Chapter 092: Sowing the Seeds of Hope

Luo Chong observed the shedding fur of the animals and concluded that the temperature was finally warm enough for planting. That very evening, he began sorting through last year's seed stock—wild rice, peanuts, and chili peppers were the main crops. Additionally, he planned to cultivate sisal and man-eating trees, though those would be planted in the mountains rather than in the fields.

Among these seeds, peanuts required shelling and pre-soaking before planting. The Han tribe had four baskets of peanut seeds, all of which needed processing. That afternoon, Luo Chong, accompanied by a few young girls, sat in the open clearing, carefully shelling peanuts and placing the peeled nuts into large water vats.

The Rat Shaman, puzzled by Luo Chong's actions, couldn't comprehend why he was removing the shells and setting the peanuts aside instead of eating them. To him, peanuts were simply food.

"Chief, what exactly are you doing? Why aren't you eating these nuts?" The Rat Shaman squatted down beside him and asked.

"Oh, it's you, Shaman," Luo Chong replied as he continued his work. "We're not eating them because we're going to plant them. And by the way, these aren't just any nuts; they're called peanuts. From now on, remember to call them that."

"Huasheng… Peanuts…" The Rat Shaman repeated the word several times, trying to commit it to memory before asking another question. "And what do you mean by 'planting'?"

"Planting means that in the spring, we bury these nuts in the soil and water them. Over time, they will grow into plants, and by autumn, each peanut we bury will yield dozens—sometimes even hundreds—of new peanuts. So, if we plant these four baskets now, by harvest time, they'll turn into at least 400 baskets, possibly even thousands." Luo Chong explained while counting on his fingers.

"This… This is real?" The Rat Shaman's jaw nearly dropped to the ground in disbelief.

"Of course. If we cultivate them properly, these four baskets alone will yield hundreds more. And we're not just planting peanuts—we're also growing rice. Not only is it delicious, but it also grows faster and in far greater quantities. A single grain of rice sown in spring can multiply ten thousand times by autumn. That's the key to sustaining a population of 6,000 people on this land, as I've mentioned before," Luo Chong said confidently.

"Rice… Ten thousand times?" The Rat Shaman muttered, fixating on Luo Chong's words. "Chief, how much exactly is ten thousand?"

"You know what a hundred is, right?"

"Yes."

"Well, ten groups of a hundred make a thousand." Luo Chong raised his hands, spreading out his fingers to illustrate.

"And ten groups of a thousand make ten thousand," he continued. "That's one hundred groups of one hundred."

A chorus of audible gulps echoed around them.

"Chief," came a voice—it was Rat Da, who had been eavesdropping. "I think we should focus on this planting. It sounds far more important than hunting."

Rat Da had once been a leader himself, and it was evident that those who could rise to such a position were no fools. He understood the significance of farming immediately. The promise of food multiplying ten thousand times was too great to ignore, no matter how much labor it required.

What Luo Chong had said was no exaggeration. A single rice plant could bear 20 to 40 stalks, each producing 400 to 600 grains. Even at the lowest estimate—25 stalks per plant and 500 grains per stalk—the yield would be a staggering 12,500 grains from just one seed. Ten thousand times growth was, if anything, a conservative figure.

"Chief, I just remembered—we brought along some bags of… peanuts when we moved. Can those be planted too? We're not lacking food right now, so maybe we should sow those as well," the Rat Shaman suddenly suggested, his excitement evident.

"Oh? Really? That's fantastic!" Luo Chong's eyes lit up. "Alright, get someone to sort through those peanuts immediately. Pick out the ones that are whole and undamaged—only intact peanuts can sprout."

"Yes! Right away!" The Rat Shaman, leaning on his staff, hurried off to find his former tribe members and locate the stored peanuts.

"Chief, what about me? What should I do? I want to help too!" Rat Da asked eagerly, watching the shaman dash away without an assignment of his own.

"You? Gather a few people and come with me to plow the fields." Luo Chong instructed. So far, only the rice fields had been tilled, as he had shifted focus to mining soon after. The peanut and chili fields hadn't been prepared yet. Since there were now plenty of hands available, it was the perfect time to take care of that.

"Understood! I'll get some people right now!" Rat Da ran off, just as enthusiastic as the shaman.

By nightfall, Luo Chong had designated an additional 100 acres for peanut farming and 36 acres for chili peppers. Altogether, the fields for the three crops spanned 200 acres.

The following morning, Rat Da and several others learned how to harness bronze plows to oxen. A woman from the Han tribe, who had previously plowed fields, guided the oxen at the front while Rat Da held the plow steady. As he watched the rich soil turn over with each advance of the bronze blades, he was both astonished and intrigued.

With two oxen and four plow blades working simultaneously, progress was swift.

Meanwhile, Luo Chong soaked 22 pounds of rice seeds in water, removing any hollow or damaged grains that floated to the surface. The remaining plump and viable seeds needed 24 hours of soaking before they could be used.

Taking advantage of the waiting period, Luo Chong selected a plot of land on the westernmost side of the rice field for seedling cultivation. Unlike other crops, rice isn't directly sown into fields—it first undergoes a seedling stage, lasting about 20 days. During this time, the young plants develop a few leaves before they are transplanted into the main fields in a process known as "transplanting rice seedlings."

The sorted peanut seeds were also soaked. Unlike rice, peanuts were direct-seeding crops and could be planted immediately in the field, provided the soil had been properly tilled.

To synchronize the planting of rice, peanuts, and chili peppers, Rat Da and his team worked tirelessly, ensuring the fields were ready.

Plowing 136 acres was a formidable task, requiring relentless effort from dawn until dusk. Clearing debris, leveling the land—when people rested, the oxen continued working; when the oxen rested, the plows did not stop. Whenever one person grew weary, another stepped in. The bronze plows cut through the earth, flipping the soil, while the tribe's enthusiasm for farming reached unprecedented heights.

In just under two days, all designated fields had been turned, leaving the soil loose, aerated, and free of weeds—ideal farmland.

The soaked seeds were retrieved and covered with thatch, watered, and placed near the smoldering pyrite kiln to accelerate germination. The residual heat from the kiln provided the perfect environment for sprouting.

On the third day, the germinated rice seeds were evenly broadcasted across the seedling field, lightly covered with soil, and then submerged in water via an irrigation channel.

Peanuts were planted in neat rows, each row spaced half a meter apart, with each plant positioned 15 centimeters from the next. Workers held bowls of peanuts in one hand and a pointed wooden tool in the other, using it to dig small holes. Two peanuts were placed in each hole, then covered with soil before moving on to the next. Watering followed. Planting two peanuts per hole ensured that at least one would sprout, and if both emerged, one could be transplanted elsewhere for even spacing.

Chili peppers were sown similarly to peanuts—half-meter row spacing, 30-centimeter plant spacing—using the same dig-and-cover method.

During this period, every able-bodied member of the Han tribe, aged eight and above—nearly 200 people in total—participated in the planting. Even Luo Chong worked alongside them. With so many hands, the work was completed at an astonishing pace—140 acres of farmland, fully planted within half a day. With each person responsible for just over an acre, no one felt exhausted.

The seeds of hope had been sown. Now, it was time to wait.