After finishing lunch, Lynn walked while opening [Heavenly Artifacts].
[Your Planting is now Level 1, unlocking: Character Loyalty]
[Reward acquired: Memory Pearl ×1]
Seeing the prompt, Lynn raised an eyebrow.
After days of cultivating and digging, [Planting] has finally leveled up.
Lynn is familiar with the Memory Pearl.
But this loyalty...
Lynn glanced at Kuisi.
[Kuisi Harper]: Loyalty 89%↑, Planting Level 2, Cooking Level 2, Collection Level 2
Turning his body, he looked at Red.
[Red Harper]: Loyalty 81%↑, Hunting Level 3, Planting Level 2, Construction Level 2
Then he looked at Lex.
[Lex Floren]: Loyalty 70%↑, Brewing Level 3, Cooking Level 2, Construction Level 2
Looking at the different loyalty values of the three, Lynn thought to himself.
Loyalty probably reflects satisfaction with the current living conditions, shown in numerical form.
There's an upward arrow behind the value, indicating a trend towards increasing loyalty.
Soon, Lynn figured out something.
If the trend appeared downward, it meant dissatisfaction with current life, hinting at possible betrayal.
He could foresee it in advance and eliminate the threat before it happened.
This unlocked feature is very practical for Lynn!
...
With Lynn and Red continuously swinging the Iron Hoe, more than two acres of land enough for wheat seeds were cultivated.
Lynn planned to use the surplus land for planting cotton seeds.
Although there are only dozens of cotton seeds now, each planting can generate more seeds.
By next year, there should be enough cotton seeds for further planting.
At dusk.
Standing at the cabin's door, Lynn watched as the sunset illuminated the cultivated land, turning the ground golden.
The time for spring planting is fleeting; the farming must be completed quickly.
Lynn entered the cabin, gazing at the three sitting by the fire, and spoke, "Cultivation is temporarily done; tomorrow we'll start digging decomposed soil in the forest."
The fertility of barren soil is insufficient, lacking nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium.
By first cultivating and turning the soil, Lynn could increase the oxygen content to some extent, improving soil structure and using sunlight to kill pests within.
But this isn't enough.
To ensure the planted wheat yields more, increasing fertility is essential.
At least a thousand pounds of fertilizer is needed per acre to enrich the soil!
Two acres of land means two thousand pounds of fertilizer.
Given the current conditions, the best fertilizer should be a compost of human and livestock manure mixed with mud and weeds, fermented, followed by naturally decomposed soil from the forest.
This spring's planting won't allow time for manure compost.
Not to mention collecting enough human and livestock manure.
Even if available, there's no enough time for compost fermentation.
A complete manure composting process takes several months at least.
Kuisi seemed puzzled, "Decomposed soil?"
Red and Lex also curiously looked at Lynn.
Lynn explained, "The land's fertility is too poor, it needs enrichment. We don't have compost, so we must use decomposed soil from the forest."
Kuisi nodded, "Alright, Master Lynn."
Red and Lex followed suit and nodded.
As long as Master Lynn said it, they just needed to follow.
Only then did Lynn realize there's no concept of soil enrichment in this world...
Farming techniques are underdeveloped; farmers find a piece of land, cultivate it, then simply scatter wheat or barley seeds in a convenient posture, waiting for harvest.
Days ago, Lynn wove flat baskets and let them smoke dry over the embers, and now the dried flat baskets and carrying bins were just right for use.
...
The next day, early in the morning.
Lynn stood on a round stone on the forest's edge.
Left hand gripping the Horn Bow, right hand touching the Arrow, he vigilantly scanned the surroundings.
Beneath him, Red, Kuisi, and Lex were transporting decomposed soil from the forest floor.
Red, robust and strong, could carry a fully loaded carrying bin himself.
The weight of two bins filled with decomposed soil adds up to around eighty or ninety pounds, just a small matter for Red.
Kuisi and Lex were naturally not as physically strong as Red, so the two of them carried a willow basket weighing about twenty or thirty pounds back and forth.
Though each trip didn't carry much, it all added up.
There was a distance of more than two hundred meters from the edge of the forest to the cleared land.
With Red's physical strength, carrying two baskets took just three to four minutes to complete.
Adding Kuisi and Lex, they averaged about a hundred pounds per trip.
At dusk, the four of them returned to the cabin.
Fortunately, no Wild Wolves appeared today.
Except for the time spent eating lunch, Red and the others spent all their time transporting the decomposed soil.
By the end of the day, nearly eight or nine hundred pounds of decomposed soil had accumulated on the clearing!
With another day's work tomorrow, the two thousand pounds of decomposed soil needed for the two acres will be sufficient.
...
Morning.
Lex was still making breakfast in front of the hearth.
Lynn took Kuisi and Red to the back of the cabin.
Looking at the bag filled with wheat seeds and the ashes scooped out from the hearth, Kuisi and Red were full of confusion.
Kuisi curiously asked, "Master Lynn, what should we do now?"
Lynn spoke, "Pour all the wheat seeds into the ash, then mix them by hand, ensuring the ashes evenly cover the surface of the seeds."
Kuisi's face showed surprise for a moment, just about to speak, but saw Master Lynn's face full of seriousness.
She turned to look at Red, who instinctively grasped the corner of the cloth bag and poured out all the wheat seeds.
Instantly, a light dust of ash rose up.
Luckily, Lynn told them to step back in time; otherwise, they would have been covered in ash.
Once the dust settled, Kuisi and Red stepped forward to start mixing.
Of course, Kuisi and Red didn't know why Lynn asked them to do this, but they understood that whatever Master Lynn said was what needed to be done.
They just had to follow his instructions without questioning why.
Watching the golden wheat seeds gradually get covered by the ashes, Lynn's face remained calm.
After days of toiling under the sun, Lynn had long since mastered the knowledge of improving wheat planting methods and increasing wheat yields.
Mixing wheat seeds with ashes has many advantages.
The ashes can absorb moisture and prevent humidity, enhancing the seed's ability to absorb surrounding moisture and reducing the risk of dampness, ensuring a better germination rate after sowing.
Additionally, the alkaline substances in the ash can kill the germs and insect eggs on the surface of the wheat seeds to some extent!
Moreover, ashes are rich in nutrients like potassium, phosphorus, and calcium...
Besides soaking in saltwater, mixing with ashes is currently the best method available to improve the germination rate of wheat seeds.
Moreover, these wheat seeds are plump and don't need to be pre-soaked in water to improve the germination rate.
When Red and Kuisi had finished mixing all fifty pounds of wheat seeds, Lex had breakfast ready as well.
After having breakfast,
Lynn led the three of them to the cleared land.
In front of Red, Kuisi, and Lex, Lynn began to demonstrate.
Lynn took a hoe and started sowing using the row planting method.
The cleared land was limited, and so were the wheat seeds.
Additionally, because the fertility of the wasteland's soil was insufficient, fertilization had to be combined with a change in the sowing method.
Row planting can reduce wastage of wheat seeds and also minimize the diffusion of the decomposed soil's fertility.
A nine-centimeter trench was dug into the soil, natural decomposed soil was sprinkled as fertilizer, with the seeds sown on the fertilizer, using it to support the wheat seeds.
The decomposed soil would provide the nutrients needed for the wheat seeds to germinate.
Kuisi's eyes lit up a bit.
She knew Master Lynn's planting method was completely different from what she remembered.
But she vaguely felt that Master Lynn's way might be correct...
She couldn't quite articulate why it was correct.
Lynn continued to plant for over ten meters, finally covering the soil over the trench with the hoe.
Looking at Kuisi and the other two, Lynn asked, "Have you learned how to plant using this method?"
The three of them nodded immediately.
Row planting wasn't too difficult.
If they couldn't do it the first time, Lynn could pretend not to see.
If they couldn't do it the second time, he could still understand.
If they couldn't do it the third time, he could forgive them.
But would they still be unable to do it the fourth time?
By the fifth time, even a pig should be able to learn simply by copying, right?