Chapter 253: Transplanting Rice Seedlings

Chapter 253: Chapter 253: Transplanting Rice Seedlings

On the way back, Zhang Yun practiced his Lightweight Skill, taking full advantage of the slopes, ravines, boulders, and giant trees along his path. However, he could only rely on the method of exerting force he had figured out from the Crows’ flight. The mysterious lines inside the coffin hadn’t given him any new inspiration.

Seeing it was still early, Zhang Yun originally wanted to catch a batch of fish and sell them cheaply in the village as a small perk for his fellow villagers. After a moment of thought, he dismissed the idea.

His fish had been stolen by Li Bing numerous times, drastically reducing their numbers. He had only recently added new fry and had already sold one batch to the village. If he continuously had large, cheap fish for sale, people would definitely get suspicious. They would either suspect he was using growth hormones to make them grow so fast and large—after all, why sell them so cheaply and avoid the town market if there wasn’t a problem?—or they would realize the fish pond was incredibly lucrative, leading to a bidding war next year when people rushed to contract it.

"Look at you, covered in dirt," Zhang Fu said. "I left some food in the pot. Eat up and get some rest." Seeing his son leave in the morning and return in the afternoon with his clothes completely soiled, Zhang Fu’s heart ached. Digging for ginseng was truly no easy task.

"Are we transplanting rice seedlings this afternoon?" Zhang Yun asked as he washed his hands for lunch, noticing his father had soaked two baskets of seedlings.

"I’ll handle it. You just rest," Zhang Fu replied. "Trekking through the mountains is much more tiring than transplanting rice."

Zhang Yun laughed. "If you’re out working in the fields while I rest at home, the others will definitely scold me."

Zhang Fu thought it made sense. Even if people didn’t say anything to his face, they would gossip behind his back. "Let’s just finish planting this season. We’ll cultivate less land next year."

In rural areas, transplanting rice seedlings was a meticulous process. Seedlings cultivated from seeds were initially densely packed in a single paddy where nutrients were insufficient. Once they grew to three or five inches, they had to be relocated to give the rice enough space to grow normally.

Generally, the seedlings were planted evenly in perfectly straight horizontal and vertical lines to make harvesting easier. Achieving this by eye alone was nearly impossible, except in very small plots. This required making markers first. Farmers used a string-tied tool, stretched it tight across both ends of the paddy, and staked it into the mud. Following the straight line of the string, they planted a seedling every two or three feet. After completing a row of markers, they used a measuring pole over a meter long at both ends to shift the string and stretch it out again.

Repeating this process effectively drew rows of evenly spaced intervals across the paddy, with one person assigned to each row. The standard practice was to plant five columns within a single row, including the marker column. An odd number allowed a person’s feet to be evenly spread, leaving footprints between the first and second columns, and the fourth and fifth columns. Younger workers might reduce this to four columns, while those with longer arms could manage six.

Before planting, the paddy was deep-plowed with a heavy plow, then raked evenly so the water barely covered the soil. Because of this setup, workers stepped backward while transplanting. This kept their footprints between the columns, like pressing out two narrow trenches, ensuring the seedlings weren’t planted in the footprints where they wouldn’t take root stably. Once finished, the paddy looked perfectly pristine. Some people might walk forward, but that meant treading carefully among the newly planted seedlings, making it very easy to knock them askew.

Naturally, Zhang Yun wasn’t skilled at this kind of farm work. He couldn’t compare to his father in either spacing consistency or planting speed.

Zhang Fu didn’t want his son to overwork himself either. Since Zhang Yun had come to the fields, no one would gossip, so his father assigned him the sole task of making the markers. Though it required running back and forth, it was much easier than the actual transplanting.

Once the markers were set, the seedlings had to be distributed! Bundles of seedlings pulled from the nursery were tied with rice straw, carried to the main field, and tossed every few meters along the marked rows. This ensured the planters wouldn’t have bundles piled up in their way, nor would they have to walk back to the edge of the field to fetch more, preventing excessive footprints that could ruin the process.

After finishing the markers and distributing the bundles, Zhang Yun joined in the transplanting. There used to be a popular method called "throwing seedlings," but it was impossible to control the spacing; once the novelty wore off, farmers returned to the traditional method. While there was news nowadays of drones being used for transplanting, the costs were on a completely different level, making it seem more like a gimmick.

"Oh! Look at the college student go!" someone called out. "Your planting skills are almost catching up to your dad’s!"

"No kidding! Zhang Yun’s speed is pretty good, and his spacing isn’t bad either."

"Didn’t you notice he doesn’t even need to straighten up to rest? That’s the strong back of a young man for you!"

"Young people are just better at it, aren’t they? Hehe! How’s your man’s back holding up? Hahaha!"

Right after the harvest came plowing and planting the late rice, so the surrounding fields were full of villagers transplanting their own crops. At first, everyone saw Zhang Yun doing the easy tasks and assumed he was just putting on a show, doubting that modern youths could handle hard labor. They hadn’t expected him to be so effective once he actually started planting, prompting many to look up and offer their commentary.

Zhang Yun was currently experiencing the phenomenon where mastering one method meant mastering them all. As his body grew stronger, even his rice transplanting naturally improved!

Transplanting required technique, but it wasn’t hard to grasp. One simply had to pinch the root with their fingers, form a beak-like shape, and shove it into the mud. If the hole was too big at first, a quick smear of mud to press it down and straighten it would keep the seedling from falling over. With a little more Experience, however, one could master doing it perfectly in a single motion. The only other requirement was roughly spacing them out in a grid pattern.

Thus, the greatest difficulty actually stemmed from staying bent over, which quickly exhausted the lower back. Zhang Yun’s current physical prowess allowed him to bear this pressure easily, eliminating the need to stand up and stretch to relieve his muscles. Combined with his sharp eyesight and swift hands, his overall speed naturally increased.

By dusk, the transplanting was finished, and Zhang Yun headed up to Shantang to feed the fish.

Down below, as everyone washed their baskets, measuring poles, and other tools in the irrigation ditch, many praised Zhang Yun.

"Brother Fu! You are truly blessed. Zhang Yun is skilled at digging ginseng, has a knack for raising fish, and is even excellent at transplanting rice!"

"Haha, I’m old. I can’t compete with the young ones anymore," Zhang Fu replied. He felt a bit wistful. Previously, his son could never catch up to him in farm work, which gave him a shred of pride. Now that he had been surpassed even in transplanting rice, he truly felt his age.

"As if we aren’t all getting older! As long as your son is capable, that’s all that matters!"

"Exactly! Zhang Yun is outstanding in every way now. If my boy had even half of his... no, if he had even a single hair of his ability, I’d die laughing!"

Hearing their slightly sour yet exaggerated praise, Zhang Fu smiled. It was true! Who wouldn’t grow old? What was there to lament about being surpassed by his own son? It just proved that his son had grown up and become an outstanding, sensible man.

Meanwhile, up at Shantang, Zhang Yun tossed in some random grass, afraid the fish would grow too large if he kept feeding them fruits and vegetables. Then, he scooped up two fish to take home.

Looking at the small wooden cabin, Zhang Yun smiled. He wondered if that Yuan You would dare to show up tonight.

On the way back to the village, the sky gradually darkened. Since Zhang Yun was taking these fish home for them to eat, he quickened his pace. If he waited until his dad had already finished cooking, he’d have no choice but to keep them alive in a tub.

As he walked, he spotted Xiuxun walking ahead of him carrying water buckets on a shoulder pole. She must have just returned from watering her vegetables.

"Xiuxun!" Zhang Yun called out, speeding up to catch up with her. He planned to give her one of the fish; he didn’t need to rely on selling them to make a living anymore anyway.

Xiuxun had just reached the head of a small wooden bridge over a stream. Suddenly hearing someone call her name accompanied by rapid footsteps, she panicked, lost her footing, and tumbled right off the unfenced bridge!