Chapter 176

Qing Mengzhu took the opportunity to inquire about things here, including the soil, water sources, crops, pesticides, and expenses—mostly agricultural matters.

The two elderly people and Zhou Xiaowei were also familiar with these matters and answered all their questions.

Qing Mengzhu gradually gained an understanding of the local situation.

They talked for more than three hours, and around 4 p. m., Zhou Minyue finally managed to get a ride back.

Zhou Minyue was surprised to meet Zhao Hexi. Meeting Zhao Hexi's puzzled look, Zhou Minyue said somewhat shyly, "Your company has been making headlines several times before. I saw it was a company from my hometown, so I paid more attention to it and saw your photos."

Zhao Hexi said happily, "It's so good that you know us. Here, this is my ID card. Take a look at it."

Zhou Minyue knew them, so things became easier to discuss from there.

Zhao Hexi spoke with her personally, Zhou Minyue readily agreed to work as a technician at their company. She didn't mind business trips, as long as the travel allowance was in place.

However, she hasn't resigned from her job yet, and her place in Vine City isn't ready either, so it will take some time before she can start working for Zhuxi.

Worried that Zhao Hexi and Qing Mengzhu would find her troublesome, she quickly added that if the company needed manpower, she could have two days, and she could handle it in two days.

Qing Mengzhu hasn't cultivated the tea seedlings yet, so she shouldn't rush it. She can take care of her current tasks before starting work.

Because they hired someone, Qing Mengzhu and the others were out for an unusually long time today, and by the time they got home it was already past 8 p. m.

Ming Chunxi had already prepared dinner at home and was waiting for her.

During their meal, Qing Mengzhu recounted the entire story.

Ming Chunxi said, "I thought you'd brought back other fruit trees after taking so long, but I didn't expect you to bring back a person in the end."

Qing Mengzhu smiled and said, "Although we didn't bring any other fruit trees, bringing back one person is still a good harvest."

After saying that, Qing Mengzhu complained, "Actually, there aren't that many good fruit trees outside. I carefully observed along the way until my eyes were tired, but I still didn't see any fruit trees that I wanted to take with me."

Ming Chunxi: "Thank you for your hard work."

Qing Mengzhu: "It's alright, as long as there's a harvest, it's not too hard. You eat slowly, I'll go and clear out the persimmon branches."

The persimmon tree branches had been sitting in the trunk for so long that they weren't as vigorous as before.

Now we need to hurry up and disinfect it, then soak it in rooting hormone solution to help it grow roots as soon as possible.

Qing Mengzhu was about to leave as soon as he put down his bowl, Ming Chunxi grabbed his wrist. "Finish your meal first, I'll go get you a flashlight later."

Qing Mengzhu had no choice but to sit back down. "I'm full."

Ming Chunxi put some food on his plate. "Finish your food."

After finishing their meal, the two tidied up the table before going to look at the branches of the persimmon tree together.

Qing Mengzhu specifically purchased rooting powder from the Interstellar Mall, spending 600 Star Coins.

The Interstellar Mall has always sold rooting powder, but it doesn't look much different from the rooting powder they sell in the market.

Qing Mengzhu, wanting to save some Star Coins, had never bought anything from the Interstellar Mall.

Now that they have plenty of Star Coins, such small expenses don't bother them.

The rooting powder from the Interstellar Mall is better than the local rooting powder. It can promote the growth of the root system. After using it, it is easier to get strong seedlings, and the fruit will be more and sweeter.

Qing Mengzhu looked at the persimmon tree branches and liked them more and more. "I'll move two of them to our mountain later."

Ming Chunxi: "There are only twenty-three trees left in the orchard. Is that enough?"

Qing Mengzhu, "The persimmon trees produce so much fruit, it should be enough. If it really doesn't work, we can buy some more to plant. Anyway, business is never-ending, so ensuring our own fruit supply is the most important thing."

Ming Chunxi smiled and said, "Mm."

They worked for quite a while before they finally soaked all twenty-five persimmon tree branches in a rooting solution made with well water and rooting powder.

There's a bit too much rooting hormone.

Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi went to the backyard and cut branches from the tea trees, managing to gather fifty branches, which they also soaked in rooting solution.

We can cultivate them together then, saving us the trouble of doing it twice.

The persimmon tree branches they brought back this time were of very good quality.

When I woke up the next day, the branches had already turned a moist color, the kind of moistness where the bark is greenish, and they looked to be in very good condition.

The tea tree branches are in slightly poor condition, but they should still be able to survive.

Qing Mengzhu brought over a large seedling pot, personally mixed the seedling soil, and then inserted the branches one by one into the soil.

After planting the seedlings, he placed the seedling pots in a shady spot in the backyard and waited for them to grow quietly and develop roots before considering transplanting them.

The seedlings felt very good this time, Qing Mengzhu had a feeling that all of these branches would survive and grow into new seedlings.

They should be able to transplant these seedlings in at most two weeks.

Qing Mengzhu was moving saplings in the backyard, while Ming Chunxi was cooking in the kitchen. Once the meal was ready, she called him to eat.

Today is Saturday, Ming Chunxi doesn't have to go to work. They plan to take advantage of these two days to move the shrimp larvae that have been raised in net cages to the Rice paddies and water chestnut fields.

While having breakfast, Qing Mengzhu said, "I'll call Brother Chen later to ask about the situation."

Ming Chunxi: "Should we scatter the Spirit Pearl Dregs in the field first?"

Qing Mengzhu slapped her forehead. "Right, I forgot. But it's okay, we're going to spread fertilizer before releasing the shrimp fry anyway, we can just mix them into the fertilizer and spread them in the field."

Aquaculture also requires a lot of fertilizer, and they generally use organic fertilizer.

These organic fertilizers will promote the growth of large amounts of algae and plants, which will be consumed by aquatic organisms.

Qing Mengzhu: "I'll go check on it later. The fertilizer should be fermented by now. I'll disinfect it first."

Ming Chunxi: "No rush. If it can't be done now, we can ask someone to come and help. We can finish it in the next couple of days."

Qing Mengzhu raised her face and smiled, "Then let's do it one by one."

After they finished breakfast, they went to the composting pond to check on the fertilizer.

The fertilizer piled up in the pond has been there for quite some time, covered with a plastic film to protect it from rain and wind, and to prevent wild birds and other small animals from coming and damaging it.

They peeled off the plastic film and could see the soft, dark fertilizer underneath.

This batch of fertilizer is a mixture of vegetables, hay, and poultry manure. It has a decent moisture content and is generally in a relatively dry state.

Qing Mengzhu carefully inspected the fertilizer and found that it was fermented fairly well. Although it was not as good as the fertilizer they made using Spirit Pearl Dregs and fertilizer fermentation powder, it was much better than the fertilizers available on the market.

Qing Mengzhu glanced at it and said, "I'll have someone take it over for high-temperature sterilization. It'll be ready to use after that."

Ming Chunxi: "Let's call someone to bring it now, and then we'll go check on the shrimp."

Qing Mengzhu: "Okay, Brother Chen is already waiting for us by the pond. He said the shrimp are doing well and we can move them directly to the fields."

Ming Chunxi: "They look good. Have they grown into juvenile shrimp? I haven't seen this batch of shrimp larvae in a long time."

Qing Mengzhu coughed lightly. "Then let's go take a look now. I've been busy with the bamboo lately and haven't had much time to look at it. I was thinking of going to check on it after I bought the persimmon trees yesterday, but I didn't expect to come back so late."

Ming Chunxi: "Let's go, let's go take a look."

Chapter 176

When the sun was high in the sky, Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi were watching the shrimp by the pond.

Qing Mengzhu stared at the prawns. "I don't know if it's just my imagination, but why do the prawns this year seem bigger and fatter than last year's?"

Ming Chunxi scooped up a handful of shrimp. "It's not an illusion, the shrimp this year are noticeably plumper."

Qing Mengzhu lowered her voice. "Could it be that because we carefully raised them with Spirit Pearl Dregs and lotus essence, the second-generation shrimp are of superior quality compared to the first generation? Let me scan them."

Ming Chunxi: "What are the scan results?"