Chapter 147 Pick a corn, can you pick out a flower?
That night, while eating the fish he caught, Li Chengqian felt that the fish was particularly delicious.
After dinner, I was alone in the study room, reading for a long time, then returned to the house and rested quietly!
The next morning!
"Master, this year's corn has been drying outside since the beginning of winter, just because the heavy snow came too suddenly.
We could only pile the corn in a few temporary warehouses.
The weather is very good today. I have sent people to put all the corn in the warehouse into the square to dry.
It's just that there's still a lot of sand and gravel in the corn. I've sent people to filter it and pack it into bags.
Zhuangzi’s personnel have been arranged to select the remaining ones, so please don’t worry, young master!”
"I don't worry about your work. Zhuangzi's livestock will also be fed more coarse grains.
This winter will be over soon, and we will still need them for farming next spring."
"It's young master, don't worry!"
In the square of Zhaojiazhuang, there is a pile of corn.
The people of Zhuangzi sifted with sieves and shovels.
The corn that has been screened on the other side is brought into sacks by a dedicated person, and is all packed together and stored in the warehouse.
The remaining ones mixed with the stones were put aside, and the remaining men, women, and children of Zhuangzi selected them among them!
"Brother Li, you are here, hurry up, hurry up, we have already chosen this position for you!"
Today is the second day Li Chengqian came to pick corn.
Because of his relationship with Zhao Mu, his profound knowledge, and the aura of a superior person, everyone recognized Li Chengqian as their eldest brother!
The first time he saw corn, Li Chengqian was very confused. In his mind, he had never seen such a thing before.
But on the first day, I didn’t ask anyone, just followed them and worked quietly on the side.
Until today, I couldn't hold it in my heart and asked the question!
"I have always heard you say that this thing is called corn. Do you know what this corn is for?"
"Brother Li, of course we know what this corn is for. Of course this corn is for eating!"
food?
"But why haven't I eaten in Zhuangzi for a long time?"
"Brother Li, you are not from our Zhuangzi, and you are still with the young master. You have never had a normal meal in Zhuangzi.
But that's not the case for us. We can often eat corn, which can be ground into flour and made into pancakes, which are very delicious.
You can also make porridge and put some sugar in it, or boil the corn roots in water.
Anyway, there are several ways to eat it, and every way of eating it is very delicious."
They are all children from poor families, and they have only been here in Zhuangzi for a few years.
I remember that I ate every last meal and even gnawed the bark of the tree. Now I have this delicious corn every day. It is a blessing they cultivated.
As he spoke, Li Chengqian's stomach started to growl.
Is corn, which I have never seen before, really as delicious as they say?
"Brother Li, what they said is not comprehensive. In addition to being eaten by us humans, these corns can also be fed to livestock.
You can eat your cattle, sheep, horses, pigs, chickens, ducks, etc. You will grow fat by eating these corns.
Especially since the pig ate corn, it grew fat and fat. I heard from the adults that it was still more than a month, or more than half a month, before Zhuangzi would kill the pig.
Then there will be meat to eat, but now that I think about it, I’m even greedy!”
Feeding livestock?
Li Chengqian felt that there was nothing wrong with his ears. These young men said that they were just feeding animals.
The food for people is actually used to feed the animals. What a arrogant family this is?
"The grain is fed to livestock, so the yield of this corn must be 10% higher, right?"
“The corn yield per mu is at least 8 dan.
No, no, it’s not 8 shi. I remember my father said that Zhuangzi’s corn had at least 9 shi.
How could it be 9 stones? I heard from other uncles that it was 10 stones."
No, no, you remembered it wrong, it was 8. Suddenly, several people started talking about the issue of high yield per mu.
He didn't even notice Li Chengqian's eyes, which were already as wide as those of an ox.
This corn can actually achieve a yield of 10 dan per mu?
What is the concept of 10 stones per mu? Although I am a prince and have been studying in the East Palace, it does not mean that I have no understanding of folk affairs.
For privately produced grain, the normal yield is 1.5 to 2 shi per mu.
If there is a natural disaster, the grain produced may be less than 1 stone. Counting the taxes paid, the grain stored in the hands of the people is completely insufficient.
At that time, it was necessary for the court to open warehouses to store grain and provide relief to the victims.
And the thing called corn in front of me can actually produce 10 shi per mu.
This yield was five times the maximum yield of their ordinary grains. Such a terrifying yield made Li Chengqian wonder if he had heard it wrong.
"I said, you guys, are you remembering it wrong?
How can the yield of this corn be so high?
Nowadays, the maximum output of grain in the Tang Dynasty is only two dan, and how can we feed the livestock with the grain that we humans eat?"
"Brother, you have misunderstood what we mean. If all the food is fed to animals, what else will we eat?
This corn is just fodder and will be mixed with other fodder to feed this group of animals."
The more they talked, the more excited they became, and the more Li Chengqian listened, the more confused he became.
Anyway, when I heard this, I already understood the general meaning.
Corn can be eaten by people, and the yield per mu is 10 shi.
"Oh, what a pity. With such a high yield, it must be very troublesome to grow this corn."
In my opinion, the better something is, the more complicated it must be to make.
Just like the clothes they usually wear, they are made of ordinary cloth. This type of cloth is very simple to make, and one can be made in 10 days.
As for the silk donated by Jiangnan, it takes at least 60 days to make one piece.
And most of them are exclusively for the palace, and the remaining part is purchased by the princes and ministers.
Its price is 10 times or even 20 times that of ordinary cloth!
"Brother, to tell you the truth, this corn is very convenient to grow.
Even we, every time we watch our fathers plant, we already know how to plant.
Plow and sow in spring, fertilize and water, wait for the corn seedlings to come out and then pick them, leaving a gap of one foot in between.
Wait until the corn is grown, weed it, and continue watering until the harvest is good.
It's just a pity that we are still relatively young now. If we reach the age of marriage, we will marry a wife and have children.
The young master will also allocate us a few acres of fertile land, and we can farm our own land."
envy 1
envy 1
"I am no longer like you. My father said that when I grow up, I will serve as a guard in Zhuangzi, protecting the young master and everyone in Zhuangzi, just like my father.
Don’t worry, you have to farm steadily, I will protect your safety!”
"Ah, you are as weak as a little chicken now. With your physique, you still want to protect us?"
"My father said that everyone in our family has acquired growth. Do you know what acquired growth is?
After reaching a certain age, your physique will grow, so don’t be complacent!”