Chapter 66: The uncertain prospect

Xia Xiang handed over a cigarette and said, "I just want to see the beautiful scenery of the grassland... But I also wondered why the good land that can grow grass can't grow crops well?"

The old farmer looks like he is in his 50s, and his teeth have fallen a few. When he smiles, he looks similar to a child who has lost his teeth. He looks a little funny, but he looks serious when he speaks: "Good cigarette? Just smoke a good cigarette, and usually you can't touch such good cigarettes. You are young, and there are nothing beautiful about this grassland, but there are so many grasses, many mosquitoes. I used to raise horses, but now I don't raise horses, and it will become a piece of grass. But if I climb over the mountain in front, there is a mountain valley, and the grass in the valley looks good, and there are flowers in the grass, and there are many famous ones. It's so many that I grow with the grass, and it's beautiful..."

The old farmer took a sip of cigarette and opened the conversation happily. He said nothing. Xia Xiang hurriedly interrupted him, afraid that he would go further and further: "Old man, why can we grow grass and not grow crops?"

"Crops can grow, but they cannot grow well, and this place does not grow well, such as wheat, cotton, rice, corn, etc., they do not grow. The main reason is that they are too hot during the day and too cold at night. Ordinary crops cannot grow well, and even if they can grow, they cannot grow well, so they are so poor here." The old farmer seemed to be talking about other people's affairs, and he looked intoxicated and spit out his hand with a shy face, "Can you give another cigarette?"

Xia Xiang stuffed half of the cigarettes in his hand into his hand: "What crops are planted here?"

The old farmer couldn't help but say, "Give it all to me?" Seeing Xia Xiang nodded, he grabbed the cigarette in his hand and held it tightly, and was very happy. "This box should be several pieces, right? I sent it, I have to hide it when I go back, so don't let Erdan see it and grab it with me... By the way, the young man asked me what crops I grew, right? I just grew potatoes, Xiaomai and beets. There is nothing valuable anyway, and it's enough to eat it all year round, so I can't starve to death."

The old farmer showed his teeth embarrassedly: "Well, young, I'm going to hide the cigarette, I can't chat with you..." He ran away quickly with his cigarette covered.

Xia Xiangran laughed silently.

Huang Ya came over and said jealously: "Is there any cigarette? I can say it well, good cigarettes, just one cigarette."

Jia He handed a box of cigarettes next to him, but Xia Xiang didn't give him one box and pulled out two: "Why don't you grow cabbage?"

"Cache?" Huang Ya grabbed two cigarettes in his hand, lit one, and placed one on his ears, "What are you doing to plant that thing? Just eat potatoes, but cabbage is not delicious. The main thing is that, this place is too cold, and cabbage must be planted in autumn and harvested in winter to be delicious. When it snows in other places, the cabbage just grows ripe, and then it can be stored for the winter. It is not possible here, and the cabbage will freeze to death before it is cooked..."

"I won't plant it in advance, and I will collect it before winter?" Jia He didn't know what Xia wanted to ask about these things, but he grew up in the countryside and knew about growing cabbage.

"No." Huang Ya knew that the smoke was given by Jia He, so she also smiled flatteringly at him. "If you grow it like that, you can grow it and cook it, but it is very unpalatable. Cabbage is a vegetable. Who grows it with a bad dish? It's not food? If you want to eat vegetables, it's better to grow potatoes."

The potatoes in Ba County are well-known far and wide, and Xia Xiang has also heard of them. Before Ba County in the future, he had also tried to sell high-quality potatoes in Ba County to KFC, because Ba County is a real ecological agriculture, pollution-free and purely natural. However, he later thought that almost all the potatoes in KFC were imported from the United States, with extremely high requirements. The mashed potatoes used were special varieties of potatoes: long strips, smooth surface, few bud eyes, not crispy after frying, fast forming, and the content of protein and starch reached a certain proportion. Most domestic potatoes are farm-owned varieties: round, many bud eyes and deep bud eyes, and the starch content did not meet the requirements. Later, there seemed to be a vague rumor that the American potatoes used by KFC were all genetically modified potatoes. No wonder they had a unique taste. After thinking about the impact of genetically modified technology on human health, it was not yet concluded, so it was cut off the idea of ​​promoting genetically modified potatoes in Ba County.

Based on his actual situation in rural life, Jia He said sadly: "No wonder he is so poor. This guy has no good land and the climate is not good. It would be strange if farmers can have money? For example, we can grow cotton and sell money, wheat, corn, soybeans, sesame, and grow whatever they grow. If you eat vegetables, leeks, eggplant, zucchini, onion, cabbage, and whatever you want, you can also grow apples, peaches, and apricots. Every family can't finish their food every year, and the vegetables are enough. If you make some money by selling cotton, it is at least much better than here."

Jia He's hometown is in the central plain, which is originally one of the main grain producing areas in China. It has a mild climate and can grow all kinds of temperate crops, which cannot be compared with Ba County.

Li Dingshan was not clear about what Xia Xiang asked in detail what these things were done. He could only develop tourism in his mind, and he was focused on it. He did not take his heart to Xia Xiang’s question and answer just now: “Xia Xiang, should we go to the Shanwa to take a look?”

Xia wanted to understand Li Dingshan's urgent thoughts, nodded and asked Huang Ya: "How to get to Shanwa?"

Huang Ya looked at the car driven by the three of them and said with embarrassment: "It's hard to pass the car, and the road is hard to walk. If people walk there, it will take half a day. Moreover, you people in the city will not be able to walk that far and have to ride a horse."

Xia Xiang could ride a horse, so he turned his head to see Li Dingshan and Jia He. Jia He patted his chest and said, "I learned everything when I was in the army, and riding a horse is a trivial matter."

Li Dingshan also laughed: "No problem, I have ridden a horse before and can ride it."

Huang Ya slapped her thigh happily: "That's all. I'll lead four horses. Someone has to accompany you. Otherwise, I'll break it if I get lost. This horse is easy to say, just take it as a waste of running errands. I'll go with a few distinguished guests. Can I change a box of cigarettes?"

After a while, Huangya led four horses, two black and two red. The four horses were fit, with thick necks, solid hooves, big eyes, upright ears, symmetrical structure, compact structure. Jia He couldn't help but praise him: "A good horse. This horse is strong and powerful, capable of rushing and endurance, and has high overall quality."

The four of them rode on horseback and marched north. Huang Ya was really the surname Huang, but his name was Huang Hai. He was born and raised from Ba County. The farthest place he had been to in his life was the county town. When Xia wanted to introduce the three of them, he asked Huang Hai to be called Xiao Xia, Xiao Jia and Lao Li respectively, but Huang Hai had a wink. He saw that Li Dingshan had a little background and called "Brother Li" one by one.

In fact, it is not too far from Jiazhai Township to Shanwa, at best, only five or six kilometers away, but it is almost all walking in the long grass without knees. It is said that there is a road, but there is no way to go. Fortunately, I ride a horse and walk slowly with one foot deep and one foot shallow. If I walk with both legs, I must sprain my ankle.

"Xiao Jia still knows horses? I can't tell she is still an expert." Huang Hai was used to seeing the scenery on the grassland. Unlike Xia Xiang and Li Dingshan, his eyes shone brightly, he looked around, and kept pointing and landing behind. He and Jia He were driving the way in front, but they had nothing to say.

"I can't understand it, I just knew it a little when I was in the army. Are you a hybrid horse? You have good endurance and probably have a lot of strength to pull it up. It seems that you can carry things and do farm work, right?"

"Yes, the vision is really accurate. The horses here are hybrids with Mongolian horses, which are much more powerful than Mongolian horses. One is two, not as slow as Mongolian horses. They are all good horses. Every household raises one or two horses to ride on the grassland or something, and they are a small jeep..." Huang Hai was very talkative and talked with Jia He very much.

The scenery of the grassland is so beautiful that you can walk in the sun in the scorching sun, but you don’t feel hot. Xia Xiang and Li Dingshan rode side by side, and the world was empty. Except for the sound of horse hooves and the rustling sound of the wind blowing, it was astonishingly quiet. The long grass hits the legs and the belly of the horse from time to time, which is a unique atmosphere.
Chapter completed!