Manbao, however, thought there seemed to be more dirt than leaves, so she became unhappy. Taking Daya and the others, they went to the tree at the neighboring mountain, scraped together the rotten leaves that had fallen on the ground, and then carried them in a basket to dump into the pit.
Zhou ErLang had no idea what they were up to until he saw a few children carrying a big basket of rotten leaves and his eyes nearly popped out. He exploded in anger, "That’s a good basket, meant for holding rice grain! Who told you to fill it with rotten leaves?"
Manbao got a start and, along with Daya and the rest, they dropped the basket and ran, infuriating Zhou ErLang who cursed behind them, "Just wait till tonight, I’ll give you a beating!"
Looking at the basket dumped next to the pit, Zhou ErLang was so distressed. He emptied the rotten leaves into the pit, tried to dust off the basket, realized he couldn’t get it clean, and had to leave it aside, planning to wash it clean in the river later.
Zhou Dalang watched and chuckled, "It must be Manbao’s idea. That kid sure does have a lot of bizarre thoughts."
"What’s so strange about that?" Zhou Sanlang was not surprised and even felt a bit regretful. "Too bad Manbao is a girl; otherwise, if she farmed, she’d definitely be a great farmer."
Zhou ErLang couldn’t help rolling his eyes. "What’s so good about farming? It’s all hot sun and hard labor. I think it’s good that Manbao is a girl. She’s learned to read, and later on, she can marry into some wealthy family in town and never have to work in the fields."
Manbao and Datou had run far away with the others, and the group of kids, seeing the adults couldn’t catch up, laughed and giggled, clearly having a blast.
Manbao looked at her dirty hands and suggested going to the river to wash them, but was sternly refused by Daya, "My mother said that young girls can play in the fields, but if anyone dares to go to the river, I’ll break their legs, one and all."
Datou, Second Son, and Erya all nodded in agreement, urging her, "Young miss, if you want to wash your hands, go home to do it."
Manbao could only nod, "Alright then."
The Zhou family’s six brothers were still busy in the fields, while Zhou Xi and Junior Ms.Qian were at home, doing a final sorting of the rice seeds.
With Spring’s arrival, their main crops were rice and beans.
Once the rice seeds had been sorted, it was time to start plowing the fields. They needed to turn the soil first while it was still dry; after it rained and water accumulated in the fields, they’d have to plow again before transplanting the seedlings.
Right now, everyone was still at ease, but once February came around, everyone would become busy.
Placing the full rice seeds in a winnowing basket, when Manbao ran back, she only glanced at it before squatting in the courtyard with Datou and the others to wash her hands.
Junior Ms.Qian, seeing them draw water, immediately came over to supervise.
The group of children loved playing with water, especially Manbao, who, for some reason, really loved water. It was one thing for her to enjoy stamping in puddles during the rain, but every day after school, whenever she saw them washing vegetables or doing anything with water, she would insist on helping. Claiming to be helpful, she actually made more of a mess, splashing water everywhere and soaking her own clothes in the process.
Junior Ms.Qian had gotten angry with Manbao several times over this.
Just as Manbao was about to play with splashing water, she was startled by the sudden appearance of her sister-in-law behind her. With a shiver, she immediately started scrubbing her hands properly, not daring to splash anymore.
Feeling guilty, she raised her head and tried to make conversation, "Sister-in-law, are you selecting rice seeds?"
Junior Ms.Qian hummed an acknowledgment, continuing to monitor her washing hands.
Manbao had no choice but to obediently lift her hands out of the water and, eager to join in the fun, was about to run over there when Junior Ms.Qian grabbed her, saying, "Your hands are wet. The rice seeds must not get damp."
Manbao could only stand by and watch, asking, "Sister-in-law, where did the rice seeds come from? Did we buy them?"
"We only bought two jin," replied Junior Ms.Qian as she went back to her seat, carefully putting the selected seeds into a cloth bag, sparing a moment to speak with Ms.Qian, "Mother, when Dalang went to buy the rice seeds, the grain shop said that this year’s seeds could yield two and a half stones per mu."
Ms.Qian responded indifferently, "The grain shop says that every year, but how many can actually produce two and a half stones per mu? Such talk is only worth a listen."
Curious, Manbao asked Keke in her mind, "How much is the yield per mu where you come from?"
Keke fell silent for a moment before responding, "I think you might not want to know."
"Why, is it lower than ours?"
"No, it’s much higher," Keke explained, "According to scientific research data, the yield per mu of rice has been updated to 1250.8 kilograms. Of course, the average yield per mu for non-scientific research data, in the highest-yielding place, is only 1064.6 kilograms."
Having bought so many things from the marketplace, Manbao already knew that one kilogram equated to two jin. She counted on her fingers to convert the weight into units of jin, then into dou and stones. The moment she finished her calculations, she couldn’t help but widen her eyes in disbelief.
Keke confirmed, "You haven’t miscalculated. In your world’s units of measurement and weight, one stone is about fifty-three kilograms. Our yield per mu is eight times that of yours."
Manbao was astonished internally and asked, "Why is your yield per mu so impressive?"
"Because our rice seeds are better, we practice intensive cultivation, and we have all sorts of nutrient solutions and fertilizers."
Manbao immediately said, "I want to buy them!"
"What’s the reason?" Keke asked. "There are some things that the host does not have permission to buy. And even if you purchase them, how would you explain obtaining them?"
Looking at the rice seeds her mother and sister-in-law were selecting, Manbao instantly replied, "I want to buy rice seeds!"
Keke advised, "The host may search for information about rice seeds in the marketplace, though I personally don’t recommend you buy them."
"Because future rice seeds can generally only be planted for one season. Although you can save some seeds after harvest for replanting, the yield will significantly decrease, and it might also provoke various diseases that could then spread to local, normal rice strains." This was a change made by future seed companies to ensure their own interests. A very long time ago, humans were accustomed to saving their own seeds, but after thousands of years of changes, people have become used to buying the right seeds for their needs from seed companies every year.
Manbao’s enthusiasm cooled immediately, and she slumped her shoulders, asking, "So there’s no way around it?"
"There is," Keke quickly threw out a dozen books and said, "Read books, learn scientific and cultural knowledge. It can help you achieve many dreams that seem impossible."
Manbao was excited and said eagerly, "I want to read all these books!"
Keke promptly took all the books back, saying, "Host, these books are not suitable for you at the moment. Learning should be progressive. I recommend you start with this one."
Manbao looked at the title, which read "The Development History of Farm Manure from Ancient Times to Present."
Manbao was perplexed.
Keke then offered another book, stating, "And this one."
"’A Thousand Methods for Making Flower Fertilizer’?"
"Yes. Things like rice seed improvement are beyond you for now, as you are too young and your cultural literacy is not sufficient. Let’s start from the basics. Weren’t you just wondering about composting?"
Manbao calmed her excitement, "Alright then."
She went back to her room, reaching out for the book, but Keke informed her, "Host, ’The Development History of Farm Manure from Ancient Times to Present’ costs twenty-five points, and ’A Thousand Methods for Making Flower Fertilizer’ costs twenty points."