I, Sun Shan, and the Imperial Examination

Chapter 1495 Rice Cultivation Experimental Field

As night falls, the autumn air in Yuanlu County is filled with the aroma of rice.

Seeing the tiger roar, Little Fatty and Little Blackie ran after them, carrying their little baskets. Behind them, Su shouted anxiously, "Slow down! Slow down! Don't fall!"

This moment is so beautiful, a picture of family bliss.

Hu Ming said excitedly, "Godfather, your son has gathered a basket of rice ears."

She paused, then added, "There's still a lot of soil to pick; the child will be coming again tomorrow. We can't let it go to waste."

Sun Shan looked at the small basket full of ears of grain and praised him generously: "Good son, you are a good helper to your godfather. You know how to help your godfather with chores."

Hu Ming's eyes lit up, and he said happily, "Godfather, this is what Hu Ming should do. Hu Ming can do even more when he grows up."

Sun Shan patted Hu Ming's little head, and saw that even though he was dressed in coarse clothes, he could not hide the temperament of a young scholar.

He said with relief, "Good son, your godfather is waiting for you."

He paused, then added, "But you're still young. You can help your godfather with chores when you grow up. Focus on your studies first and don't get distracted."

Hu Ming said earnestly, "Father, I understand."

The chubby girl struggled to carry a basket of ears of grain, and said happily, "Daddy, Xiaoxiao is helping Daddy with the work too. These are what Xiaoxiao picked."

Sun Shan was overjoyed and said happily, "Good girl, you're so capable. You've picked them all up! Oh, you're really a good helper to your father."

The chubby little girl's round face revealed adorable dimples as she smiled sweetly: "Daddy, wait for Xiaoxiao to eat popcorn."

He pointed to the basket, drew a big circle with both hands, and said, "Father, I want to eat this much rice puffed rice."

Sun Shan pinched the little chubby girl's cheek helplessly. He didn't know what was wrong with the little girl, wanting to eat all day long.

Looking at the chubby girl's round figure, I can't help but think of the big fat guy.

Ah, nephews often resemble their uncles. It seems his little chubby girl not only inherited his big fat man's physique, but also his gluttonous nature.

Sun Shan sighed and said weakly, "Alright, Father, I'll go back and have Mother make it for you, okay?"

Okay, of course.

The chubby girl excitedly jumped onto Sun Shan's legs and said happily, "Daddy, you're so good. Xiaoxiao likes Daddy the most."

Sun Shan was also amused, squatted down, and kissed the chubby girl.

As expected, the chubby girl quickly pushed Sun Shan away.

She disgustedly touched the drool on her cheek and shook her head repeatedly, saying, "I can't kiss you, Father smells bad, Xiaoxiao doesn't like it."

This infuriated Sun Shan. What a heartless daughter! What a fake father-daughter relationship!

Sun Shan turned around and pretended to notice the ears of grain in the little black girl's basket.

He said with delight, "Little Black Girl, you picked up so many too! You're such a capable girl, you can help Uncle Shan with his work now."

Instantly, Xiao Hei Mei's eyes lit up. She looked at Sun Shan with a cheerful smile and whispered, "Uncle Shan, Xiao Hei Mei didn't do much and picked up very little."

Sun Shan shook his head repeatedly and said, "Not too little, not too much. She truly deserves to be called a good girl of our Sun family; she's really capable."

Hu Ming picked up the most, followed by Xiao Hei Mei. As for why Xiao Fei Mei's basket was so full, it was entirely because Su Shi cheated; the two of them picked up the basket together.

Whether in terms of age or efficiency, the little black girl is the clear winner, a true workaholic.

According to Sister Yun, although Xiao Heimei was only so-so in needlework and literacy, she was incredibly skilled at housework.

Three- or four-year-old toddlers have already learned to do laundry, wash dishes, and sweep the floor; they're only a year or two away from cooking.

Gui Ge'er and Li Jinhua really trained Xiao Heimei to be an all-rounder, making her do everything.

The little black girl smiled shyly, but the joy in her eyes betrayed her happiness.

I was so happy to be praised by Sun Shan in that instant.

Seeing that it was getting late, Sun Shan led his family back to the yamen.

Sure enough, as soon as she got home, the chubby girl transformed into a strong little girl, carrying a full ear of grain and running to find Sister Yun.

Sister Yun thought the little girl was asking for praise after a day's work, so she praised her generously, just like Sun Shan.

Unfortunately, that wasn't what the little chubby girl meant. She cried out anxiously, "Mom, Dad said to make rice popcorn. Mom, make it for Xiaoxiao quickly!"

Sister Yun felt exactly the same way as Sun Shan, and nodded helplessly: "Okay, I'll make it for you after we finish eating."

The little girl was overjoyed and happily ran out to share the happy news with her older brother and sister.

The entire backyard of the yamen was filled with laughter and cheerful chatter.

Seeing the chubby little girl running around, Su chased after her, shouting, "Don't run, don't run, or you'll fall flat on your face!"

Little Fatty always ignored Su's words; the more she was told not to run, the more she wanted to run.

As she ran, she shouted, "Grandma, Xiaoxiao wants to eat popcorn! Grandma, Xiaoxiao loves popcorn the most!"

Sun Shan looked at the lively and adorable little chubby girl with a smile, feeling that all the hard work of the day was worthwhile.

A few days later, the autumn harvest in Yuanlu County officially ended, and the rice in the fields had been harvested and stored.

Because Sun Dali and other members of the Sun family went to work as镖师 (bodyguards/escorts), the rice experimental field had to be transferred to the management of Zhang Shiye.

Now that it has been confirmed that bird droppings fertilizer is indeed effective, a series of agricultural experiments, such as seed cultivation and pesticide development, should begin to be organized.

When it comes to research and development, we definitely need highly educated people; it won't work if we leave it to the Sun family's guards.

After more than a year of systematic study, I regret to find that the Sun family guards are indeed not cut out for academics.

These days, I can only barely understand notices and the like; if I go any deeper, I'm completely lost.

As for his handwriting, that's even more outrageous. The effect is worse than a cowboy's. Not only are the characters as big as a cow's, but they are also often missing parts. It's really unbearable to look at.

There are many positive people in this world, but few who are truly ambitious.

The Sun family guards were indeed very hardworking, sweating profusely and suffering greatly while learning.

Take Sun Dali for example. He is eager to learn and proactive, but his brain just can't hold everything. People can recognize the characters, but he doesn't know how to read them.

It's not that Sun Shan didn't give them a chance, but rather that their abilities didn't match the opportunity.

The blame lies with Sunjia Village, which is extremely poor, causing the village boys to miss out on their prime learning years.

Sun Dali could only remain in the position of security captain, and it was impossible for him to become a member of Sun Shan's think tank.

Sun Shan looked at the test data and sighed.

He called Zhang, the clerk, in and said, "Clerk Zhang, I want to set up an experimental rice cultivation field."

This explains the experimental field's focus on developing superior seeds and pesticides, among other plans, to increase rice yields.

Master Zhang had never farmed before, but he started farming after following Sun Shan. He listened to Sun Shan's plan and thought about it for a long time.

He said with concern, "The adults' plans are good, but they need to be implemented over many years; success won't come in a short time."

For example, when it comes to cultivating seeds, Master Zhang doesn't know how to cultivate them.

However, it took a lot of effort to test the bird droppings fertilizer, which shows that the time cost was very high.

If Sun Shan were to establish this project, it would take a long time and success is not guaranteed.

If Sun Shan had left Yuanlu County, the next magistrate might not have continued with the experiment.