flstandardbreds Chapter 142 Mechanization
Chapter 142 Mechanization
Old Wang laughed heartily and said, "Well said! Farming is a skill, and as long as we are willing to put in the effort, we can make a name for ourselves!"
Li Jianjun chatted enthusiastically with the other two men until noon. They found a shady spot under a tree, got off the tricycle, took out some steamed buns and bottles of water, and had a simple lunch.
Old Wang looked at the wasteland and said, "This land doesn't look like it will be easy to cultivate."
After taking two bites of steamed bun, he got up and grabbed a shovel, starting to gesture on the barren land: "Old Zhang, look at this land, it's as hard as stone. We need to turn the soil over properly to loosen it up so that the rice roots can grow deep and strong."
Old Zhang squatted down, grabbed a handful of soil, examined it carefully, and then smelled it: "Hmm, this soil is alright. Although it's a bit hard, it still has nutrients in it. As long as we take good care of it, we'll definitely be able to grow good rice."
"What should we do with those seeds? This soil can only grow drought-resistant crops, but we want to grow rice. We need to think about this carefully."
"Tsk, hey, Muzi, come here."
Old Wang discussed the seeds with him: "This soil can only grow cold-resistant rice; nothing else can be grown at all."
"Okay, that's what I was thinking of planting too."
“But these seeds are expensive! Your area is several thousand acres, and if you plant them all, the seeds alone will cost over ten thousand yuan, not even counting fertilizer, pesticides, and labor costs.”
Li Mu contracted several thousand acres of land, a vast expanse stretching to the horizon. Land was easy to contract, but difficult to cultivate. So much land required tilling, fertilizing, and irrigating, each of which demanded a great deal of manpower and resources.
"And this money..."
Tens of thousands of yuan is not something that can be easily raised. Li Mu only has tens of thousands of yuan on hand at most. Even if he borrows some of the rest from the bank, it won't work.
Old Wang could tell from the young man's expression that he was in a dilemma, so he offered a suggestion: "How about we plant half of it first? We can plant the other half after we've made a profit. This way, we can reduce our pressure and also see if this land can actually grow high-yield, high-quality rice."
"Can't we plant something else? Leaving the other half empty would be a waste."
Li Mu pondered Old Wang's words. Indeed, it was a pity that such a large area of land was left empty, yielding no harvest all year round.
"Old Wang, you're right. But we can't just leave this land empty like this. Can't we plant something else? That way we can at least recoup some of the costs, right?"
"Actually, I have an idea. Look at our land, the river next to it has very good water quality. Could we try planting some cabbage? Cabbage is easy to grow and sell, and most importantly, it can be stored for a long time. If we plant a patch, we can have a good harvest in winter, and then we can take it to the market and sell it for a good amount of money."
Old Wang's eyes lit up when he heard this: "Hey, you're pretty smart, kid. Yeah, why didn't we think of that? Planting cabbages would not only make use of this land, but also recoup some of the costs, and it would also act as a barrier for our rice paddies to prevent soil erosion. It's really killing two birds with one stone!"
The matter was settled. The seeds were entrusted to Old Wang's three older brothers. Li Mu found a place to stay nearby, made arrangements for the three of them, and then returned to the village to begin preparations for planting the cabbage.
Cabbage seeds are easy to find; they can be bought at the village store. Jiang Xuefen had grown cabbage before and knew how to choose good seeds. Li Mu bought several packets of cabbage seeds at the store, along with some farm tools and fertilizer, and then hurried home.
He found Jiang Xuefen and told her his idea: "Mom, I'm thinking of planting some cabbages on the edge of that wasteland. What do you think?"
Jiang Xuefen thought it was a good idea: "Growing cabbage is a good idea. Do you know how to grow it?"
How big is your land?
Li Mu considered it for a moment and said, "That wasteland is quite large, I estimate it to be at least several dozen acres. I think it would be enough to carve out ten acres on the edge of the wasteland to grow cabbages."
Jiang Xuefen nodded: "Yes, planting cabbage on ten acres of land can yield quite a harvest. So when do you plan to start planting?"
Li Mu looked at the sky and said, "I think I should take advantage of the good weather these next couple of days to turn over the soil and apply some base fertilizer. Then I can plant the cabbage seeds. That should be just in time."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Xuefen said with some concern, "Then you'd better hurry. Cabbage doesn't grow well if it's planted too late. You'll need to find a few people to help you, otherwise how can you manage by yourself?"
Li Mu smiled and said, "Mom, don't worry, I know what I'm doing. I've already spoken with everyone in the village, and they're willing to come and help. We've also agreed on the wages. I'll have them come and till the land tomorrow, and it should be done quickly."
Hearing this, Jiang Xuefen finally felt relieved: "That's good, that's good. You must thank them properly, don't let them help for nothing."
"Mom, I understand. Don't worry, I won't mistreat them."
After saying that, Li Mu picked up his farming tools and prepared to go out to till the land.
"Muzi, wait a minute, Mom will get you something."
"Eat something, don't go hungry." Jiang Xuefen said as she walked into the kitchen, took a steamed bun wrapped in oil paper from the cupboard, and handed it to Li Mu. "Mom just steamed this this morning, it's still warm. Take it with you to eat on the way."
Li Mu took the steamed bun, put it in his pocket, and said with a smile, "Mom, I'm not hungry. I'm going to go till the land first, otherwise it will be hard to work when the sun gets too strong."
Seeing that Li Mu was determined to go, Jiang Xuefen stopped trying to stop him: "Then be careful and don't tire yourself out. Also, remember to come back for dinner early."
Old Wang visited all the seed shops in the city and finally found rice seeds suitable for planting in cold, high-altitude areas. He then visited several agricultural supply stores and purchased necessities such as fertilizers and pesticides, settling all the expenses with Li Mu.
Old Wang was reliable; he remembered every expense clearly and even provided Li Mu with invoices and receipts so that he could reconcile the accounts.
When are we going to start?
Li Jianjun couldn't wait to take Lao Wang and the others to see the land and prepare to start tilling and preparing the soil so that they could plant rice.
Li Mu lit a cigarette, slammed it on the ground, stood up, and flicked off the ash. "What's the rush? It's still early. Let the brothers rest for a bit and have some water. We need to plan this out properly; this land isn't something we can just turn over."
After hearing Li Mu's words, Li Jianjun realized that he had been a bit too hasty, so he nodded and said, "Okay, I'll listen to you."
Li Mu turned to Lao Wang and the others: "Brother, have some water and rest. We need to discuss how to best manage this land."