The Marquis said, “It’s not just unfamiliar faces, but also some familiar faces. We still need to be careful. Alright, let’s not talk about the vermicelli you had sent back last time. It’s really delicious in stews. It will be on the market this winter, and I estimate it will make a lot of money. Your aunts and uncles in the manor can make some money from it. Even if someone offers them money and wants them to do something, they will have to think twice first. A family needs to be united, but with a big family and many people, it’s really not easy to be united.”

Xu Di listened attentively, but in his heart he was thinking that as long as they were tied to the same small boat of interests, it was actually quite easy to unite them. It just depended on how they tied themselves together.

Xu Di stayed at home for two days before taking his men to several estates in the suburbs. The estate where the old lady grew rouge rice had already harvested the rice. The estate manager was overjoyed to see Xu Di, as this year's earnings were even higher than last year's. Xu Di established a reward system for the estate, requiring that 80% of the harvest be sold each year, and the remaining 20% ​​be sent to the old lady. Of the 80% sold, 20% would be used to maintain the estate's daily operations, and the remaining money would be distributed among the workers on the estate.

Xu Di understood the principle that you have to feed a horse if you want it to run. In addition, the manor manager and many of the workers were originally from the Marquis of Yongyi's manor, and their loyalty was beyond question. This was why Xu Di felt at ease entrusting such a large manor to the manor manager and his men to manage.

Xu Di's biggest concern right now is the sweet potatoes he planted. After the sweet potatoes are harvested in the fall, the master chef who has learned how to make vermicelli in Hexi will come over and lead people to produce it in large quantities. Actually, there's not much technical skill involved; it's similar to the rice noodles and rice vermicelli made in the south.

After inspecting the growth of the sweet potatoes, I noticed that the people working on the farm were very responsible. There were quite a few workers on the farm; in addition to those who lived there regularly, many were hired from nearby villages. These hired workers only came when there was work to be done in the fields. They were paid well and were provided with meals. People were expected to work anywhere, but the treatment here was good, so everyone liked to work here. And no one tried to shirk their duties while working.

When Xu Di arrived, he had just hired a lot of people to weed. Xu Di stood at the edge of the field for a long time. When he was about to leave, the village head of a nearby village came over and greeted him.

The village head looked to be in his fifties or sixties, which made Xu Di feel quite embarrassed. He quickly helped him up and asked, "Old man, what are you doing?"

The village head said, "Master Xu, I am the village head of this village. I see that you grow sweet potatoes on your estate, so I wanted to ask if you buy sweet potatoes from outside?"

Xu Di said, "These sweet potatoes aren't just left out like this. If you slice them thinly, dry them in the sun, and store them properly, they'll last a year. This is our staple food, old man."

The village head said with a smile, "The harvests have been good these past two years, and we've harvested a lot more grain. We were thinking about whether we could sell the sweet potatoes and corn to have some extra money in our pockets."

Xu Di thought for a moment and said, "Old man, you won't make much money selling things like this. After the sweet potatoes are ripe, you can cook them, slice them thinly, dry them in the sun, and then try selling them in the city. That should bring in more money."

Upon hearing this, the village head was about to bow to Xu Di again, but Xu Di quickly stopped him, saying, "Old man, I am young, you mustn't bow to me like this."

The village head said, "The people in the village say that you are already a scholar who has passed the imperial examination. It is only right and proper for this old man to pay his respects to you. Thank you for telling us about this method. We will try it out after the sweet potatoes are harvested."

Two days after Xu Di returned to his residence, Zheng Boyuan arrived. After paying his respects to the old lady and the Marquis of Yongning, Zheng Boyuan went with Xu Di to Xu Di's courtyard.

It was already noon. Because Zheng Boyuan stayed for lunch, the old lady specially asked Granny Shen to bring over two dishes. The Marquis also instructed the head kitchen to add two more dishes. Finally, the eldest aunt in charge of the household also arranged for someone to bring over two dishes. Xu Di had originally instructed the kitchen to prepare four dishes, but now there were ten large plates on the table.

Looking at the ten dishes that looked and smelled delicious, Zheng Boyuan sighed and said, "With everyone in your household united, what is there to worry about?

Xu Di served Zheng Boyuan some food and said, "Our old lady and the Marquis are both sensible people. With a sensible person leading the way, other things will naturally not go too far astray."

Since neither of them was yet eighteen, Xu Di did not advocate drinking alcohol. He poured tea for Zheng Boyuan and himself, saying, "We are both still young and our bodies are not fully developed. Drinking alcohol is not good for us. Let's use tea instead of wine. Come on, let's have a drink first."

Zheng Boyuan quickly picked up his teacup, and the two of them drank it, then ate some food and chatted.

After returning home, Zheng Boyuan first went to pay his respects to his grandmother. The old lady looked at her eldest grandson, whom she hadn't seen for over a year, and hugged him, bursting into tears. Zheng Boyuan also cried a little. After all, Zheng Boyuan was only a thirteen-year-old child. The old lady didn't ask where Zheng Boyuan had gone. She only said that Zheng Boyuan should take good care of his younger sister and live a good life, so that she could face Zheng Boyuan's mother in the afterlife.

Marquis Pingxi summoned Zheng Boyuan to his study, intending to discipline his disobedient son. However, he remembered that the family genealogy had been altered, and Zheng Boyuan was now the son of his deceased cousin and the grandson of his second uncle. He could only sigh and say, "It's all according to your and your eldest uncle's wishes. The courtyard has been divided between you, and the family property has been sent to you. From now on, you will be a child of the second branch of the family."

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