Courtyard House: Rebirth of a Shopkeeper in 1937

The Xingbao brothers had actually searched this field a few days ago. The fields near the road were covered in mud that had slid down from the embankment, severely impacting the growth of the rice seedlings; the seedlings there were generally growing poorly. The one Uncle Hunchback had mentioned was completely invisible from the embankment—no wonder they hadn't found it a few days ago. Xingbao followed his older brother around to the field ridge, step by step entering the field. Only when they got closer did they discover a rice seedling hidden beneath the embankment—this was the excellent rice variety he had been searching for! Its rootstock was exceptionally thick, and its plant size was relatively short, but the number of tillers was almost the same as normal rice seedlings. Although the number of grains per ear wasn't as many as normal rice seedlings, each grain appeared exceptionally plump, even slightly larger than average—a truly unexpected delight.

Xingbao was overjoyed. He carefully brushed away the surrounding soil with his hands, afraid of damaging the precious rice seedling. When he finally dug it out completely, he discovered that its root system was equally robust and well-developed. Overjoyed, he held the seedling high in front of his elder brother, oblivious to the mud and water sliding down its surface and soaking into his clothes, and exclaimed, "Brother, look! This is the best rice seed we've been looking for!"

The older brother carefully took the rice seedlings, examined them closely, and his eyes instantly revealed undisguised joy. He suppressed his excitement and said to Xingbao, "Xingbao, we found the right one! The sun is blazing now, and the sunlight is scorching. The rice seedlings can't withstand the intense sun. Let's hurry back and take good care of them."

The two carefully carried the rice seedling back to the roadside. The waiting crowd immediately gathered around, their eyes filled with anticipation and questioning. The older brother gently held the seedling in both hands and raised his voice, announcing, "Classmates, I have great news! This rice seedling in Uncle Hunchback's field is the lodging-resistant rice variety we've been searching for!" As soon as he finished speaking, the crowd erupted in enthusiastic cheers: "Found it! Found it! We've finally found a good seed!" Everyone crowded around, craning their necks to examine the precious rice seed, praising it: "Look at the stem, it's so strong! It'll definitely resist lodging!" The fatigue from days of searching in the fields vanished instantly, replaced by overwhelming joy and a sense of accomplishment.

Seeing that the cheers had subsided slightly, the eldest brother, carrying the rice seedling, walked up to the hunchbacked uncle, bowed deeply, and said sincerely, "Uncle, thank you so much! This seedling is so important to us. We'll take it back and cultivate it. Once it matures into mature seeds, we'll deliver them to your house first, so you can also grow this excellent rice variety!"

Upon hearing this, the hunchbacked uncle's face immediately lit up with a broad smile, and he nodded repeatedly in agreement, "Good, good! Yanbang, I love to hear you say that! I'm just waiting for you to cultivate good seeds, and then I'll plant this strong and high-yielding rice myself!" He genuinely wanted to help, and now that he heard such a promise, he was even more delighted.

"Classmates, the weather is hot and the sun is scorching. This rice seedling is not fully mature yet and is very delicate. We must hurry back and plant it properly. Let's go home and plant it first, and then we can plan the subsequent cultivation later." After the eldest brother finished speaking, he carefully held the rice seedling and led everyone to the kitchen at a much faster pace than when they came, for fear that the rice seedling would be damaged by the scorching sun.

As soon as he got home, Xingbao rushed to the kitchen and rummaged through the bottom of the cupboard to find a small ceramic pot he rarely used. The pot was the perfect size and breathable; he had secretly set his sights on it on the way home, specifically saving it to plant this precious rice seed. Then, carrying a small hoe, he ran to the experimental field, carefully dug some loose, fertile soil, and gently filled the pot. He then used a small shovel to dig a small hole in the soil, gently placed the rice seedling inside, and slowly filled the hole back in, compacting the soil before watering it thoroughly. After doing all this, when no one was looking, he secretly took a drop of spiritual spring water from his spatial storage and quickly dripped it into the soil of the pot. Once everything was done, he picked up the pot and carefully placed it in a sunny spot near the experimental field, where it wouldn't be exposed to direct sunlight.

Xingbao knew that the spiritual spring water had special properties and easily attracted small animals in the vicinity, so this precious rice seed needed to be guarded. Just as he was wondering whether to cover the ceramic pot with something, a small figure came running towards it, drawn by the scent—it was Snowball. Under Xingbao's careful care, the little guy had grown quite a bit and could run and jump around. It approached the ceramic pot, sniffed curiously, then stuck out its tongue and licked the water in the pot. Immediately, it turned around, ran to Xingbao's feet, and rubbed its little head against his trouser leg, whimpering softly. Its little eyes were full of grievance; it had clearly discovered that the water in the pot wasn't as delicious as the spiritual spring water Xingbao usually gave it, and it had come to ask Xingbao for more spiritual spring water.

Seeing this, Xingbao was secretly pleased. Now he had a ready-made "guardian"! He squatted down, gently stroking Xueqiu's head, and pointed to the rice seedling in the ceramic pot, saying, "Xueqiu, I'll trouble you to guard this seedling for me these next two days. If you guard it well, I'll give you an extra drop of spiritual spring water every day, how about that?"

Snowball seemed to understand, immediately barking twice and wagging its little tail happily. Xingbao smiled helplessly; it only worked if it was given a reward first. He had no choice but to drip a drop of spiritual spring water into Snowball's mouth. After tasting the good stuff, the little guy ran to the earthenware basin, obediently lay down, and dutifully became its guardian.

Xingbao stood to the side, gazing at the newly planted rice seedling in the ceramic pot. Its leaves still bore traces of mud and water, yet radiated a vibrant green. He couldn't help but recall his discoveries during his search for rice seeds over the past few days, his brow furrowing slightly as he fell into deep thought: perhaps the spiritual spring water in his space alone couldn't cultivate the best rice seeds. The cultivation of superior rice seeds required a harmonious interplay with the external natural environment, undergoing repeated selection and improvement. With this in mind, he secretly decided that these precious rice seeds couldn't all be used at once; they would be divided into multiple portions. He would first plant one portion in his space to test its effectiveness, observing its growth under the spiritual spring water's influence, and then decide on the subsequent planting plan based on the results. Unfortunately, he hadn't studied agriculture in his previous life, and his understanding of the many factors to consider in rice cultivation—soil, climate, pests, and diseases—was superficial. He could only rely on trial and error. It seemed that cultivating superior rice seeds wasn't something that could be accomplished solely with spiritual spring water and passion; the task was arduous and the road ahead long!

Thinking of this, Xingbao turned to look at the small experimental field by the door, calculating in his mind: This small experimental field is simply not enough for subsequent cultivation and trial planting! He needed to find an opportunity to discuss with his grandfather whether he could set aside a small plot of his field next year specifically for trial planting of this newly discovered rice variety. If this rice variety yielded a good harvest, with a yield and lodging resistance far exceeding ordinary rice varieties, the villagers would definitely offer their fields to him for experiments. At that time, he could take this opportunity to make some small demands and secure some benefits for the children at the breeding base—he couldn't let them work for free. Xingbao already had a plan in mind: to train these children who had helped him find rice varieties and participate in breeding into technical backbones, preparing for the future promotion of superior rice varieties. Since there was no official support for the time being, he could only take a mutually beneficial approach with the villagers. As for the specific grain distribution ratio, he would have to ask the village elders to take the lead and gather everyone to discuss and decide, so that everyone would be convinced.