for more. Maybe we can find enough sweet potatoes to save for seeds, so we can all plant sweet potatoes!"
Her eyes were full of hope and her voice was firm and powerful, making the originally anxious villagers feel as if they saw a ray of hope.
Under the old locust tree, sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, creating patches of light. Xiuying stood in the center of the crowd, her expression focused and confident.
She analyzed to everyone: "Think about it, sweet potatoes are so easy to grow, and the climate in our Futian Village is warm and humid. I was wondering, under such circumstances, can sweet potatoes be planted twice a year?" Xiuying said, waving her arms to emphasize her point.
As soon as Xiuying said this, the scene instantly became lively.
Someone excitedly responded, "If we could really grow two crops, our harvest would increase significantly!"
An old man stroked his beard, his eyes gleaming with surprise: "Xiuying's idea is novel, but it's not impossible!"
Children were running around and playing in the crowd, shouting, "There are more sweet potatoes to eat!" For a moment, people were whispering to each other, and the sounds of discussion and laughter were intertwined. The whole place under the old locust tree was very lively, as if it was a festival.
Planting more for one season will double the harvest.
When Zhao Cunliang heard Xiuying's words, he couldn't help laughing, and the laughter was particularly harsh in the noisy crowd.
He crossed his arms and said with disdain, "Planting sweet potatoes in the spring is fine, but who's ever seen them planted in the summer? Xiuying, I didn't expect you to say such a thing in your quest for attention."
His eyes were full of sarcasm and questioning, and his voice rose a few degrees, as if he wanted everyone to hear his refutation of Xiuying.
The crowd around suddenly quieted down, everyone's eyes moved back and forth between Zhao Cunliang and Xiuying, and the atmosphere became a little awkward and tense.
Faced with Zhao Cunliang's questioning and ridicule, Xiuying did not back down. She explained her ideas and basis clearly and logically, with a firm and confident look.
Xiuying said calmly, "Uncle, everything requires a try. You can't assume it won't work just because you haven't seen it before. We can carefully study the growth habits of sweet potatoes, and then combine them with the climatic conditions of our village. Maybe it will work!" Her voice was clear and powerful, causing many people to rethink the possibility of this matter.
After a heated discussion, people were gradually moved by Xiuying's courage and well-reasoned analysis.
A respected elder stepped forward and said, "Xiuying is a girl who has ideas and is willing to study hard. Maybe this time she can really bring a new turning point to our village." More and more people nodded in agreement.