Courtyard House: Rebirth of a Shopkeeper in 1937

Baskets of rice were neatly stacked, heavy and sturdy. Judging by their appearance and quantity, the harvest was no less than that of the early summer rice. However, the newly harvested rice still carried the dampness of the fields, so the precise yield could only be calculated after it had been thoroughly dried and sifted to remove impurities. People chatted and joked, analyzing that the early summer rice had benefited from ample rainfall and sunshine, giving it a natural advantage and likely resulting in a slightly higher total yield. However, the early rice grains were harder and coarser, far less soft and palatable than the late rice. If this batch of late rice, with less rainfall, could still match the high yield of the early rice, it would demonstrate that composting technology was highly reliable, effectively compensating for the lack of favorable weather conditions—a truly effective method for increasing yields.

Compared to the contiguous paddy fields in the village, the rice in the four-li experimental field at the entrance of Huopu stood out remarkably well, its superiority immediately apparent. The one-li field, which was intentionally planted sparsely, steadily outperformed the other three-li densely planted fields. The rice plants here had strong roots and stems, moderate height, and were neither excessively tall nor leaning. They produced many ears and dense grains, and from grain filling and ripening to harvest, they remained clean and tidy throughout the entire process, without a single stalk lodging. Their appearance was practically perfect, bringing joy to the eye.

The outstanding growth of the rice had long attracted the attention of the village elders and uncles. Whenever they had free time, they loved to stroll along the field, comparing the growth, counting the grains, and praising the ingenious and practical new planting techniques. Uncle Hunchback, in particular, came to the field almost every day, beaming with joy at the sight of the full, plump ears of rice. He always liked to tell others that these superior seeds originated from his land, and it had been agreed that he would receive a share after successful cultivation. His daily talk was simply a way of keeping an eye on the situation, fearing he might not get his share of the superior seeds.

The hunchbacked uncle knew perfectly well that this batch of experimental high-quality rice varieties was extremely rare and precious. The entire experimental field had only 230 rice seedlings, each with an average of about four ears per plant and more than 100 grains per ear. Even if all the grains were harvested, it would only be enough to plant one and a half acres next year, with almost no surplus. Everyone cherished such rare and excellent seeds, so it was no wonder that he was worried about them every day.

To protect this unique core seed stock, the four siblings worked together seamlessly, taking on all the harvesting work for this small experimental plot and not letting any outsiders interfere. The eldest and second eldest brothers carefully cut the rice ears along the neck with scissors, their movements gentle and steady, afraid of knocking over a single grain; Xingbao and Guixiang followed closely behind with small bamboo baskets, steadily collecting the cut rice ears, meticulous and attentive throughout the process, ensuring that every grain was collected without any loss.

After the entire field was harvested, the group personally rubbed the grains clean and carefully washed them before weighing them on the spot. The damp new rice weighed a total of seven jin and four liang. The wet rice was heavier due to its higher water content, so the weight was lower. Once it was completely dried, the weight would drop slightly.

The hunchbacked uncle stood quietly by, watching the whole time, lingering without leaving, yet too embarrassed to ask for anything. The siblings, knowing full well what was going on, remembered their initial agreement and his earlier contributions, and voluntarily gave him three pounds of wet grain, fulfilling their promise and easing his worries of the past few days.

The remaining four-plus pounds of wet rice were all core high-quality seeds to be planted throughout the village next year, making them exceptionally precious. The siblings carefully considered what to do with them. The safest approach was to entrust them to their maternal grandfather, using his fertile land for separate seedling cultivation and management. After the autumn harvest next year, they would split the profits 50/50 with him, ensuring the profits stayed within the family's borders—a secure and worry-free arrangement. As for their third uncle, they would leave that aside for now. If they could secretly keep the harvest of these high-quality seeds a secret this year, they would later take some rice seeds from their spatial storage and secretly distribute them to their third uncle, allowing their own family to be among the first to plant high-yield rice and have a better chance of a successful harvest.

After several days of sunny and warm weather, the harvested rice grains were completely dried and dehumidified, leaving the grains dry, plump, and bright in color. The yields of rice from every household in the village were also tallied and tallied, with the data crystal clear. This year was the first year of large-scale trial use of the new composting method, and everyone was figuring it out as they went along, with varying amounts of fertilizer applied, resulting in several different yield levels per acre. My grandfather's family and the experimental field used small-scale, close-planting rice seedlings with even spacing and good ventilation and sunlight; the village's cold-waterlogged fields were also suited to special management methods. The combination of these multiple conditions ultimately resulted in four distinctly different yields.

The average yield of fields planted manually by ordinary farmers with a small amount of compost was around 610 jin per mu. Although this was about 10 jin less than the early rice harvest this summer, it still far exceeded the traditional rice harvest of previous years. The fine fields at my maternal grandfather's house, which were meticulously managed and densely planted by machines, yielded 640 jin per mu, an even more outstanding harvest. The core experimental field at the entrance of the shop, thanks to its superior rice varieties, scientific dense planting methods, and sufficient compost, directly exceeded 800 jin per mu, setting a new record for the harvest in the surrounding fields. Even the cold, waterlogged fields that were usually low-yielding and difficult to cultivate in previous years achieved a steady yield of 560 jin per mu, a very considerable harvest, thanks to less rainfall during this autumn harvest season, which avoided the disadvantages of waterlogging and root rot.

Comparing the yield differences among the various types of land, Xingbao understood that the core difference lay in the fertilizer. This year, he specifically piled up three full basins of well-rotted manure for the experimental field. Combined with the base fertilizer his grandfather had prepared in advance last winter, this double boost transformed the originally barren, low-grade land into a highly fertile field, easily reaching the level of top-grade farmland. However, raising pigs was difficult in these times, and accumulating manure was challenging. The villagers generally lacked sufficient fertilizer, making it difficult to replicate the fertilization conditions of the experimental field. He secretly hoped that next year every household could accumulate and pile up more farmyard manure, ensuring sufficient soil fertility and a bountiful and stable harvest every year.

The threshing ground was filled with the aroma of ripening rice and bustling with activity. Several uncles who had signed breeding contracts with the Song family looked at the bountiful harvest of rice, their feelings a complex mix of joy and reluctance. They were happy for the abundant harvest and full granaries of every household, yet also reluctant to share their breeding profits according to the contract. Despite their reluctance, everyone dutifully scooped the rice into the Song family's baskets, their movements swift and efficient. Seeing this, the young children from the base cheered and jumped for joy, their cheerful laughter filling the entire threshing ground, creating a lively atmosphere.

After the settlement, the Song family received a total of over two hundred catties of dried rice. After carefully counting it, Father deliberately set aside ten catties, intending to send it back to the clan for public use, so as to benefit the clan members. Before the remaining rice could be moved back to the shop, it was snapped up by the villagers who had been waiting around, and it sold out in no time, proving to be extremely popular.

In the crowded throng, Xingbao spotted Uncle Bu and his brother. The two were mingling in the crowd, selecting rice seeds, having apparently bought high-quality seeds from someone. Although the two families had a past feud, with seeds so precious and everyone wanting a good harvest, this personal grudge was insignificant. Xingbao was at peace with it; the distribution of high-quality seeds was a good thing for the villagers, and there was no need to deliberately make things difficult. Besides, everyone was scrambling to buy them, and it was impossible to stop them anyway. It was better to let things slide, allowing more villagers to plant high-yield rice and have more confidence in fighting famine.