My family planted white in this often flooded swampy field and planted it for several years. Zibai is also known as high melon, bamboo shoots, folding hands, bamboo shoots, high bamboo shoots, and melons. It is a perennial herb. It is divided into double-season russet white and single-season russet white, mostly growing in the Changjiang Lake area, suitable for growing in fresh water.
When planting russet white, it is necessary to choose a field with good light and fertile land, and then apply decomposed farm manure or human manure to the soil to make it more fertile and promote the vigorous growth of zibai.
The time of planting russet white is during the period of April and May of each year, the temperature is stable, and the light time is longer, which is conducive to improving the survival rate of russet white.
When planting russet white, it is necessary to select tillering seedlings that are free of diseases and insect pests and grow well, and then dig them up and plant them into the soil to promote the healthy growth of zigzag, preferably by artificial weeding.
My mother watched the family grow white and forced my father to plant it. In fact, farmers do not understand the law of the market, resulting in the cheap price of zibai, which hurts farmers.
I remember when I was a teenager, I accompanied my father to the market of the commune next door to sell zibai. Early that morning, my father busily fished out the white zibu soaked in the jar and neatly stacked it in two frames. After eating breakfast, we set off happily, and my father carried a hundred pounds of burden and went all the way forward with difficulty. I followed my father's footsteps and couldn't catch my breath. My father rested twice on the road, and finally arrived at the market, which was bustling at this time, and my father found a roadside stall that people tended to pay attention to, and there were many stalls in this place. At this time, the shouts of the farmers in the surrounding stalls rose and fell, but the father did not want to shout out, silently waiting for the rabbit. There are also very few guests who come to buy Zibai, and sometimes we come to ask about the price of Zibai and leave, and we are very disappointed. At that time, I thought to myself that if I sold zibai, we could solve lunch in the market. As expected, less than ten pounds of zibai were sold. At this time, the sun had risen to the middle of the sky, and the customers were gradually dispersing, so we had to close the stalls and had no money to eat lunch. The father packed up the unsold zibai and took it home.
My father has been dead for two and a half years, and the shadow of my father who bought Zibai with a burden has always remained in my deep memory. In his later years, his father was tormented by illness, and whenever he talked to him about farm work, his spirit multiplied, which was estimated to be the true nature of the peasant.