"How was it?" the two couldn't help but ask in unison.

Fu Tingchen put the remaining meat on his chopsticks into his mouth, chewed it gently, and nodded.

The old man's eyes shone even brighter.

The grandson usually only takes a small taste before putting it down.

His current actions demonstrate that he is both mentally and physically very receptive to this dish.

He was overjoyed and, not giving up, put another piece on his plate.

"Eat more if you like."

Old Master Sun hurriedly said, "The other dishes are also good. Old Master, Third Young Master, why don't you try them all?"

"Give it a try." The drunken chicken awakened his taste buds, and his grandson's reaction gave him a good start.

The Emperor Emeritus was in a good mood and found the dishes increasingly appealing, so he immediately started eating.

Then, the speed and number of times you use your chopsticks will unconsciously increase and become faster.

If Fu Tingchen hadn't seized the opportunity and stopped him in time, he probably would have overeaten too.

"Don't stop me, I'm only 80% full right now."

The retired emperor's eyes were still fixed on the unfinished dishes, as he wanted to continue eating.

Fu Tingchen was both amused and exasperated. "There will be other opportunities in the future, there's no need to rush."

Old Sun was also worried that he would overeat and upset his stomach, so he quickly tried to dissuade him.

The retired emperor finally gave up.

"This dish from Wei Man Zhai is indeed a rare delicacy. Although it cannot compare to those top-grade delicacies, it is still very fresh and delicious, making it impossible to stop eating. Just as you said, the ingredients are indeed superb."

He understood what Lao Sun meant.

The tea leaves are fine.

After all, this thing can be secretly grown in just a small spot.

After stir-frying, you can transport it anywhere you want.

But fresh fruits and vegetables won't do.

The freshness of these fruits and vegetables indicates that they were delivered shortly after being picked from the field.

This could not have been transported from afar; it must have been planted within or near Lufeng City.

What he was thinking was that Yun Zhiyi had a farm here.

Could it be that they are growing it on the farm?

How did she manage to grow such delicious vegetables?

Moreover, not only the fruits and vegetables, but even the meat tastes different from usual.

That really piqued his curiosity.

At that time, Yun Zhiyi was directing the harvesting of sunflowers in the sunflower field.

More than three months after planting, the fifty acres of sunflowers have finally ripened.

She only noticed the dozens of acres of sunflowers planted in a remote part of the farm after she went to Qingshan for a walk.

Now that the sunflowers are mature, most of their petals have fallen off or dried up, and they are not as bright and eye-catching as when they were in bloom.

She vaguely remembered Liu Dashan mentioning that the sunflowers seemed to be nearing maturity.

She told him to figure it out when the time came.

Now that we've encountered this situation, we might as well have someone come and collect it in advance.

Of course, the seeds are not extracted immediately after the sunflowers are harvested.

After the sunflowers are cut, they need to be placed on a stalk to dry in the sun.

It was July, and the sun was blazing.

It should take about two days of direct sunlight to clear it up.

The flower head was removed again, placed on a flat basket, and repeatedly pounded with a mallet to knock out the sunflower seeds inside.

The Great Dynasty also had melon seeds, but this was the first time they had ever seen how melon seeds came to be.

They used to think that sunflower seeds, like pine nuts, grew on trees, but they never knew they actually grew from flowers.

At that time, the landlord planted such a large field of sunflowers, but they only regarded it as something for ornamental purposes.

Aside from the daytime caretakers hired to maintain the land, ordinary people don't dare to mess around in that area.

Later, when they saw that the flowers in the field had withered, many people shook their heads, thinking that the demeanor of the nobleman was indeed different.

Spending so much money just to see the scenery for a month.

Only now do I realize that there is such a wealth of knowledge behind these flowers.

Not only were they surprised, but You Xinyue, who came to watch, was also astonished.

Tiger-striped melon seeds were not a product of the Great Dynasty, but were brought back by caravans from the west.

This was the first time she had ever heard that these things were actually flower seeds.

Moreover, these sunflower seeds looked exceptionally good; they were larger and had a richer flavor than any she had ever tasted before.

This hasn't been stir-fried yet. If it's cooked and spices are added, it will probably be even more fragrant.

Most importantly, the yield of sunflower seeds is quite high, even higher than that of grains.

One mu (unit of land area) can yield at least 600 jin (unit of weight) of melon seeds.

Although sunflower seeds are not a rare commodity on the market nowadays, they are not cheap either.

Ordinary quality melon seeds cost fifteen coins per pound.

Ordinary families would just buy some to bring home for the New Year to add to the festive atmosphere.

The high-quality ones could be sent to noble families. Even without considering the cooking method, a pound would cost at least seventy or eighty coins.

She used to manage the household affairs, so she has some understanding of these prices.

Back then, the medium to high-quality melon seeds we bought at home were less than half the size of these now, and they cost thirty coins per pound.

Based on the quality of Yun Dong's melon seeds, they would definitely be worth 100 coins per pound.

This is still the price of raw melon seeds.

In other words, she could earn sixty taels of silver from this one mu of melon seed field.

For wealthy families, sixty taels might not be much.

But for wheat that can only be sold for a maximum of six liang per mu after a year of hard work, that's a tenfold profit.

Moreover, six liang was a bumper harvest, when each mu of wheat could yield four hundred jin.

Looking at the barren, dry land stretching as far as the eye could see, and then at the sunflower seeds in her hand, You Xinyue's mind was filled with a myriad of thoughts.

Not only was she tempted, but the farmers who were harvesting sunflower seeds were equally tempted.

Unlike You Xinyue, who saw the harvest as soon as she arrived.

They've watched the sunflowers grow since they were planted.

Many families also have able-bodied men selected as short-term laborers to help with the planting process.

According to them, the planting process is actually quite ordinary and not much different from planting other crops.

It's just that the daily tasks like watering, fertilizing, weeding, and catching insects require more meticulous care.

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