Chapter 008: Cultivating Space Farms
During my time on Earth, Shi Zhongkui rarely wrote even with a fountain pen, let alone with a brush pen. Now, I still feel quite pleased that I can write neat brush characters.
Upon arriving at the study, while organizing and identifying whether this is the traditional character for the world, I ponder if it bears any difference from the Earth
I just don't know how I compare to others
An intense feeling of hunger, transmitted from the stomach all the way to the brain
Moreover, Shi Zhongkui was well aware that in ancient times, following the path of charlatans was indeed inferior to pursuing the imperial examination route
After some consideration, I have decided to plant wheat on the third piece of land
After a moment of reflection, Shi Zhongkui quickly understood.
The water in the space well begins to surface
Thinking of this, my eyes involuntarily turned towards the peach tree in the courtyard
Shi Zhongkui excitedly clenched his fist, and then he thought of an old peach tree growing in his family's courtyard
Moreover, upon transmigrating, I have my own house and a farm, which resolves the issues of food and shelter; everything else will gradually improve.
Aside from appearing emaciated due to issues related to eating, Shi Zhongkui felt that he looked at least five points more handsome than he did on Earth
It is incorrect; one can completely store books and annotations, as well as other materials, in the space.
Moreover, the age of the stone fool in my memory was only 19 years, with delicate features and a height of over 1.7 meters, which made me smile.
Although a scholar may not amount to much, at the very least, he can claim to be a learned person, does not bow to officials, is exempt from corvée labor, and does not have to pay taxes
Moreover, excavating a large tree is not so easy; it requires not only digging the soil but also cutting through the roots, and there are no suitable tools available
However, the thought of digging up the tree made Shi Zhongkui reconsider, as neighbors might come knocking to inquire about it
The first cultivation will be conducted in the evening
However, if only crops like wheat are planted, it would not be worthwhile
This is a cheating device for taking the imperial examination
It is not that it cannot survive, but rather that only one branch quickly buds, while all the others wither away, turning into soft mud and sinking into the soil
After washing the pots and bowls, my mind once again sank into the farm in my thoughts
Wheat matures every three months, so it is advisable to plant more grains to first address the issue of food supply
Compared to 10 jin, the farm still has a significant advantage
Note: In the context of comparing the Qing Dynasty to the Ming Dynasty, one jin is approximately 596.8 grams, with one jin equaling sixteen liang, and one liang being 37.3 grams
The situation was somewhat unexpected for him
After silently reflecting on the memories in his mind, he confirmed that Shidaizi had once taken an old scholar as his teacher
In a previous life as an orphan, I had some cooking skills. I would retrieve the wheat from the basin, shell it, crush it, and then take it out.
If we were to anticipate further, a farm could yield a harvest once a day, or even several times a day. Compared to the ancient harvest of only two to three hundred jin per mu, this would represent a hundredfold increase in yield
A person who has dedicated their entire life to the imperial examination not only possesses a profound understanding of the various rules of the county, provincial, and metropolitan examinations, but will also be able to learn some important considerations from others when preparing for the examination as a candidate.
It was indeed not a good thing for myself at that time
At least this old tree, thick enough for one person to embrace, is likely to grow into a large tree faster than the branches, and it will take less time to bear fruit
Casting a glance over the entire kitchen, one cannot help but shake their head in disappointment.
Apart from a handful of rice that is somewhat grayish in color and a bit of coarse salt, there are hardly any bundles of firewood left for boiling water and cooking. How impoverished must one be?
Shi Zhongkui felt a twinge of regret for not having secretly hidden a few seeds of heavenly fruits or peach pits during the banquet in the Celestial Palace the day before
It seems that I must submit the tuition fee as soon as possible; even though I do not attend the private school daily like the young children, I can still receive some guidance from the old scholar
Polish and spread out the yellowed paper
In ancient times, being unattractive could significantly impact one's chances of promotion
Subsequently, simply turn the remaining grassland into arable land.
This is certainly due to the sublimation of the soul while in the heavenly realm, and at the same time, the memories of the stone fool also played a significant role
It seems that this amount is a bit insufficient
He quickly walked out of the kitchen, and in no time, he was holding a dozen or so peach tree branches
With this expectation, once again plant wheat on all the newly opened 17 plots of land
I casually made a bowl of noodles to fill my stomach. While washing the dishes, I looked through the water in the wooden basin and clearly saw my own reflection, instantly feeling satisfied
I simply went to the study and first organized the Four Books that I had previously copied by hand.
What was unexpected was that the wheat field had actually begun to sprout
If one is fortunate enough to pass in one attempt, one will become a scholar
Recalling for a moment, if I am not mistaken, the county examination is in February next year, the provincial examination in April, and the court examination occurs twice every three years, possibly in August, but also possibly after April.
Generally speaking, modern farmland can yield approximately 1.5 jin of wheat per square meter, which amounts to 6 jin for 4 square meters
In a 10 by 10 meter farm, aside from the warehouse and the well, 20 plots of land, each measuring 2 by 2 meters, have been cultivated
This speed is absolutely beyond imagination, and it also seems that there is no need to worry about the issue of watering
However, I found that there were only a few sparse-haired brushes at home, and there were hardly any sheets of paper left for writing.
With a single thought, these branches appeared in the farm and were planted in a piece of land
However, I did not expect that while reading, I suddenly realized that I not only understood the dry and difficult classical Chinese text, but also remembered quite a bit of it
As dusk approached, Shi Zhongkui once again prepared a batch of hand-pulled noodles, glancing at the wheat and peach trees in the farm that had already grown significantly.
Unable to find other seeds, Shi Zhongkui contemplated going out to search, but after taking just a few steps, he halted.
Upon thinking of this, Shi Zhongkui's lips curled up slightly, and then he wanted to see how well he had written.
The first article "Xue Er" consists of 493 characters, and surprisingly, I was able to remember most of it after just one reading
If the yield per plot is 10 jin according to the diagram, a total of 200 jin of crops can be harvested at once
With my eyes closed, I recalled the writing habits of the past of Shi Daizi. At first, my hand felt somewhat unsteady as I began to write, but as I continued, the characters gradually began to resemble those in my memory.
Sighing once more, I comfort myself with the thought that as a cultivator, how could I possibly lack silver?
As for why it is not a peach tree, it is because, under normal circumstances, a peach tree takes at least three to four years to grow and bear fruit
However, suppressing the excitement in his heart, Shi Zhongkui recited the second article several times again, and his face lit up with joy as he confirmed that his memory had significantly improved.
In a pleasant mood, sitting on the cold bed in my clothes, I unknowingly practiced for an entire night
If a piece of land can only yield 10 jin, then one peach tree would be sufficient
Looking again at the sun, which has already shifted to the west, it seems to be around 4 or 5 o'clock. Reflecting on the memory that it is already November at this time, it won't be long before it gets dark.
This is probably the reason for muscle memory, as it has completely absorbed all of Shidaizi's memories, which allows it to replicate his handwriting
However, when I think about the fact that I did not consider any of this at that time, and the possibility of being discovered by Xue Gui and others, it would only lead to more trouble