Chương 53: Chapter 619: Talking About a Bumper Harvest Amid the Fragrance of Rice Flowers, Listening to the Chorus of Frogs
The guandou, also known as dadou, is a container with wooden boards on all four sides and an open top.
Tang's dad rubbed his hands together, "Let's see how my skills hold up after all these years!"
He picked up a bundle of rice, raised it high over his shoulder, with the rice heads hanging behind him.
Then, with a swift motion, he swung it forward!
The rice heads swung from behind and struck the beating board with a "thud," which emitted a faint buzzing sound. The golden, plump grains of rice then jumped into the guandou.
Tang's dad shook the stalks, making a rustling sound, then lifted them again and swung them onto the board with a "thud."
He repeated the rhythmic swinging several times!
Curious parents and onlookers, who hadn't participated in the farming activity, gathered around to watch, "What are you doing?"
Tang's dad explained with a smile, "This is threshing rice! We beat the rice off the stalks, then dry it and husk it to get the rice we eat."
Someone nearby gave him a thumbs up, "You look like an expert! Let me have a go after you."
Some of the parents had grown up in rural areas and had done farm work or at least seen their elders do it.
The children, mostly city-born, found it very novel!
They were getting a full understanding of how the rice they eat makes its way to their table.
Tang's dad shook the stalks again, then examined them, "Hmm, this bundle is clean."
He placed the stalks on the cut stubble in the field and rotated his arms, sighing, "I'm really out of shape. Sitting in front of a computer all day, my arms are sore after just a bit of threshing! Your turn!"
The parent who had been eagerly watching took over, calling his child to bring him a bundle of rice, "Haha, let me give it a try!"
Threshing rice is much more exhausting than harvesting it. It requires a lot of physical strength and skill!
If the posture or force is wrong, it can lead to back pain after a while.
Experienced farmers can control their rhythm and force while threshing, preventing fatigue quickly.
Nowadays, most threshing is done with threshers or fully automated harvesters, saving time and effort. Only a few areas still use this traditional method. Here, the guandou was prepared for the children to experience the full farming process.
However, before the children could try it, the parents enthusiastically took over!
They lined up to thresh the rice, working energetically. The sound of rice hitting the board, "thud, thud, thud," was constant, and the grains below increased steadily.
The children cheered for their parents, taking a break from harvesting.
They placed their sickles on the field ridge and took a few sips of water!
Suddenly, Qian Keke exclaimed with delight, "Hey, a frog!"
A frog, seemingly startled, hopped out of the field, jumping over her mud-covered feet.
The nearby children gathered around curiously!
Frequent zoo visitors, they were familiar with various animals and weren't easily scared by small creatures or insects. Even snakes were met with some tolerance.
Fang Ye also walked over, "Come on, where's the frog? Let's take a look! Don't get too close and scare it. Let's keep a little distance!"
He invited everyone to observe and explained with a smile, "It's great that our field has attracted frogs.
Actually, a rice field has a very complex ecosystem!
The main component, of course, is the rice. They are the producers in the field, constantly absorbing nutrients from the soil and synthesizing organic matter through sunlight, ultimately transferring nutrients to the grains.
They act like energy factories in the field, providing food and shelter for other animals.
Many insects feed on rice, such as locusts, rice planthoppers, and stem borers, which can affect the harvest!"
The children listened attentively!
Fang Ye continued, "However, in a healthy ecosystem, there's no need to worry too much because there are many beneficial organisms in the field that control these 'pests.'
The most common are various frogs!
They lay their eggs in the water, and the tadpoles grow up to become frogs. With a significant number of frogs, they have a considerable appetite and are the main predators of pests, acting as guardians of the fields.
'Talking about a bumper harvest amid the fragrance of rice flowers, listening to the chorus of frogs!'
Unfortunately, due to the extensive use of pesticides and fertilizers, many fields no longer have frogs, nor do we hear their calls on summer nights.
The presence of frogs in our rice field indicates a slowly recovering ecosystem."
A parent standing on the field ridge was taken aback!
Living in the city often made them nostalgic for the countryside, with its summer waves of grain, starry night skies, the scent of rain-soaked earth, and neighbors chatting and playing cards under the big willow tree...
Several times, they had taken their children back to the countryside, hoping to relive their childhood, but something always seemed missing.
The stars didn't seem as bright, and the earth didn't smell as fragrant. Now, thinking back, they realized they hadn't heard the frogs' calls!
They had thought it was their own restlessness from city life, but Fang Ye's words made them realize that the countryside had indeed changed.
While the adults felt a bit melancholic, the children were joyful.
They had planted this rice with their own hands!
Seeing the frog, which sat obediently due to Fang Ye's calming skills, they felt a sense of pride and joy, as if looking at their favorite treasure.
Regular zoo visits had taught them that many animals in storybooks were not living in ideal conditions, often facing critical danger.
Sometimes, they felt helpless, wanting to do something but not knowing how.
They constantly heard about protecting the environment and animals, yet endangered species seemed to increase. What would Earth be like in ten, twenty, or a hundred years? Would it still be habitable?
Would the environment deteriorate to an irreparable state by the time they had children, with scientists announcing the imminent extinction of humanity?
Other environmental efforts seemed distant, but seeing frogs in their rice field was a tangible sign of environmental improvement they could witness firsthand.
For a moment, they were filled with hope and dreams for a better future.
Fang Ye added, "Of course, frogs have their predators too, which attract snakes!
Snakes, besides eating frogs, are excellent at catching mice, preventing them from devouring the rice.
Frogs and snakes also attract herons, common visitors to the fields. Egrets and pond herons visit during the day, while night herons take over at night!
You see, the creatures in the rice field naturally form a food chain."
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