Chapter 655: Raising Seedlings
Chapter 655: Chapter 655: Raising Seedlings
"Alright."
During their training, the base would provide free room and board. However, in addition to attending classes, they also had to handle cleaning duties and help out in the logistics department. Once they officially started their jobs, the base would stop the free provisions and start paying them a formal salary.
"Ms. Ford, once I officially start working, can I work with you?"
Evelyn Ford stood before the blackboard. She set down the chalk, leaned on the lectern with both hands, and smiled at her students.
"Once you all start working, you’ll be assigned to the various medical tents throughout the base. Of course, the base is currently building a hospital. Once it’s finished, we’ll be able to work together as colleagues."
"Ms. Ford, I heard you got married. Is that true?" The moment he said that, the rest of the students erupted in a playful uproar. Evelyn Ford raised a hand, gesturing for quiet.
"Yes, I’m married."
"You’re so young and already married, Ms. Ford. My older brother is a soldier; I was hoping to introduce you two," a girl sighed in disappointment.
"I wanted to introduce Ms. Ford to my uncle, too."
"Me too."
"I’m seventeen, but I’ll be twenty before you know it. I was thinking of pursuing Ms. Ford myself!"
"Whoa, Howard Miller, you sly dog. You actually dare to have your eye on Ms. Ford."
Evelyn didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. "Everyone, quiet down. This is class time. Please hurry and copy the notes from the blackboard. Let’s not discuss unrelated topics during the lesson."
"Okay."
Evelyn picked up the chalk and continued writing notes on the blackboard. Two hours later, she left the classroom. On the way back, she ran into Dr. Turner carrying water back to his tent.
His tent was quite far from the vehicle convoy where Evelyn and her group lived. Dr. Turner was still wearing the same tattered jacket. Evelyn stepped forward, offering to carry one of the buckets for him, but he refused.
"It’s out of your way, Dr. Ford. You don’t need to help me; I’m strong enough."
"Why are you fetching water way over here, Dr. Turner? And with two buckets?" A single one of the buckets he carried looked like it held fifty or sixty pounds of water.
"Someone’s doing laundry at the water station by my tent. I had some free time today, so I wanted to wash my clothes and shoes."
"Oh, I see."
"Are you just coming back from the classrooms, Dr. Ford?"
"Yes, my teaching schedule was changed to one in the afternoon. Dr. Turner, the administration told me they’re still short on teachers. I was wondering if you might be interested in teaching the children?"
Dr. Turner froze for a second. "Would I be able to collect two salaries and stipends?"
"You can. It’s only two hours a day, and you can set your own teaching schedule."
A glimmer of hope flashed in Dr. Turner’s eyes. "Could I really do that?"
"Of course. Everyone has seen what you’re capable of, Dr. Turner."
Dr. Turner sighed. "To be honest, Dr. Ford, I have my elderly parents to support. They can’t work, so if I can collect two stipends, I’m willing to go and teach the children."
Evelyn was a little surprised. She had always thought Dr. Turner was all alone; she never imagined his parents were still with him.
Considering his age, Dr. Turner’s parents were probably in their sixties or seventies. It certainly wasn’t easy for him, looking after two elderly people.
"Tell you what, when I go to teach tomorrow, you can come with me to the administration office to register. You just need to fill out a form. Doctors can get an advance on their stipend and ration tickets; you just have to say the word to the staff there."
Dr. Turner nodded. "Alright, I’ll remember that. Thank you, Dr. Ford."
Evelyn waved it off. Dr. Turner was a good man, and good people were a rarity these days.
After returning to her space, Evelyn rested in the log cabin for half an hour before joining the others to wash medicinal herbs. Neither Liam Sterling nor Ronan Kendrick had gone out today. Seeing the baskets full of freshly washed herbs, Evelyn found a knife and a cutting board, sat down, and began to chop them.
"Are we still having a barbecue on the grasslands tonight?"
Evelyn glanced at Quincy. "Haven’t you had your fill of the cold wind?"
"If I wear a helmet, I’m not afraid of a little cold wind. I wouldn’t even be afraid if it were raining knives."
"I’d advise you to take it easy and stop staying up so late. Be careful or that hair you’ve worked so hard to grow back will decide to leave you again." Evelyn’s words hit him where it hurt, and sure enough, Quincy settled down.
"Then I’m not going. Nothing in heaven or on earth is more important than my hair."
"There are so many herbs. It feels like it’ll take forever to wash them all."
"The more herbs, the better. The ones grown in the black soil are truly potent. Even though they’re cultivated, their medicinal value is the same as herbs that have grown for centuries deep in the mountains, absorbing the essence of the sun and moon."
Evelyn looked at Liam Sterling. "If Rhys Chase has any more prisoners that need to be dealt with, just send them to me. I’ll take all of them."
Liam Sterling made an OK gesture.
"I’m planning to plant some fruit trees. I’ll start with the seedlings and then plant them along the riverbank. What kind of fruit does everyone want?"
"Apples and oranges."
"I want cherries, the big sweet kind!"
"I want grapes."
...
Evelyn nodded. "Alright, I’ll go start the seedlings in a bit."
The method for raising seedlings was simple. You could just prepare a plot of land, sow the seeds, cover them with plastic film, and leave them for about half a month until the seedlings sprouted.
The second method was to create soil blocks, similar to how you’d start corn seedlings. You press the seeds into the blocks, water them, and cover them with plastic film. When it’s time for planting, you can use a small trowel to cut out each block. The seedlings, with their roots still in the soil, can then be planted directly into the ground. Seedlings grown this way have a much higher survival rate and grow into stronger plants.
Thankfully, she had stockpiled plenty of seeds of all kinds of fruits and vegetables. Over the years, she had already finished all the fruit she’d originally stored away. There were still a few watermelons left from the ones she grew at Wyrmrest Base. Watermelons got eaten up fast, so Evelyn planned to plant about half an acre of them.
Rhys Chase had once planned to clear land at the Second Base to grow watermelons, wanting all the residents to have fruit to eat. But an earthquake had destroyed everything. His dream of planting fruit hadn’t died, though. During the New Year, he had mentioned to Ronan Kendrick that once Eldoria was stable, he wanted to grow watermelons in the desert and plant all sorts of fruit trees around the freshwater lake for every resident of the base to pick and enjoy.
After washing herbs for two hours, Evelyn took Zoe and Annie to start on the seedlings, leaving the others to continue washing.
Wendy wasn’t off work yet; her fixed shift was now from eight in the morning to six in the evening. When she got back, she just had to press the buzzer in her vehicle, and either Evelyn or Ronan Kendrick would hear it and let her into the space.
"Auntie, are we going to play with mud?"
"We’re not playing with mud, we’re making seedling blocks. I’m going to teach you how to farm. That way, when you grow up, you’ll have a valuable skill. Someone who knows how to farm will never starve, no matter where they are."
Zoe nodded. "I want to learn. I want to plant lots and lots of durian trees and banana trees."
"Of course. We’ll plant whatever you want to eat."
"I want to eat cake. Can we plant that?"
Evelyn burst out laughing. "That’s one thing we can’t plant."
"I want to eat chocolate, too."
Evelyn glanced at Zoe. "Sweetheart, you should eat fewer sweets. You’re starting to get cavities."
Zoe’s face went pale with fright. "Auntie, am I going to die?"
"Not right now, so don’t worry."
Zoe... was not reassured.