Chapter 120 (continued)

Ming Chunxi: "I've come to take a look."

They went over to look and indeed found the soil that had been arched up.

Under normal circumstances, there should be plump and tender winter bamboo shoots under this kind of soil.

Qing Mengzhu dug down with his hoe and sure enough, he saw a tender yellow bamboo shoot tip.

However, besides the tender yellow bamboo shoots, there were two large earthworms rolling around nearby.

Qing Mengzhu had no particular interest in earthworms; when she saw one, she simply picked it up with her gloved hand and tossed it aside.

Ming Chunxi was rather averse to soft, damp things, as they made him feel unclean. He took a small step back and moved a little further away.

Qing Mengzhu dug again, and to his surprise, he dug up even more earthworms this time, a total of three, one of which he had even dug into two pieces.

Ming Chunxi's expression was rather unpleasant. "Why are there so many earthworms?"

Qing Mengzhu: "Perhaps the Soil Fertility Restoration Agent was used, which improved the soil quality here, and they came here to settle down?"

Qing Mengzhu squatted down and examined them carefully, saying, "Don't be afraid, these earthworms are quite clean and of good quality."

Ming Chunxi: "Your description sounds a bit strange."

Qing Mengzhu laughed heartily, "It's true, earthworms are actually very 'clean' creatures. If the place is even a little dirty, they simply can't survive."

Ming Chunxi wasn't fooled. "The cleanliness you're referring to means the kind without pesticide or chemical pollution, not the kind that's dirty in the traditional sense?"

Qing Mengzhu raised an eyebrow. "It depends on whether you think the soil is dirty or not. If you don't think the soil is dirty, then it's clean."

This time, Ming Chunxi was a little unaccustomed to it, so Qing Mengzhu instructed him, "Move back a little, let me see if there are any other earthworms. Don't worry, I'll pick them out first."

Ming Chunxi: "Why are you looking at this?"

Qing Mengzhu: "Earthworms are one of the indicator organisms of soil, meaning that the quantity and quality of earthworms can indicate the quality and health of the soil. I'd like to take a look."

Ming Chunxi: "It has this use too?"

Qing Mengzhu: "Yes, it's a very important soil animal—as mentioned in Elementary Soil Science."

Although Ming Chunxi didn't like earthworms, he became curious after hearing this. "Generally speaking, how many earthworms should there be in the soil?"

Qing Mengzhu: "It depends on the soil and what kind of soil it is. In our ordinary fertile fields down the mountain, there can be one or two hundred earthworms per square meter. The better the soil condition, the more earthworms there are; the worse the condition, the fewer earthworms there are."

Ming Chunxi asked in surprise, "So many?"

Qing Mengzhu nodded firmly. "That's all."

Ming Chunxi: "Are they all the same kind of earthworm? Or are there actually all sorts of earthworms down there?"

Qing Mengzhu: "Not necessarily. There are over two hundred species of earthworms in China. Even in the same field, there might not be only one species, but there are definitely many of the same species."

Qing Mengzhu looked at the earthworms and found that there were more earthworms in this land than he had expected, and their quality was also better. They were probably attracted by the Soil Fertility Restoration Agent.

Earthworms can consume humus in the soil, and their excrement helps to accumulate nutrients and promotes the formation of soil aggregates.

Their activity in the soil can also make the soil looser, improving its aeration and water permeability.

Having so many earthworms here is actually a good thing.

Qing Mengzhu said to Ming Chunxi, "I'm going to dig up some earthworms later and move them to the fields down the mountain. You take the winter bamboo shoots and go back first."

Ming Chunxi didn't mind doing farm work, but he couldn't stand the large number of earthworms swarming around him. Hearing this, he didn't ask any further questions, "Okay!"

There were so many earthworms in the bamboo forest; they saw quite a few when they were digging for winter bamboo shoots.

Ming Chunxi was only thankful that he was wearing gloves, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to dig any further.

Unlike slugs and snails, earthworms do not attach themselves to plants and harm them.

They are simply soil animals, living only in the soil and not harming any plants; in fact, they tend to stay away from plants.

Although there are earthworms in the bamboo forest, they are unlikely to stick to the winter bamboo shoots.

Ming Chunxi was able to harvest winter bamboo shoots without any psychological barriers, largely thanks to this.

If earthworms were to crawl on bamboo shoots, he probably wouldn't even eat the bamboo shoots.

After digging up the winter bamboo shoots, Ming Chunxi went back.

Qing Mengzhu took a small basket and began digging for earthworms.

There were so many earthworms in the bamboo forest that he could dig up quite a few with one stroke of his hoe.

He dug all morning and found half a basketful.

Earthworms are quite fragile when they are out of the soil, so he put them in a basket and took them to the field, intending to release them into the field while they were still relatively active.

It was nearly noon when he went downstairs.

Zhao Hexi was tending to tomatoes with her team when she saw him from afar and waved to him, asking, "What are you carrying?"

Qing Mengzhu a vague answer, "It's nothing."

Zhao Hexi knew him too well; seeing his expression, she knew there must be something in the basket. Curious, she ran over to look. "What is it? You're being so vague."

Qing Mengzhu tried to stop her, but couldn't. "It's an earthworm, I was afraid you'd be scared."

Zhao Hexi had already seen them and exclaimed excitedly, "Wow, so many earthworms! I'm a seasoned angler, why would I be afraid? This is top-notch bait!"

Qing Mengzhu then realized, "Oh well, I worried for nothing. I thought you'd be disgusted by this."

Zhao Hexi waved his hands repeatedly. "It's not disgusting, can I have some? I'm going fishing this afternoon."

Qing Mengzhu refused. "Go dig somewhere else. These are earthworms I specially dug up from the bamboo forest to fertilize the fields."

Zhao Hexi: "How can earthworms fertilize fields?"

Qing Mengzhu briefly explained the principle behind earthworm fertilization, "It basically promotes the conversion of humus, making the soil more fertile. Okay, I'd better hurry, or the earthworms will die."

Zhao Hexi: "So you're saying you're going to put earthworms in the field and let them multiply and thrive there? Is that okay? I don't think there are that many earthworms in total, are there?"

Qing Mengzhu: "There aren't many now, but they reproduce very quickly, and there will be many more in a while."

Zhao Hexi thought for a moment, "Should we cut them into sections for breeding?"

Qing Mengzhu: "... No, stop reading those jokes. They reproduce by producing cocoons. They are hermaphroditic, so cross-fertilization is all they need. Each earthworm can produce two or three cocoons per month, and each cocoon contains several baby earthworms."

Zhao Hexi quickly called out to him, "Wait, I don't think I quite understood. What cocoon?"

Qing Mengzhu took out her phone and searched. "It's those two words. You can find out by looking up some science information."

Zhao Hexi took the phone and looked at it carefully, praising it repeatedly as she read.

Before this, he really didn't know that earthworms had so many intricacies.

After reading it, Zhao Hexi said, "How are you going to put the earthworms in the field? I'll go with you."

It's almost noon, we really need to hurry.

Qing Mengzhu agreed, "Tell Auntie Feng and the others that we're going to the fields over there."

Zhao Hexi: "Okay, wait for me a moment."

After Zhao Hexi finished speaking with Feng Ningxiang and the others, she and Qing Mengzhu quickly took earthworms to the field where they had previously planted white radishes.

Qing Mengzhu instructed Zhao Hexi to dig holes with a hoe, put two earthworms in each hole, and then cover them with a thin layer of soil.

Earthworms stay in the soil for a while, and soon they will burrow down to the bottom of the soil and make their home there.

Zhao Hexi had planted all sorts of things recently, but this was the first time he had planted earthworms. He found it quite fun and even laughed as he planted them, saying, "I never imagined that one day we would be planting such strange things."

Qing Mengzhu: "Didn't you find it strange when you were catching bugs with me before, trying to find Bacillus?"