Reborn in 1994: Starting from the Autumn Harvest

Chen Hongguo spoke, and the family meeting ended, leaving Chen Mian alone at home.

He had originally planned to mention it to Yang Baoyuan the next day, since his brother was the village secretary and would take the affairs of the fields seriously. He didn't expect his father to be in such a hurry.

With nothing to do, he would walk around the three rooms with his arms crossed, looking around.

In Anping Village, most houses are built with three main rooms. The middle room is called the main hall, which serves as both a living room and a kitchen. The two rooms on either side are the east and west rooms, which are the bedrooms.

There was no roof, and by the light, you could vaguely see the dirt between the wooden beams. The ground was just plain earth, uneven, and if you stomped on it, you could shake up a layer of dust.

The walls were covered with waste newspapers and plastic pictures, with several elementary school award certificates standing out.

Chen Mian calculated that if she were to renovate the house and hire villagers to help, it would cost several hundred yuan.

After the autumn harvest, winter arrives. When it gets cold, relying solely on burning firewood to make a kang (heated brick bed) isn't enough to keep warm. These days, many families buy honeycomb briquettes, but the smell is too strong and not very pleasant.

"We need to go back and study the boiler and radiator system. The circulation issue is also a problem, and this is more important than the renovation."

Chen Mian was muttering to himself, calculating the cost of installing radiators. He absolutely couldn't skimp on the money for heating.

"Sizzle!"

Chen Mian shrank her neck and quickly covered her ears.

The sudden sound was like an electric shock, sharp and piercing.

"Feed, feed, feed..."

"Attention, everyone in the village! Attention, villagers..."

At this moment, every household in Anping Village went outside their courtyards and looked toward the brigade headquarters, listening quietly to the speech of village party secretary Yang Baoshuan.

"Now, I have something to announce."

"Chen Hongguo from our village came to the brigade to report something. My heart sank at that moment. There are still many small drainage ditches in the low-lying areas of our village that haven't been properly cleaned up."

"Cotton is like that; it won't die from drought, but it will die from flooding. The drainage ditches need to be cleaned once a year. Every household should pay attention to this and not take it lightly, because if a sudden rain comes, it will be ruined."

"Let's do our own thing. Don't wait until it rains and we get caught in the rain to start complaining. There's no such thing as a 'regret pill' for regrets. I'll just go down to the fields and clear the ditches myself tomorrow."

The village secretary's words were brief but significant, and everyone in the village began discussing them.

Some people slapped their thighs, forgetting this important matter, and praised Chen Hongguo for his benevolence and righteousness.

Some people chuckled, realizing it was such a trivial matter, and that they had already figured it out themselves, before turning around and going back to their rooms to sleep.

Some people take a chance, thinking that it won't matter if things in the fields are delayed for a day or two, or they try to gain an advantage in getting things done.

"These two are something else, they became famous throughout the village in just one day." Chen Hongqiang stood in the yard, spitting out a melon seed shell, and joked.

"Dad, it seems like our fields aren't cleared yet. How about I go with you tomorrow to clear them?" The speaker was Chen He, Chen Hongqiang's eldest son.

"What are you taking a break for? That hauling job was a temporary job that your uncle found for you. You don't have to worry about anything. You can earn a few dozen yuan a day just by playing around."

Chen Hongqiang turned and glared at his son, shook the jacket draped over his shoulders, and turned to walk into the house. "The land in Dongwa and Nanwa is right next to your fifth uncle's. Let them just connect it to the land."

Upon hearing this, Chen He's eyes lit up.

But then, for some reason, I remembered Chen Mian's composed and eloquent manner that day, and I couldn't help but feel a little worried. I quickly took two steps and followed her.

"Dad, will Fifth Uncle agree? Won't Er Mian cause trouble? He's changed a bit now."

Chen Hongguo waved his hand: "Why wouldn't we agree? With his father and older brother leading the way, he has to accept it. Their family still owes us half a pancake."

……

On her first night after her rebirth, Chen Mian slept soundly, sprawled out on her back.

She didn't know how much time had passed, but in her hazy state, Chen Mian felt soft, dense particles sliding across her skin.

Suddenly realizing that the "towel blanket" covering her stomach had been pulled up, she then heard rustling footsteps.

He broke free from his drowsiness and opened his eyes. The sky outside the window was just beginning to lighten, while the room was dark and bluish.

My dad, wearing a blue jacket and blue striped shorts, was tiptoeing out of the door, lifting the curtain as he walked.

Chen Mian was stunned for a moment, blinked, and breathed a sigh of relief as her drowsiness gradually subsided.

Then Chen Mian could vaguely hear her parents whispering.

It's already five o'clock. I'll lie down for a little longer before getting up to cook and go to the fields early.

We need to work quickly today; Chen Mian will get very tired by herself.

We need to save money again and find a way to build up three rooms for Chen Mian before we can talk about finding a partner.

……

Chen Mian rested her head on her arm, staring at the dark ceiling, feeling an inexhaustible energy coursing through her body.

"Dry."

At six o'clock in the morning, the family of four split into two groups and went out.

Anping Village is located in a large depression, and the land is divided into four areas: East Depression, West Depression, South Depression, and North Depression.

Chen Mian rode his 28-inch motorcycle straight to Dongwa, carrying only a pair of scissors, a shovel, and two fertilizer bags.

After arriving at his plot of land, he walked around the edge of the ridge, which was more than 30 meters long and about 20 meters wide, estimating that it was about one acre.

This is one of their dozens of acres of land. After the household responsibility system was implemented, the land was divided into many small, scattered plots. Planting and harvesting were both troublesome, and people had to run around in all directions to keep busy.

The cotton plants were about waist-high, and morning dew still clung to their leaves. If you went inside, even a strong man would inevitably get soaked.

Fortunately, he had made some preparations in advance. He took out a fertilizer bag, cut it slightly with scissors to make a simple long skirt, and then tied it around his waist with a woolen rope.

However, when working in the fields, one has to bend over, so while the lower body is protected, the upper body is left unprotected.

Late August to early September is the crucial stage for cotton to produce its first bolls, and it is also the peak period for the third generation of bollworms to reproduce.

The name "cotton bollworm" sounds nice, but its destructive power is terrifying. It eats up cotton buds and drills holes in cotton bolls, causing cotton yield reduction.

The cotton bollworm has a short lifespan but an extremely strong reproductive capacity, capable of multiplying four or five generations within a year. As a result, it is very easy for it to develop antibody mutations, making it difficult to kill even with pesticides, much to the chagrin of cotton farmers.

Chen Mian recalls that last year, one mu of land only yielded 270 to 280 jin of cotton, and the price of cotton was not high, so the income was really meager.

If it weren't for the strong policy promotion of cotton planting, coupled with land issues and unfamiliarity with this special crop, people would have stopped growing cotton long ago.

However, cotton prices will rise significantly this year, and subsidies will be added, which presents a good opportunity.

As Chen Mian dragged the iron shovel inside, the clear chirping of insects grew even more distinct. The fresh, earthy scent of the ground mingled with the unique fragrance of morning dew on the cotton plants, making it feel exceptionally refreshing to inhale.

While searching for bad bolls, it is also necessary to prune useless old leaves and empty branches at the bottom of the cotton plant to prevent them from taking up nutrients or becoming hosts for bollworms.

In addition, weeds in the field must be cleared, as bollworms can also live there.

After walking a few steps, I noticed several green leaves trying their best to cover a patch of brown. I reached out and parted them to see what was there: a special cotton boll growing under the cotton tree.

Its surface has water-stained brown patches, and it dents when pressed slightly. This is undoubtedly a diseased peach. If left untreated, it will rot and ooze dark brown juice, and the cotton inside will completely rot away.

The most frightening thing is that if it is not dealt with in time, this bacteria can spread and affect other cotton bolls.

Chen Mian went up and slashed with the scissors—steady, accurate, and ruthless.

Just throw it into the prepared bag.

Not far away, another type of cotton boll was found with different symptoms. The surface of the cotton boll had been eaten away, leaving a small hole, and the area around it was covered with a layer of sticky black feces. This was undoubtedly a worm-eaten cotton boll.

The cotton bollworm lays its eggs on cotton bolls. After a period of development, the eggs will gnaw through the cotton boll, causing it to become moldy and spoiled.

Below the cotton plant lies a fallen bud, a cotton boll that failed to grow, either eaten by larvae or dropped due to insufficient nutrients.

This thing also needs to be put into the bag, otherwise it may become a breeding ground for bollworms.

Chen Mian's gaze swept across the cotton plants, and every now and then she would reach out and snip a shear. Before she knew it, she had walked from one end of the field to the other.

I glanced at the bulging fertilizer bag. Inside was a row of weeds and a dozen or so bad peach buds—it was all money.