Farming Beneath the Changbai Mountains

Two days later, Wenhan got the pickaxe back from the town. The pickaxe head needed a pickaxe handle, so Wenhan asked his father to get a pickaxe handle and install it on it.

Zhixin looked at this strange thing and knew it was a pickaxe, "Wenhan, what did you make? What can such a wide pickaxe be used for?"

Wen Han was also a little unsure and said softly, "Dad, this is used to dig ginseng soil. You put a handle on it and try it out to see if it works. It will be much faster than the original one."

Zhixin looked at the new pickaxe carefully and thought it might work. "Sure, then I'll look for wood. From the looks of it, it looks like it can be used. I just wonder if it will be too heavy if it's so wide?" Zhixin muttered while looking for a pickaxe handle. , measured it, trimmed it slightly with a plane at home, and installed the pick. Farmers will prepare some handles for various household items at home, so there is no need to go chop wood now.

Zhixin carried the pickaxe and walked to his home's ginseng field. Wenhan followed, and the two of them arrived at the ginseng field. Zhixin picked up the pickaxe and started digging the soil. This plowing of ginseng soil usually requires the soil on the ground, together with the grass and tree roots above, to be plowed into blocks of soil one and a half to two feet square, with a thickness of at least eight inches. Turn the clod over, with the soil inside facing up, to let the sun shine. When the sun is almost dry, you need to use a three-pronged pick to open it up and pick out all the grass and tree roots.

This new pickaxe is wider than the old one. It used to take four or five strokes to dig a foot and a half, but now it can be done in two strokes, which makes it much faster. And this pickaxe doesn't sink much when picked up, it's basically the same as before. The more Zhixin worked, the easier it became. After a while, a large piece was dug out. "Oh, this thing is really useful. Wenhan, you are the one who can come up with such a good idea." Zhixin praised.

"Dad, I didn't come up with this, it was Jinghan. I don't know how she came up with this idea. I was worried at first. This pickaxe cost me a tael of silver. If it doesn't work well, the money will be lost." It's all in vain." Wen Han still feels distressed when he thinks about it. This pickaxe is twice as expensive as the ordinary one. The blacksmith said that this thing is not easy to make and it will cost more to make.

After hearing what his son said, Zhixin frowned and said doubtfully, "Jinghan? Did she come up with it? This damn girl, she doesn't know how to dig dirt, how could she come up with such a good idea? You don't either Didn't you ask her?" Zhixin felt a little strange.

Wen Han smiled and said, "Dad, what's weird about this? My little sister is already smart, but you didn't see that she studied with us and learned faster than Wen Cheng. Besides, my little sister loves to use her brain. For these farm tasks, I'm particularly interested. I guess she figured it out because she saw how hard you were using the original pickaxe." Wen Han said, feeling very impressed with his sister. Jinghan seems to know more about the work in the field than she does.

Zhixin nodded, feeling that what his son said made sense, and his brows relaxed. "Wenhan, you go to town tomorrow and come back with another pickaxe like this. Your third uncle and I will each have one, so we can work faster. Once you buy this pickaxe, you can use it every year. One or two The money is not expensive. Besides, if you dig it out early and do other things, you can earn it." Zhixin thinks it's quite a deal. "Okay, you go back first. I'll work here for a while. With this pickaxe, it's much faster than before." Zhixin waved his hand and asked Wenhan to go back to the house.

Wenhan saw that there was nothing he could do, nodded to his father, and then went out to find Jinghan and Wencheng.

There were several villagers digging the soil here. After working for a while, they inevitably straightened up and happened to see the pickaxe held in Zhixin's hand. "Brother Xu, what are you using? Why is it wider than the pick we use? It looks very useful. Come on, let me try it." The person on the side came over and took Zhixin's hand. I tried digging a few times with my pickaxe. "Oh, it's so easy to use. It's much faster than our original one. Brother, where did you get this? Help me get one too." This person belongs to a family named Qian from the north end of the village. , he is also quite practical, not too good with the Xu family, but not bad.

Zhixin looked at the pickaxe and said, "The eldest son of mine made this at the blacksmith's place specifically for digging soil. Do you think it's much faster this way?" Zhixin didn't say it was Jinghan's idea. I didn’t think much about it, I just thought it was my daughter’s way to not let people know.

"Then you can ask Wen Han to bring one back for me. I'll give it to him how much it costs." Qian Dayong looked at the pickaxe and liked it very much. People who work are like this. When they encounter the same convenient tool, they will like it very much. "I guess this thing won't be cheap. Brother, I didn't bring any money today. I'll come early tomorrow morning and bring you some money. Don't forget to ask Wen Han to give me a handful."

Many people in the village were digging the soil in the ginseng field. Dayong's voice was loud just now, so many people heard it and came over one after another. Everyone tried the new pickaxe and thought it was very good. "Brother Xu, please bring one to my house. This thing can last a lifetime and is worth it even if it is expensive." For a time, many people said they wanted such a pickaxe.

"The way I see it, if any of us wants this pick, why not go to the blacksmith together later. We all go together. We need a lot, so I guess the price can be lower, and we can save some money this way. But not I know if the blacksmith is busy, so I just want to ask." After hearing this, Zhixin quickly expressed his opinion. It's best for them to discuss this kind of thing with the blacksmith themselves, so that whether it's expensive or cheap, it all belongs to the same village, and there won't be any unpleasantness when the time comes.

"Brother Xu, you are really careful. Okay, as you said, let's finish work early this afternoon and go to the blacksmith." Erlin here said.

Everyone also felt that what Zhixin said was right, so they all agreed, and then went to work separately. In the afternoon, when work was over, everyone went to town together, not to mention it. Since then, people in the village have used this new pickaxe to dig soil, which makes digging much faster. Generally, it would take seven or eight days to dig out twenty feet of ginseng soil, but now it saves half the time, which is quite impressive. Everyone was full of praise for Wenhan's ability to come up with such a good idea, but no one thought that this idea would be thought of by a little girl. Regarding this point, Xu's family didn't say much. After all, Jinghan was a girl, so it would be better to be less in the limelight.

Naturally, Jinghan didn't have time to pay attention to this, she was still busy making Gastrodia elata. The gastrodia elata has already bloomed, which means that the tubers underneath have begun to become empty and of little value. So everyone no longer goes into the woods to look for Gastrodia elata. Instead, they just take out all the Gastrodia elata at home and dry them again to prevent some of them from not being fully dried and easily spoiled by then. Jinghan looked at the gastrodia elata drying on the fork. They were probably all dried and weighed about forty kilograms, which could probably be sold for more than three taels of silver. This is already a lot for them, after all, they are just a few children. Jinghan secretly sighed in her heart. If she were in the village, she would have no chance to dig up Gastrodia elata anyway. She could only pick some jujubes at home. After thinking about it, I decided to come to the mountain. Although it was a helpless move, this step was actually the right one.

Now Wenhan delivers fish and crickets to the town every day, and can earn fifteen taels a month. Although half of it is bought for home use, he can still save some after all. In addition, they dig up medicinal materials, which can be sold for some money, and they can also pick up prey from time to time in the traps around the ginseng field, which can also make some income. Now it seems that except for the inconvenience of going to the town and the frequent presence of wild beasts in the woods, everything else about this mountain is pretty good.

While Jinghan was thinking about things, she didn't stop holding her hands one by one, pinching the gastrodia elata dug up yesterday. When the Gastrodia elata is cooked and dried, it needs to be pricked with a needle frequently, and then squeezed with hands to release the air inside, so that it can be completely dried. Jinghan is doing this job now.

"Sister, we're done digging Gastrodia elata, what should we do next?" Wen Xuan asked from the side. The children had a great time in the mountains, and it felt really good to drag things home every day.

Jinghan looked at her younger brother. Wenxuan was originally white and a little fatter, so he looked tiger-headed and very cute. Jinghan put down the Gastrodia elata in her hand and patted her brother on the shoulder. "Why are you anxious? There are many good things on the mountain. Gastrodia elata has passed away, and there are also mushrooms. I don't know if there will be pine mushrooms in the woods nearby, but it's time for pine mushrooms to appear. There are many kinds of mushrooms in this forest. , when the time comes, you will be too busy." He couldn't help but pinched Wenxuan's fair face, acting like an unscrupulous bad sister.

Wenxuan covered his cheek and couldn't help but jump up. "Sister, don't pinch my face." He ran away quickly. Jinghan was left laughing there.

Jinghan really likes her current life. Although she is far away from the village, she could never get this kind of tranquility in her previous life. It would be nice if it could always be like this. Although she knew it was impossible, Jinghan couldn't help but long for it.

"Jinghan, let's go inside for dinner. Just let the gastrodia elata dry in the sun. You don't have to look at it all the time. It's too hot today. Be careful of getting dizzy from the sun." Ms. Xue shouted from the door of the house.

"Hey, Mom, I'll come right away. You guys can eat first." Jinghan agreed, put down the Gastrodia elata in her hand, and trotted into the house.

"Hurry up, girl, there is meat at noon today. Eat more quickly. You have lost weight these days. Come on, eat something quickly." When Mrs. Chen saw Jinghan sitting down, she quickly put a few pieces into Jinghan's bowl. Sianrou looked at his little granddaughter with a smile. After being exposed to the wind and sun all day, the little girl's originally fair face turned into a light honey color, and with her red cheeks, she looked healthier. A pair of big black eyes, very smart, and you can tell at a glance that he is not a peaceful master.