Chapter 63

Qing Mengzhu quickly pulled a bamboo pole from the lotus leaves to drive away the geese that wanted to attack.

After chasing them for a while, the geese finally gave up and stopped trying to peck at people.

Looking at the half-grown geese, Wu Tianqing asked, "You're also raising geese in the pond? Wouldn't that be considered polyculture?"

Qing Mengzhu: "I don't know if it counts. I only brought them over during the day and have to bring them back at night. The main thing is that geese are quite territorial, and having them here helps to keep an eye on the lotus."

Ji Qinglin and Wu Tianqing both had practical planting experience and knew that sometimes people would steal crops.

Upon hearing this, Ji Qinglin laughed and said, "Your move is truly brilliant; it kills two birds with one stone."

Wu Tianqing: "Do they eat lotus flowers and lotus leaves?"

Qing Mengzhu: "They will eat a little, but not much. The lotus leaves grow very quickly. Even if the geese eat some, new leaves will grow quickly, so it's okay."

Wu Tianqing parted the lotus leaves and seedpods with his hands to look at the water below. "Your water is very nutrient-poor. I also noticed that you're raising shrimp in it?"

Qing Mengzhu: "Yes, it just looks quite clear, but it's actually quite nutrient-rich. I fertilize the pond almost every week, sometimes twice a week."

Wu Tianqing: "I see that most people grow lotus and raise crayfish together. Why are you raising them together with crayfish?"

Qing Mengzhu: "Mainly because we have abundant freshwater shrimp resources here; there are many freshwater shrimp in the river, and I feel this place is very suitable for their growth. As for crayfish, I don't have any experience in raising them, and I also have some concerns about selling them later, so I haven't raised crayfish."

Wu Tianqing stared at the shrimp swimming around in the pond. "Are the shrimp farming going well? With such clear pond water, what do the shrimp mainly eat?"

Qing Mengzhu casually used a bamboo pole to part the lotus leaves and pods. "Actually, I also planted Hydrilla verticillata underneath. The shrimp can eat Hydrilla verticillata and lotus leaves, and there are also many organic debris in the mud to eat. My shrimp are growing quite plump, so it seems there shouldn't be any problems so far."

Qing Mengzhu told them everything he could. Ji Qinglin and Wu Tianqing saw that his logic was very clear and his words were very clear, so they quickly grabbed him and asked him all sorts of questions about his breeding method.

Finally, Wu Tianqing made a request. "Could we take a look at the silt at the bottom? Your water is so clear, it's almost unbelievable. I'd like to see the silt."

Qing Mengzhu: "Perhaps the silt in our pond has a better absorption effect. I left 20 centimeters of silt at the bottom of the pond, and the depth of the silt should be acceptable. Please wait a moment, this is a deep pond, I'll go down and get the silt."

Since Qing Mengzhu didn't have a bucket, she simply picked two large lotus leaves and took two handfuls of mud to show them.

The silt at the bottom of the pond is fertile and smooth to the touch, almost fluid. Even when gently stirred, the tiny particles of silt rise to the surface but quickly sink to the bottom.

Ji Qinglin and Wu Tianqing had never seen such silt before, and they were full of admiration.

After Qing Mengzhu showed them the silt, they went to the river to wash their hands, and then she came over to pick lotus pods for them to taste.

The lotus pods in the pond were both old and young, Qing Mengzhu picked both kinds.

The lotus seeds inside the tender lotus pods are not yet mature. They have a juicy texture, sweet and tender. When you bite into them, all the juice comes out. Even the lotus heart inside is tender yellow. It is not bitter at all, but has a unique fragrance.

The lotus seeds extracted from old lotus pods are crisp and sweet, but a bit hard, making them less suitable for eating raw and more suitable for use as ingredients.

After eating half a lotus seed, Wu Tianqing said to Qing Mengzhu, "Putting everything else aside, the taste of this lotus seed alone is worth promoting."

Qing Mengzhu and said, "Everyone who has tasted my lotus seeds praises them; they really do taste good."

Ji Qinglin: "What's even more commendable is that you recognized the value of your lotus seeds and contacted us immediately. We are truly fortunate to have a new generation of agricultural workers like you."

Qing Mengzhu blushed slightly at the compliment. "It's nothing. My family has some dried lotus seeds that we can save as seeds. Shall I give them to you?"

Wu Tianqing: "May I have two more lotus plants growing underneath?"

Qing Mengzhu readily agreed, "Of course, I'll go down and dig in a bit."

Ji Qinglin hurriedly said, "I'd like two plants too. And how many lotus seeds do you have? We can share them."

Qing Mengzhu: "I've saved about three jin of lotus seeds for seed. If you want some, I can save a little more when this batch of lotus pods matures."

Ji Qinglin: "I need about five jin. Could you please reserve some seeds for later and sell them to me at the market price?"

Qing Mengzhu thought for a moment and said, "Let's send them. The market price for my family's lotus seeds is quite high, probably over a thousand yuan per kilogram."

Ji Qinglin laughed, "We'll handle this officially, so it'll be done the proper way, and we can keep records."

Qing Mengzhu remembered that Nian Xinfei had said the same thing when he gave her chili seedlings last time, so he agreed, "Then lotus seeds that can be kept for seeds are sold for 1,200 yuan per catty, and lotus plants for 500 yuan each?"

Ji Qinglin: "No problem, you can just give us a receipt later."

Wu Tianqing: "Me too, please follow the same specifications."

After agreeing on the price, Qing Mengzhu went to the vegetable garden to get a vegetable basket, intending to dig lotus roots for them to take home.

While digging, Qing Mengzhu chatted with them and learned that after taking the seeds back, they would first plant them in a breeding tank, label them, and then gradually select and breed them based on the performance of the plants.

Modern breeding is not quite the same as what Qing Mengzhu imagined. Gene technology is now very advanced. If breeders want a certain trait, they can directly extract the genes from the seed, perform gene aggregation, and then cultivate a new variety.

Because of this breeding method, people now attach great importance to germplasm resources and collect them from all over the country and even the world for purification. Then, they use these germplasm resources to select superior genes for aggregation.

Hearing these unfamiliar terms, Qing Mengzhu felt that this was no longer an era where one could take shortcuts.

Professional tasks should indeed be left to professionals.

Without the relevant academic knowledge and training, he would likely be unable to conduct complex gene combination experiments.

Qing Mengzhu resolutely gave up on the path of breeding, but when she sent the two back, she made a request to them. "When new lotus seeds are produced in the future, could you consider our area first and promote their trial planting locally?"

They both agreed.

Ji Qinglin smiled and said, "Don't worry, even if it's for cost reasons, we will prioritize establishing relevant planting bases locally."

Wu Tianqing: "We are the Lotus Research Institute of Huiyang District. If we cultivate new seeds, it will definitely be for the benefit of our local people."

Qing Mengzhu: "Mainly because many people have asked me about lotus seeds, I was worried that if I gave them the seeds directly, the newly grown lotuses would have unstable characteristics and low yields, so I didn't give them any."

Ji Qinglin: "If you use seeds, the shape of the new lotus will definitely be unstable. It would be better to use rhizomes directly."

Qing Mengzhu smiled and said, "I might expand my lotus planting next year; the lotus roots from these two ponds should be kept for my own family."

Wu Tianqing: "Your lotus is so good, expanding the planting shouldn't be a problem. You only have two ponds now, which I also think is a bit too few."

Qing Mengzhu was optimistic. "This is only my first year planting, I'll take it slow."

Author's Note:

There will be another chapter at 10 PM tonight, and I'll be giving away 88 little red envelopes in this chapter! See you tonight!

Chapter 63

There's been a lot going on at home lately. Qing Mengzhu just finished selling a batch of lotus seeds and is now busy buying incubators to hatch the fertilized eggs from the hazel grouse batch.

He didn't know how many eggs this batch of hazel grouse would lay, but they had already accumulated more than three hundred, which was not a small number.

Therefore, he specifically spent a four-figure sum to buy a large incubator.

Hazel grouse are a relatively uncommon type of poultry, and they are free-roaming birds. He used to raise hazel grouse and pigeons in comparison, but they are not really comparable.