bayedsolid Chapter 332 Selling Sweet Potatoes at a High Price
Chapter 332 Selling Sweet Potatoes at a High Price
As Magistrate He left, he asked about the corn again. "By the way, the golden rice you sent last time was very delicious. Is it going to be ripe soon?"
Shen Wanning thought for a moment and said, "It should be in the next few days. If Brother He is not in a hurry, perhaps the golden rice can be reported to the court together with the sweet potatoes and other items this time."
"Report the sweet potatoes and other items first, and then report them after the golden rice is ripe." County Magistrate He said after thinking for a while.
If he reported it all at once, how could the emperor only count it as one merit? No, he had to report it twice, which would make it two merits.
And if you report it twice, the emperor will reward you twice. Otherwise, if you count them together, the emperor may not reward you as much!
"Okay, after all the sweet potatoes are harvested, I'll let my eldest brother tell Brother He, and then Brother He will send someone to collect them." Shen Wanning sent County Magistrate He onto the carriage.
After the agreement was reached, County Magistrate He left Daqing Village, feeling restless for a long time.
As soon as County Magistrate He left, the village head gathered everyone together and told all the villagers the prices at which the court was purchasing sweet potatoes and cotton seeds.
The villagers were overjoyed and worked even harder to dig sweet potatoes. In just a few days, all the sweet potatoes in the village were dug out.
During these few days, the village head still sent several people to patrol the village in turns and did not allow anyone to sell the goods privately.
Fortunately, the price offered by the imperial court was relatively high, and with the intimidation of Shen Wanning and the village head, no one in the village dared to sell sweet potatoes privately.
Finally, all the sweet potatoes were harvested. We weighed them together and found that the average yield per mu this year was more than 5,800 kilograms, which was indeed more than last year.
It just so happened that the two of them learned how to spin and weave. Shen Wanning took them back to the county town and talked to County Magistrate He about the sweet potato harvest.
County Magistrate He immediately sent people to Daqing Village to purchase sweet potatoes, and every household took out their sweet potatoes to sell.
Most families sold around 5,000 kilograms, leaving only a small amount for seed. Of course, some families kept a few more to give to relatives for seed.
County Magistrate He ordered his men to bring over several large boxes of silver, and handed over the money and the goods with one hand.
The villagers were delighted when they received the silver.
"One hundred taels of silver! We earned one hundred taels of silver so easily. Tomorrow I'm going to ask my wife to buy some good wine and food to celebrate."
"Yes, this one hundred taels of silver is more than what we earn in a year. I can't even save this much in my entire life!"
"Don't be too happy, the village head said that after we shell the cotton seeds, the court will send people to collect them! I heard that they are three taels per pound."
"Yes, yes, there are also cotton seeds! I have to hurry home to shell the cotton seeds. It's been too hot at noon these days, so my family and I are shelling cotton seeds at home. We've already shelled most of them and are almost done."
"Ah, you're really smart, I didn't even think of that. I'm done talking to you now, I have to hurry home and shell some cotton seeds."
Everyone went home with silver in their arms, smiling happily.
Li Zheng shouted from behind, "These are all brought to our Daqing Village by Wan Ning. You must all remember the kindness Wan Ning has shown us in Daqing Village!"
A few days later, every household in the village peeled the cotton seeds. This time, most families kept enough seeds and sold the rest to the court.
From this transaction, the family with the least income earned at least 100 taels of silver, and some even earned nearly 200 taels of silver.
Everyone earned more money, so they bought a lot of things and sent them to the Lin family.
Although Aunt Zhang refused many times, she still couldn't refuse them and had to accept their kindness.
County Magistrate He sent a consignment of sweet potatoes, cotton seeds, spinning wheels, and looms to the capital. He also brought along the two men who had already learned how to spin and weave.
After the sweet potato and cotton seed issues were resolved, Shen Wanning went to the county town again and started harvesting corn.
It took several days to finally harvest the corn. After weighing it, we found that the corn yield per mu was about 1,000 kilograms.
With the sweet potato as an example, the corn yield this time did not surprise everyone too much.
County Magistrate He had tasted corn before. When Shen Wanning reported the corn production at the county government office, he also mentioned ways to eat corn, such as grinding it into powder or making it into popcorn.
When County Magistrate He reported the corn, Shen Wanning took out a few fresh corns from the express station, wrapped them in oil paper, and asked County Magistrate He to present them to the emperor together.
After finishing all the work, Shen Wanning returned to Daqing Village.
"Wan Ning, the rice you planted in the backyard is ripe, but you didn't say whether to harvest it or not, so we didn't dare touch it." Aunt Zhang mentioned this during the meal.
Shen Wanning slapped her head. "Oh, if Mom hadn't told me, I would have almost forgotten about this. I've been so busy selling sweet potatoes and cotton seeds lately, and now I'm dealing with the golden rice thing. It's really confusing."
Aunt Zhang gave her two pieces of braised pork and said, "Look at you, you must have been exhausted recently. Eat some meat to replenish your energy. Don't worry about the rice. Your eldest brother knows how important it is to you and has been taking care of it for you!"
Shen Wanning turned to look at Lin Jingce and grinned, "Thank you, brother, otherwise I don't know if these will succeed!"
After saying that, Shen Wanning couldn't wait to put a few mouthfuls of rice into her mouth. After eating quickly, she immediately went to the backyard to check out the hybrid rice.
Looking at the full ears of rice, Shen Wanning felt a surge of pride.
Thank you, Mr. Yuan, Shen Wanning said silently in her heart.
After Shen Wanning harvested the rice, she threshed the rice grains and stored them, preparing to plant them again next year.
What grows next year will be hybrid rice. However, this year's date has passed and it is not suitable for planting. We have to wait until next year.
Nearly a month and a half later, the reward from the capital finally arrived in Daqing Village.
It was still the same Eunuch Xiang as before. When he saw Shen Wanning, he was as enthusiastic as if he had seen the God of Wealth.
"Ever since I returned to the capital, I have been looking forward to seeing the county lady again day and night. Finally, my efforts paid off and I got to see the county lady again. I must first express my congratulations to the county lady." Eunuch Xiang was very humble, bowed and congratulated.
Shen Wan Ning personally helped Eunuch Xiang up, "Eunuch Xiang, what are you talking about? It is Wan Ning's fortune to see Eunuch Xiang again."
"Please wait a moment, my lord. I will announce the decree after the village head arrives."
"Eunuch Xiang has come from afar, please come in and have a cup of tea and rest!" Shen Wanning welcomed Eunuch Xiang into the yard.
The Lin family had already sent people out to look for Lin Jingce who was working outside, and the village head was also rushing over.
Before everyone arrived, Eunuch Xiang revealed a piece of news to Shen Wanning.