The next morning, as soon as the sunlight pierced through the thin clouds and cast dappled shadows, Liu Qing got up early and set off to contact the herb gatherers and hunters in the surrounding area.
He walked with firm steps, without the slightest thought of failure in his mind.
After all, he had been growing ginseng on his own land for many years.
Now he was just changing the planting location to the wild.
He firmly believed that with his rich experience and meticulous planning, he would definitely succeed.
In his view, as long as the issues of manpower allocation and wild animal prevention are resolved, coupled with past planting experience, the chances of success are already 70-80%.
Meanwhile, Liu Feng and his grandfather Liu Bai were also busy.
They carried bags full of tools and seeds and headed towards the edge of the forest.
Along the way, the fresh scent of grass and trees filled the air, and occasionally a few clear birdsongs could be heard, as if sending blessings to their plans.
Upon arriving in the forest, the grandfather and grandson carefully surveyed the area and meticulously selected a planting site.
They first found an open space where the sun shone down without reservation and the soil was fertile and loose, making it an ideal place to grow medicinal herbs.
Holding a wooden stick, Liu Bai drew a neat circle on the ground and said with a satisfied look on his face, “Xiao Feng, look, there’s plenty of sunshine here and the soil is quite good.
It’s perfect for growing Blue Silver Grass.”
Liu Feng looked around and found that the open space was surrounded by tall trees with lush foliage, which could provide just the right amount of shade for the medicinal herbs when the sun was too strong.
He nodded in agreement: “Grandpa, this place is really good.
The Blue Silver Grass will definitely thrive here.”
Afterwards, Liu Bai led Liu Feng to a wetland not far away.
The soil in the wetland was moist and soft to the touch, and you could see several thin streams of water meandering through it.
Liu Bai pointed to the wetland and said, “This place is suitable for growing wild ginseng.
The moist soil and abundant water are excellent conditions for the growth of wild ginseng.”
Liu Feng bent down to observe.
The soil was damp with moisture, and the surrounding streams flowed gently.
He said excitedly, “Grandpa, with such abundant water here, the wild ginseng will definitely grow fast and well.”
After deciding on the planting location, the grandfather and grandson immediately began preparing the soil.
Liu Bai took out the carefully prepared fertilizer from his bag and spread it evenly on the ground.
Then he picked up a shovel and skillfully loosened the soil, each turn steady and powerful.
As he turned the soil, he explained, “Fertilizer can make the soil more fertile and provide sufficient nutrients for the growth of medicinal herbs.”
Not to be outdone, Liu Feng picked up a shovel and imitated him, loosening the soil as he said expectantly, “Grandpa, once we plant these seeds, we can come and harvest them regularly.
Then our medicinal herbs will definitely be plentiful and of high quality.”
Looking at his earnest grandson, Liu Bai smiled with satisfaction and nodded in agreement, “Yes, Xiao Feng, your idea is very good.
As long as we put our hearts into it, we will definitely succeed.”
With the soil prepared, the next step was sowing.
These seeds were plump and shimmered with the luster of life in the sunlight.
As he evenly scattered the seeds on the soil, he patiently instructed Liu Feng: “The seeds must be scattered evenly so that each seed has enough space and nutrients to grow.”
After the planting was completed, they began to set up protective measures to prevent wild animals from damaging the medicinal herbs.
Using the wooden stakes and wire he brought, Liu Bai built a simple yet sturdy fence.
He then tied sharp branches all over the fence, which gleamed coldly in the sunlight like thorns, making it extremely intimidating.
Inside the fence, they dug several deep pits, filled the bottom with sharpened wooden stakes, then covered the pits with a thin layer of soil and sprinkled blue silver grass, making it very cleverly disguised.
It would be difficult for an unsuspecting person to discover the hidden secret underneath.
Liu Feng wasn’t idle either.
He scattered thorny plants around the fence to further enhance its protective properties, and said confidently, “Grandpa, if we make the fence so secure, wild animals definitely won’t dare to damage our medicinal herbs.”
Liu Bai looked at Liu Feng, his expression gentle yet cautious: “It can prevent some damage, but it can’t guarantee complete protection.
Let’s try it this way first.
If it doesn’t work, we’ll think of other ways to improve it.”
In addition to setting up fences, they also decided to disperse the medicinal herbs for planting to reduce risks.
Deep in the forest, they selected several secluded and suitable locations, planting some blue silver grass and wild ginseng in each place.
As Liu Feng sowed the seeds, he explained, “Dispersed planting can reduce losses.
Even if the medicinal herbs in one place are destroyed by wild animals, the herbs in other places can still be preserved.”
Liu Bai nodded in agreement and followed his grandson to various locations, sowing seeds of hope in the forest.
They were extremely busy that day.
Although the seeds were not planted densely, they poured their hearts and souls into every step.
After all, this was just an initial experiment, and they dared not rush into large-scale planting.
If the experiment was successful, it would be much easier to expand the scale later.
After returning home, Liu Feng and Liu Bai, without taking a break, immediately began planning the next steps.
They decided to check on the growth of the ginseng seedlings in the forest every few days, and to water, weed, and fertilize them regularly, so that every medicinal herb could grow strong and healthy.
Liu Bai smiled and said to Liu Feng, “Xiao Feng, if this plan succeeds, you’ll be able to use ginseng with even better medicinal effects for your cultivation.”
Liu Feng’s eyes lit up, and he replied excitedly, “Yes, Grandpa.
And if we can cultivate Blue Silver Ginseng on a large scale, we might be able to sell it in Longxing Town and earn more money.
Then our lives will definitely get better and better.”
Liu Bai stroked his beard, his eyes full of approval.
From then on, every few days, Liu Bai would go to the forest planting area to check on the growth of the medicinal herbs.
Holding a shovel, he carefully loosened the soil to allow air to enter and nourish the roots; carrying a bucket, he slowly poured clear water next to each ginseng seedling; he also carefully sprinkled fertilizer to ensure that the seedlings had enough nutrients to grow strong.
Meanwhile, the liaison work with Liu Qing was also progressing smoothly. The source of this chapter is g.com.
As a level 29 Great Soul Master, he had extremely high prestige in the eyes of ordinary people.
Everyone gave him face and expressed their willingness to participate in this planting project.
Time passed quietly, and the blue silver grass and wild ginseng they planted gradually grew under their careful care.
Every time Liu Feng entered the forest, he was pleasantly surprised to find that the medicinal herbs had undergone new changes, with the leaves becoming greener and the plants becoming more robust.
His heart was filled with excitement and pride.
Liu Feng pointed to a thriving blue silver grass and said to his grandfather, “Grandpa, look how well these medicinal herbs are growing.
Our efforts have finally paid off.”
Looking at the thriving medicinal herbs, Liu Bai smiled broadly, his heart filled with satisfaction.
Perhaps it was the good location, or perhaps it was good luck, but most of the planted ginseng remained unharmed, except for a very small number that were damaged by animals in the forest.
They continued to carefully tend to the medicinal herbs, eagerly anticipating the day of harvest.
Each time they stepped into the forest, they were filled with hope, firmly believing that these medicinal herbs could bring them more resources and opportunities.
A year and a half had passed in the blink of an eye, and the ginseng planting plan in Liu Family Village had finally ushered in the harvest season.
Although the trampling and gnawing by wild animals caused some damage to the planting area during the expansion process, the number of successfully planted trees far exceeded expectations.
Standing at the edge of the forest, Liu Feng looked at the lush green ginseng fields before him and felt a strong sense of accomplishment.
This land, which embodied their countless efforts, had finally borne abundant fruit.
However, as the planting area continued to expand, the problem of wild animal intrusion had become increasingly serious.
One morning, Liu Feng and his grandfather arrived at a newly developed planting area, and the sight before them made them frown.
The ground was covered with messy animal footprints, and several newly sprouted ginseng seedlings were gnawed and mutilated, some even leaving only bare roots and stems.
Liu Feng squatted down and carefully examined the damaged ginseng.
His brows were furrowed, but his eyes showed determination: “Grandpa, these wild beasts are too rampant.
We must find a solution, otherwise the scale of planting will not be able to expand at all.”
Liu Bai’s expression was solemn.
He stroked his beard and slowly said, “Yes, if the problem of wild animals is not solved, our ginseng cultivation will always be limited in scale.”
After some discussion, the two decided to further strengthen the protective measures in the planting area.
They added more traps around the fence, and the types of traps became more diverse, including barbed animal traps and rope snares to ensnare wild animals.
At the edge of the planting area, they sprinkled more herbs with pungent smells, such as mugwort and mint, hoping to scare away wild animals.
In addition, Liu Feng came up with a new idea: he suggested setting up warning devices around the planting area.
They created a simple alarm system using bells and ropes.
The bells were hung on ropes that were wrapped around the planting area.
If a wild animal approached and triggered the ropes, the bells would ring, alerting the herb gatherers and hunters on guard.
While these measures had some effect, the intrusion of wild animals had not been completely eliminated.
Liu Feng realized that simply relying on protective measures was not a cure; the problem had to be addressed at its root.
[end of the chapter]