Chapter 301 - 301 Calmness: Qingming (1)
301 Calmness: Qingming (1)
In the Shi family’s greenhouse, Eldest Uncle took out bags of small seeds from the big plastic bag.
There were eggplant seeds, tomatoes, green melons, cabbages, and so on. They were all common crops in the countryside.
Eldest Aunt looked at these seeds and asked with a smile, “These seeds are even and full. They’re not bad.”
Eldest Uncle nodded and said, “Yes, it’s indeed not bad! Sister said that she asked someone to get these seeds from the Agricultural Science Academy.”
Upon hearing that it was the Agricultural Science Academy, Eldest Aunt was no longer puzzled. She smiled and said, “I didn’t expect Sister to be so concerned about Mingming contracting land!”
Eldest Uncle said, “That’s right. In the past, I thought that Brother-in-law and the rest would not agree to Mingming contracting the land. After all, their family is so rich and there’s such a big company waiting for Mingming to inherit.”
Who would have thought that they would be so interested in Mingming contracting land and farming?
Eldest Aunt added, “Two days ago, Mingming gave me a few bottles of medicine with words I don’t recognize written on them. She said that these seeds were given by the Agricultural Science Academy. After these seeds are scattered, she used a bottle of medicine to split them into ten portions and poured them into the bucket. Then, she watered the seeds. Hubby, what kind of medicine do you think this is? It’s transparent and colorless. It’s also odorless. It’s like clear water. We’ve never seen it before!”
Eldest Uncle said, “No matter what kind of potion it is, Sister and Brother-in-law will never give you poison!”
“Pfft!” Eldest Aunt couldn’t help but laugh when she heard that. She said, “Hubby, you’ve learned to be humorous.”
Gu Qingming gave dozens of seeds, but it was not a tiring job to sow seeds. Only Eldest Uncle and Eldest Aunt came.
The land where the seeds were planted had been gathered. Everything that needed to be prepared for breeding had been prepared.
Therefore, it would be done very quickly after planting a seed and watering it.
….
While Gu Qingming was in confinement, the villagers outside had already started farming.
Most of the time, farmers planted crops according to the season.
A mild cold season in the first month was followed by a colder period. In the second month, spring rains were continuous.
Spring was in March, and the rain in Qing Ming was in April.
In May, summer would set in, and in June, the summer solstice was observed.
In the summer of July and August, they prepare for autumn.
In the ninth month, they would go into the autumn equinox, and the cold dew and frost fall in October.
It was the 11th month of Lidong, the snowy winter solstice welcomed the new year.
Make the best use of the season to hurry up with production, sowing, and harvesting in time to ensure a prosperous year.
There were twenty-four solar terms in a year and every solar term had a different meaning for farmers.
The Qingming Festival was a signal and symbol of the year’s work! According to the Collection of the 72 Marquises of the Monthly Order, everything will be clean and clear at this moment.
Therefore, “Qingming” had the meaning of melting ice and snow, green vegetation, clear and bright weather, and all things thriving.
“Full-stage willows and green silk smoke, drawing the Qingming Festival”, “Qingming Peach Li Xiao”, “Yuzu Suburban Original Plant Soft”, and other famous sayings were vivid depictions of the natural phenomenon during the Qingming Festival.
In the Western Han dynasty’s Huainanzi Astronomy Training, it was stated that the Qingming wind would arrive 15 days after the spring equinox.
The Qingming Wind was a refreshing and clean wind.
Qingming Festival was a traditional festival in China. It was also the most important sacrificial festival. It was a day to worship ancestors and sweep tombs.
Around the Qingming Festival, spring was bright and beautiful, and peach blossoms had just bloomed. The willows were green, the orioles flew, and the grass was long. The scent of rapeseed and flowers was fragrant.
Around the Qingming Festival, farmers would plant melons and beans!
During the Qingming period, the grass and trees were germinating, and the apricot peaches were blooming. Inside and outside Jiangnan, there was a busy spring plowing scene everywhere.
In the Qingming season, wheat grew in three sections. The wheat south of the Huanghuai area was about to be fertilized, and the rapeseed was already filled with flowers.
With a drought in the north, middle rice would enter the suitable season for large-scale sowing. The farmers would seize the opportunity to sow early in the morning.
At this time, many fruit trees were entering their flowering period, so they had to pay attention to artificially assisted pollination to increase the fruit rate.
The planting of early rice in South China and the fertilization of the cultivated fields should be carried out in time.
Corn, sorghum, and cotton would also be sown everywhere. The new sprouts of the tea tree would grow well if the farmers were careful in preventing diseases and insects.
The saying, “It rains during the Qingming period” referred to the characteristics of the climate in Jiangnan. At this time, it was often cloudy and sunny. The abundant water could generally meet the needs of crop growth. The troublesome thing was the wetness and the harm of lack of light caused by too much rain.
…
Gu Qingming had just finished confinement when she looked up at the farmers who were bending down and scattering things outside. She frowned slightly.
Grandma Shi came over with a bowl of chicken soup and asked, “Ming’er, what’s wrong?”
Gu Qingming pointed outside and asked, “Grandma, what are those people doing? Are they planting?”
Grandma Shi nodded and said, “Yes, they’re planting rice now!”
Gu Qingming’s beautiful eyes suddenly widened. She asked in confusion, “Planting now? Is it early rice?”
“That’s right, it’s early rice!” Grandma nodded.
“Why are you planting it at this time? In the past, I thought you would plant it after the new year?” Gu Qingming asked Rice in confusion.
“Haha, the early rice is usually planted before the Qingming Festival. Generally, the time for the seedlings to grow is 21 days to a month. Then, they can be transplanted into the fields,” Grandma explained. “Many crops are planted before and after the Qingming Festival. For example, peanuts, soybeans, sweet potatoes, and so on. It can be said that most crops are planted before and after the Qingming Festival. Then, generally, the harvest can be harvested in about 120 days!”
Gu Qingming smiled and said, “I only knew about Qingming Festival in the past. It turns out that in the countryside, Qingming Festival is actually the beginning of farming in the countryside.”
Grandmother nodded and said, “That’s right! We country bumpkins do things according to the season.”
This was a sign that farmers are busy with farming.
Grandma Shi thought of something and said, “Ming’we, rest well during your confinement period. We’ve also planted the seeds you gave your uncles. After a while, we’ll get someone to remove them. Also, we’ve planted the seeds of the rice!”
Gu Qingming nodded and said, “I have to thank my uncles!”
Grandma Shi waved her hand and said, “You silly child, why are you being so polite? The 200 acres of land you contracted isn’t just yours. Your uncles also have a share.”
Gu Qingming said hesitantly, “But I think the shares given to my uncles are too little!”
Grandma Shi waved her hand and said with a smile, “It’s not a small amount, not a small amount. Speaking of which, they’re the ones who took advantage of you. You invested millions, but they didn’t invest a single cent. When you earn money in the future, they’ll even take 30%. Ming’er, just focus on your confinement. Don’t think too much.”