bayedsolid Chapter 140 Dragon Travels the World 27
Chapter 140 Dragon Travels the World 27
The sky was a clear, deep blue, with a few white clouds drifting lazily by, creating a striking contrast with the golden ears of rice on the ground.
The farmers, dressed in simple clothes and wearing colorful hats, carried sickles and moved hunched over in the rice fields, skillfully cutting bunches of rice.
The butler came over carrying several stalks of rice, his aged face beaming with joy, his voice filled with excitement:
"Young master, our rice harvest is bountiful! Look at the grains on the rice ears, there are almost half as many more than other people's!"
He Yaozu was dressed in simple clothes, with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, making him look clean and neat.
He took the rice stalk and examined it carefully. He saw that the rice stalk was fully ripe, about half a foot long, with golden rice grains that were plump and round, evenly arranged on the stalk, with almost no empty husks.
"Ok!"
He nodded: "After all the rice has been harvested, weigh it carefully to see the exact yield."
"Hey!"
The butler readily agreed, his mind filled with amazement.
He had thought the young master was joking when he said he had a way to increase grain production, but it turned out to be true.
Moreover, the results were so remarkable that production increased by nearly half.
If this gets out, it will be a huge problem!
He Yaozu paid no attention to the butler's shock. He gently waved his folding fan to shield his head from the scorching sun.
He learned by chance that the world's land of the same size produced less than half the grain harvest of the Qing Dynasty, which he found hard to believe. After careful observation, he realized that the farmers' planting methods were slightly different from those of the Qing Dynasty.
The people of Qinghe County grow a lot of rice. It was the rice planting season, so he bought three paddy fields, intending to try a different way of growing rice to see if he could improve the rice yield.
If the method works, then promote it; if it doesn't, it's just a waste of money.
Of course, he wouldn't go down to harvest the rice himself, since he's always been a pampered person and wouldn't know how to do farm work.
To call it farming is just standing on the sidelines and talking about how to plant things, telling the hired farmers how to do it, and then letting them take care of the actual operations and care.
The experimental results are now in. Although they did not meet his expectations, the excited expressions on the faces of the steward and the farmers show that they are very satisfied with the results.
Hey!
The world's food production is too low. Even if he adopts the Qing Dynasty's grain planting methods, the rice yield will still not be as high as that of the Qing Dynasty.
Clearly, the problem lies with the seeds.
He was truly helpless in this regard; the food supply could only go so far!
It seems he'll have to get on to other things!
He Yaozu ignored the rice paddies, turned around and went home, burying himself in his study to start thinking about his next target.
Feeling sorry for her son and seeing how hard he had been working lately, He's mother suggested finding someone to help him with these chores.
He Yaozu's mind was no longer on rice. Hearing his mother's suggestion, he readily agreed, which made his mother very happy. She felt that her son understood and trusted her, and she happily went to choose someone.
Before she could even choose someone, He Zhengjie rushed home and stormed into the study: "Yaozu, I heard you improved the rice planting method and doubled the rice harvest?"
"It wasn't me who improved the planting method!"
He Yaozu explained earnestly, "I was just experimenting with the methods used by those who came before me."
"Is it true that the harvest doubled?" He Zhengjie pressed, his voice revealing barely concealed excitement.
"Nearly double!"
"Take me to see this quickly!"
Upon hearing this, He Zhengjie was overjoyed and eagerly grabbed He Yaozu, asking him to take him to the field.
He Yaozu understood his excitement and took him to the rice paddies.
At this point, two of the three rice paddies had already been harvested, and the last one was being harvested.
Looking at the golden rice field in front of him, He Zhengjie rushed into the field. He unconsciously held his breath and carefully observed the rice ears. He saw that the number of rice grains on them was indeed nearly half more than that of ordinary rice, which completely confirmed the rumors.
"That's great! That's great! That's really great!"
He Zhengjie danced with excitement, patting He Yaozu's shoulder and laughing heartily, his smile full of pride and joy.
"Son! You've done a great service!" he said excitedly.
"Quickly find me a box to put it in, and select the fullest ear of rice. I need to report this good news to the king immediately!"
He Zhengjie's voice was full of joy. He was not happy because he had added another achievement to his political record, but because he was genuinely happy for the people and also felt gratified for his son.
"Write down the planting methods, and I'll submit them along with the instructions!"
He Yaozu agreed to all of them. After returning home, he immediately wrote down the planting methods and techniques, the necessary farm tools, fertilizers, irrigation, and so on, describing every detail clearly.
When He Zhengjie presented his memorial and the rice ears, Chu Tianyou responded immediately. He first praised the He family father and son and rewarded He Yaozu handsomely. Then he ordered that all late rice in Qinghe County be planted using this method, and if the harvest was still bountiful, it should be promoted nationwide immediately.
He Zhengjie accepted the imperial edict and looked at his son with satisfaction. He never expected his son to give him such a big surprise.
The uncertainty and worry I once had about my son's future have now turned to dust, replaced by joy and peace of mind.
After He Yaozu was pardoned, He Zhengjie knew that his son had changed, but he still had some worries in his heart, fearing that he would repeat the same mistakes.
But He Yaozu proved everything with his actions. First, he successfully found the Empress Dowager, then he single-handedly eliminated the Dragon Slaying Society, removing a major threat to the court. Now, he has improved rice cultivation methods, nearly doubling rice yields—what a remarkable achievement!
He Zhengjie was both gratified and moved. After staying at home for a day, he went to the county government office without stopping, summoned all the officials of Qinghe County, conveyed the king's decree, and immediately began to discuss how to promote rice planting methods.
With the government's vigorous promotion, the people of Qinghe County initially had doubts, but when they saw the rice ears produced by the government, which had nearly twice as many grains as the ones they grew themselves, they dispelled their worries and began to learn the new planting methods.
With the concerted efforts of officials and the people throughout the county, October, the golden autumn season, arrived in the blink of an eye.
The endless golden rice paddies exude the fresh fragrance of soil and plants.
As expected, there were nearly twice as many rice ears in the fields as in the past, and the people immediately cheered with joy.
Chu Tianyou, who was also concerned about this matter, couldn't suppress his anticipation and secretly brought Zhao Yu to Qinghe County. Although he believed that He Zhengjie wouldn't lie to him about something so important, he still wanted to come and see for himself.