NFBE Chapter 47 Growing Mushrooms
Chapter 47 Growing Mushrooms
As September arrives, the weather gradually cools down.
Xiao Siyue remembered the mushroom spawn that the system had rewarded her with before, and it seemed that it could be planted now.
"System, give me the bacterial culture." As soon as he finished speaking, ten packets of bacterial culture appeared on the floor of the room.
Xiao Siyue ran to Xiao Qinian and his wife's room: "Dad, Mom, the bacteria I got before can be planted now." Xiao Siyue was mainly hoping to see if her father could come up with a way to reasonably take them out.
"Yue'er, is this the bacterial culture you mentioned? How do we plant it?" Lin Qin asked, looking at the strange packets in front of her.
"Mom, this doesn't need to be planted; it's ready-made. We just need to water it regularly, and it will grow just like the mushrooms that grow on the mountain."
Xiao Siyue explained that wild mushrooms do grow on the mountains here, but they are relatively rare, and they only appear during the rainy season, and they are quite small. The villagers can only pick some to try.
"Oh, that's quite convenient." Lin Qin had originally been wondering if she should bury it in the soil like she was planting vegetables.
"Mom, we need to put it in a place where it won't get any sun, and it needs to be moist so it will grow." Xiao Siyue thought about putting it in the vegetable garden and building a thatched shed to block out the sunlight. Besides, the area around the vegetable garden is quite damp.
"Mom, wait a minute, I'll ask Grandpa for help, that will be faster." Xiao Siyue thought it best to let her grandfather come, and let her father go back to his studies.
The group built a thatched shed in less than half an hour, then put the mushrooms inside and watered them. Xiao Siyue clapped her hands: "Alright, we can eat them once they grow."
About twenty days passed, and Xiao Siyue looked at the fresh and juicy mushrooms in front of her, smiling happily. She gently picked one, put it in her mouth, and savored its unique and delicious flavor, exclaiming, "Having a system is really great! I can't believe I'm eating such delicious mushrooms in this ancient world!"
In order to continue growing more mushrooms, Xiao Siyue carefully cut off the roots of the mushrooms after harvesting the first batch and buried them back in the soil to continue cultivating new strains.
After a period of careful tending, the mushrooms have multiplied far beyond what her family needs. Xiao Siyue began to think about how to deal with the excess mushrooms.
Considering that the villagers might also need fresh vegetables to improve their diet, Xiao Siyue had an idea—why not give some of the extra mushrooms to the villagers? After all, it's the current season, the weather is getting colder, and it's already difficult to find fresh vegetables. Most families can only rely on pickled vegetables to survive.
However, we still need to consult Xiao Qinian on this matter.
"Dad, I was thinking of sharing some of the mushroom spawn with the villagers, is that alright?" Xiao Siyue raised her delicate little face, her eyes sparkling with bright light, looking at Xiao Qinian with anticipation.
Xiao Qinian was slightly taken aback, then smiled gently: "Why would Yue'er suddenly think of distributing mushroom spawn to the villagers?" He was still somewhat surprised by this suggestion.
Xiao Siyue blinked and said earnestly, "Dad, think about it, if we share the mushroom spawn with everyone, then everyone in the village can grow mushrooms together! Then everyone can eat fresh mushrooms, wouldn't that be great?" Her voice was clear and melodious, full of enthusiasm and sincerity.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Qinian felt a surge of warmth in his heart. He patted Xiao Siyue's head with satisfaction and praised her, "My Yue'er is such a kind-hearted child."
Then, as if deep in thought, he asked, "But mushroom cultivation requires certain techniques and management experience. How are we supposed to teach them?"
Xiao Siyue immediately replied, "Father, we can teach a few interested villagers first, and then they can teach others! As long as everyone is willing to learn, they will definitely master the skills of growing mushrooms." Her eyes were firm and confident.
Xiao Qinian nodded and said with a smile, "Okay, then let's do as Yue'er says. We'll first select a few villagers who are willing to learn, then give them the mushroom spawn and guide them on how to cultivate it."
Xiao Siyue smiled happily, her face beaming with satisfaction; she had done something good.
Afterwards, Xiao Qinian took Xiao Siyue to find the village chief, and also picked a basket of mushrooms from under the shed to take with them.
"Grandpa Village Chief, are you home?" Xiao Siyue called out as soon as she entered the village chief's house. It was cold, so the village chief and his family were all inside.
"Xiao Yue'er, what brings you here? Come in quickly." Aunt Fang hurriedly pulled Xiao Siyue into the house to warm herself by the fire.
"Qinian, what brings you here today?" The village chief was still a little curious when he saw Xiao Qinian carrying a basket as he came in.
"Well, Uncle Cheng, I met a friend when I went to Qinzhou before. Some time ago, he brought me some mushroom spawn. We've grown a lot of them, and we were thinking of giving some seeds to the people in the village as well." Xiao Qinian explained the purpose of his visit to the village chief.
What are mushrooms?
“This is it, I brought some with me,” Xiao Qinian handed the basket to the village chief, and Aunt Fang also curiously stuck her head over.
"This is somewhat similar to the mushrooms we picked in the mountains, but there are also some differences," Aunt Fang said thoughtfully.
"Grandma Fang, these are mushrooms, just a different type. You can try some first," Xiao Siyue said from the side.
“Okay, then we’ll eat this mushroom later,” Aunt Fang agreed.
"Qinian, how do you plan to distribute the mushrooms to the villagers? Who are you going to give them to?" the village chief hurriedly asked.
“Uncle Cheng, mushroom cultivation isn’t difficult, and they reproduce very quickly. I was thinking you could find a few people to come to my house, and we’ll be responsible for teaching them. Then they can go and teach others. That should be faster, and the villagers can eat fresh vegetables sooner.” Xiao Qinian explained the method that Xiao Siyue had mentioned earlier.
“Okay, this method is good. I’ll have someone come and learn it later,” the village chief said impatiently.
"Sure." They don't have much to do right now, so they can teach them.
"Qinian, your family is truly righteous." The village chief exclaimed, feeling very gratified that Xiao Qinian's family was thinking of the village.
"It's only right. We're also part of Xiaojia Village, so we'll help if we can," Xiao Qinian said modestly.
Having achieved his goal, Xiao Qinian took Xiao Siyue back home.
In the afternoon, the village chief sent six people to learn how to grow mushrooms, three men and three women, and Lin Qin and her sisters-in-law were in charge of teaching them.
Mushroom cultivation is simple, and in less than a month, mushrooms appeared on every dining table in Xiaojia Village.
Not only that, Xiao Siyue also completed a hidden quest, earning 100 merit points and being rewarded with 10 tomato seeds.