TPWBI Chapter 13

Food was the most important part of survival, and Yang Yi didn’t dare be careless about it. This was where he assigned the most manpower.

However, those he assigned were all elderly or disabled individuals, so it didn’t significantly affect other tasks.

The weather was gradually warming now. The temperature was slightly higher than it had been near the Black Forest, and there was not as much rainfall as before.

The temperature difference between day and night was nearly twenty degrees. Whether the crops could survive or not, Yang Yi wasn’t sure in his heart.

Yang Yi first brought out the plows, harrows, hoes, and other farming tools to distribute to everyone. If they wanted high efficiency, they would have to rely on tools.

The plow was a complete curved-shaft plow. Given the current urgency, there was no time to study how to craft the curved-shaft plow body out of wood. Plus, they still needed dry wood for that, which they didn’t have at the moment.

The quantity wasn’t large, but considering their current circumstances, it was already enough.

“This is basically how it’s used. As for the specifics, you’ll have to figure it out yourselves.”

Yang Yi put the plow down and looked at the crooked and shallow furrows he had made, speaking a bit awkwardly.

His demonstration was a complete failure. As someone who had never worked in the fields, only having occasionally seen others doing it on TV, it was a bit difficult for him.

Fortunately, none of the others had seen anything this novel before. They were just amazed at how much better it was than a hoe and didn’t think Yang Yi had done badly at all.

“We need to dig deep at the start. If the plow isn’t heavy enough, a child can step on it to add weight.”

Jiao asked curiously, “Why do we need to turn the soil?”

Based on what she had known before, she wasn’t aware there was such a process. Judging by the divine envoy’s attitude, it seemed extremely important.

“Turning the soil makes it loose and soft. Just like how little children can’t eat hard food, we have to break it down and soften it for them. It’s the same with plants; it helps them absorb nutrients and grow better. It can also bring up grass roots and pests hidden in the soil.”

Yang Yi tried to explain in words everyone could understand. His spoken language had improved a lot during this time. People could more or less grasp what he was saying.

After listening, everyone suddenly understood: “So that’s how it is.”

“Turning the soil, fertilizing, sowing seeds, getting rid of pests and weeds, and watering. These are all essential parts of planting. If any one step is done poorly, it can affect the plant’s growth and yield, and might even cause it to die.”

The land here was very fertile. Just turning over the soil and scattering some seeds would be enough. Yang Yi believed that as long as the plants could adapt to the environment, they would grow.

But if they wanted good growth, they still had to tend carefully. They couldn’t slack off just because they had a natural advantage.

“So there’s actually that much to it!”

“This is way easier than going far off to collect.”

“That’s true. And these are things we can actually do!”

A warrior with one leg said, “Divine Envoy, don’t worry. We’ll definitely get it done!”

The one-legged warrior’s name was Feng. Even though he had lost a leg, he had supported himself all the way here with a stick. His willpower was incredibly strong.

If not for his injured leg, he would certainly have already become a level three warrior by now.

Yang Yi had previously made him a crutch, making it easier for him to move around.

Yang Yi’s gaze swept toward Feng’s severed leg. It had been amputated just below the knee, and the joint could still move.

Feng thought Yang Yi was worried that his broken leg would make it impossible for him to work the fields, so he quickly spoke up, “Divine Envoy, I can do it!”

“I was thinking about how to make you a prosthetic leg,” Yang Yi explained.

Feng’s wound had already fully healed, so he could wear a prosthesis. If it was successfully made, it could also lay a good foundation for helping Jing in the future.

People with severe disabilities like theirs rarely survived; they were special exceptions.

Jing had been able to recover because of the medicine Yang Yi had brought. But this man standing before him, not even particularly tall, had made it through purely on his own and walked all this way. Yang Yi was deeply impressed.

This man was definitely full of potential!

They were all extraordinary warriors with strong combat power. If they could be fitted with prosthetics, they could regain much of their strength.

Back when Yang Yi was purchasing supplies, he hadn’t considered this, so he hadn’t bought any prosthetics. Besides, even if he had, they might not have been the right fit. So he’d have to figure it out himself.

“Prosthetic?” Feng didn’t quite understand the word at first, but then something came to mind. “Is it like what you mentioned to Jing?”

There were no secrets in the tribe. Everyone knew that Yang Yi had once promised Jing that when he fully recovered. He would make him a spike to replace his missing hand, turning the weapon into a part of his body.

Feng had also planned to prove his worth and then make the same request. But to his surprise, Yang Yi had brought it up on his own.

“Yes,” Yang Yi nodded. “I already have a bit of an idea. Come to my tent tonight.”

Yang Yi had been inspired by Jing earlier and now also wanted to make Feng’s prosthetic not only something he could walk with, but something that could become a weapon.

Just like a female character in the movie «Kingsman: The Secret Service», whose two prosthetic legs were her weapons, extremely fierce.

But that also made the task much more difficult. And with how busy things had been lately, Yang Yi had temporarily pushed the idea to the back of his mind.

But seeing Feng today, Yang Yi realized he had overthought it. What Feng needed most right now was simply something that would let him walk more easily.

To start with, he could make him a wooden peg leg like a one-legged pirate’s to give him a point of support so he could ditch the crutch.

Feng’s face flushed red with emotion, but he still said, “Divine Envoy, I—I’m not in a hurry.”

He knew how busy Yang Yi had been recently. Compared to the development of the tribe, his prosthetic leg was just a very small matter.

Yang Yi smiled and patted him on the shoulder.

He could see that Feng had been trying hard to prove himself, not wanting others to think he had become useless.

There was no doubt he was eager inside, but also very sensible.

Yang Yi handed over the farming task to Feng to organize and supervise, leaving him with the people who still had relatively good physical strength. Then he took the rest of the group to prepare for seedling cultivation.

Right now, the nights were cold, so the seedling nursery would need to maintain a certain temperature.

But their houses weren’t even enough to house everyone, so they couldn’t spare a room solely for raising seedlings.

Besides, their thatched huts were all low and cramped. There was no way to safely build a stove inside. One mistake and the whole place could catch fire.

After some hesitation, Yang Yi finally decided to take out the materials for the vegetable greenhouse stored in his space and start building one.

Everything came as a complete set. With the manual, it would be easy to put together.

The one Yang Yi took out was also the smallest size, only 6 meters wide and 10 meters long, so it didn’t take much effort to set it up.

“Divine Envoy, is this our temple?”

Jiao looked at the greenhouse in awe. This transparent house was simply too beautiful. She never would have imagined that something so wondrous and lovely could exist in this world.

Other than a god, no one could possibly create such a thing.

Everyone’s eyes were fixed on it, their gazes sparkling.

Yang Yi smiled and shook his head. “No, this is a warm house for raising seedlings.”

“Huh?!”

Everyone was stunned. Such a beautiful structure… was just for seedlings?!

That was way too extravagant!

Food was important, of course, but this level of treatment was unbelievable. No one could wrap their heads around it.

“What comes from the gods will eventually be taken back. It’s only because we have nothing right now that it’s granted to us. In the future, we must find our own ways. We can’t become too dependent.”

Yang Yi had said things like this more than once. He was worried that the conveniences he brought would raise their standards too much, so that when they no longer had access to such things, they wouldn’t be able to adjust. It’s always harder to go from luxury to simplicity.

They had to learn to enjoy the convenience of the items he brought, but also to invent and create for themselves. In the end, they had to rely on themselves.

“The god is truly selfless and great!”

Everyone sighed in admiration. Some even knelt to express their reverence. No one blamed the “god” for being stingy, nor did they resent that he hadn’t bestowed more upon them.

Yang Yi’s smile deepened. He was truly glad they had this kind of mindset.

Today was bright and sunny, and soon they could feel the temperature inside the greenhouse gradually rising.

“It’s really warm in here.”

Everyone expressed their amazement, feeling that this was simply miraculous. Without any fire, they still felt warmth, much warmer than even the best caves in the Blackstone Tribe.

Yang Yi took out a thermometer. “The temperature in the greenhouse should stay between 20 and 25 degrees Celsius. That means from here to here. If the red indicator goes past this point, you have to open the vents to let the temperature come down. It can’t get too hot.”

Yang Yi assigned the task of managing the greenhouse and seedlings to a woman named Lan Cao. She was already older, very meticulous, and hardworking. Perfectly suited for this kind of work.

Lan Cao accepted the thermometer, hung it up, and responded with a very serious and focused expression, “I’ll definitely take good care of it.”

“We really do need to hurry up and learn to read…” Yang Yi sighed.

Data recording was extremely important. It would be the foundation for future production. But no one here could read, which was a big problem for Yang Yi.

There were just too many things to do!

Once the greenhouse was built, it was time to begin seedling preparation. First, they needed to dig out seedling beds, which had to be prepared fifteen days before sowing.

They had to dig a 30-centimeter-deep seedbed, lay 20 centimeters of manure at the bottom, pour in warm water, then cover it with a plastic sheet, followed by a 10-centimeter layer of soil, then press it down flat and firm.

Yang Yi decided to cover part of the seedbeds with plastic sheeting and the other part with straw.

Using plastic sheeting was to ensure a good harvest for the first planting, while using straw was to test how things would go without the plastic.

Right now, they don’t have enough manure to use as fertilizer. Only a thin layer could be spread. For nutrient soil, he could only mix in wood ash; he had no access to well-decomposed organic compost.

Fortunately, the soil here was fertile, so even with this rough preparation, it shouldn’t turn out too badly.

Next was seed soaking and germination acceleration. Most of the seeds Yang Yi had purchased were high-yield, cold-resistant, pest-resistant, and could be saved for future planting.

There were also some hybrid rice seeds, though not many.

Short on manpower, Yang Yi simply unified the process this time. Whether it worked or not would depend on the seeds’ vitality.

This round, Yang Yi mainly brought out melons, fruits, and root vegetables. He had no idea what would grow well here, so he brought them all out, regardless of season.

Based on the current climate, Yang Yi suspected that wheat might not grow very well, but he was still willing to give it a try.

As for the underground tubers previously dug up by the collecting team, he decided to test them using the same method as for sprouting potatoes and sweet potatoes. Maybe they could be cultivated too.

Right now, Yang Yi was casting a wide net. Whatever he could catch, he’d take.

With so many types, surely at least something would succeed!

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