Han Qi had other plans, but he didn't intend to tell Jiang Nuan.

“My family owns several estates.”

"Several... estates?" Jiang Nuan was shocked. "The Han family is truly a large and powerful family."

If she could own a few estates, she could live a peaceful and stable life just by collecting rent.

With no worries about food and drink and a comfortable and carefree life, this is the pinnacle of life!

“Yes, my dad bought it,” Han Qi said, wrinkling his nose. “He was afraid that we wouldn’t have enough food to eat in a year of famine.”

Han Qi didn't take it seriously. It was possible that Ping'an County might not have enough food during a famine, but the prefectural city didn't need to worry about that.

Yuzhou Prefecture is the granary of the Great Zhou Dynasty. If the situation becomes so serious that the people of the prefecture have no food to eat, the entire Great Zhou Dynasty will be thrown into chaos and war, and no matter how much grain a family has, it will not be able to save it.

"Uncle Han has considered everything very thoroughly. It's better to be safe than sorry. Having our own food reserves means we don't have to worry about natural disasters or man-made calamities."

“That’s not how it is,” Han Qi retorted indignantly. “He’s doing something unnecessary. If the people of the prefecture city don’t have enough to eat, the country would have been in chaos long ago. The more grain you have at home, the faster people will rob you.”

Everyone knows what the old man is thinking. So what if he bought hundreds of acres of land? After taxes, how much grain will be left? The rent he collects in a year won't even cover the restaurant's monthly profit. It's all for nothing.

“No, you can’t say that,” Han Qi’s words made a lot of sense, and Jiang Nuan was almost led astray. “As the old saying goes, a cunning rabbit has three burrows. Uncle Han bought the estate to prepare a way out for himself, not to make money or save money. Admittedly, the chances of a food shortage in the prefectural city are not high, but it’s not that there is no chance of encountering one. By then, it will be too late to make preparations.”

According to Jiang Nuan, wealthy families have a habit of stockpiling grain, usually for two, three, or even four years. They buy grain as needed, and generally only families in difficult circumstances would do this.

The main reason was a lack of money.

In this era, grain production was very low, and it was very common for rice farmers to not have enough rice to eat. After harvesting the rice, farmers would usually sell it to buy some cheap coarse grains to eat.

If a family encounters illness or disaster, the money earned from buying grain is not enough to last long. In the end, they have to squeeze out money to buy mixed grains, and can only eat a little and buy a little.

Sweet potatoes and potatoes have already been introduced to the Great Zhou, but corn is not available, and the yields of these crops are not as high as expected.

Firstly, there was the issue of soil fertility. In an era without various chemical fertilizers, the soil was very infertile and could not support too many crops. Secondly, there was the issue of seeds. Perhaps the seeds were introduced too recently and were not fully domesticated, resulting in lower yields and a need for improvement in taste compared to later generations.

She couldn't get the corn over, but she had already started working on the sweet potato and potato problem. She had already done two rounds of selection in her space, and in two months at most, she would be able to cultivate seedlings that were almost identical to or even better than those of later generations.

"Doing it in advance is useful?" Han Qi looked at Jiang Nuan strangely. "They don't dare to confront people head-on, so they all have to keep a low profile."

Forehead......

That seems to make a lot of sense.

But those words just sounded jarring to me.

At this moment, Jiang Nuan finally understood why Han Qi was so disliked by his own father. This kid's words could really choke someone to death.

Finally, Jiang Nuan reluctantly changed the subject, "In a few days it will be Qingming Festival, and every household will be paying respects to their ancestors. Shouldn't Han Yi be back by now?"

“I do have to come back,” Han Qi said rather reluctantly, “I’m probably already on my way.”

He had only been in Huangjiakou for a few days when he received three letters from those brats urging him to go home.

That's so inconsiderate. It's not like we're not going back, so why are we in such a hurry?

Han Qi didn't understand why the brat insisted on going back, since he could handle all the trivial matters himself, except for major events like spending money.

Sigh, it's so worrying that my own son isn't considerate.

If he had known this twenty years ago, he would have worked harder and had seventy, eighty, or ninety children. He would have believed that not a single one of them would have been a loving child.

Jiang Nuan was unaware of Han Qi's bizarre ideas. After learning that Han Yi had returned, she guessed that Han Qi wouldn't stay long.

"That's good. You and your son have been separated for many days, you must be missing each other terribly."

These words made Han Qi's face turn black.

In most families, the father manages the son, but in his family, it's the opposite; the son controls his father completely.

Even if he didn't want to admit it, he knew that he really wasn't very confident in facing his son.

He would love for his son not to come home for a year or two, but unfortunately that's not realistic.

But these words cannot be spoken.

"Maybe," Han Qi waved his hand, "Anyway, he won't be staying long."

The tone was full of disdain, as if Han Yi wasn't her own son.

Han Yi, who had been rejected by Han Qi, had already returned to his home in the prefectural city.

"Your Majesty, has the master not returned yet?"

"Young Master, Master said that the old house is a place of outstanding people and spiritual energy, and he wants to stay there for a while longer to absorb the spiritual energy."

It was a very far-fetched reason, but Han Yi knew that his father could actually come up with it.

He shook his head and continued, "Has anything interesting happened in the prefectural city lately?"

"Not at the moment," the butler thought for a moment, then continued, "Young master, I heard some news, but I don't know if it's true or false."

"What news?"

The steward peered around to make sure no one was watching before lowering his voice and saying, "Young Master, there are rumors that the Emperor is coming to our Yuzhou Prefecture."

“This is not a rumor, it’s true,” Han Yi sighed. “At the beginning of the first month, the Emperor intended to go on an inspection tour, but the officials blocked him and the Emperor was unwell, so he gave up the idea.”

"But after February, the Emperor brought up the old issue again, and the officials had no choice but to accept it. As a result, the corvée labor in the area north of the capital was 30% higher than in previous years."

"So that's how it is," the steward murmured after hearing this. "No wonder, no wonder the corvée labor this year is so heavy."

"Hmm," Han Yi nodded, then said with his hands behind his back, "You prepare the things you'll need for the Qingming Festival ancestor worship. I'm going to the old house to drag the old man back."

By the end, Han Yi seemed to be gritting his teeth.

Although he didn't know how the old man got involved with the Huang family, he could guess without even thinking that the old man had completely disgraced the Han family within the Huang family.

To be honest, Han Yi really didn't want to embarrass himself at the Huang family's place, but he had no choice. His father was staying there and wouldn't leave, and the longer he stayed, the more he would be exposed. He wouldn't feel at ease until he caught the man and brought him back quickly.

Moreover, his business in the capital was already stable and didn't need constant monitoring. With the emperor on an inspection tour, he didn't want to miss this opportunity.

There are too many nobles in the capital, and a merchant like him who only has money has no chance of meeting officials. But in Yuzhou Prefecture, it might be different.

If handled properly, not only could he "encounter" the officials, but he might also be able to bring Han Jiabo a life of wealth and honor.

Becoming an official is unlikely, but it's possible to increase one's own bargaining power.

That way, even if the Han family were just merchants, no one would dare to bully them.