Cheng Yao borrowed Qiao Lan's notes for more than ten days but did not return them.
Qiao Lan thought about the inconvenient transportation in Beijing, and secretly comforted herself: she must be patient, have the ability to resist risks, and be prepared not to come back.
After waiting for nearly a month, midsummer was more than half over. Cheng Yao brought a large group of people to Duanjia Village and brought a bunch of gifts to Qiao Lan.
The scene was very lively, and many people came to watch the fun.
When Cheng Yao stepped out of the sedan, he was dressed in official uniform, wearing a black gauze hat, a belt and a jade pendant around his waist, and his grace was even better than in the past.
The Duan family members greeted him at the door of their home.
"It's hot outside, magistrate, please come inside..."
After entering the main room, Cheng Yao did not sit down. Instead, he took something from the master behind him and handed it to Qiao Lan: "This is a personal letter that the prefect asked me to deliver to the old lady. The prefect also prepared some gifts for the old lady. This
It’s a gift note.”
Cheng Yao thoughtfully handed over the letter and gift list.
Qiao Lan received the post and letter and thanked her seriously. The expression on her face was not too happy. She raised her head and looked around: "Sir, where are my notes?"
Cheng Yao took out the folding fan from his sleeves. Hearing these words, he closed the folding fan and hit his head: "I went to Tongzhou in the past few days and forgot about this serious matter. Don't worry, old lady, I will send someone right away."
take."
After saying that, Cheng Yao turned around and ordered the clerks around him to quickly go to the county government office to get it.
After sitting down, the Duan family's daughters-in-law served the few remaining cantaloupes and a bowl of cool mung bean soup.
Qiao Lan greeted: "Sir, try this mung bean soup. It's made from the mung beans harvested at home."
"good."
Cheng Yao responded with a smile, picked up the mung bean soup on the table and took a sip. It was cold and sweet, just right to cool down on a hot day.
After a bowl of mung bean soup, Cheng Yao picked up a piece of cantaloupe. The sweetness in his mouth was not weaker than that of the mung bean soup. Cheng Yao ate the melon and his mind went back and forth. After all, the melon was grown by the old lady.
, dessert is nothing.
Cheng Yao was in a good mood, wiped his mouth, and mentioned another thing to Qiao Lan: "The old lady has harvested a lot of grain this year!"
There are indeed so many that I can’t fit them all in my home, and I even considered building two rooms next to them to store food.
But you can't say this in front of others, Qiao Lan said tactfully: "This year is a good one, the weather is going smoothly."
The smile on Cheng Yao's face slowly widened when he heard this. This year is indeed a good year. "Although the year is good, it's because you, old lady, have taken good care of the crops!"
"God bless me!"
…
After dealing with Qiao Lan several times, Cheng Yao got a better idea of Qiao Lan's temperament.
The old lady came from a noble family, and although her middle age was a bit rough, she was actually capable, capable of bending and stretching, and was neither humble nor arrogant in her treatment of others, nor did she take credit for herself or be arrogant.
Cheng Yao had a thorough understanding of the principle of marrying a virtuous wife with Qiao Lan!
This recipe falls on the other sons of the Duan family. If the men focus on studying rather than farming, they may not look at it and leave it to the servants of the family. Even if they get this good recipe, they may not be able to grow high-yielding crops.
Fertile farmland.
Let alone the Duan family, Cheng Yao felt that he could not even come.
The old lady goes to the fields in person every day, working diligently and writing everything down on paper.
Cheng Yao saw these from the old lady's notes.
After copying it once, he felt ashamed. After giving this excerpt to the prefect and the elders in his family, several elders even praised Mrs. Duan.
Thinking about this, Cheng Yao mentioned another thing to Qiao Lan: "Old Madam, there is one more thing I want to trouble you, Old Madam..."
"What's up?"
"The prefect wants to buy this year's new rice harvest from the old lady's house to use as next year's rice seed."
Qiao Lan immediately nodded in agreement. She thought it was a big deal, "I wonder how much you want to charge?"
Cheng Yao: "How much does the old lady want to sell?" Not only the eunuch, but his family also wants it.
The quality of this seed determines the harvest in the field.
A seed that can produce 400 kilograms per acre is naturally better than other rice seeds.
If the entire Tongzhou can use such improved seeds, coupled with the formula for cultivating the fields, the yield next year may be much higher.
Cheng Yao looked at Qiao Lan expectantly.
Qiao Lan calculated the accounts: "In addition to food for myself, I also promised the folks in the village to leave some for them, and the rest to make seeds for next year..."
Cheng Yao felt a little sad, how could such good seeds be used as food?
"Old madam, I have a way. I wonder if you are willing to do it?"
Cheng Yao's idea was to sell them all to him, except those reserved for grain seeds, and Cheng Yao would pay double the price of fine grains on the market.
Qiao Lan wants to keep the rice for his own consumption. He can use part of the ordinary rice in exchange, and the rest will still be given money. Both the rice and the money will be doubled!
Cheng Yao's mouth went dry as he spoke, and he took a sip of water from the tea cup next to him, "I wonder what the old lady thinks?"
Qiao Lan: "Master Cheng, why don't you wait until next year to accept it?"
The rice yield in the field this year was all produced by Qiao Lan using manure, and the seeds are not very good. However, she has been taking seed classes for more than half a year this year, which is similar to hybridization. If the hybridization is good, the rice seeds she will receive next year will be better.
The better, the higher the output!
"The old lady thinks the price is not appropriate? How about I double the extra grain harvest?" Cheng Yao said appropriately.
The price of grain in the south is not very high. It has dropped a lot after harvesting a crop of grain in the fields, but it still costs 16 cents per catty. Double that and it will be 50 cents.
Qiao Lan almost agreed.
There is no way, the magistrate gave me too much.
Let’s talk about next year’s affairs next year!
"Thank you, madam!" Cheng Yao said with a smile.
After waiting for the people from the county government to deliver the book to Qiao Lan, Cheng Yao said goodbye to the Duan family and talked about coming to buy grain seeds another day.
-
After returning to the county government office, Cheng Yao was in a good mood and asked the kitchen to prepare some food and wine for a drink in the evening.
The boy who had been following Cheng Yao for a long time helped Cheng Yao change out of his official uniform. After hesitating for a long time, he finally spoke: "Why are you so polite to an old woman who knows how to farm? No matter how good her family's grain crops are, they are not worth so much."
money!"
Cheng Yao took off his black gauze hat and said with a happy expression: "The most I can give Mrs. Duan is a few hundred taels of silver. Do you know that if every household in Lantian County can receive 400 jins of rice fields, how much can the agricultural tax revenue of the entire Lantian County be increased?"
"
The boy shook his head, "Sir, I don't know."
"This is where you are inferior to Mrs. Duan. Mrs. Duan is still studying, literacy and studying farming at such an old age. You have been with me for so long, and you don't even know how much agricultural tax Lantian County can collect in a year.
!" Cheng Yao sighed.
Before going to Tongzhou, Cheng Yao inquired about something. The Duan family came to the county to copy agricultural books.
It is self-evident who copied it.
In addition to buying good seeds, these few hundred taels of silver are more of a reward for Mrs. Duan. If it weren't for the fact that the capital has not yet been pacified, Mrs. Duan will definitely receive even more rewards.