Chapter 122

Ming Chunxi brought him a glass of honey water to replenish his sugar levels. "Are you feeling any better now?"

Qing Mengzhu: "Much better."

After finishing her honey water, Qing Mengzhu went to the back office to check her balance. Seeing that her Star Coins had clearly decreased, she sighed, "Skill books are so expensive!"

Ming Chunxi: "Being able to buy it is a good thing."

Qing Mengzhu looked at the other skill books again, but they were all grayed out. The Interstellar Mall notified him that he would not be able to buy any more skill books for the next three months.

It seems skill books aren't available for unlimited purchase.

Perhaps because humans are relatively fragile, they cannot seamlessly absorb so many skill books.

It's also possible that the Interstellar Mall has restrictions on users, requiring members to reach higher levels to purchase so many skill books.

Qing Mengzhu checked the backend and found that to become a premium member, monthly sales had to reach millions of Star Coins.

He doesn't know if he'll be able to reach that level in the future, but given the current trend, it's almost impossible for him to do so.

After obtaining the complete "Elementary Soil Science" skill book, Qing Mengzhu's understanding of soil deepened considerably.

With New Year's Day fast approaching, there was no time to delay any longer, Qing Mengzhu began working with Zhao Hexi to prepare the soil for the newly rented fields.

The soil in the south is mostly acidic, and the fields they recently rented are no exception.

Qing Mengzhu led a group to test the soil's acidity, intending to buy lime to adjust its pH level.

Zhao Hexi watched as Qing Mengzhu even used chemical reagents, her eyes filled with beaded circles. "What's this chemical formula?"

Qing Mengzhu glanced at the chemical formula he was pointing to and said, "A salt of a strong base and a weak acid."

Zhao Hexi: "What is this thing? What's it used for?"

Qing Mengzhu: "By extracting the soil with it and titrating it, we obtain acetic acid, which can be used to calculate the hydrolytic acidity of the soil. Then, based on the hydrolytic acidity, we can calculate the amount of lime to be used."

Zhao Hexi broke down. "Aren't you a liberal arts student? When did you secretly go to take further studies behind my back?"

Qing Mengzhu, "One is never too old to learn. It's not like liberal arts students can't continue studying. Stand back a bit, don't disturb my work."

Zhao Hexi moved a little further away, feeling a pang of sadness. "Students who are bad at studying have no rights. It's so easy for you top students to learn anything you want, like drinking water."

Qing Mengzhu knew that these abilities were all thanks to the skill books, and didn't take credit for them. "They're all things that our predecessors researched; we're just applying them now. Alright, let's go to the next field to work."

Zhao Hexi: "Do we need to measure every single field?"

Qing Mengzhu, "If the results of multiple measurements are similar, then there's no need to measure every single field. However, if the results of multiple measurements are very different, then it's best to measure every single field."

They rented 450 acres of land. Even for an agricultural technology company, planting that much land in its first year is quite a bold move.

Qing Mengzhu hoped they could do their best.

Soil conditioning is just their first step; they will use more scientific methods to condition the crops they grow.

In addition to measuring the soil's pH and fertility, Qing Mengzhu also asked Gu Benshu and Li Ba to temporarily put aside their work and prepare a batch of soil microorganisms.

Soil microorganisms are also an important part of the soil ecosystem. Because farmers used a lot of pesticides and fertilizers in the past, the soil microorganisms in these hundreds of acres of soil are severely insufficient.

If they can take good care of the soil and cultivate it properly, the number of soil microorganisms will gradually recover.

However, Qing Mengzhu couldn't wait for the soil to naturally recover. He wanted to start planting in the best possible condition, so he planned to artificially purchase a batch of soil microorganisms and spread them directly onto the soil.

Modern agricultural technology is relatively advanced, and major agricultural companies and research institutes produce a wide variety of soil microbial products. They only need to select products suitable for local conditions, combine and mix them, and then they can use them without having to cultivate and propagate them from scratch.

Looking at the bustling company, Qing Mengzhu felt a sense of pride.

Their agriculture is really starting, but I wonder what level it will eventually reach?

Hopefully, we can reach the top level in the country, and even the top level in the world.

Author's Note:

See you at 10 PM!

Chapter 122

In the morning, Qing Mengzhu went up the mountain to check on their pepper seedlings and planned to add soil to them.

Their Sichuan pepper seedlings are growing very well. Despite the cold weather and strong winds, they are full of energy and show no fear of the cold.

It's already the end of December, but if it continues to grow at this rate, I estimate we'll be able to eat our own homegrown Sichuan peppercorns next summer.

While Qing Mengzhu was working, her phone rang.

He answered the phone, and it was Zhao Hexi calling.

Zhao Hexi's loud voice came from the other end of the phone. "Mengzhu, where are you? I can't see you anywhere!"

Qing Mengzhu: "What's wrong over here in the pepper field?"

Zhao Hexi: "Didn't you say we needed to soak the seeds? We're not very good at it, could you come down and give us some pointers?"

Qing Mengzhu asked in bewilderment, "You still can't soak the seeds according to the soaking recipe I wrote? I wrote it very clearly."

Zhao Hexi: "I always feel like I have no backbone without you. Why don't you come down and take a look?"

Upon hearing this, Qing Mengzhu had no choice but to say that she would come down immediately and asked them to wait a moment.

The sun was shining brightly today, and the weather was fine. Everyone was waiting for Qing Mengzhu at his doorstep.

Upon seeing him appear, Zhao Hexi said, "You've finally arrived. I was so unsure of myself to be in charge of the seed soaking."

Qing Mengzhu: "What's there to worry about? It's 30% bamboo vinegar solution, 40 degrees Celsius water temperature. Once you've mixed it, just pour the seeds in, and you're done, right?"

Zhao Hexi: "That's what you say, but how much water and how many seeds should be soaked? Once the seeds are poured in, won't the water temperature drop immediately? After it drops, should we add hot water or heat it directly? Adding hot water will reduce the concentration of the bamboo vinegar solution, and what if heating it kills the seeds?"

Seeing the question swirling in his mind, Qing Mengzhu chuckled, "No need to be too precise, just get it roughly right. There's a high margin for error."

Zhao Hexi shook her head vigorously. "No, I don't feel at ease without you. You still have to take charge."

Hearing this, Qing Mengzhu had no choice but to say, "Then I'm here now. Let's begin soaking the seeds."

The seeds they were going to soak were the seeds that would be planted in the company's fields.

We'll start soaking them today, and we can sow them in the seedbed tomorrow.

Just then Qing Mengzhu planned to transplant the seedlings she had cultivated to the ground in the next couple of days. The acre of land where she had used the Soil Fertility Restoration Agent was now empty and could be used to cultivate the company's vegetable seedlings.

The field where Qing Mengzhu's family used to grow radishes has already been plowed and ridged; they can simply transplant the seedlings there.

Since everyone was here today, Qing Mengzhu asked them to help with the transplanting—he would settle accounts with the company later, calculating their labor costs together, and also calculating with the company the money he was paid for helping with the seedling cultivation.

When they were transplanting, Qing Mengzhu specifically requested that the soil be shaken off the seedlings as much as possible before transplanting them.

Feng Ningxiang and the others worked strictly according to his requirements, so the seedlings they dug up were all bare seedlings.

Zhao Hexi already knew that he cherished his soil, but seeing this, she couldn't help but say, "You've shaken the soil off way too thoroughly. Isn't it said that it's easier to plant with some soil on?"

Qing Mengzhu: "Our seedlings are so robust, their survival rate should be high even without soil. There's no need to bring them in."

Zhao Hexi: "You're so stingy, you can't bear to part with the soil in the ground!"

Qing Mengzhu: "Yes! What wonderful soil!"

The seedlings wilted a bit after being transplanted to the field, but Qing Mengzhu wasn't worried. She simply had Feng Ningxiang and the others scoop water from the pond and water the vegetables to help them establish themselves.

After watering, the seedlings should be able to survive.