NOVEL NEXT Chapter 111: Listening to Songs While Farming
Long before, it had already been planned to cultivate more plots of land, with the allocation of 4 mu of rice fields calculated for 50 people.
The cultivation of new land needs to be well-prepared and preemptive.
Now the total population has reached 52 people, and in the future, there might be new arrivals.
Moreover, planting other crops now also requires land.
Besides, the previously planted hybrid rice, although highly productive, cannot be used for replanting.
Even though a large amount of high-yield hybrid rice had been purchased and stored for over three years in a dry, low-temperature environment using scientific methods,
it still isn't entirely reliable. With the apocalypse having erupted, it's no longer possible to buy hybrid rice, so preparations must be made to start planting conventional rice that can be replanted.
Discussions were also held previously with Grandpa and others about cultivating terraced fields at the foot of the mountain.
Breaking up segments of land between the ridges to layout the terraced fields.
It's April now.
It is the season for planting early rice.
At the base, in the paddy fields.
Li Yu went down to the fields, bending over to plant the rice seedlings.
Recently, Li Yu has been in a good mood, feeling tranquil.
While planting, he wore headphones, listening to songs that had been downloaded long ago.
Under the scorching sun, Li Yu stood in the paddy field, listening to the Mandarin version of "Farmers" by Beyond:
Not envying those who construct tall buildings overnight,
Not questioning to whom the heavens show favor,
With my sincere heart and both hands,
Trading for a peaceful and comfortable life.
Everyone has their own sky above,
Everyone has their own plot of land in their heart,
Whether the harvest is bountiful or poor,
Ask your feelings, not the money,
...
Life may be hard, but facing it, everyone is like a warrior.
Constantly working hard towards their own goals and dreams, perhaps to no avail.
Maybe not hard enough, but only oneself knows.
Act without quarreling, when unsure what to do.
Just do it, sometimes, as you do it, you might see the path you want to take.
Someone said:
To see endless vistas in this limited life,
So... must keep moving.
In this apocalyptic world, nobody knows what the next day will bring, what accidents might occur.
But that piece of land in the heart, one has to tend it themselves.
Just like Li Yu standing in the paddy field at this moment.
Carefully planting rice, irrigating, applying pesticides, with his own two hands.
Quietly waiting... for the harvest season.
Sow well the field in your heart, and be true to yourself.
.....
The 4 acres of paddy fields were planted very quickly, with many hands making light work, all were planted in less than a day.
The setting sun dipped below the horizon, staining the evening sky crimson. The clouds seemed ablaze with dazzling, vivid hues, layers of fiery clouds clearly defined, colors fading from west to east.
The breathtaking view at the edge of the sky made Li Yu raise his head in admiration. The setting sun stretched his shadow long, Li Yu slowly lowered his head, looking at the flat expanse of the paddy field before him, his eyes pleased with the lush greenery.
His heart was indescribably joyful.
He savored this calm and beautiful life.
After the paddy fields on the plains were planted, it was time to seize the season and quickly plant peanuts, corn, and sweet potatoes.
April is a good season for planting, during which you can plant cabbage, radish, carrots, sword beans, potatoes, spinach, broccoli, jicama, cucumber, sweet melon, middle to late-ripening gourd, yams, high mountain eggplants, high mountain chili, spring water celery, Jicama, chives, green onions, chrysanthemum, and purple cabbage.
However, the development of terraces was still incomplete, so in addition to continuing to scout for supplies and guarding the base, the remaining people were divided into two groups: some were responsible for planting vegetables, while others cleared land on the mountain.
Today was not Li Yu's shift, so he donned his old clothes early in the morning and set out.
The Southern region has many hills, unlike the vast plains of the North which is suitable for large-scale farming operations.
In the South, the lands are scattered and fragmented, making it difficult to cultivate with large machinery like in the North.
But Li Yu had a solution; among the workers, two knew how to operate excavators, so land was cleared without the need for manual labor with hoes.
The terrain in the forest was challenging, but small excavators, agile and convenient, significantly sped up the clearing process with the help of two excavators.
The excavators dug up the mountain soil, creating flat terrains, and then Uncle Lai and Grandpa directly operated tractors to break down the hard clods and simultaneously clear stones from the soil.
With the help of machinery, within less than an hour, 3 acres of land were cleared on the left side of the mountain. Normally, using a tractor in the plains would be faster, but even with the excavators, it was slower in the mountainous areas.
But it was still much faster than manual labor.
3 acres was the number Li Yu carefully decided upon, not large, but sufficient for now. Even though plants could be cultivated in the cleared terrace fields in the mountain, clearing too large an area would disrupt the hydrological balance of the forest.
Moreover, with occasional heavy rains post-apocalypse, it was prudent not to clear too large an area to prevent landslides.
3 acres was not very large, in comparison to the two mountains, it was less than one percent of their total area.
If it was necessary to expand the base later, towards the outer side of the fence and towards the forest, the fence would have to be extended outwards. Then, it would be simple to clear lands in the plains behind, so there wasn't a need for a large scale clearance at the terraces for now.
Once the terraces were cleared, a water channel was introduced in the afternoon from Mountain Pond to irrigate the land.
Mountain Pond wasn't very deep, shaped like a U with deeper parts in the center and shallower ones towards the edges.
In the deepest part of this Mountain Pond, it was about 20 meters deep.
Of the three acres, 1 acre was prepared for corn, 1 acre for sweet potatoes, and the final acre for potatoes.
People in the South primarily eat rice, but occasionally they also consume other grains and have some flour.
Some places also plant barley and wheat, many white spirits are actually made from barley, and many flavorful white spirits are derived from barley.
Saucy-flavored white spirits predominantly use sorghum and glutinous sorghum as ingredients.
At Li Yu's base, some wheat was also planted, but it was winter wheat from previous plantings, and not much, just a small patch.
Plowing, sowing, watering, thoroughly irrigating.
In the afternoon, Li Yu and Grandpa finished planting these three acres.
Time always flies quickly, especially here at the foot of the mountain, not very high but slightly higher than the plains below.
Spring was not hot; the air, under the caress of the breeze, brought along the scent of blossoms from fruit trees.
The wind tousled Li Yu's hair, he raised his head, his waist felt a bit sore, but for some reason, looking at the bright sunshine, it all seemed so beautiful.
Lately, his mood had been very good.
This period was the most tranquil and comfortable time he had felt since his rebirth.
Though he had to get up daily to farm and clear wasteland, and occasionally it was his turn to go out and search for supplies.
But for some reason, his mood lately had been growing increasingly tranquil.