It was only a matter of time before eggplants were planted all over the country; Su Luo just hadn't expected it to happen so quickly.
If the government intervenes, the seeds will be available throughout the country within three years.
“Your Excellency, since this is a contribution to the country, I must make it clear whether it is unpaid or paid.”
Su Luo can sell a pound of eggplants for one tael of silver right now, and she's short of money right now, so she won't do a business that loses money.
"this?"
Magistrate Jiang looked at Nangong Qing. This was all an oral message from Nangong Qing, without any explicit imperial edict or decree. Magistrate Jiang did not know how to answer.
However, if the new vegetable varieties originate from the area he manages, it will also benefit his career.
“I’ll pay the price, the same price you paid to Fu Man Lou.”
Nangong Qing knew that Su Luo wouldn't give up the eggplant so easily.
"Can you take us to your field to see the eggplants now?"
Su Luo led the way, taking them to her family's dry land at the end of the village.
There weren't many eggplants planted, only about fifty. The purple eggplants combined with the green leaves looked like blooming flowers.
"Lady Su, is this all you have?"
Su Luo nodded: "This is all my family has, but the village chief's family and my uncle's family have some too."
The group looked at the village chief.
"Yes! The few plants in my family were also given to us by Su Luo. If the imperial court needs them, I am willing to give them all up."
Sure enough, as the head of a village, his vision was far greater than that of a woman.
The magistrate thought this way, but he didn't know what kind of life the village chief would lead after giving them the eggplants that Aunt Chen had grown for free.
Nangong Qing and Axu walked into the field and bent down to examine the eggplants.
"Miss Su, don't pick these eggplants to eat anymore. Keep them all for seeds."
Nangong Qing's understanding of farming was too simplistic; it's not as simple as just getting seeds whenever you want them.
Su Luo picked two ripe eggplants right in front of Nangong Qing and said.
“I can save the seeds for you, but even if I save them all, you may not be able to grow them.”
Seeing that Su Luo had picked two more eggplants, Nangong Qingxin sighed, thinking, "How many seeds does that take?"
"What do you mean?" Nangong Qing asked.
Su Luoqing smiled, feeling that Nangong Qing was really not suited to manage crops.
“Nangong Qing, this species was cultivated by me. Not all of its fruits are suitable for making seeds.”
Take these two for example. They look big and plump, but they grew early. If you leave them on the vine, the later eggplants won't grow well.
Moreover, without sufficient nutrients, their seeds cannot germinate, rendering the entire plant useless.
Nangong Qing listened and it seemed to make sense, but that would greatly reduce the amount of seeds.
"Does Madam Su mean that the eggplants that grow earlier can only be picked and eaten, while the last batch can be saved for seeds?"
Su Luo nodded. "This one eggplant is enough for two families to grow. I know you are anxious for the country and the people, but some things can't be rushed. If you do things blindly, you will only make things worse."
Magistrate Jiang also felt that Su Luo's words made sense; with such a person in Changping Village, this place would surely be a blessed land in the future.
The insecticide that Su Luo developed has not yet been awarded by her superiors. After this year's harvest, her status will likely be different.
“Young master, Madam Su is right. I also know a little about planting. We really can’t rush things.”
Since that's the case, we can only wait. What should have been a two-year project to plant nationwide will now take three or four years.
"Then, Madam Su, keep as many seeds as you can, and I'll provide the money."
Nangong Qing turned to the village chief and said, "And village chief, you should also tell Chen Ping'an."
"yes!"
On the way back, Su Luo said.
"Nangong Qing, what exactly is your identity? Even the county magistrate treats you with utmost respect. And how did the imperial court find out about the species I cultivated?"
Nangong Qing walked side by side with Su Luo, who only reached his shoulder. Looking into Su Luo's eyes, it was as if they could merge with mountains and rivers.
"I'm just a nobody."
Su Luo sneered. It seemed that Nangong Qing would not easily let others know his identity. She wondered what he was doing in Yongle County.
Su Luo didn't know his purpose, but her own purpose was very clear: to work hard to earn money.
"Miss Su, you are literate, knowledgeable in medicine and medicine, and can even cultivate new species. You seem out of place in Changping Village. Do you really have a master?"
"Yes, I have!"
Su Luo's answer was decisive, which made Nangong Qing momentarily dazed.
“Nangong Qing, if I want to grow a new species next time, can you discuss it with me before letting others know? Like this time, I feel like my things have been stolen.”
Nangong Qing stopped in his tracks: "I'm sorry, I was too hasty this time. The main problem is that Nanning is short of resources, and I just want it to be better."
But you just said you can grow other species, so where do the seeds for these things come from?
For the sake of her future development, Su Luo could only give Nangong Qing a heads-up to avoid arousing suspicion.
Su Luo feigned surprise: "What? In a country as big as Nanning, don't you have officials specifically in charge of agriculture? Don't they know how to cultivate crops?"
Cultivation?
Nangong Qing knew these two words; they were used to describe people, and plants could also be cultivated.
"Our dynasty has a position called the Grand Minister of Agriculture, who is in charge of managing the taxation of crops and distributing seeds. For example, this eggplant seed is collected by the government this year and distributed to various regions for planting next year by the Grand Minister of Agriculture."
"Miss Su, tell me how you cultivated the plants you just mentioned. I'd like to hear it too."
Ah Xu was originally walking behind the two of them, but upon hearing Su Luo's words, he curiously ran to the front to join in the fun.
Seeing that Nangong Qing remained silent, fanning himself with his fan, Su Luo waited for Su Luo to continue.
“Cultivation, simply put, is about changing plants to produce another kind of plant.”
Plant evolution mainly falls into two categories: mutations over time and artificial cultivation. It's that simple.
Ah Xu and Nangong Qing understood, yet it seemed they didn't. They knew the meaning of each word, but when put together, it left them bewildered.
Perhaps only their Grand Minister of Agriculture understood these words.
"Don't you understand?"
Ah Xu shook his head vigorously; he truly didn't understand.
"Then I'll give you a simple example."
Su Luo picked a blade of grass and a wildflower from the roadside and showed them to A Xu as a metaphor.
“Cultivation is like these two different plants in my hand. I let them grow together and have offspring, and the resulting plant will form a new species. Now you understand?”
"Can plants really have reproductive relationships and produce offspring?"
Ah Xu opened his mouth wide in disbelief, and his roar made Su Luo's face turn green.
"Hehe... Ah Xu, we're not on the same level. You should focus on practicing martial arts and protecting your young master."
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