Chapter 101: The Seedling Pulling Controversy

Chapter 101: Chapter 101: The Seedling Pulling Controversy

After lunch, Gu Qingli accompanied Xiao Yunjing to the fields to check on the seedlings.

Gu Qingli looked at the dense seedlings.

How can I convince Xiao Yunjing?

She thought for a moment and then said, “Yunjing, these seedlings are so dense. Can we pull out some of the extras? Just like when we plant medicinal materials, keeping two or three in each spot.”

“Is that possible?” Xiao Yunjing was doubtful. He had never farmed before but had seen others do it. He didn’t recall ever seeing anyone do what Li’er was suggesting.

“I don’t know,” Gu Qingli replied. “But I feel that if they grow so densely, the mature seedlings will surely be thin and won’t bear much grain.”

Xiao Yunjing looked at the already dense seedlings. It seemed Li’er’s words made sense. He nodded and said, “Li’er makes a good point. Should I go and pull some out now?”

Huh? Is it that simple?

Gu Qingli had braced herself for Xiao Yunjing to think she was being absurd today. After all, while they weren’t short of money, the crops in their fields were no trivial matter. One could trifle with heaven and earth, but never with food. The villagers firmly believed that wasting grain invited divine punishment.

“Let’s give it a try,” she urged.

Xiao Yunjing nodded. Without another word, he took off his shoes, rolled up his trouser legs, tucked the front and back flaps of his long robe into his sash, and stepped into the field.

“Li’er, how should I pull them?”

“Like this.”

Gu Qingli showed him how to pull them out, explaining that thinning them into straight lines, both horizontally and vertically, would suffice.

“Hey, Xiao Third, what are you doing? Why are you pulling up the seedlings?” Gu Dashi, a villager who had come to check on the crops, spotted Xiao Yunjing pulling up seedlings and hurried over to ask.

“Oh, Uncle,” Xiao Yunjing replied, looking up. “I just feel these seedlings are too dense. I’m pulling some out so the others can grow stronger.”

“What are you talking about? The more seedlings, the more rice ears they’ll bear! You don’t know the first thing about farming! You’re truly wasting these good seedlings!” Gu Dashi exclaimed, picking up some of the discarded seedlings, his heart aching with regret.

“Second daughter, Xiao Third doesn’t understand farm work, and neither do you! How could you let him fool around like this?” Gu Dashi glared at Gu Qingli and scolded her.

Gu Qingli smiled. “Uncle, please be patient. We just want to try it out. If it doesn’t work this year, we can always go back to the old way next year.”

“You—!” Gu Dashi pointed at her, utterly exasperated. Shaking his head, he stormed off in a huff.

Gu Qingli and Xiao Yunjing exchanged a glance and then continued their work.

These people are certainly meddlesome.

Not long after, several more villagers hurried over, Gu Chang’an at their head.

Gu Qingli pressed a hand to her forehead.

Xiao Yunjing, engrossed in pulling seedlings in the field, didn’t notice their arrival.

“Xiaoli! Xiaoli! Your Uncle Dashi said you two are pulling up seedlings! What’s going on?” Gu Chang’an rushed to the edge of the field, panting.

Gu Qingli quickly walked over. She wanted to help support him, but the ridge path was too narrow, so she had to abandon the idea.

She said, “Second Grandfather, please don’t worry. We came to check the seedling field today and just felt the seedlings were too dense. So, we’re thinning them out a bit. This way, the seedlings can grow stronger, and hopefully, they’ll produce more grain later.”

Gu Qingli explained, hoping that this man, who had farmed his entire life, might understand her reasoning.

Everyone here had been growing rice for a lifetime. Yet, every season, the rice stalks they harvested were thin and short. They produced few grains, many of which were shriveled and not plump. They considered this normal, unaware that their planting methods were flawed.

Modern farming can yield thousands of pounds per acre, while here, three hundred pounds per acre was considered the absolute maximum. Of course, the grain variety is also a crucial factor. But if they could transplant seedlings the modern way, giving them enough space to grow and sufficient nutrients, I’m sure the yield would increase.

If she couldn’t change their deeply ingrained beliefs, she would prove her point through action.

Gu Chang’an walked over to where Xiao Yunjing had thinned the seedlings. He observed the remaining plants, now in neat clusters, and found it surprisingly orderly and pleasing to the eye. But he also felt a pang of regret for the seedlings that had been pulled out. They had never tried Xiaoli’s method before; no one knew what the outcome would be.

“Xiaoli, can you explain to your Second Grandfather again the reasoning behind this?” Gu Chang’an hesitated. He wanted to hear her specific plan. He didn’t believe Xiaoli was a reckless child; after all, at least two of her recent endeavors had greatly benefited the villagers.

If this method could increase their yield, Qinghe Village might not have to worry about going hungry in the future. In these times, grain was the most precious commodity. Even with silver, one might not be able to buy grain, potentially leading to starvation. Such things weren’t unheard of; in fact, they happened frequently. That was especially true during years of bad harvests. If they had sufficient grain reserves, things would be different. There was plenty of fallow land around, and Qinghe Village, with its river, didn’t lack irrigation.

Gu Chang’an’s mind raced with these thoughts before he refocused on listening to Gu Qingli.

The other villagers accompanying him thought the Village Chief must be possessed. He had come to dissuade them, yet here he was, listening to second daughter’s apparent nonsense.

Gu Qingli briefly explained what she knew to Gu Chang’an, enough for him to grasp the basics.

If I explain in too much detail, I’ll expose myself.

Gu Chang’an stroked his small beard, deep in thought.

“Uncle, don’t listen to second daughter’s nonsense! We’ve farmed this way for generations; there’s no way her method is right,” one of the villagers behind him said indignantly.

“That’s right, Village Chief! You’d believe what a young girl says?”

“Exactly! Don’t we all know what kind of person she used to be?”

Gu Qingli glanced at them and said coolly, “Uncles, I’m thinning my own family’s seedlings. I haven’t asked any of you to do the same. Why must you be so insulting? What exactly did I do in the past that warrants this?”

Hearing their disparaging remarks, Xiao Yunjing felt a cold fury rise within him.

My Li’er… I can’t even bear to say a harsh word to her, yet these old fools are meddling far too much!

He quickly climbed out of the field and stood behind Gu Qingli, glaring at the group. “I suggest you leave,” he warned darkly. “If you continue to slander Li’er, don’t blame me for being impolite. Even if we decided to burn this entire field down, it’s still our field, our business.”

Xiao Yunjing’s outburst snapped Gu Chang’an out of his thoughts. He turned and glared at the hecklers. “All of you, shut up!” he roared. “What has Xiaoli done to you? Has she eaten your rice or drunk your water? You know nothing! Earlier this year, when you all went to the mountains to gather medicinal materials for money, who taught her aunts what to pick? It was Xiaoli! And they were the ones who then led you to gather them!

“And those medicinal materials now thriving in the fields, growing even better than those in the mountains? That’s also Xiaoli’s contribution! They’re thinning their own seedlings; it’s none of your damn business! Every last one of you is a fool! Now, get lost!”

Berated by Gu Chang’an, the villagers all shuffled away in humiliation, mulling over what the Village Chief had just said.

Gathering herbs on the mountain and buying land to cultivate medicinal materials… were those really second daughter’s achievements? They found it hard to believe. Everyone knew second daughter was timid and hardly dared to speak much. When had she become so clever? Yet, the second daughter they had seen just now was indeed a world apart from the one they remembered. That composure, that articulate way of speaking… perhaps it wasn’t so far-fetched to credit her with those contributions after all.

After the disgruntled villagers had left, Xiao Yunjing climbed back into the field and resumed pulling. Those people had criticized Li’er, hadn’t they? Well, he would just go ahead and meticulously thin out every last seedling in their own patch according to her method, just to spite them.

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