Next Harvest Season
“Good evening, Master Ryan. Would it be alright to disturb you?” A huge man suddenly approached Ryan and Joan.
Ryan scanned him from head to toe.
Based on the way he dressed—thick overalls and a brim straw hat, he must be a farmer.
Underneath his hat was a mixture of dark and gray hair. His face looked somewhat weathered, but he seemed well-built for his age.
“Ah, hello. Are you, Farmer Jonas?” Ryan asked.
“Yes, that is me.” Farmer Jonas bowed his head respectfully. “Tom said that you might have some need for me and also gave me this oat seeds?”
“Oh, yes. He must have thought ahead. I’ve thought of calling you tomorrow morning, especially since tonight is a time for everyone to enjoy,” Ryan answered thoughtfully as he glanced at the seeds in the man’s hands.
The seeds did not look special or different from regular oats, but there was a bit of energy around them which was mana.
“That is alright, Master Ryan. We are already most gracious to you for bringing so much food tonight, and I am full already… I have never eaten this amount of meat. However, the reason I wish to talk with you as early as now is because tomorrow will be another day of working.”
“Yes?”
“The harvest season had just passed recently and we are in the process of milling the barley. I do not think we will have enough time or spare people to plant these oats.” Farmer Jonas explained. “Nor do we usually plant again right after since doing so would yield less than usual. It simply isn’t worth the effort.”
“Ah.” Ryan blinked in surprise after hearing the issue. He put down his tankard of beer. “Right, I almost forgot that there are a multitude of steps to growing crops. The first would be plowing, second would be planting, next would be taking care of the weeds and the birds… and so on and so forth. Of course after harvest, there's the milling as well. And I understand, the soil isn’t fertile enough for an immediate second planting.”
“That is correct, Master Ryan,” Farmer Jonas said, his voice slightly gruff but also concealing some surprise. “I did not think that you were familiar with growing crops.”
“Please, that is quite an overstatement. I only know basic information about such a topic. On the contrary, it is you and the other people here that do all the hard work of growing crops, feeding not only Stonefall Village but other places as well,” Ryan said with a smile.
“We… we do our best, Master Ryan.” Farmer Jonas ducked his head, feeling a little sheepish.
Ryan smiled regally. “We’re both being humble with compliments, aren’t we? Please accept my praise, Farmer Jonas.”
‘It’s important to praise people for their hard work and make them feel satisfied with what they do. When a person is underappreciated, their morale lowers. On the contrary, even though I'm only saying simple things, it can mean a lot for them—especially due to the difference of our positions.’ Ryan thought.
Ryan was familiar with how terrible it was to work under bosses who made a lot of demands but was scarce on praise and raise.
‘You need to take care of people like you do a plant. Water it everyday, give it sunshine, and give it all the love it needs, and it’ll blossom into something great and bountiful.’
Farmer Jonas grabbed his straw hat and lowered it.
“If I were that great of a Farmer as you praise me, Master Ryan, then I would have been able to take care of this issue. At our current position, we cannot plant the oats as you wish.”
“I think we can still do it, Farmer Jonas. Even if it’s just you and a few people, it will be great enough. You don’t have to plow all the 1600 acres… just 100 acres will suffice,” Ryan said. “You can probably do that by yourself in 10 days, instead of the usual 60 days too. Don't worry, you can take it a little easy. It's good as long as we grow these oats. Now, to take care of the lack of nutrients in the soil, we can mitigate it using fertilizer from animal dung.”
“Animal… dung?” Farmer Jonas’ eyes widened.
“Yes, since we feed our animals with barley and the grass, the nutrients that they gain from eating those things should also be in their dung. I know it’ll be a little messy, but I assure you that it’ll make the soil better for planting,” Ryan said.
‘Not to mention that the oats already absorb ambient mana from their surroundings, so it might not even be necessary in the first place.’ Ryan thought. ‘They’ll probably grow fine on their own. Still, it's better to be safe than sorry.’
“If… if it’s just 100 acres, then I will do my best, Master Ryan,” Farmer Jonas bowed his head. “... I will speak with the animal caretakers and ask for animal dungs to add to the soil.’
“Thank you,” Ryan gratefully inclined his head. “I look forward to working with you. I think you will be in for a bit of surprise come harvest season—unless Tom already ruined it for me.”
“Tom did not say anything and simply gave me these seeds, Master Ryan,” Farmer Jonas said with furrowed brows.
'Farmer Jonas grows a little worried because of what you’ve said and thinks that you might be fooling him.' The Grimoire called out to Ryan.
‘Hey! I don’t think I’m that terrible of a person, am I? Why would he doubt me?’ Ryan protested.
'You just told him to add animal dung to the soil!' the Grimoire said.
Wanting to prove his thought process, Ryan glanced back at Farmer Jonas and grinned.
“If you have any more questions, I’ll be happy to answer them, Farmer Jonas. It may seem a little unorthodox to plant twice in a year and to use animal dung too… but I assure you that it’ll change things for the better!”
Farmer Jonas’s eyes widened a little, worried if his doubt was visible on his face. He quickly bowed and uttered his thanks and then went on his way.
“… I’m not that unconvincing, am I?” Ryan crossed his arms over his chest and glanced at Joan who drank some of his beer.
“Your way of thinking is always a little surprising to hear sometimes, Ryan.” Joan admitted with a sheepish smile.