CHAPTER 616: 616 WORK

Wei Kaiyun followed closely behind his wife and told her that the village chief came by today to help sprout the potatoes.

"That’s great. I bought some potato seeds today too. I was told that the potato seeds need to be cut into small pieces, covered with sand, and kept moist."

After we finish eating, I’ll take care of it. I learned how to do it today.

Old Yang couldn’t bear to look at his friend behaving like a lackey.

But if I had a wife who stuck by me like that, I’d probably be the same way, right?

Dinner was noodles with meat soup, and the steamed buns from lunch were reheated until they were crispy and golden brown, delightfully crunchy and fragrant in the mouth.

Everyone got a fried egg, but Sister-in-law Liu refused to take one for herself, even when Jiang Xinyu offered.

"I won’t eat it, you all enjoy. I’m content with what I have."

"Sister-in-law Liu, don’t do this in the future. It’s just one egg; the family can afford it."

"I’ll leave it for Feifei to eat." She was very fond of the girl, as her beauty invoked a protective instinct, wanting to give her the best.

After dinner, Wei Kaiyun, Sister-in-law Liu, Old Yang, and the three children went inside to sprout potatoes.

Jiang Xinyu organized the items they bought today, putting supplies in the cabinets. The most frequently used item at home now was candles because they had such high demand. It didn’t even take an hour before everything was sorted out.

Jiang Xinyu asked Wei Kaiyun to bring over a plastic sheet, covering everything tightly to help with insulation and moisture.

"I think we should go outside and cut some branches tomorrow since they’re turning green again and are soft enough to stick in the sand; cover them with plastic to create a kind of greenhouse. Wouldn’t that make watering easier?"

Old Yang volunteered, saying he’ll arrange it the next morning since he had to head to Jin Family Village by the afternoon and stay for a while. Once the house was built, his task would be considered complete.

The next morning, the two of them went out with sickles. Jiang Xinyu reminded them to cut as much as possible since she wanted to use plastic to grow beans, eggplants, peppers, cucumbers, and tomatoes in their own plot.

"Wife, let’s grow these in the yard to avoid small animals ruining them."

"We can have the kids help keep an eye on things. I also want to grow watermelon, melon, and cantaloupe using the plastic, so we’ll need plenty of branches."

"No problem, we’ll go out now and cut some more."

After breakfast, the family watched as the two constructed a greenhouse with plastic sheeting before going off to their respective tasks.

Today, Wei Kaiyun planned to teach them how to sow seeds. Therefore, they couldn’t afford to be late. They had to show special enthusiasm because once the effort had been put in, it wasn’t worth risking offense over trivial matters.

Everyone in the household went out to cut branches. They couldn’t take thorny branches, just poplar or willow branches. They had to be selective, or else the plastic could get punctured and lose its insulating effect.

Jiang Xinyu stayed home to grow bean sprouts. This time between spring and summer was a period of scarcity, and there were hardly any vegetables available. Adults could manage, but kids couldn’t. She thought about growing onions and chives in the yard, while the rest could be planted in their own plot.

In fact, there was another piece of land next to the house, but Wei Kaiyun intended to expand outward. With limited rooms available, a main gate was also needed to be turned into a garage mainly for storing farming tools.

And of course, a kitchen couldn’t be left out, especially considering how hot the summers would be here.

Sister-in-law Liu pushed a cart full of willow branches inside. "Xiao Jiang, there are several more cartloads, so I’ll keep bringing them in."

"Sister-in-law Liu, just leave them outside the courtyard wall. We’ll dig pits and soak them later."

By ten in the morning, everyone except Wei Kaiyun had returned home, having collected a total of five cartloads. Jiang Xinyu thought it was probably enough, and they proceeded to dig pits outside the courtyard wall, submerging all the branches in water.

Shang Zhenkun also weighed them down with stone slabs. With all these preparations complete, they could go to the land in the afternoon to make ridges and cover them with ground film, allowing the earth to warm up first.

Old Yang didn’t feel like leaving in the afternoon, but he was persuaded to go. The work here wasn’t urgent and didn’t require much effort. The land was already plowed, making it quite manageable.

"It’s not urgent; they’ll probably arrive in the afternoon."

"Master Yang, you should go over there, or else they’ll be waiting for you."

After lunch, everyone rested for a while, and by half-past one, the elderly, the children, and a pregnant woman all headed out to their own plot.

Sister-in-law Liu pushed the cart, bringing along a shovel and two garden hoes.

As they walked, Jiang Xinyu asked, "Master Shang, should the watermelons be planted in a ventilated area?"

"Most likely, I’m not sure. However, we can plant more, and then store them in the cellar or sell them to the supply and marketing cooperative if needed. It’s definitely better than growing corn."

"That’s what I was thinking too. I’m planning to plant two acres of watermelons and use the rest for vegetables. We can construct a melon shed and check it out when it’s ready."

"Okay, I’ll come over then." The old man looked quite eager.

The children were also very interested upon hearing about the melon shed.

Jiang Xinyu smiled to herself, knowing they would find out in time that it wasn’t all fun — the mosquitoes alone would be quite a challenge.

"Xiao Jiang, do you know how to plant melons?"

"I haven’t done it before, but I have read about it and know the steps. Once we cover the soil with film, I’ll start sprouting the watermelon seeds at home. I know we should plant the sprouts in the soil for higher survival rates."

"As long as you know. I’ve eaten watermelon but never seen how it’s grown."

"No worries, leave it to me. I think I can handle it."

Talking as they went, they arrived at the field. The trenches were two-thirds the width of the plastic sheet. Jiang Xinyu demonstrated how it should be done and then handed it over to Sister-in-law Liu and Master Shang. The two of them worked together, digging two shallow ditches.

The ridges in their plot weren’t that long, only fifty to sixty meters each. As the two were about to finish, Jiang Xinyu took some plastic film, stretched one end over the ridge, and pressed it down with soil.

Then, using a stick inserted through the hollow part of the paper tube inside the plastic, she instructed Jianbin and Shi Jing to each hold one end, and move forward slowly.

Finally, they had a task for the two boys, and they couldn’t have been happier.

But they were very obedient and moved slowly.

"Mom, what should I do?"

"Feifei, you stand here and make sure the ground film doesn’t move."

Jiang Xinyu followed behind them, stopping occasionally to press the soil down with a shovel, adjusting it if it skewed. Once they reached the end, she instructed the two children to hold it taut but not let go. They pulled it tightly, then squatted down to secure the plastic to the ground.

She covered it with soil just like at the beginning and then cut it with the shovel.