Chapter 218 Madam Xiao, the county magistrate is here to see you!
After lunch, Ning Yuanze rested for a quarter of an hour and then asked Chen Jie to lead the way to Xiao Ying's house.
When I got closer, I could hear laughter and chatter coming from the house, it was very lively.
It turned out that Xiao Ying sent Ling Yun, He Changgui, Li Jincheng, Yue Ming and others to Zhao Daqing's house to move potatoes.
It was more than 10,000 kilograms, and even if it was pulled with an ox cart, it would take dozens of trips. Fortunately, the two houses were not far apart, so everyone did not collapse from exhaustion.
Even so, I was sweating profusely.
Xiao Ying divided so many potatoes into three parts for storage.
A small amount can be placed directly in the kitchen for daily consumption.
Put an extra portion in the cellar to eat later.
The remaining large quantities are piled up in the backyard, and I plan to sell them in the near future, otherwise they will sprout over time.
When Ning Yuanze and others arrived, the yard was bustling with activity.
It was the howling of the snow wolf that caught Xiao Ying's attention, and he realized that there was a stranger.
"Madam Xiao, the county magistrate is here to see you!"
Chen Jie stepped forward and told them cleverly, which immediately attracted everyone's attention.
When they heard the words "County Magistrate", they were all shocked. Instead of feeling happy, they began to wonder about the other party's purpose.
They had not forgotten how arrogant and domineering those yamen runners were last time, and how they took the lady away directly.
The county magistrate came in person this time. Is he here to cause trouble again?
"This humble woman greets His Excellency the County Magistrate."
While everyone was stunned, Xiao Ying had already stepped forward to greet them with a warm expression. She had already guessed the reason why the county magistrate came here.
"I greet the County Magistrate."
The others came to their senses and hurriedly bowed and greeted him. The brave ones even secretly looked at Ning Yuanze and found that the county magistrate was so young and handsome.
"Mrs. Xiao and everyone else, there's no need to be so polite. I hope I haven't disturbed you by coming here without any hesitation."
Ning Yuanze was quite surprised. He was attracted by the layout and decoration of the place at the first sight when he entered the house.
Not only is it spacious and bright, it is also very beautiful and elegant.
On the left, there is a corridor of wisteria in full bloom, with vines hanging down and swaying in the wind, which is magnificent.
On the right, green pines and plum blossoms complement each other, looking lush and tall. There is also an octagonal pavilion standing in the middle, which is very unique.
In addition, the windows in each room reflected light, and upon closer inspection, it turned out to be glass.
He was surprised and curious. It turned out that Liuli could be used in this way? It was really new.
I don’t know who designed this house, it’s so beautiful.
Xiao Ying smiled and said, "It is an honor for me to have the County Magistrate visit me. How can I bother you? Please come in and have a seat."
"Then I'll bother you."
Ning Yuanze smiled and bowed, then went into the main room together.
Xiao Ying invited him to take a seat and asked Kang Ruolan to serve the best tea brewed with spiritual spring water.
Chen Jie also sat down, and several yamen runners were guarding outside the door diligently.
As soon as the tea came up, Ning Yuanze smelled the fragrance and couldn't help but take a sip.
After tasting it, I felt it was more refreshing and sweet, and all the heat in my body was relieved.
He felt much more energetic since entering the house, and the drowsiness in the afternoon had faded away, which made him feel a little strange.
"Mrs. Xiao, this tea is really good."
Xiao Ying said nonsense in a serious tone, "I picked it in the mountains. Perhaps it has some mountain spiritual energy. If you like it, I still have some, so I'll give it to you."
Ning Yuanze immediately waved his hand and refused: "Before I took office, I swore that I would never take a single needle or thread from the people. I appreciate Madam Xiao's kindness."
"Your Excellency is a good official who serves the country and the people. Last time at the county government office, it was thanks to your Excellency that I was able to get out of trouble. Come to think of it, I haven't thanked you yet."
Xiao Ying kept all of this in mind and would definitely repay him if he had the chance.
"Mrs. Xiao, you are too serious. It is just my duty."
Ning Yuanze didn't take it to heart. He hated Zhou Yanqing's behavior of teasing decent women from the bottom of his heart.
Chen Jie was completely confused and had no idea what the two were talking about.
"I came here this time because I heard what Li Zheng Chen said about potatoes. I never thought there was such a high-yield crop in the world. It's really exciting."
Ning Yuanze changed the subject, his smile widened, and he looked at Xiao Ying with a bit of curiosity.
"I heard that Madam Xiao found these potatoes in the mountains. Could you tell me more about it?"
Xiao Ying showed a look of sudden realization and told a lie that he had made up long ago.
"So that's why you came here, sir. I did find the potatoes by accident in the mountains."
"My family was short of food, so I went into the mountains to try my luck. I unexpectedly tripped and fell in the woods."
"I thought it was a tree root, but it turned out to be a fist-sized lump. I dug it out of curiosity and found seven or eight more."
"But I didn't dare eat it directly, so I roasted it in the woods to feed the birds. When I found that the birds were fine after eating it, I tried it myself."
"As soon as I ate it, I felt very full. I was so happy that I started looking for it in the woods. To my surprise, I found quite a lot."
"Later, some of it was sold to restaurants in town, and some was sold to villagers to plant. That's how we have the bumper harvest we have today."
Ning Yuanze didn't hear any flaws. In fact, he just wanted to know the origin, so he didn't continue to ask.
"It seems that Madam Xiao is not only lucky, but also very courageous and considerate of her neighbors." He smiled heartily and praised: "I'm afraid Madam Xiao will achieve great success this time."
"Your Excellency is too kind. This is not considered a meritorious service."
Xiao Ying smiled modestly, but was certain in his heart that Ning Yuanze would report it.
Ning Yuanze hesitated to speak, and finally sighed softly, "Madam Xiao, you don't know that several states in the north have suffered from severe drought this year. Some states are said to have no harvest at all. The people are suffering."
"Although the imperial court has released grain, it's just a drop in the bucket. How can we expect to survive until the next harvest?"
"If potatoes can be promoted, there will surely be no more famines in the future."
"I have decided to report the potato incident to the court. I am sure it will attract the emperor's attention."
Xiao Ying's smile suddenly disappeared, and he looked a little worried.
Of course she knew about the drought, otherwise she wouldn't have had to widen the canals some time ago. However, she didn't expect the situation in several northern states to be so serious.
Even if the imperial court opened its granaries to distribute grain, where would water be found? This would inevitably lead to famine.
Although Xizhou is remote, it has many mountains and dense forests, and there is no shortage of water in the mountains. I believe that a group of people will choose to come here, which may cause considerable chaos. We have to prepare early.
"But the total potato harvest in Chenjia Village this season is only 60,000 kilograms. I'm afraid it won't be of much use."
Ning Yuanze shook his head and said, "No, it can be of great use. All these potatoes can be used for planting. You don't have to sell them casually."
Sixty thousand jin, according to the planting situation in the village, can be used to plant at least three to four hundred acres!
When these three or four hundred acres mature, that will be several million kilograms, and then we won’t have to worry about not having enough.
"Mrs. Xiao, I have an unwelcome request, I hope you will agree to it."
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