golden scales

June of the 17th year of Chongzhen was the harvest season in Shandong.

The early-ripening barley harvest is not good this year. It was planted in mid-autumn last year. It is luck to have a continuous harvest in a climate with little snow in winter and little rain in spring and summer.What's more, the locusts did not cause a catastrophe this time, which is enough to make people overjoyed.

The wheat that was also planted last year was not harvested until after the summer solstice. Because of the newly opened canals and deep wells, the harvest was much better than expected.Soybeans should be planted immediately after the two wheats are harvested to maintain the fertility of the land.After the soybeans are harvested, autumn crops such as sorghum, millet, and corn are planted.As a result, the agricultural law of two years and three crops in Shandong has been formed.

"Now the sand and tidal flats can grow food. This year, no one will die of starvation." The village elder stood in the field with his hands behind his back, looking from a distance, and judging by his aura, he seemed to be a lord who ruled the world.

Another old man who was squatting on the ground stood up slowly, his face full of bitterness and hatred was full of wrinkles.He gave the village elder a dissatisfied look, and said, "You stepped on the seedlings."

The village elder lowered his head, and as expected, a tender seedling was rubbed against the edge of his feet.He hurriedly staggered away, but there was no embarrassment.

"Mr. Nong, is my land okay?" Wang Laowu took a bowl of water and handed it to the bitter and hated old farmer.

Nong Lao is not surnamed Nong.

Each prefecture and county selects old farmers who are proficient in farming and assigns them to each village to guide farming. They are called farmers.

Village elders, peasant elders, and instructors form the three elders in the village.There are no village elders and peasant elders in towns, but there are village chiefs and persuading students, as well as instructors, which is still the design of the three elders in the Hongwu era.But it is a lot more enriched and perfected.

The old farmer drank half a bowl of water, and carefully poured the remaining half bowl into the seedling roots.Got up and returned the bowl, said: "Enough water, less fat."

Wang Laowu was a little helpless, and said, "Fat is so expensive now, it's not easy to buy."

The old farmer said casually: "Fengjia Village is often visited by large troops, and several large cesspools have been built. You can definitely buy them there."

In this era of lack of information, a village dozens of miles away is another world.Those who can know what happened in the county are either gods or capable people.Wang Laowu got the advice of the old farmer, responded repeatedly, and said with a smile: "I am also anxious, I just want to fertilize the land before the autumn planting, so that next year I can grow wheat."

"You don't have to be in a hurry here." The old farmer shook his head and walked out.He stopped suddenly and said, "By the way, who are you from Mr. Wang from the village school?"

"I'm his father." Wang Lao Wu said with a simple and honest smile.

"Oh!" The old farmer's wrinkles widened, and he said, "Last time, the county held a farmers' meeting to raise earthworms to feed chickens. I think you still have room here. Let us let you raise them in our village."

"My place?" Wang Laowu hesitated, "The fields are already full."

"Under the mound. It doesn't take up much space, just one step wide." The old farmer walked over, took a step to measure, and said, "Enough, one ridge can raise tens of thousands. It's almost the same. The feed is provided by the county. But you have to stack it yourself. I will tell you when the time comes."

"Well, it's done." Wang Laowu saw that there was no use for the frontier, so he agreed obediently as usual.

"Earthworm dung can fertilize the land. When earthworms come out in the future, the county will exchange them for grain, and you won't be at a loss." The old farmer was looking at Mr. Wang's face, and it was a convenience for Wang Laowu's family. Seeing this honest man I couldn't get enough energy, so I had to speak out.

In the previous agricultural books, earthworms were regarded as pests that could damage the roots and endanger the growth of seedlings. They have always been regarded as the enemy by farmers.

Now the county wants to set up a chicken farm, and the earthworms need to be dried and powdered, and they are mixed with shell powder and corn flour to make feed.It is said that chickens fed in this way grow fatter and lay more eggs.

At the beginning, the county only harvested earthworms like locusts, but as a result, the fields were dug in a mess by a group of children, so they still had to be raised alone.

If it was changed to the past, it was about land and crops, and farmers would definitely not accept this kind of whimsy.Who has heard of people raising earthworms for thousands of years?This kind of pest is raised, so don't we have to raise locusts in the future?But when they heard that it was under the care of the crown prince, no one said anything.That's Taiwei Xingjun's downfall, and he can follow what he says. There is no locust plague this year because he is in Shandong.

What's more, I heard that Gaomi County has set up a chicken farm and a rabbit farm, and the harvest is good.Wang Daling refused to lag behind others, so naturally he had to focus on following up.Think about how this great commander has been kind to others since he took office, and he has been a clean and honest official. He spends half a month running around in the countryside.When you meet such a good official, you must help if you can.

Besides, it is not difficult to raise earthworms, as long as the vegetable leaves and rotten fruits are composted separately as the feed for earthworms, which is simpler than the compost used in the field.

Wang Laowu heard the meaning of Nong Lao, and quickly thanked him again.

The village elder smiled, and followed the farmer to the next family's field to continue the investigation.He didn't care about the fields anymore, but someone in another village secretly changed the boundary markers, and there was almost a fight.Later, when the trouble came to the county, the matter was finally resolved, but the elder of that village was given a punishment and was given a hard training, blaming him for not being able to quell the dispute in the village.

The village elders didn't want to encounter such an innocent disaster, so every household moved around diligently, and tried their best to smooth out any small conflicts.At last, since he took office, nothing major has happened in the village.

Just after seeing off the old peasants in the village, the instructors from the village came again.He was one of the earliest guards of the East Palace. When he beat Liu Fangliang, his arm bone was broken, so he happened to be sent to the village as an instructor to recover from his injuries.

The task of the instructors in the village is not onerous. Every day when they go to the field, they lead the farmers to line up, turn left and right, and explain the password of the army.Every night, I tell everyone about the rules in the army, what I have seen and heard during the war, and recognize the flags and drums, so that I don’t know nothing when I am recruited.Then there is the rotation to go to the village school to attend classes, and it takes three or five days to have one turn, which is purely a life adjustment.

"Instructor Zheng, you are here." Wang Laowu was a little surprised to see the instructor wearing military uniform from a distance.

Instructor Zheng didn't have a smile on his face, he just said dryly: "The superiors are going to form township warriors in every county, and every village has to send out people. Are you going? Military training during slack seasons, and farming during busy farming seasons. Military training is in the counties, including Board and lodging, and a daily allowance.”

Wang Laowu felt a lump in his heart, and thought to himself: Do we still have to go to war in the end?

"If you don't go, I'll find someone else. There are quite a few people who want to go." Instructor Zheng said: "The allowance has at least two eggs. If the time is good, there will be meat."

But Wang Laowu was already frustrated with the war, he shook his head and said, "I'm an outsider, so I won't take this good thing away from others."

"Look at what you said, if you don't want to go, don't go, and you are still an outsider, who bullied your family?" Instructor Zheng was in a bad mood, turned his mouth, turned and left.

Wang Laowu was a little embarrassed, and thanked instructor Zheng's back to let him go, and immediately started looking for pests in the field.When encountering agglomerated soil, it is also easily ground into soil and cultivated on the roots of the seedlings.He had to be busy like this until the sky gradually closed and the door drum sounded in the village, and then he reluctantly walked to the village.

All the peasants outside the village lined up outside the village, and they went around twice as usual. After counting and reporting the number, the three elders made sure that everyone in the village had arrived before entering the village and going home.The gate of the village was then closed tightly, and it would not be opened until dawn.

Wang Yi has already returned.Now he is a teacher in the village school, helping new students with errands, checking homework, and taking care of young children who need enlightenment.He also likes taking natural history and physical education classes. At that time, he will change into his own short jacket, just like other students.

Because he came home early, the task of cooking fell on him. When his father came back, the two of them finished their meal in the light of the fading sky.

"It's my turn to watch the night tonight. You should practice at home, don't be lazy." Wang Laowu educated his son while eating.

Wang Yi nodded, put down the bowl, and said, "Father, have you heard? The county is going to practice Xiangyong."

"Eat your food, mind your own business." Wang Lao Wu shook his head.

"It is said that the instructors in each village will quit military service and switch to brave service." Wang Yi asked puzzledly: "After switching to brave service, the instructor alone will be able to get fifteen acres of land, all of which can grow wheat and millet. Well, another three years of food exemption, and only half of the food tax will be paid after three years..."

"That's in exchange for his disability, why are you jealous." Wang Laowu said angrily.

The village instructors also took turns serving as the physical education teachers of the village school, so Wang Yi knew this.

"I'm not jealous," Wang Yi argued, "I just can't figure it out. Why aren't they happy about such a good thing?"

Wang Laowu took a sip of the noodle soup and said with a blank expression: "Eat your food and mind your own business." (To be continued. Your support is my greatest motivation. For mobile phone users, please go to m. to read.)

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