Under the scorching sun, Saini Dali, wearing a straw hat, walked along the riverbank, checking the growth of the wheat.
After nearly four months of planting, the wheat was now basically ripe.
Looking out, the boundless wheat field was like a golden ocean, with thick and full ears of wheat. The number of grains had more than doubled, and even the size was larger than any spring wheat he had ever seen. Without waiting for the harvest and weighing, Saini knew that this year would definitely be a bumper year.
Undoubtedly, this must be the witch's doing.
He had farmed with his father for ten years and naturally knew what ordinary wheat should look like: one to three ears per plant, each ear producing twenty to thirty grains. Whether the soil was fertile or not would indeed affect the size of the grains, but to directly double the grains on the ears? Apart from the witch, he could think of no other explanation.
There were many other changes like this. For example, he had observed the towering water towers in the town up close. It was impossible to move a large iron bucket onto the iron frame higher than a residential building with manpower alone, let alone build them almost overnight. Now, the townspeople living in the residential area rarely needed to carry buckets to fetch water themselves. As long as they turned on the tap, cool well water would pour out from the pipes.
And the "island" in the center of the Redwater River was the same. Since His Highness held the award ceremony and took Nana Wa xiaojie onto the stage, the use of witches had become more and more undisguised. Allowing a piece of land to appear out of thin air on the empty river surface was obviously something only a witch could do.
He had asked Barov, the chief executive of the town hall, about this, and the answer he received was not to worry about it, that Roland His Highness had his own ideas.
Well... anyway, the royal family always liked to go against the church. Even if the latter sent troops to attack Prince His Highness, they would have to win the First Army first to be qualified to speak. Otherwise, the Western Territory could only be Roland Wimbledon's Western Territory.
Wasn't Duke Ryan the best example?
"Sir, you're here," two serfs weeding in the field immediately came up to Saini Dali, "Look, this wheat field is almost ready for harvest, so, so, I wanted to ask you..."
"Want to ask if what the lord said before is still valid?"
"Yes, yes, yes," the serf rubbed his hands nervously, "Can we really be promoted to freemen?"
As the head of the agriculture department, Saini had an important responsibility besides recording the best planting methods and statistics on harvests: to communicate with the serfs and inform them of the policies of His Highness and the town hall in a timely manner. Although he didn't like these bumpkins who dealt with mud all day long, the knight's self-discipline still allowed him to fulfill his task.
"Did you see those slogans?" Saini pointed to the banners on the edge of the field.
"Sir, I... I can't read..." The serf smiled awkwardly.
"Labor creates wealth, labor changes destiny," he said, "That is to say, as long as you work hard, you have the opportunity to be promoted to freemen. This is the promise made by His Highness, and it will definitely be fulfilled."
"Really? That's great!"
"In addition, after becoming freemen, you can move into the town center area, own your own brick house, and have the right to receive primary education. Then you won't have to ask me what these slogans mean." Saini repeated the corresponding publicity content again.
"Yes, sir." The serf nodded excitedly, "It's hot, would you like to sit in my shed and have a cup of cold water?"
"No, you go ahead and get busy." He waved his hand, watching the two bow and thank him for a long time before returning to the field to continue his previous work. This was the question Saini had heard the most in the past month. No matter how he explained it, they would always ask again, as if they were afraid that the lord would cancel the policy in the blink of an eye.
Before he had gone far, someone else surrounded him, "Hello, Saini-daren, after these wheat are harvested and dried, do we really only have to pay seventy percent?"
Sigh, he sighed in his heart. This question was second only to the promotion of freemen, ranking second, "That's indeed the case in the first year, and it will only decrease more and more in the future. If you become freemen, you only need to pay twenty percent. This is what we have repeatedly emphasized."
"It would be great if we could really be promoted," one of the tall guys said, scratching the back of his head, "Then the remaining thirty percent of the wheat, can we..."
"Can only be used to sell to Prince His Highness, eat yourself, or save for seeds." Saini clapped his hands and simply asked them to call over the surrounding serfs. "Listen carefully, Border Town prohibits private sale of grain, whether it is sold to local townspeople or to foreign merchants, it violates the laws of Border Town. If you do this, not only will your income be confiscated, but you may also be imprisoned."
"What if the lord only offers a very low price?" The tall guy muttered.
"Of course, this will not happen. His Highness's purchase of grain will be carried out at a uniform stable market price, and there will be no major changes whether it is a poor harvest or a bumper harvest. So you don't have to worry about not being able to afford food after selling the wheat, nor do you have to worry about harvesting too much and not being able to sell it or selling it cheaply." Saini emphasized, "The entire Border Town, there is only one place where grain can be sold, that is the convenience market, and the manager of the market is our town hall."
"Then what exactly is the price...?"
"Don't worry, His Highness will personally announce it to you before the purchase."
Watching the serfs scattering in twos and threes, he licked his dry lips and continued to check the crops. He didn't know how many of these people would remember his words, but Lord Barov had clearly conveyed His Highness's tough will, and those who privately sold grain would be severely punished.
Just then, a young serf broke away from the crowd and turned back, "Sir," he said, panting, "I want to ask you one more question."
"Hmm?"
"Do you know where Mei Yi xiaojie and Ai Lin-nushi have gone?" He hesitated, "There haven't been any theatrical performances in the square recently, I want... to ask you about their recent situation, are they... sick?"
This was an interesting new question. Saini couldn't help but curl up his lips. If he hadn't happened to see them at the town hall going through the procedures, he really wouldn't have been able to answer, "They went to Longsong Fortress."
"Ah," the other party showed a disappointed look, "Don't they plan to stay in Border Town?"
"They're just going to the fortress theater to perform," he shrugged, "And it's so hot now, you wouldn't want to see them standing in the sun sweating, would you? When autumn comes, they will continue to return to the square to perform new dramas."
"I, I see... Thank you, sir!"
Watching the young man's satisfied departure, Saini couldn't help but think of his own experience of going from knight to prisoner, and then from prisoner to town hall official. The past few months could be described as ups and downs. He didn't want to return to the territory of the Benlang family. There was nothing there except for old houses and fields of wheat. Becoming a knight was just to escape the life of farming with his father for the rest of his life.
Not every knight can be as glamorous as Dawnlight, or have the best territory and attendants like a ducal knight. Now his annual salary is more than when he was a knight, and there is also a broad space for promotion. Perhaps it's time to bring his parents to the town, and then marry a girl and enjoy life.