Chapter 19 - 19 Chapter 17: Drawing a Tiger but Ending Up with a Cat, The Bully Returns_2 (1/2)

19 Chapter 17: Drawing a Tiger but Ending Up with a Cat, The Bully Returns_2

Translator: 549690339

As a result, trying to draw a tiger but ending up with a cat, not only did he fail to achieve the desired fertilizer effect, but he also caused a batch of corn seedlings to stop growing, their leaves turning yellow.

A miss is as good as a mile.

The mix of fertilizers should be as precise as that of traditional Chinese medicine.

If you use too much of what should be used sparingly, and too little of what should be amply employed, the result will naturally not be effective.

“Even Xu Zhenchang from our village knows this technique. I asked him about the price, and he only charges me eight Wen Money for a basket of fertilizer. Considering that we are neighbors, I’ll charge you ten Wen Money per basket,” Qin Niu said.

Wang Furen, in his attempt to haggle the price, did not hesitate to bring up Xu Zhenchang as Qin Niu’s competitor.

There are definitely those who have reached the level of a middle-ranking farmer.

It’s just that everyone excels in different areas. Some are good at sowing, some excel at weeding, others are adept at loosening the soil…

Someone like Qin Niu, who is proficient in all five basic planting skills, is not nonexistent but absolutely rare as a phoenix feather or a unicorn horn.

While fertilizer is indeed the most critical aspect of planting techniques, there aren’t many who understand how to mix it well.

Very few farmers are willing to spend time finely honing this skill, let alone buying books to study it.

Many can’t even recognize a few characters.

Being able to write one’s own name already puts one ahead of over 60% of people.

Old Man Liu not only adopted Qin Niu but also taught him to read and write.

This was the greatest treasure left to Qin Niu.

Xu Zhenchang indeed has some fame when it comes to crop cultivation and is one of the top planters in the village.

He used to be a tenant farmer for the great landlord Yan Rusong.

A tenant farmer is someone who rents another’s land to farm; besides paying taxes, they must give half of their crops to the landlord.

This half is not based on actual yield but on the average yield from previous years. For example, if everyone harvested two thousand pounds of corn per acre last year, then this year’s rent will be one thousand pounds of corn.

Since collecting rent is easier than farming oneself, many landlords prefer to rent out their land.

But not many farmers dare to rent land.

Because in case of a natural disaster, if the harvest is poor, a year of hard work might still result in a loss.

Better to work as a long-term or temporary worker for a landlord. Although it’s less freedom, at least there is a stable income.

Many people think landlords are ruthless exploiters who oppress the poor, but it’s not like what people imagine.

Everything is voluntary.

Whether renting land from the landlord or working for them, it’s a choice one makes voluntarily.

It’s not that landlords are fiendish, forcing the poor to rent their land or work for them with a knife to their necks.

This is somewhat akin to the modern concept of renting commercial space.

If you think you have a talent for business, you might rent a space and start a business. Otherwise, you might just have to work for someone else.

Xu Zhenchang serves as a role model for countless tenant farmers.

Because his agricultural skills improved over time, the land he rented from the Yan Family produced good harvests each year.