The expressions of several town mayors and the heads of several other villages immediately turned to surprise. One of the mayors, whose village was located closer to Shangyang Village, asked in confusion:

"Shi Lizheng, how come some villagers in your village are soaking rice seeds?"

Shi Lizheng replied with a smile, "Yesterday, Madam Hui demonstrated seed soaking in Linjia Village. Some villagers in Dafeng Factory saw it and naturally came back to do it as well. This is a method proposed by Madam Hui, and everyone trusts it very much."

Several town mayors and village heads were shocked, then looked on with an expression of "I see": "So it was Madam Hui who suggested it. Why didn't you say so earlier? We'd better go back and tell the villagers to soak the seeds quickly, so as not to delay things."

In their minds, Madam Hui's words carried far more weight than those of the county magistrate. After all, the threshing machine, the earthen kang (heated brick bed) in winter, and the waterwheel standing in the water were all Madam Hui's ideas.

Leaving aside the other things, just take the waterwheel for example. It's been incredibly convenient for plowing and preparing the fields this spring; finally, we don't have to rely on rain anymore. With this automatic waterwheel, we didn't have to carry water by hand when the rice was dry during the grain-filling stage this year. This wise woman has truly brought blessings to the people.

Master Fan: "......?!"

He should have said so earlier; he should have just said it was Lady Hui who said it.

Meanwhile, in a side hall, the magistrate of Yan County and several magistrates from Qi'an County, Heyang County, Linshui County, and Gaokai County were sitting together drinking tea.

Since Magistrate Yan came from the capital, they had intended to befriend him. Seeing how many achievements Magistrate Yan had made since arriving last year, they couldn't help but feel envious. Therefore, they had hinted, both openly and secretly, that Magistrate Yan should also take them under his wing.

Today, Lord Yan said he had good news to tell them, and they thought that Lord Yan really pitied them, the county magistrates of this poor and remote place, and wanted to help them achieve political achievements. Little did they know that this was going to cost them their lives!

All the county magistrates instinctively picked up their teacups, wanting to take a sip to ease their inner shock, only to find that the tea in their hands was about to spill from their trembling.

Never mind, it seems Lord Yan's tea isn't all that great.

Magistrate Lu of Qi'an County was the eldest among these magistrates, and he spoke in a trembling voice:

"Zhenzhen, are we really going to do this without reporting to the prefect? ​​This... this isn't a good idea."

He had served in this minor county magistrate position for decades, his beard now quite white. Although he hadn't achieved any remarkable political accomplishments, he had always been an honest and upright official serving the people of Qi'an County. It was unexpected that at such an advanced age he would end up being dismissed from office. But the most important thing was still the people's food supply.

The other county magistrates thought the same way to varying degrees; using the people's grain for their own purposes was far too risky.

Yan Shuping looked at them with a smile that was quite enticing, and said, "My lords, this is an opportunity that will not come again. It is you who told me to think of you when something good happens. Isn't increased grain production a great thing? Why are you backing down?"

“Our counties are all located in this remote part of Liuzhou. If we continue to follow the rules, who knows when we will be promoted? But if there is a bumper harvest next year, it will be a great achievement for you! Your promotion will be just around the corner.”

His words struck a chord with the county magistrates, and their expressions changed almost instantly.

The county magistrates felt their hearts pounding so hard they were about to burst out of their chests; promotion was something every official dreamed of!

Magistrate Lu's hands trembled even more violently. Could he possibly still have any hope of being promoted in his lifetime?!

When Magistrate Lu clenched his trembling hand and looked up again, a strange light suddenly appeared in his eyes. As if he had made up his mind, he spoke:

"Lord Xie Yan has shared this excellent method of soaking seeds with me. I believe the people of Qi'an County will have a bumper rice harvest this year! The people will be very happy."

Upon hearing this, the other county magistrates, realizing that the usually calm and experienced Magistrate Lu was actually prepared to take a gamble, also began to express their opinions.

"Lord Yan, how can the people of Linshui County miss out on this great opportunity to increase grain production?"

"Lord Yan, I think this method is excellent. Could you please explain the details to us in more detail?"

"......"

The newly arrived Magistrate Mo of Heyang County wiped the sweat from his brow. He was terrified that his term would end so soon after he took office. However, he thought that if he gave it his all, he might be promoted sooner.

In fact, the county magistrates had their own considerations. This method was proposed by Lady Hui, and everyone knew about the several tools that Lady Hui had come up with that were beneficial to the country and the people. They were just lucky to have this opportunity, so they decided to seize it first and leave the rest to fate.

Thus, a different scene appeared in several counties of Liuzhou compared to other counties. While others simply dried the rice and sowed it in the fields, these counties soaked the rice in water after drying, sifted wood ash, and covered it with straw...

Two days later, the rice seeds sprouted! And every single one of them sprouted, and they sprouted very well. The villagers in several counties were very happy. Hey, this method really worked! And the county magistrates of several counties breathed a sigh of relief.

On this fine day, Song Anxin was surveying the chili fields. He looked up at the distant paddy fields where farmers were turning the soil twice. Two huge waterwheels on the East River were turning, carrying water up the bamboo troughs to the ditches and then into the farmland. The water was sparkling and the wind carried the scent of earth, which was very relaxing.

Waterwheels were installed in various villages before the Lunar New Year. With waterwheels, many field tasks could be done in advance, without having to wait for rain to collect water.

However, she found it strange, so she asked the eldest among them, "Fengnian, shouldn't we be sowing the sprouting rice seeds in the next few days? Why aren't you making ridges in the fields yet?"

Lin Fengnian asked, puzzled, "Mother, why are you making furrows in the fields?"

Song Anxin was speechless...

So Song Anxin then explained to the villagers how to prepare rice seedbeds. She emphasized the importance of dividing the seedbeds into rectangular sections for better ventilation and photosynthesis, leading to better seedling growth. She also stressed that the seedbeds should protrude above the surrounding drainage ditches to prevent the rice seeds from rotting in water. Furthermore, she suggested using a stool to smooth the seedbed, applying firm pressure initially, then reducing it, until it becomes as smooth as tofu…

She even taught them in advance how to scare away birds and prevent them from pecking at the rice seeds, which delighted the villagers! We haven't seen anything else yet, but making a scarecrow to scare away birds in the vegetable garden would be really effective!

Of course, she reported all of this to Magistrate Yan, and now Magistrate Yan's eyes light up when he looks at her.

February 28th arrived in the blink of an eye. Song Anbang and Lin Fenghe were also to depart for Liuzhou to take the imperial examination today. Since the two had been studying at Master Sun's house, they were not allowed to return. Song Anxin and Old Madam Song packed their things, and they would be given them directly when they were seen off at the official road.