The peaceful days passed for another two days. Once the workshop stabilized, Luo Ge and the others sent the prepared chicks and ducklings to the manor.
The renovated large warehouse now had fences set up for the small farm, and the chickens and ducks were raised together without separation.
This was how they were raised in Luo Ge's space too, and it did not affect them.
After all, when it was time to return to their coops, they would separate themselves, and the chicken coop and duck coop could be divided accordingly.
Along with the adult chickens and ducks, as well as the chicks and ducklings, about half of the poultry from the space farm was distributed to the manor.
Firstly, since the workshop was now open, they needed a constant supply of eggs.
Secondly, the time flow in the space was faster, so the breeding rate on the farm was also quicker. Distributing this portion did not have a significant impact.
"We need to dig a few water ponds here. These ducks like water," said Luo Ge, pointing around in the shade of a tree as she turned to Gu Jinchen.
"Alright."
"These adult chickens and ducks are already laying eggs. We need to collect them daily and store the collected chicken and duck eggs in the small warehouse next door. There are ready-made shelves inside."
They were left behind by the previous manor owner and not taken away, conveniently benefiting them as they could now be used.
"Yes, understood," Qiu Niang and Ze Han nodded in response to Luo Ge's words.
"Uncle Song, please show us the tree pits that have been dug. We'll estimate the number and also bring over the seedlings."
They would make use of the free time to get everything done.
"Of course, Master and Mistress, please follow me."
The fruits in the space had actually grown about a month ago, being the first batch from her orchard. However, they did not grow very well and were sparse.
Since they had planned to develop a farm outside, they did not pick the fruits but left them to naturally drop and cultivate seedlings in the space.
Apart from the commonly used lemons and fruits for their own consumption, the rest were left to fall and cultivate naturally.
While human labor could not be used to plant in the space, the seeds from natural propagation could survive.
Now, the first batch of small fruit tree seedlings had emerged, though they were just tiny saplings.
However, if nurtured in the space for another eight or nine months before being taken out, they could be directly planted and bear fruit.
Based on the 1:4 time ratio between the outside world and the space, they would be about three-year-old fruit trees.
One month outside equaled four months in the space, so three months outside was a year in the space.
Generally, fruit trees start bearing fruit in the third year and reach their peak in the fifth year.
Luo Ge's space orchard was directly sown with three-year-old seedlings that could immediately bear fruit.
Now, they would try transplanting the seedlings first and see if they could survive with the space's water supply.
Over the past few days, Uncle Song had dug over a hundred tree pits. Since Luo Ge was planting mature trees, the pits were dug deeper, making it more labor-intensive.
The orchard in her space covered around fifty to sixty mu (a Chinese unit of area, 1 mu ≈ 0.165 acres).
She planted at a rate of 50 trees per mu, so with the various types combined, there were probably over 3,000 fruit trees.
Some varieties were planted more, while others were planted less.
(Baozi, do you remember in which chapter the fruit tree varieties were mentioned before? Let me know, and I'll take a look. Ahem.)
After some thought, Luo Ge first took out six or seven saplings of each variety to plant and observe the survival rate.
She was afraid that some varieties might not be suitable for cultivation, which would be a pity to waste the fruit trees.
However, it should be fine, as the climate in the southern region was suitable for many fruit trees.
"You all continue working. We'll go and get the seedlings," Luo Ge communicated the plan with Gu Jinchen and informed Uncle Song and the others.
"Alright."
.................
They had arrived early in the morning, and by the time they finished transporting and planting the seedlings, it was already afternoon when they returned home.
Li Shopkeeper had been waiting anxiously for a long time. When he saw Luo Ge getting off the carriage, his expression was as if he had seen a celestial fairy descending.
"Brother Gu, Sister-in-law, you've finally returned."
"Elder Li? Why did you come?" Luo Ge was surprised to see Li Shopkeeper, as they had confirmed they had no other arrangements for the day before going to work at the manor.
"It's..." Li Shopkeeper sighed, about to say something, but stopped himself upon noticing their current location.
It was better to avoid discussing business matters in front of others.
"Let's talk inside," Luo Ge realized and quickly invited him into the house.
"Yes, yes, of course."
Li Shopkeeper followed them inside, and Gu Jinchen parked the carriage before joining them.
"Ah, life is unpredictable," Li Shopkeeper sighed after taking a sip of tea.
Luo Ge and the others were puzzled, but before they could ask, Li Shopkeeper handed them the food box he had been carrying.
"Brother Gu, Sister-in-law, please try these pastries."
"Alright." Seeing the pastries' appearance, Luo Ge paused for a moment, contemplating, before nodding.
"How do they taste?" Li Shopkeeper asked after Luo Ge and the others tasted them.
The young couple nodded. "The taste is excellent, with a soft and moist texture, yet not too dry."
The green bean cakes were indeed delicious.
However, as expected, Li Shopkeeper's expression became more troubled after their response. He then offered them two more varieties to try.
"Please try these as well."
Luo Ge did not say anything and tasted the flavors, which were indeed quite good.
"They're all delectable, but judging from their appearance, they don't seem to be products from our shop?"
Upon hearing this, Li Shopkeeper gave Luo Ge an appreciative look and nodded.
"You have a discerning eye, Sister-in-law. These are indeed not from our shop."
He then sighed and proceeded to explain the reason for his visit.
It was due to a pastry shop that had suddenly emerged and become popular.
The shop opened about a month ago and was initially unremarkable, not attracting much attention.
However, within half a month, it became a hot spot, attracting most of the customers in the town.
The reason? These pastries.
Undeniably, the pastries from their shop were indeed excellent.
But seeing customers leaving every day, he was truly feeling miserable.
Unable to bear the risk of severe losses for the shop this month, he hurriedly came to find Luo Ge.
