Chapter 61: The Peasant Girl’s Splendid Manor
Chapter 61: Completion of the Greenhouse
The recent commotion once again made the old Mo family the laughingstock of the entire Liuyang Village. Hong Shi's act of laying hands on her husband not only solidified her fierce reputation but also turned Mo Yong Xi into a topic of gossip among the villagers. Many villagers would shake their heads and caution their daughters against associating with her whenever they heard her name.
Hong Shi's blunt words also sparked various speculations about the Mo family among the villagers. However, due to the benefits they received from the Mo family and the fact that they often encountered them in daily life, many villagers dared not gossip openly. Some upright men even forbade their wives and children from discussing the matter at home.
Mo Qingze had to go to Liuyang Village every day, inevitably encountering some strange glances. However, he was not a narrow-minded person and had already come to terms with certain things. He didn't feel embarrassed by the situation but was worried that idle gossip might reach the ears of his three children.
Fortunately, after a few days, there was no more gossip in the village, and Mo Qingze breathed a sigh of relief. Moreover, with the completion of the greenhouse frame and the excavation of all the water channels, he was kept busy every day and had no time to dwell on such matters.
Since the construction of the greenhouse frame began, Mo Yan had been running to Liu Yang Village every day, worried that the greenhouse might not be built properly. Fortunately, the task was not too difficult, and everyone worked diligently, resulting in a well-built and stable frame.
The most challenging part of the entire greenhouse construction was building the heating stove. Although it might not be necessary, in case of extreme weather conditions such as snowstorms, even with the spiritual spring, Mo Yan couldn't guarantee that the vegetables wouldn't freeze to death. Therefore, she spent some effort to have an experienced mason build a closed fireplace based on the enclosed fireplace design from her past life.
"Miss, this fireplace is excellent! It burns without producing any smoke or being too dry!"
After the fireplace in the first greenhouse was completed, Mo Yan had someone light a fire and add firewood to test it. To her surprise, the effect was even better than she expected. The villagers who watched were curious and impressed, with some even expressing a desire to install one in their own homes.
However, Mo Yan disagreed with their plans. "While this is convenient, sparks can easily escape from the chimney and cause fires. Sometimes, if the chimney temperature is too high, it can also lead to fires!"
In a society where construction materials were relatively primitive, safety concerns regarding fireplaces used for greenhouse heating were not significant. However, if installed in homes, especially in the majority of villagers' thatched houses, the danger would be much greater.
Upon hearing her warning, the villagers who had initially considered installing fireplaces in their homes broke out in a cold sweat. They were fortunate that Miss Mo reminded them; otherwise, if they rashly installed one at home and an accident occurred, they would have nowhere to cry.
Seeing that they took her advice seriously, Mo Yan didn't say much more and continued to have fireplaces built for the other greenhouses.
A total of twenty greenhouses were built on twenty acres of barren land, with each greenhouse covering about one acre, and each greenhouse was equipped with two fireplaces.
As for what vegetables to grow on the twenty acres of land, Mo Yan had already planned it out. Being located in the northern region where the winter climate was cold, apart from cold-resistant radishes and Chinese cabbage, there were hardly any other vegetables available. Even radishes and Chinese cabbage needed to be harvested and stored properly before freezing temperatures arrived, or they would also freeze and rot.
In addition to leafy vegetables such as lettuce, spinach, and cabbage, which had short growth periods and were popular among people, Mo Yan also planned to grow melons and tomatoes, which had longer growth periods. These vegetables didn't mind a longer growth period, as they could still fetch high prices even by May of the following year. As for garlic, scallions, ginger, and bell peppers used for seasoning, she planned to grow two acres of each.
In a city as large as the capital, with numerous aristocrats and wealthy merchants, the off-season vegetables produced in winter would surely fetch a good price. Mo Yan believed that she would make a considerable profit, allowing her to buy mountains and plant fruit trees worry-free next spring.
After a few days, all forty fireplaces were completed. Mo Yan handed over the prepared vegetable seeds to several experienced farmers and asked them to help with the planting.
In addition to the vegetables originally grown in the space, all other vegetable seeds were purchased from the seed store and were sown in the space multiple times before being collected. As a result, the quality of the vegetables greatly improved. Not to mention other factors, even the germination rate and disease resistance were better than those sold outside.
After all the seeds were planted, Mo Yan secretly injected a considerable amount of spiritual spring water into the water channels. She didn't dare to directly pour spiritual spring water onto the ground, as the seeds might sprout the next day, causing trouble for herself.
Mo Yan was confident with the spiritual spring in her hands, but Mo Qingze was worried sick. Initially, he supported his daughter and agreed without much thought when he first heard about "greenhouse vegetables." However, as the barren land was reclaimed, the water channels were dug, the greenhouses were built, and various vegetable seeds were sown, he realized he had been too impulsive.
"Dad, don't worry too much. The temperature and humidity in the greenhouse are sufficient, and there are people taking care of it. We'll definitely grow some vegetables!"
In the main room, Mo Yan watched her father pacing back and forth with a headache, feeling dizzy herself. It was the first time she had seen her usually stable father so unsettled.
"Dad, I've checked today, and none of the seeds have sprouted yet. After all the effort we've put in, if it doesn't work out, will you be upset?"
Mo Qingze stared at his daughter speechlessly. The ungrateful girl! The greenhouse vegetables were her painstaking effort. Wasn't he worried about her feeling upset?
Mo Yan was even more speechless. "Dad, did you not sleep well last night? The seeds were only planted the day before yesterday. It would be strange if they sprouted today!"
Mo Qingze furrowed his brows uncertainly. "Was it really planted the day before yesterday? Why does Dad remember it as if it was planted several days ago?"
Mo Yan rolled her eyes and continued to focus on her work. She had been so busy these days that she hadn't even finished making the cotton clothes and pants for San Ni'er!
Mo Qingze awkwardly rubbed his nose, feeling aggrieved at being looked down upon by his daughter. Ever since the villagers found out that their family was going to grow greenhouse vegetables, they had been advised several times not to take risks. Even today, when he went to Liu Yang Village, the old farmers who helped with the planting subtly expressed their doubts, asking him to be cautious. How could he not be anxious?
Looking at Uncle Tang and the others laughing and playing in the room, the siblings couldn't help but cover their mouths and laugh. Being stared at fiercely by Mo Qingze, they realized that in the hearts of these children, their father's authority was not as high as their older sister's. At least when their older sister said something, they believed it without question.
Sitting beside Xin'er, San Ni'er watched her uncle's family play and laughed, feeling an indescribable warmth. If they sisters were to play like this with their parents, their parents would definitely scold them for being immature, and their grandparents would dislike them even more.
Having stayed at Uncle's house for almost ten days, it was the most comfortable time San Ni'er could remember since she was born. There was no arguing or fighting, and they had enough food and warm clothes every day. Uncle and Cousins treated them well. However, tomorrow, their mother would come to take her and her brother home. Sigh!
Comments
Post a Comment