Siheyuan: Don't mess with me, I just want to be a free fish

Chapter 142 Planting Sweet Potatoes in Greenhouses

On weekends, the weather is fine.

Although the snow on the road has melted away, the roof is still white.

Li Weidong followed Zhou Xiaobai to the Suburban Institute of Agricultural Sciences, or the Sweet Potato Research Institute of the Academy of Agricultural Sciences.

As the name suggests, this institute mainly studies sweet potato crops.

During those three years, sweet potatoes played a very important role, so how to improve the yield and drought resistance of sweet potatoes became the main task of the research institute.

"Uncle Zhao."

Zhou Xiaobai led Li Weidong to a room with familiarity.

The so-called research institute has a good name, but in fact, it is no different from a rural village, with five or six bungalows, a large snow-covered field at the entrance, and two large sheds beside it.

Uncle Zhao in Zhou Xiaobai's mouth is a middle-aged man in his 40s wearing a worn-out military overcoat.

"It's Xiaobai, why did you come here in such a cold day?"

Zhao Liguo raised his head and looked at Zhou Xiaobai and Li Weidong beside him in surprise.

"Uncle Zhao, this is my colleague Li Weidong on the farm. He is very interested in the greenhouse, so I will take him to have a look."

Zhou Xiaobai introduced Li Weidong next to him.

"Hello, Professor Zhao."

As early as on the way here, Li Weidong knew the true identity of Uncle Zhao from Zhou Xiaobai.

Moreover, he has also made outstanding contributions to the cultivation of sweet potatoes.

A few years ago, the yield of sweet potatoes per mu was less than [-] jin, but now, it has reached [-] jin.

Therefore, Li Weidong respects him from the bottom of his heart.

"Hello, little comrade."

I don't know if it was because Li Weidong was interested in the greenhouse, but Zhao Liguo looked at him with a much softer gaze.

Although their research institute is also a serious institution, but because it is too poor and too hard, few of those college students are willing to come here.

In the entire institute, there are only about twenty people from the three generations, old, middle-aged and young.

This group of people is enough for winter, but when sweet potatoes start to be planted on a large scale, it is not enough for one person to split them into three.

Therefore, whenever he came across a good seedling, Zhao Liguo couldn't help but pick it up in his own bowl.

Obviously, Li Weidong, who is interested in greenhouses, has entered his field of vision.

"Wait a minute, I'll take you into the shed to have a look."

Zhao Liguo put away the notes in front of him, didn't talk nonsense, and led the two of them to the shed without even pouring a cup of hot water.

Rather than saying that what is in front of me is a greenhouse, it is more appropriate to say that it is a greenhouse.

The greenhouse faces south, and the north side is a thick earth wall, three to four meters high, and then spreads down obliquely.

Thick straw curtains are stacked on the soil wall of the shed. In the evening, when the sun goes down, the shed will be covered to keep warm at night.

Moreover, there is a pipe protruding from the middle of the shed, which is emitting smoke at the moment.

Drilling in through the door, suddenly a gust of damp heat came.

At this moment, two people in the greenhouse are lying on the ground, carefully observing the growth of sweet potatoes in the field, and recording them in the notebook.

"Zhao."

After Zhao Liguo led Li Weidong and Zhou Xiaobai in, the two quickly got up from the ground.

"Is there a comparison?" Zhao Liguo looked at the two and asked.

"Basically, after the snow fell, the growth rate of sweet potatoes slowed down by one-third, especially near the edges, and almost stopped growing.

According to the data collected so far, the optimum growth temperature for this batch of newly cultivated sweet potatoes should be above 18 degrees.

And below 15 degrees, the growth rate will be greatly slowed down.

Below 10 degrees, it will die.

Compared with last year's sweet potatoes, the cold resistance has increased by about two degrees. "

One of the men in his thirties was holding a notebook and introduced it with joy on his face.

"Two degrees? That's right. In addition to cold resistance, drought resistance must also be compared. There is also the issue of yield. Every time one more sweet potato grows, one less person will be hungry." Zhao Liguo said earnestly.

"Mr. Zhao, don't worry, with this batch of newly cultivated sweet potatoes, next year's production will definitely increase a lot."

"it is good."

After Zhao Liguo finished talking with the two, he led Li Weidong and Zhou Xiaobai to stroll around the greenhouse. While walking around, he gave them a detailed introduction to the growth habits of sweet potatoes and the effects of the greenhouse.

It's just that when talking about the need to burn the stove to maintain the temperature in the shed, Zhao Liguo's face was obviously aching.

This is also an experimental cultivation of sweet potatoes, so it cannot be judged purely in terms of economic benefits, otherwise, it will definitely lose money.

Li Weidong looked very carefully. Compared with the high-tech greenhouses that were more than ten meters high on TV in the later generations, the greenhouses in front of him were undoubtedly very simple. Even the film on the top of the head had many patches.

It is not a steel frame that supports the greenhouse, but bamboo.

In the greenhouse, you have to bend over in many places.

"How is it? Isn't it interesting?"

After the visit was almost over, Zhao Liguo looked at Li Weidong and asked with a smile.

"Uncle Zhao, why are you pulling people indiscriminately again?"

Zhou Xiaobai couldn't help but speak.

She knew what Uncle Zhao was like, and when she came to play, she had won her over several times.

It's just that she didn't have this ambition, so she went to work on the farm after graduation.

"What do you mean pulling people indiscriminately? Is my agricultural science institute better than your farm?" Zhao Liguo couldn't help but roll his eyes.

"Professor Zhao, thank you for your kindness, but I just graduated from middle school, so I may not be able to adapt to your work."

Li Weidong did not hesitate to expose his shortcomings.

With his academic qualifications, he came to the research institute, at best he did odd jobs and did some hard work.

"Graduated from middle school? As long as you are willing to learn, I can teach you. After all, you are still young, and it will not hurt you to spend three to five years studying."

Zhao Liguo originally thought that Li Weidong and Zhou Xiaobai were colleagues, so they must have graduated from college, but he didn't expect that he just graduated from middle school. If he were to be a researcher, he would definitely not be qualified, but if he was really eager to learn, he would not hesitate to teach from scratch.

And the reason why he was in such a hurry was mainly because Li Weidong visited the greenhouse just now and asked those questions, which moved him.

"No, I'm fine over there on the farm."

Li Weidong shook his head, not saying that the Institute of Agricultural Sciences is not good.

He has a game farm himself, which can optimize seeds. It can be said that working at the Institute of Agricultural Sciences can maximize his own value and cultivate more and better crops for the country.

After many years, maybe he can still become an academician.

But Li Weidong's ambition is obviously not here.

"Working here is a bit hard, but it's okay to fill your stomach, and there are benefits for Chinese New Year and holidays."

Talking about ideals failed, so Zhao Liguo simply proceeded from reality.

Hearing what he said, Zhou Xiaobai began to purse his lips before Li Weidong could do anything.

When she first went to the farm, she really thought that Li Weidong's family was very difficult, and even thought that he would definitely be criticized when he brought white noodles to the farm when he returned home.

But as she brought white noodles and various meats again and again, she finally understood.

People don't lack these things at all.

Once, she couldn't help asking, and she learned that the result was that wild pork was exchanged for white noodles from the black market.

This made her shake her head.

I don’t know if I’m making a profit or losing money by exchanging meat for white flour.

But after she borrowed the bicycle, she felt "peace of mind".

As for the welfare issue, for Li Weidong, it is even less of a problem.

Did she know that the benefits that the farm was going to distribute during the Chinese New Year were arranged by Li Weidong alone, and she didn't know where he got such great ability.

Therefore, it is even more difficult to use welfare to lure him to have any effect.

"Professor Zhao, otherwise, I'll come over to ask for advice when I have free time in the future. As for coming to work, forget it."

Seeing Zhao Liguo's repeated invitations, Li Weidong thought of a compromise.

"Okay, I can wait for you."

After visiting the two greenhouses, Li Weidong and Zhou Xiaobai were planning to leave, but Zhao Liguo tried to persuade them to stay, so they had to have lunch before leaving.

So, at noon, Li Weidong tasted the taste of boiled sweet potatoes.

Today's sweet potatoes are real sweet potatoes, the kind with a white heart, they taste a bit noodle, and they are not sweet at all.

It is incomparable with all kinds of sweet sweet potatoes in later generations.

But in comparison, it is already very good to be able to eat fresh sweet potatoes. When most places harvest sweet potatoes, they will be cut into slices directly. After drying, they can be stored for a long time.

When eating, cook a pot of dried sweet potatoes for the whole family to eat.

Don't look at the fact that people in the city can't eat white noodles and can only eat stick noodles. It seems so difficult, but compared with the rural areas, there is no doubt that they are much happier.

When it is really difficult, not to mention dried sweet potatoes, the bark can be eaten clean for you.

Like sweet potato vines, they are also grated and eaten.

In the 80s, in the memory of Li Weidong's last life, sweet potato vines were used to feed pigs.

But before rebirth, many experts advocated eating green foods such as sweet potatoes and vines under the banner of health preservation, but a group of old men and women took it as the truth.

But if you really want to get to the bottom of it, they more or less ate this stuff when they were young.

At least, it's true that you can't eat people to death.

"Thank you today, this trip has given me a lot of insight."

On the way back, Li Weidong thanked Zhou Xiaobai.

"You're welcome, but why don't you want to work here? I feel that you seem to be very interested in growing crops."

Zhou Xiaobai asked puzzledly. She had seen clearly from the side earlier that Li Weidong's questions were obviously not just asked casually. He even asked about how to cultivate and optimize seedlings.

If you are not interested, can you ask these questions?

"You have to know that no matter what kind of land you are in, in the final analysis, you are still farming."

Li Weidong shook his head and said something that made Zhou Xiaobai puzzled.

Farming, the same?

But when the things she promised Li Weidong were completed, she also let go of one of her worries.

After separating from Zhou Xiaobai in the city, Li Weidong returned to the courtyard.

After a heavy snowfall, every household lit the stove.

Li Weidong didn't go to the north room either, he just pushed away from his own room, and saw two little guys roasting sweet potatoes around the stove.

What about the good homework?
In the morning, when Li Weidong went out, the two little guys said that the north room was cold and they couldn't reach out for their homework, so Li Weidong let them go to his own room.

When he left, the two of them took out their homework and studied seriously.

This will actually find fun other than homework.

"Second brother, you are back."

Seeing that it was Li Weidong who opened the door, Li Weibin ran to the desk without saying a word, pretending to do homework.

And Li Xueru smiled sweetly at Li Weidong.

"Have you finished your homework?" Li Weidong asked.

"I'm done writing."

Li Xueru answered bluntly, while Li Weibin on the other side froze and was dumbfounded.

Obviously he finished writing, but Li Xueru wrote a little bit.

"Well, not bad, where did you get the sweet potatoes?"

Li Weidong smiled and rubbed the melon seeds on Li Xueru's little head.

"My sister-in-law's brother brought it over in the morning."

"Sister-in-law's brother? Are you gone?"

"Let's go, I secretly heard that he seemed to be here to borrow money, and then my sister-in-law didn't have any money, so she cried secretly."

"Didn't you tell Mom?"

"Talk, and then Mom gave money to sister-in-law, but sister-in-law didn't want it."

"Ah."

Li Weidong nodded and said nothing more.

But you can ask about the situation when you look back.

Especially since he knew about Li Weimin's physical problems, he felt more sympathy for this practical and capable sister-in-law.

If you can help, you can help me.

"Stop roasting sweet potatoes, Second Brother will cook meat for you two."

Li Weidong said, and went to the outside wall to get a piece of roe deer meat.

Although most of the roe deer meat he brought back last time was hidden in the farm warehouse, a lot was kept at home, usually cut into strips, wrapped in paper, and hung on the shady wall.

It will definitely be no problem to melt the snow until next year.

Hearing the cooking meat, Li Weibin stopped pretending to do his homework, leaned over and watched eagerly.

Although the meat was hanging there, he and his sister seldom ate it. Usually, only when Li Weidong was at home, his mother would cut some meat and eat stewed cabbage.

For this reason, every time he and his sister staged a meat-grabbing battle, as for the result, he basically lost.

More importantly, his mother was too stingy, and the meat he cut was less than one-third of the size that the second brother brought.

After the meat was stewed, Li Weidong told the two to look at the pot, lie on the bed by himself, cover the quilt, close his eyes, and enter the game farm with consciousness.

The two acres of reclaimed land were clearly presented in front of him.

The most eye-catching thing is undoubtedly the huge apple tree.

Since picking the fruit last time, Li Weidong didn't put in any more energy. What he didn't expect was that after such a long time, flower buds burst out from the branches and leaves of the apple tree.

It seems that even if you don't put in energy, you will be able to eat apples in two months.

In addition to the apple trees, the wheat in the first field was palm-high and green.

And half of the second field is planted with various fruit trees and herbs.

Now, the herbs planted at the beginning have also germinated. Judging from the thickness of the leaves, it is obvious that there is no shortage of nutrients.

The remaining half was previously used to ripen the corn, and only then did the transaction with the village be completed.

But now, the corn is still planted in it, but it has not been ripened again.

In fact, there are thousands of catties of corn left in the warehouse, so he has no shortage of these things at all, and naturally there is no need to waste energy.

Glancing at the remaining energy, when he was pondering whether to ripen the ginseng first, or to ripen a fruit tree, there was an obvious touch in his consciousness. It was someone shaking his body from the outside.

Immediately, his consciousness returned to his body.

(End of this chapter)