Heartstrings Resonance: The Beloved Princess of the Female Power

Chapter 121 Then it is necessary to fertilize from time to time,

Weeding, drainage to prevent waterlogging, and irrigation to prevent drought. As for fertilizer, we've already had it prepared, of course! You'll also need to learn about it later. Fertilizers generally consist of human and animal feces, seed cakes, turf, and leaves. Everyone knows how to compost it, so I won't go into detail. Next, let me discuss the timing of rice planting. The sowing time for early rice is set between late March and early April. It's mid-March now, so we still have time to raise seedlings. After the seedlings are raised, they're transplanted from late April to early May. The first crop of rice is planted early so it can fully absorb the spring light and warmth. Given Zhaoguo's weather, the early rice can be harvested in 3 days.

Next comes late rice planting, with sowing typically occurring in mid-to-late June. Transplanting should occur before the Beginning of Autumn. Although the second rice crop is planted later, it follows the early rice crop, allowing for full utilization of summer and autumn sunlight and temperatures, improving land utilization. Finally, I want to emphasize that growing both crops requires meticulous field management, including land preparation, seedling cultivation, transplanting, weeding and pest control, fertilization, and irrigation and drainage. Optimized planting timing and field management are crucial for achieving high rice yield and quality.

After she finished speaking, she thought of something and added, "The sweet potatoes we're planting also need to be raised." Everyone nodded randomly, their hands moving non-stop, remembering the key points she had just mentioned. Liang Mancang and Yan Luji were also writing furiously. After realizing what Mu Yunxi had said, they all looked at her with eager expressions. Mu Yunxi could only helplessly say, "After we finish planting two crops of rice, we'll figure out how to plant two crops of sweet potatoes." Everyone felt a little regretful, but they also knew that Mu Yunxi was right. You can't get fat all at once. However, Mu Yunxi still briefly explained how to raise sweet potato seedlings.

Although Mu Yunxi couldn't remember the rest, she would remember what to do and when the time came. After all, she had done farm work for many years.

In order to let everyone see the comparison of grain yields, Mu Yunxi suggested that some groups' experimental fields should not be used to grow seedlings, but should be directly sown as before, and the final harvest should be compared with that of the seedling-grown fields. Everyone agreed.

Seeing how well Nimi and Bu Re'er excelled in their medical studies, Lu Xiaojuan and her friends suggested to Mu Yunxi that they join her in rice cultivation research. Mu Yunxi readily agreed, as they loved learning. From then on, Mu Yunxi simply took them with her wherever she went. Whenever she was at the academy, she was constantly followed by six of them, and the seven of them became a distinctive sight.

Mu Yunxi, deeply aware of the importance of rice cultivation, devoted herself to its research. As a core member of the rice cultivation team, she consistently offered unique insights and innovative ideas. Combining her knowledge gained in China, she understood that increasing rice yields required improving varieties. So, as the rice harvest progressed, she led a group of students from the agricultural program on a extensive tour, collecting numerous high-quality rice varieties. They planned to test-plant and compare them in experimental plots at the beginning of autumn.

Time flew by, and the first rice harvest arrived. Everyone was delighted to see the largest yield in the experimental plot: a staggering seven kilograms from just two square meters. Clearly, all rice grown from seedlings before transplanting yielded a larger harvest than those sown directly, with fuller grains. Meanwhile, rice sown directly into the field yielded only a few sparse grains—less than two kilograms from just two square meters. This result gave everyone hope, a glimpse into a future of bountiful harvests.

They planned to use this experimental plot, which yielded the most, for sowing in the second season. If the second season was successful, they would begin promoting it elsewhere in Zhao State, with the exception of the northern region. However, the good news that raising seedlings and transplanting rice could increase production was something that could be directly communicated to the people of Zhao State.

Soon, it was harvest season again. Mu Yunxi and her team successfully harvested the second crop, and the yield was almost the same as the first. Mu Yunxi couldn't help but sigh at the amazing weather in Zhaoguo. They controlled the weather perfectly. Just as everyone was celebrating the success of the two rice crops, a loud "bang" sounded in the Innovation Academy. One student asked, "Is it exploding again?"

Another student chimed in, "I guess so. It's happened three times this month. I wonder if he's alright?"

Liang Mancang said to Mu Yunxi, "I didn't listen to you and I'm messing around again!"

Mu Yunxi was also frustrated by this. A student in the manufacturing class, whose family made firecrackers, had participated in weapon design and manufacturing after joining the academy. He had come up with the idea of using the firecracker method to create a weapon. Mu Yunxi was slightly surprised when he proposed this, as she had previously considered making a cannon to present to Emperor Qing Zhao, but because it was the era of cold weapons, she had abandoned that idea and instead designed a crossbow. But now that it was a proposal from someone of this era, she was willing to encourage innovation and experimentation. Thus, the cannon team was formed. However, since they had already exploded twice before, and two of them had been injured, Mu Yunxi asked them to hold off until she finished her second rice harvest, and then she would work with them on the project. Unexpectedly, they tried again before she finished harvesting, and it exploded again. Fortunately, the academy had a medical program and a doctor on hand, who immediately carried the patient to the academy's infirmary for treatment. Fortunately, the injury wasn't serious.

At this time, a student wearing the uniform of the manufacturing department ran towards them, shouting as he ran: "Master Mu, the artillery team has been taken to the infirmary again, three of them were injured."

After hearing what he said, Mu Yunxi felt like rolling her eyes. There were ten people in the group, and five of them were killed in one go. Luckily, they were inexperienced the first time, so the amount of explosives was small, and no one was hurt during the explosion. Otherwise, she suspected everyone in the group would have ended up in the medical room. Fortunately, the two rice harvests were already secured, and she could join their group and research together.

Nevertheless, the achievement of two rice crops garnered widespread attention and praise. Emperor Qing Zhao was particularly pleased, awarding prizes to all students involved in the two-crop rice planting project. Liang Mancang and Mu Yunxi were also promoted, and Yan Luji was appointed an agricultural official. Although only ninth-rank, he was the first person to hold this position. This was a newly created position, specifically for students studying farming. He had previously neglected agriculture, believing that seeds simply grew in the ground, and that grain production was simply a function of soil quality. Now, seeing the multiplied grain production, he realized that farming required skill and method.