Chapter 104
104 Hybrid
In the blink of an eye, it was early spring. The spring was bright and beautiful. Not a single cloud could be seen in the azure sky. The wheat fields had also turned from dark green to emerald green. A breeze blew through the emerald green wheat seedlings and created emerald waves.
With people working in the fields and farms, Li Yu focused on taking care of the wool weave. She sorted out the weaving methods from her previous life and taught them to Madam Liu and Madam Lin. Those female workers also created other weaving methods and styles.
In late March, Li Mei was already three months pregnant. On the day of the diagnosis, Liu Changmin was so happy that he cried and laughed. Ever since then, Liu Changmin had almost worshiped Li Mei.
When the Zhaodi sisters saw this, they were secretly worried. The sisters said to Li Yu, who was sitting on a rocking chair and drawing blueprints while watching the rain, “Cousin, my father keeps saying that my mother is pregnant with a younger brother. I’m afraid that if my mother is pregnant with a younger sister, something might happen.”
Li Yu looked at the drizzling rain. “That’s right! Uncle and Aunt want a son. In this case, let’s not invite trouble. We can only pray that the heavens will be merciful and give your parents a son.”
When the sisters heard this, they pressed their palms together and begged the heavens, “Please bless my parents with a son.”
After the sisters finished praying, Laidi looked at Li Yu and said firmly, “Cousin, I won’t get married in the future. I want to be like Brother Ji Xiang and be the shopkeeper for you and Cousin-in-law.”
Li Yu looked at her and smiled. “Alright! Then learn how to plan with Ji Xiang first. Oh! And learn how to write.”
Laidi pouted. “But writing is so difficult! Ah Qing always despises me. He said that the words look like they had collapsed on the ground and can’t be helped up.”
“To think you still want to be the head shopkeeper. Look, your handwriting is like an earthworm. You don’t know how to write books and plan. You need to stop dreaming if you can’t do a single thing well,” Zhaodi teased her.
“Hmph! I’ll go look for Uncle Zhou and ask him to teach me how to plan.” After saying that, Laidi ran off with the umbrella. Zhaodi told Li Yu and ran out.
After the sisters left, Li Yu fell back onto the recliner and thought about how to choose the seeds to breed with wild rice and home rice.
Li Yu’s head ached at the thought of it. Only then did she remember that her father had chosen the seeds with salt water in her previous life. After choosing them, he soaked them in lime water.
Using salt to soak the seeds? Seeds and salt were so expensive. Was there a more economical way to choose? Li Yu fell into deep thought.
Zhou Jia carried the food box from next door and saw Li Yu lying on the rocking chair. He stared blankly at how she was frowning without moving. He was shocked and quickly walked to Li Yu’s side. He asked repeatedly, “Yu’er, what’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”
Li Yu looked up at Zhou Jia’s worried expression and smiled as she pulled him to sit on the stool. “I’m fine. I was thinking about a problem just now.”
“Oh! You scared me.” Zhou Jia opened the food box and handed it to Li Yu. “Auntie He cooked this. Try it.”
“It smells so good!” Li Yu opened the food box and the fragrance assaulted her nose.
Zhou Jia went to the kitchen to get two bowls and handed the wontons to Li Yu. “Yu’er, tell me what you’re worried about.”
Li Yu took the bowl. “I’ll tell you after eating lest it affects your appetite.”
“Alright.” Zhou Jia smiled and sat beside Li Yu. The two of them held their bowls and watched the drizzle as they ate.
“Auntie He’s wontons are delicious,” Li Yu praised.
Zhou Jia nodded and took the bowl back to the kitchen. When he returned, he looked at Li Yu seriously. “Tell me! Let me hear what problem is making you worry?”
Li Yu explained to Zhou Jia the method of soaking the rice seeds in salt water. She looked at him and spread out her hands. “Right! Salt is so expensive, and we have so many seeds. Let’s use the wind to choose the grain for the time being! I’ll find Carpenter Chen to make a few Wind Grain Machines later.”
Zhou Jia looked at Li Yu and said gently, “I’ve seen those long-term workers soak seeds in water before. They were just soaked in water for a while before being scattered. Your method is already very good. When we are able to accumulate salt in the shop in the future, we’ll save them for you to soak the seeds in.”
“Forget it! That salt is enough to buy rice.” Li Yu smiled and picked up the drawing. “I’ve already drawn the blueprint for the Wind Grain Machine. Let’s go find Carpenter Chen to make it.”
Zhou Jia took the blueprint and looked at it. “The Wind Grain Machine you drew is different from the one at home in the East Village. Yours should be more useful.”
Li Yu looked at Zhou Jia in surprise. “Did your family already have a Wind Valley Machine in the East Village? Why haven’t I seen anyone use it in the West Village?”
Zhou Jia opened the umbrella and hugged Li Yu as he walked out. “I call it a fan cart. There are blueprints available. Besides, these things are not cheap. How can those farmers and tenants bear to spend money to make them?!”
Li Yu nodded in agreement. “Yes! That’s true. Then let’s make a few more.”
The two of them walked out of the house and looked at the large patch of emerald under the drizzle. Looking at the clouds lingering in the distant verdant forest, Li Yu took a deep breath. “Yes! The air in the rain has a sweet taste.”
Zhou Jia looked at Li Yu’s charming appearance when she was intoxicated. Seeing that no one was around and Li Yu was covered with an umbrella, he secretly kissed her cheek. “Yu’er, you’re so beautiful!”
Li Yu pinched Zhou Jia with a red face. “Aren’t you embarrassed? How embarrassing would it be if someone saw you!”
Zhou Jia held the umbrella up ingratiatingly. “Yu’er, I was wrong, but I also noticed that there was no one.”
Li Yu pursed her lips and smiled. “Seeing that you’ve admitted your mistake, I’ll forgive you this time.”
When the two of them arrived at Carpenter Chen’s house, Zhou Jia handed the blueprint to him. After seeing it, Carpenter Chen smiled and said, “When I just finished my apprenticeship, I helped Minister Huang’s family make two. They look a little different from Mr. Zhou’s.”
“Uncle Chen, can you make it?” Li Yu looked at Craftsman Chen and asked.
“I can do it. I’ll make one for you before the end of the month. I’ll make the rest before I collect the wheat.”
“Okay, we’ll settle the bill together when it’s done.” The two of them left Carpenter Chen’s house and went home to work separately.
In mid-March, Li Yu asked the long-term workman to fertilize the wheat field. In early April, the wheat began to enter the harvesting stage. Li Yu brought the long-term workman and began to level more than 30 acres of straw fields. After preparing the straw bed and sprinkling a layer of rotten ripe manure into the ditch, she mixed the soil and fertilizer evenly. It was not until late April that she sorted out the straw fields and placed them in the water of the field. She also opened up a separate piece to sow the wild rice.
In late April, the wheat was ready to be harvested. Li Yu’s farmstead was also built. It was a two-in-one residence with a large drying field when one walked in. There was also a row of warehouses and a row of houses where long-term workers lived. After passing through the door, they entered the inner courtyard. There was a row of five main rooms in the inner courtyard, three in the east and west rooms, and a cellar was dug under the kitchen.
At the beginning of May, Li Yu brought Zhao Er Ya and a few women to sun the rice seeds for a few days. She used the wind to blow out a portion of the corn and soaked it in water to wash it out. Madam Liu looked at the corn and sighed at the Lin family. “Sister-in-law Lin, look at how the wind blew. There’s still so much corn after soaking. No wonder our seedlings are not good.”
Madam Lin looked at the grains in the wicker basket. “We only thought that the grains had been chosen in advance. Who knew that there would be such grains? Miss, your farming is much more meticulous than ours.”
“There won’t be a good harvest if I’m not meticulous.” Li Yu smiled at the two of them. “Put the lime into the gauze bag and I’ll mix it with water.”
After Li Yu weighed the lime Mrs. Liu had filled, she mixed it with water at a ratio of one to ten. After the lime dissolved and filtered, she poured the seeds into a bucket and began to soak them.