Chapter 233: Chapter 233: Harvest (Part 1)
More than four months had passed since the last visit, and as Jiang Shaohua stepped into the field manor again, she was taken aback by the scene before her.
The plants stood at a height of four to five feet, each bearing large fruit. With the slightest breeze, the fruit swayed heavily, as if ready to drop at any moment.
"Is this corn?"
Jiang Shaohua instinctively lowered her voice, as if speaking too loudly would scare away the crops in the field.
Cui Du, who had spent days working in the fields and was quite tanned, smiled, revealing a set of white teeth: "Yes. This is all corn. We could have harvested it two days ago, but Chief Historian Chen and Chief Historian Feng insisted on waiting for the Commandery Princess to return before harvesting. So we waited an extra two days."
Harvesting new grain is an extremely important and joyous occasion. Naturally, the Commandery Princess must be the first to start.
Holding back her excitement, Jiang Shaohua, with Cui Du’s patient guidance, walked to the corn plants and gently broke off a cob. As the husk was peeled back, a golden corn cob was revealed, with kernels neatly arranged, looking incredibly cute.
From each corn plant, one or two cobs could be collected.
Jiang Shaohua affectionately caressed one cob, carefully placing it into a bamboo basket.
Cui Du, however, was more casual in his actions. He broke off a corn cob, tossed it into the air, and it landed steadily in the basket. His movements were swift and practiced.
Jiang Shaohua couldn’t help but laugh: "You’re so skilled at this."
Cui Du, while picking corn, replied: "Practice makes perfect, the more you do it, the faster you get. Commandery Princess, hurry a little too. Once this acre of trial field is harvested, we’ll weigh it and calculate the yield."
Throughout the Nanyang Prince Mansion, Cui Du was the most informal when speaking with the Commandery Princess.
Jiang Shaohua pursed her lips with a smile, nodded, and quickened her pace. With her divine power, picking corn was like using a butcher’s knife to kill a chicken. The cobs fell into the basket one after another, with an indescribable flow and beauty.
Chen Sheren and Ma Sheren worked together to pick corn from a patch. Lu Sheren, being alone, joined Lin Zhuangtou in their labor.
Chief Historian Chen and Chief Historian Feng were busy in another field. Being older, their farming efficiency could not match that of the younger generations. After working for the time it takes to burn an incense stick, they were drenched in sweat.
Chen Zhuo wiped his forehead with his sleeve and, smiling, sighed to Feng Wenming: "Old bones just aren’t what they used to be. Look at the young folks work; even together we don’t compare."
Feng Wenming chuckled, wiping his sweat with his hand: "We were once young too. Alright, let’s not waste time with idle talk, let’s hurry and pick corn. Once this acre is done, we’ll weigh it and see how the yield turns out."
Chen Zhuo grinned and continued to work energetically.
The new grain harvest was a major event, so Shen Gongzheng, Chief Clerk Wen, and Yang Shi were also present. Over a hundred farmer families and the same number of trusted aide families were at the manor, and many of the trusted aides went into the fields. Everyone busy in the fields painted a scene of harvest abundance.
Jiang Shaohua and Cui Du moved quickly, finishing picking the corn from an acre in less than an hour.
"Next, the corn needs to be dried and threshed. The weight of the corn cobs makes up most of the current weight measured."
Cui Du spoke eloquently: "Otherwise, the Commandery Princess might as well wait a few more days."
Jiang Shaohua raised an eyebrow with a smile: "How could I wait, let’s weigh it now. Days later, after threshing, we can weigh it again for a comparison."
The Commandery Princess’s youthful and adorable demeanor was rare to see.
Cui Du chuckled, nodding, and directed Lin Zhuangtou and others to weigh the baskets, expertly pulling out a thin notebook and charcoal pencil from his sleeve, ready to record data at any moment.
Curious, Jiang Shaohua leaned over: "What’s recorded in this notebook?"
A bunch of strange numbers along with simple and clear drawings.
A faint, youthful fragrance wafted into his nose.
Cui Du’s face reddened slightly.
Counting the past life, he was a young man over twenty years old. The Commandery Princess, with her hidden past, was certainly not as young as she seemed. This secret was known only to him.
"Mr. Cui," Lin Zhuangtou’s booming voice thundered in Cui Du’s ears: "These twenty or so baskets have all been weighed."
Cui Du snapped back, quickly recording. An acre produced twenty-six baskets of fresh corn cobs, each over a hundred jin, totaling forty-eight hundred jin.
Though everyone knew this yield wasn’t the final number, they were astonished nonetheless.
Jiang Shaohua’s eyes sparkled like obsidian: "What do we do next?"
Cui Du, without hesitation, instructed: "Next, the corn cobs need to be moved to the drying ground and dried for about three days or so."
Jiang Shaohua personally got involved, bending down and easily lifting a bamboo basket.
Everyone: "..."
Qin Hu and Meng Sanbao, each lifted a basket. Ma Sheren and his companion jointly carried one.
Arriving at Chief Historian Chen and Chief Historian Feng’s location...
Chief Historian Chen dusted off the lint from his clothes, calmly saying to Chief Historian Feng: "After half a day of work, drenched in sweat and exhausted. Let’s sit over there for some tea. Let the young ones handle the rest."
Feng Wenming glanced around, seeing the energetic young aides bustling about tirelessly, and he smiled: "Sounds good."
The two chief historians sat under a tree, leisurely sipping tea and chatting quietly.
"This corn yield is certainly much better than the wheat, millet, and beans we used to plant."
"Mr. Cui says, after threshing, the corn cobs can be used as fuel, and the corn stalks and leaves can feed cattle and sheep. You could say every bit of it is useful."
"Once the corn is harvested, it’s about time for the sweet potatoes. According to Mr. Cui, sweet potatoes have an even higher yield than corn and taste better too."
"This year, with drought and water shortages, among the counties in Nanyang, eight or nine out of ten will have poor yields. Thankfully, the Commandery Princess had plans in place, and each county’s Taiping Grain Warehouse has stored grain. With Mr. Cui’s corn and sweet potatoes, our Nanyang citizens won’t go hungry."
The more they talked, the more pleased the two chief historians became, casting soft and admiring glances at Cui Du.
Feng Wenming laughed: "It’s peculiar; at first, I thought Mr. Cui was young and reckless, speaking and acting somewhat impulsively. Now I see Mr. Cui as earnest and open-hearted."
Chen Zhuo burst into hearty laughter: "Old Feng, you changed your tune too quickly."
Feng Wenming grinned: "In any case, Heaven blesses our Nanyang."
In the midst of busy work, Cui Du suddenly stopped and scratched his ear: "My ear suddenly itches a lot. Someone must be talking about me."
In a great mood, Jiang Shaohua laughed and chimed in: "If someone’s talking, it must be praising you."
Under the bright and warm sunlight, Jiang Shaohua’s lips curled into two small dimples, charming everyone around.
Cui Du smiled at the Commandery Princess: "With the new grain harvested today, I’ll personally cook a couple of good dishes for the Commandery Princess."
...