Chapter 49: New Sprouts and Hidden Worries

He struggled internally, even considering using the spiritual spring water once again, but fearing that excessive use might cause problems, he had no choice but to endure. He flipped through the agricultural books he had borrowed previously; one stated it might be due to insufficient soil fertility or pests and diseases, yet the stunted seedlings did not appear diseased. Desperate, he decided to bury a small amount of decomposed chicken manure in the soil next to the stunted seedlings, hoping to supplement the fertilizer.

That evening, he wrote in his small notebook: "Sixteenth day after sowing, stunted seedling height 1.2 cm, leaves still yellow, applied a small amount of organic fertilizer, observing subsequent growth." After finishing, he looked at the moonlight outside the window, his heart filled with worry—what on earth was wrong with these stunted seedlings, and when would they recover? Lacking the answer, he could only hope that tomorrow morning, the stunted seedlings would look a little better.

On the fifth day after sowing, before the sky was fully light and while the horizon was still a pale blue-grey, Lu Xingchen woke up. He dressed in the dark, stepping lightly to avoid waking Lu Qing苗 and Lu Suisui. The space seeds planted a few days earlier were always on his mind; in his dreams at night, he had seen green seedlings emerging from the soil—how he longed for that moment.

Without going to the kitchen for food, he tucked his small notebook into his pocket and ran to the backyard. The morning breeze carried a hint of coolness, feeling pleasant against his face. The iron gate at the back of the pharmaceutical factory was left slightly open—he had deliberately left it unlocked last night so he could check on things early in the morning. The canvas of the greenhouse was grey in the morning mist, and the stones weighting down the corners remained undisturbed by the wind, still in their original places.

Xingchen walked up to the canvas, took a deep breath, and reached out to grab a corner, pulling it back slowly. The rustling sound of the canvas rubbing together was particularly clear in the quiet morning, and his heart rate sped up with it as he fixed his eyes firmly on the ground. At first, he couldn't see clearly, but after rubbing his eyes and looking again, he suddenly cried out: "Mom, they've sprouted! They've really sprouted!"

Tender green tips of shoots were emerging from the soil. Some had just broken through the seed coats, which sat like tiny hats on top of the shoot tips, while others had already shed their seed coats to reveal two tiny seed-leaves, so tender they seemed ready to drip water. Xingchen squatted down, cautiously extended a finger to touch a seed-leaf, and immediately pulled it back, afraid of damaging such delicate sprouts.

"What is it, Xingchen? Why are you shouting so early?" Su瑶's voice came from the courtyard entrance. Hearing the shout, she quickly draped a garment over her shoulders and hurried over, still holding a freshly steamed corn bun. Approaching and seeing the new sprouts in the ground, her eyes lit up instantly, and she quickly squatted down beside Xingchen: "They really have sprouted! Two days earlier than ordinary seeds, these space seeds are truly different!"

She gently touched a shoot tip, unable to conceal the smile on her face: "Look at how robust these sprouts are; they will definitely grow well." With that, she handed the corn bun to Xingchen: "Eat something first, your dad and your younger siblings will be here soon."

Xingchen took a bite, and a sweet taste spread through his mouth, but his mind remained entirely on the sprouts. Without finishing more than a few bites, he set it down on a nearby stone, pulled out his small notebook, and wrote: "Fifth day after sowing, tomato seeds have sprouted, seed-leaves unfolded, height approximately 0.5 cm, growing well, developmental state favorable, continuing observation." Next to the notes, he drew a small sprout, crooked yet filled with earnest care.

A moment later, Lu Zhanye arrived as well, just back from morning military exercises, holding a military canteen. Seeing the sprouts in the ground, he walked over, squatted down to inspect them, and said, "They're growing well, better than I expected." With that, he poured a little water from his canteen, gently drizzling it onto the soil beside the sprouts: "It's cold in the morning, water sparingly so you don't chill the roots."

Lu Qingmiao and Lu Shihan ran over as well, Shihan carrying a freshly awakened Lu Suisui in her arms. Seeing the sprouts, Qingmiao shouted excitedly: "Brother! Look! They really grew! Much prettier than the mud-grown tomatoes I planted!" Shihan also leaned in to look, whispering, "So cute, like a little baby's hand." Suisui kicked her little legs in Shihan's arms, reaching out as if she too wanted to touch the sprouts, making soft noises in her hands.

The family gathered around the seedling plot, the morning light gradually climbing onto the greenhouse canvas, casting a greener glow on the sprouts. Villagers arrived one after another; Erzhuzi ran over from afar upon hearing the laughter: "They've sprouted! Wonderful! Our 'space treasures' weren't awaited in vain!" Widow Li chimed in, "We'll have big tomatoes to eat later on; I need to start figuring out how to make tomato paste taste good."

For the next two days, Xingchen practically lived in the greenhouse, arriving before dawn every morning and returning home only after dark. He watered and loosened the soil for the sprouts, recording their growth. His small notebook was filled with data: "Seventh day, seedling height 1 cm, seed-leaves fully unfolded," "Eighth day, first true leaf emerges." Watching the sprouts grow taller day by day, his heart felt sweeter than honey.

Yet trouble arose before three days had passed. On the morning of the ninth day, Xingchen went to the greenhouse as usual, and the moment he lifted the canvas, he felt something was wrong—the seedlings in one particular area were growing exceptionally slowly, appearing a stem shorter than their surroundings, with thin stalks and yellowing leaves, lacking the vibrant green of the other plants.

He hurried over, squatted down to inspect closely, and measured them with his hands: normal seedlings had already reached a height of 2 cm and sprouted two true leaves, but these stunted seedlings were only 1 cm tall, their leaves curled at the edges and slightly withered. Xingchen's heart sank instantly. He parted the soil next to the stunted seedlings to check their roots; the root system was also thinner than that of normal seedlings, with a yellowish tint.

"What is going on? Why are they growing so slowly?" he muttered under his breath, frantic with worry. Was it too little water? Or insufficient soil fertility? Suddenly, he recalled Old Zhou mentioning a few days earlier that the soil was heavily alkaline—could it be a soil problem? But they had been growing fine just days ago; why did they suddenly fail? Did he need to find a way to neutralize the alkalinity?

He pulled out his small notebook to compare with previous records and discovered that the location of the stunted seedlings happened to coincide with the rows of holes he had dug during sowing. Had he dug the holes too deep? Or was there something wrong with the seeds? The more he thought, the more anxious he became. His eyes grew red and tears welled up, but he forcefully held them back—he didn't want others to see, especially his mother, for if Su瑶 knew, she would worry.

At noon, everyone went home for lunch, leaving Xingchen alone in the greenhouse. Looking at the stunted seedlings, he suddenly thought of the spiritual spring water—previously, when he had used it to water bean sprouts, they grew fast and strong; perhaps watering the stunted seedlings would help them recover.

Yet hesitation struck him once more: Su瑶 forbade casual use of the spiritual spring water, calling it a "secret weapon" to be saved for critical moments. If he used it now, what would happen if another problem arose later? But seeing the drooping, lifeless state of the stunted seedlings, he simply couldn't bear it. He thought to himself: Just a little bit, just a tiny bit, diluted with water, it should be fine. Mother surely won't find out.

He ran home, retrieved a small porcelain bottle from the wooden chest beneath the bed—inside was the spiritual spring water he had secretly hoarded, which he usually begrudged using. Rushing back to the greenhouse, he found a small cup, poured in a drop of spiritual spring water, diluted it with plenty of cold water, and carefully used a small spoon to water the soil beside each stunted seedling.

After watering, he squatted beside them for a long time. It seemed the stunted seedlings looked a little livelier, though perhaps it was just his imagination. Quickly hiding the porcelain bottle, he washed the cup and returned it to the kitchen, terrified of being discovered by Su瑶.

That evening, he wrote in his small notebook: "Twelfth day after sowing, a small portion of seedlings growing slowly, height 1 cm, leaves yellowing, suspected improper watering, increased watering once today, will increase observation frequency tomorrow, recorded experimental data." He omitted any mention of watering with the spiritual spring water, feeling as though he harbored a tiny secret—somewhat nervous yet filled with anticipation, praying that tomorrow the stunted seedlings would improve.

Early the next morning, Xingchen headed to the greenhouse even earlier than usual.

Lifting the canvas, his eyes went straight to the stunted seedling area. The stunted seedlings truly seemed better; their leaves were less yellow and their stalks appeared a bit stiffer, though they remained shorter than the normal seedlings. He let out a sigh of relief mixed with a trace of disappointment—it seemed the spiritual spring water had played a minor role, though not as dramatically as he had imagined.

Squatting down to carefully measure the height of the stunted seedlings, he found it was still 1 cm, showing no vertical growth at all. Panic seized him again: was the spiritual spring water used in too small an amount? Or was the soil problem truly severe? Remembering Old Zhou's remark about heavy alkalinity, perhaps soil amelioration was truly necessary, but now that the seedlings had already emerged, would amending the soil harm the roots and ruin everything?

"Xingchen, what are you doing here?" Su瑶 approached, holding a basket filled with freshly harvested greens. Seeing Xingchen squatting beside the stunted seedlings with a troubled expression, she walked over and asked, "What's wrong? Is there a problem with the seedlings?"

Xingchen tightened up inside, quickly standing and hiding the small notebook behind his back: "No, no problem at all, just wanted to see how they're growing." He didn't dare meet Su瑶's eyes, fearing she would spot something amiss. Suspecting nothing further, Su瑶 squatted down to inspect the plants: "They're growing decently, though these ones here do seem a bit slower. It's possible the soil in this section wasn't turned properly. Just pay more attention to watering hereafter, they should catch up." With that, she patted Xingchen on the shoulder: "Don't worry too much. In farming, every bit of effort brings a reward, and nothing is ever completely smooth. If there's a problem, we'll figure it out together, no need to fret."