nycdaug Chapter 180 Root Rot
Chapter 180 Root Rot
Once the Lantern Festival is over, the festive atmosphere of the New Year fades away. The fish in the rice paddies were caught and transferred to fish ponds before the water froze, and the fields are bustling with activity again.
Old Wang led several villagers to start working in the field. Following Li Mu's instructions, they first tried planting some new cold-resistant vegetable varieties.
After Wang Dali's agritainment business delivered vegetables once, the feedback was very good. The guests said they really liked these strange-looking but delicious vegetables.
This greatly boosted Li Mu's confidence, indicating that his differentiated competition strategy was feasible.
He began preparations to import these new varieties in large quantities and expand the planting scale.
One day, Li Mu had just finished delivering goods to restaurants in the city and was about to return to the village when he received a call from Old Wang: "Muzi, come back quickly, something's happened!"
Upon hearing this, Li Mu's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly asked, "What's wrong? What happened?"
Old Wang's voice was anxious: "Come back quickly, our vegetables seem to be poisoned!"
Poisoning?
Upon hearing this, Li Mu's mind went completely blank. How could they be poisoned? They hadn't even used pesticides, so how could they be poisoned?
He quickly asked, "Old Wang, are you sure it's poisoning? What are the symptoms?"
Old Wang said, "I don't know if it's poisoning, but the leaves of those vegetables have all turned yellow, and some have even withered. They look like they've been poisoned."
Li Mu was extremely anxious. He quickly reassured Old Wang, "Old Wang, don't worry, I'll come back and check on you right away."
After hanging up the phone, Li Mu immediately drove back to the village.
Upon arriving at the cooperative, he saw Old Wang and several villagers gathered around a vegetable field, looking anxious.
Li Mu strode over and saw that, just as Old Wang had said, the leaves were all yellow and some were even withered.
He squatted down, carefully examined the vegetables, and smelled the soil. Suddenly, he had some guesses in his mind.
"Old Wang, these vegetables aren't poisoned, they're just lacking fertilizer."
Old Wang was puzzled: "Lack of fertilizer? Didn't we just fertilize? How could it be lacking fertilizer?"
Li Mu shook his head: "We may not be applying enough fertilizer, or these new varieties of vegetables may have a higher demand for fertilizer. Look, the leaves of these vegetables are all yellow, which is a typical symptom of fertilizer deficiency."
"wrong."
Old Zhang suddenly interjected, "These vegetables don't seem to be lacking fertilizer; they look like they're sick."
Li Mu looked at Old Zhang and asked, "Old Zhang, what disease do you think these vegetables have?"
Old Zhang frowned, grabbed a handful of soil, smelled it carefully, and then looked at the roots of the vegetables.
"It looks like root rot to me. This disease causes the roots of vegetables to rot, affecting the absorption of water and nutrients, which in turn causes the leaves to turn yellow and wither."
Old Wang knows these vegetables very well. He has watched them grow from the time they were planted to the time they were harvested. How could they suddenly get root rot?
He asked incredulously, "Old Zhang, are you sure it's root rot? Isn't that a rare disease? Our land has always been fine."
Old Zhang sighed: "Good soil doesn't necessarily mean you won't get sick. Sometimes climate, humidity, and pathogens in the soil can all have an impact. Look, the roots of these vegetables have already started to rot, which is a symptom of root rot."
Upon hearing this, Li Mu's heart sank.
If it really is root rot, then that's a real problem. This disease is highly contagious, and once contracted, it's very difficult to cure, and it can significantly impact the yield and quality of vegetables.
Wang Dali's side still needs a large supply of vegetables. If these vegetables all get root rot, then their cooperative will really be finished.
"Old Zhang, how do you think this disease came about? We need to find a solution quickly."
Old Zhang calmly said, "I'll think of something tonight. I'll get some medicine and see if it can control the condition."
After saying that, Old Zhang turned around and went home to get his medicine.
Li Mu was about to call Wang Dali to inform him when he received a call from Wang Dali first.
"Hey? Li Mu? Where are you right now?"
"I'm at the cooperative, Brother Dali, what's up?"
Wang Dali's anxious voice came from the other end of the phone: "Muzi, something's happened here! After eating the vegetables we delivered, the customers all said they had stomach aches, and some even vomited and had diarrhea!"
Li Mu's mind went blank for a moment.
How could this happen? How could their vegetables make their guests sick?
"Brother Dali, are you sure the problem came from eating our vegetables? Could it be something else?"
Wang Dali said, "I also asked, and the guests all said they didn't eat anything else, just the vegetables we provided. Moreover, it's not just one guest who complained about this; several tables of guests have experienced this issue."
Li Muxian reassured Wang Dali: "Brother Dali, don't worry, I'll come back and check on you right away. You should seal up the rest of the vegetables and don't send any more."
After hanging up the phone, Li Mu immediately drove back to the village. Li Jianjun and Lao Wang went with him, fearing that if someone died, the matter would escalate.
Upon arriving at the farmhouse, he saw Wang Dali anxiously waiting there, surrounded by several other guests who looked agitated and were arguing with him.
"My child vomited all over the floor after eating at your place for lunch! You need to pay me back! If you don't give me an explanation today, we'll report you to the health bureau!"
A middle-aged woman pointed at Wang Dali's nose and shouted loudly.
Wang Dali looked helpless: "Sister, please don't get agitated. I've already had the remaining vegetables sealed up. Once the cause is found out, I promise to compensate you, okay?"
"Look at the state my child is in! He's still in the hospital! If anything happens to my child, you can forget about keeping your shop open!"
The middle-aged woman was agitated and shoved Wang Dali as she spoke.
"Yes! I came here to eat because your food looked so novel, but I never expected it would cause me problems! I'm never coming here again!"
Several other guests chimed in, saying all sorts of things. Wang Dali was sprayed with spittle all over his face, but he could only keep apologizing.
Seeing this, Li Mu quickly stepped forward and stood in front of Wang Dali, saying to the crowd, "Everyone, everyone, please calm down. The matter has not been investigated yet, so please don't get agitated."
Several guests, seeing Li Mu, asked curiously, "Who are you? Are you in charge here?"
Li Mu nodded: "Yes, I am in charge of delivering the vegetables. My name is Li Mu. Don't worry, I will definitely give you an explanation."
Upon hearing this, the middle-aged woman immediately shouted, "Then hurry up! My child is still in the hospital! If anything happens to him, I'll never forgive you!"
Li Mu turned to Wang Dali and asked, "Brother Dali, which batch of vegetables was delivered that caused the problem for the guests?"
Wang Dali pointed to the kitchen: "It's in the back."