Chapter 487: The Peasant Girl’s Splendid Manor
Chapter 487: Deep Mountain Farming (1)
In early May, the weather already carried a hint of summer heat. However, for the diligent and simple rural families, this bit of warmth was nothing to be concerned about. Carrying a water jug, wearing a straw hat, and shouldering a hoe, their day of labor began.
The Mo family's thirty mu of dry fields were planted entirely with soybeans again this year. Mo Yan had irrigated them twice with spring water, hired people to weed once, and then left them to grow on their own. Surprisingly, despite not receiving meticulous care like other farms, the soybeans grew even better after being weeded just once, frustrating to behold. Once again, her belief in divine protection received strong "confirmation."
The fruit trees in the Mo family orchard also thrived. From March to April, various fruit trees bloomed one after another. After flowering, small green fruits hung from every tree.
Not every small fruit could grow smoothly to maturity, though. The two-year-old fruit trees couldn't handle so many fruits. Mo Yan hired over twenty people, guided by Aunt Tong, to remove the majority of the small fruits. Only about ten of the best-growing ones were left on each tree.
Of course, even these best-growing fruits had to endure natural selection. Whether they could grow and ripen successfully depended on their own fate. If these ten or so fruits could mature successfully, most would still be picked halfway through to aid the tree's growth. Although the spring water ensured no such issues, Mo Yan preferred to keep a low profile.
As for the chickens freely ranging in the orchard, under the careful supervision of the four Aunties, they quickly adapted to their new environment. Perhaps due to their prolonged stay in the spatial field, their health improved. Even outside, each hen could lay an egg a day. With 1,500 hens, that meant 1,500 eggs daily, plus the reserves in the spatial field, enough to supply the shop.
The eggs laid by the spatial chickens were larger and tastier than usual, leading to increasing sales at the rice shop each month. Last month's sales alone accounted for one-tenth of the total revenue.
Mo Yan didn't worry much about the dry fields, orchards, or chicken coops, just periodically checking the income and expenses. However, managing the medicinal garden and terraces required more attention.
Starting from mid-March, there were no more cold waves. When the weather fully warmed up, Mo Yan had people clean up the barren hills and sow all the medicinal herb seeds collected from the spatial field. After over a month of growth and nurtured by the spring water, all the herb seeds sprouted. Some vine-like herbs had already grown over a foot long.
The land of the medicinal garden was reclaimed from barren hills, with soil not very fertile. In the first year, the priority was to settle the herb seeds smoothly to prevent diseases and pests. Generally, medicinal herbs needed several years to mature for use.
Mo Yan had some experience in growing medicinal herbs. In her previous life, her family owned a pharmaceutical factory where all the herbs were sourced from their own land and managed by experienced farmers. She often consulted with them in the herb fields and learned a lot. Combined with the spring water, as long as she carefully looked after them and promptly addressed any issues, there wouldn't be major problems.
Among the three barren hills, the medicinal garden was the farthest from the Mo family home. As the herbs had not yet matured, there was no need to worry about theft. However, each type of herb had its own characteristics, requiring constant supervision.
Over forty mu of barren hills had been planted with medicinal herbs on more than thirty mu, a considerable area. No one in the village understood how to manage a medicinal garden, so Mo Yan had recently visited several medical halls in hopes of finding someone knowledgeable to take care of it, but hadn't found a suitable candidate yet. She was busy to the point of exhaustion.
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