The Farm Girl’s Charismatic Fortune
Chapter 177 - 173: Little Master Xuanbao

Chapter 177: Chapter 173: Little Master Xuanbao

Master Han led the children to the Ruo Family’s vegetable patch.

From a distance, Ruo Xuan waved her hand and shouted, "Granny, we’re here!"

Then she bounded and skipped her way over.

The villagers were originally asking Granny Lei about the third season of rice planting when they saw Master Han approaching with a group of children.

They hurriedly said to Granny Lei, "Sister-in-law, remember to remind me in advance when you plant the third season of rice after the autumn harvest! If you buy rice seeds for your family, help me buy a share too, or let me know so I can go buy them with you. This year I’m definitely going to follow suit and plant them too."

"Yes, remember to remind us too! We’re leaving first!"

...

A few women dropped this remark and hurriedly ran away.

They were afraid to be "humorously inquired" by Master Han, afraid of saying something wrong, afraid of teaching the wrong things, so they all quickly scampered off.

They all knew Master Han’s identity was extraordinary and were aware that he was here to study farming techniques. It wasn’t the villagers’ first encounter with Master Han either, as everyone had been approached by him for advice on farming matters.

Master Han simply had too many questions, and many people who had been consulted once were scared because Master Han said he wanted to write a book on agriculture and include their experience in it.

My goodness, what they said was going to be written in a book, so what if they said something wrong and misled others?

Who would dare to speak then?

So by the time Ruo Xuan arrived at her family’s vegetable patch with others, everyone had run away!

Master Han felt somewhat regretful and said, "Why does everyone seem to be avoiding me since the New Year’s return?"

Yan Jiaojiao and the other children exchanged glances.

Who wouldn’t avoid someone like the teacher who kept pestering with endless questions!

Only Xuanbao had the patience to accompany him.

They too wanted to avoid him, but they couldn’t.

Seeing Granny Lei still planned to plant another plot of hollow-hearted vegetables after sowing a patch, Ruo Xuan hurriedly said, "Granny, don’t plant so much of this! Plant more leafy greens like choi sum, baby bok choy, and big bok choy. Don’t plant too much crown daisy either; its flavor is strong, and don’t plant too much sow thistle; it’s bitter!"

Ruo Xuan frowned at the sight of sow thistle and crown daisy seeds in the basket.

Ruo Xuan was not very picky about food and would eat both crown daisy and sow thistle, but she didn’t want to eat too much. Besides, hollow-hearted vegetables tasted good only for the first few harvests in spring; as the season went on, they became less palatable and too tough.

She wished for different varieties of vegetables for every meal, every day.

Now, she was no longer the Ruo Xuan who clamored for rabbit meat or goat meat every day.

Granny Lei then said, "We need to plant more of these hollow-hearted vegetables and sow thistle because they can be eaten right up until autumn, especially the hollow-hearted vegetables. They’re like leeks in that you can harvest them continuously. Plus, they don’t get infested with insects. In the summer, there aren’t many green vegetables you can grow, so we rely on these. Planting a bit more at once saves work."

Because of its warm climate, Shaxi County has vegetables and some fruits to eat even in winter, and there are actually more varieties of vegetables that can be grown in winter than in summer.

Summer is actually quite difficult for growing green leafy vegetables, firstly because it is too hot, and secondly, because there are more pests. These green leafy vegetables hardly sprout a few leaves before being devoured by insects.

Those flea beetles become rampant in summer; they grow into something that looks like fleas that can also fly, and they are impossible to catch or eliminate.

Summer is the season for beans, cucumbers, eggplants, loofahs, gourds, pumpkins, and winter melons. However, bean plants also tend to attract pests, but their leaves can be eaten as well.

"Don’t worry, I have a way to keep our vegetables free from pests. I can ensure everything grows well and stays alive. Granny, don’t plant too much of the same kind!"

Hearing this, Granny Lei laughed and said, "Alright, Xuanbao likes to eat, so Granny will plant a bit of everything. Later on, I will plant more in the backyard of the new house."

Ruo Xuan responded with an affirmative okay.

After greeting Granny Lei, Master Han turned to the packages of seeds in the vegetable basket and asked, "Xuanbao ah! Do you recognize all these seeds of vegetables? Do you know what they are?"

Ruo Xuan: "I do!"

There wasn’t a plant she didn’t recognize!

"Come, come, come, tell the teacher about them. You children come over as well, listen carefully and take good notes. The old man is going to have a test on this later."

A few children: "..."

That sentence again!

Master Han planned to write a farming book, one that would be as comprehensive as possible, to serve as a reference for future generations.

He took his work seriously, making detailed records of the seeds’ shapes, colors, and sizes, and then he asked Ruo Xuan about their growth habits, cultivation methods, and maturation timings.

Of course, his knowledge did not just come from Ruo Xuan – he also conducted field investigations, visiting the fields every day to take notes.

He would ask other people too, collecting a wealth of experiences from many.

Besides visiting the Ruo Family’s fields, he would also roam others’, even going as far as planting personally to see if things really worked that way.

Eventually, Master Han wrote a very comprehensive masterpiece on agriculture that benefited people all over the region and had a profound influence and research significance for future generations, thus he was known as the reincarnation of the legendary "Divine Farmer."

In order not to erase Ruo Xuan’s contributions, his book wasn’t just an impersonal introduction; much of its content was presented in the format of farming notes between the old and the young, expressed through dialogues. Whatever Ruo Xuan taught him was recorded as "Xuanbao said," complemented by illustrations and texts.

As the book’s influence grew and time passed, Ruo Xuan was mythologized by the people into a heavenly maiden descended to earth.

Otherwise, how could there be such a brilliant child of only three years old!

After thousands of years, through the vicissitudes of changing eras, while many historical figures from that dynasty were forgotten, the divine Ruo Xuan became a legend.

Granny Lei found it amusing seeing a crowd of people gathered around her granddaughter, listening to the young girl explain things.

Her Xuanbao was not going to read books, but to teach.

Xuanbao was truly incredible; she had become a little master.

After Ruo Xuan finished explaining about the vegetable seeds and there was still time left, she led Yan Jiaojiao and the others up the mountain to forage for wild vegetables and mushrooms.

Master Han originally wanted to go back to sort out the agricultural information he’d learned that day, but upon hearing they were going to the mountains, he was worried about the safety of the children.

And mushrooms and wild vegetables could also be added to the book. Especially mushrooms – many are poisonous, and if he could record the edible ones from those that are not, then people would not have to hear of villagers dying from mushroom poisoning every year.

The mushrooms in the mountain were frequented by the villagers nearby, so Ruo Xuan led them a bit further in to forage.

With her spiritual energy stimulating the growth, mushrooms were abundant all over the mountain.

Yan Jiaojiao said excitedly, "Look at all these mushrooms!"

She could hardly wait to dig up the brightest-red one.

"Don’t touch! It’s poisonous!" Ruo Xuan quickly stopped her.

Yan Jiaojiao was startled.

Yan Huan hastened to pull her away, "Are you a pig? Don’t you know you can’t just pick mushrooms randomly?"

Yan Jiaojiao pouted and stuck her tongue out at her older brother.

She ran over to Ruo Xuan’s side, "Xuanbao, teach me how to pick mushrooms, and not my brother! I don’t believe he can tell which ones are poisonous and which ones are not!"

Yan Huan rolled his eyes, "I might not be able to tell, but I’m not as foolish as you to touch things recklessly without knowing them."

"Yan Huan is right," Master Han took the opportunity to give a lesson, then asked, "Xuanbao, which of these mushrooms are edible and which are poisonous?"

Ruo Xuan pointed at the mushroom Yan Jiaojiao had just attempted to pick and said, "Most of the pretty-looking ones are poisonous. The more vivid the color, the stronger the poison."

Then Ruo Xuan dug up one of each type of edible mushroom and said, "These are all edible. Just pick the ones that look like these, and don’t pick the others."

The children immediately divided the work amongst themselves, each taking a specimen and began digging for mushrooms.

Master Han also joined in the foraging, meanwhile asking Ruo Xuan if she knew about the mushrooms’ growth habits.

Ruo Xuan shared her knowledge freely and in great detail.

Master Han exclaimed, "These mushrooms sound like they just need enough moisture to grow, and they grow fast too, sprouting in just a few days with a high yield. If they could be cultivated, that would be great."

Mushrooms can be dried and stored for a long time. In lean periods, having an additional food source would help the common people have a bit more to eat.

Ruo Xuan said, "They can be cultivated!"

It’s just a bit more troublesome initially to build straw houses and set up frames. Moreover, different mushrooms prefer different types of wood.

Whenever Ruo Xuan craved for them, she could just come up to the mountain and hasten their growth to have countless mushrooms at her disposal, so she had never thought of cultivating them, but growing such small things wouldn’t be difficult for her.

Master Han looked at her in amazement, "You can cultivate these?"

These were mountain delicacies!