Chapter 4 Her Good Breed
When Chu, the head of Lugewu Village, heard that a distinguished guest was coming to visit, he ran over from the fields without even having time to clean the mud off his feet.
Seeing that it was a woman, Chu couldn't help but feel surprised.
Those who farm the land probably will never see an employer in their entire lives. They only see the rent collector coming when they pay the rent every year.
Why are these nobles here for no reason?
It's reasonable to be happy to have a distinguished guest visit, but Chu's face was not in a good state at this time.
The children of the nobility were the best at tormenting them. If they were just humiliated and teased, it would be fine, but if the farming season was delayed, they would not be able to survive.
He had heard that someone had forbidden farmers from growing crops on the land in order to cultivate his favorite flowers and plants. That year, the people on that land almost all starved to death.
The young lady in front of them looked like a person who enjoyed great wealth and luxury. Compared with her, they were like mud on the ground. Even touching her would be an offense. If she really made some foolish requests, they would die if they refused, and they would also die if they didn't.
Zhao Yuanxi asked, "Are you cultivating this field?"
The nobles and gentry naturally did not cultivate their own land. They usually hired some local people to help them cultivate the land, and the nobles and gentry only needed to collect rent every year.
"Yes, my name is Chu, and I'm the head of Lugewu." Chu's heart skipped a beat, and he fell to his knees on the ground.
"Don't be nervous." Zhao Yuanxi said helplessly, "I brought some seeds. I'll have to trouble you to plant them."
Chu's suspicions came true. His face was filled with despair. He fell to the ground and started crying, "Sir, this land is for growing crops. If you grow something inedible, we will starve to death!"
???
It took a long time for Zhao Yuanxi to recover from her shock. She smiled and explained, "What I brought are grain seeds. If planted well, the yield per mu can reach ten dan."
Currently, the yield per acre of land in Qin State is only about one stone. When the claim of ten stones came out, not only the old farmers who had been farming for many years, but even the guards and palace people following Zhao Yuanxi did not believe it.
If there really were good varieties that could yield ten dan per mu, why would so many people starve to death every year in their Great Qin?
Chu was at a loss whether to laugh or cry, and felt that the noble man had been cheated by some unscrupulous businessman.
"It doesn't matter if you don't believe me. I will definitely cultivate this land! But don't worry, I will give you the food and money you deserve. Even if I don't harvest a single grain, I won't let you suffer any loss."
Zhao Yuanxi didn't know how to explain the origin of this seed to these people, and now he couldn't prove that it could really produce ten stones per mu, so he could only use another method to appease people.
Having said that, Chu had no reason to refuse. Moreover, even if he refused, these nobles would not listen to him.
He could only hope that this noble man would keep his word, and if he really did not get anything out of it, he would not get angry and fail to fulfill his promise.
Zhao Yuanxi explained some precautions for growing corn, and as he spoke, he led Chu and his sons into the fields.
"It would have been best to replant this land in the fall to reduce the incidence of pests and diseases, but it's too late now. You need to till the land to a depth of at least five inches, break up the clods, and apply some fertilizer—"
Speaking of fertilizers, Zhao Yuanxi remembered that there were no chemical fertilizers more than two thousand years ago. Although there were some farmyard manures, they were simply applied directly on the ground without being matured.
Zhao Yuanxi could only briefly explain the method of maturing manure again.
Chu was stunned when he heard this. He originally thought that this noble man didn't know anything about farming, but after a conversation, he realized that the noble man didn't know anything at all, but he knew too much about it.
"Sir, is there really such a big difference between the composting method you mentioned and the manure I use directly?"
"If you don't believe me, try it on a piece of land and see if it grows better with manure directly or with composted manure. Composting manure not only helps crops grow better, but also reduces diseases caused by manure."
Chu thought about it and had already believed most of it. He looked at Zhao Yuanxi with some respect.
It’s not because of her identity, but because Zhao Yuanxi is really helping them.
The biggest wish of these farmers is to grow more food. If what the noble man said to them today can really achieve the effect, then the amount of food they have can at least double.
Chu couldn't help but bowed solemnly to Zhao Yuanxi, "I wonder how I should address you, sir?"
"My last name is Zhao, so you can just call me Madam Zhao."
Before they knew it, they had reached the vicinity of the village.
As the sun sets, wisps of smoke rise, and the wild geese fly towards the distant woods. It's time to go home.
Perhaps the two of them were having a pleasant conversation, and Chu asked, "Madam, why don't you stay for dinner before leaving?"
Zhao Yuanxi agreed casually, "Okay!"
In the past, when she went to the countryside to teach farming, villagers would invite her to have dinner with them, and it was even common for her to eat steamed buns with them in the fields. She didn't think there was anything wrong with it.
Gao Sheng, who had been following behind, looked at the empress dowager in amazement.
You know, any noble with some status would be ashamed to associate with common soldiers, not to mention that this is the current empress dowager!
Apart from the king, the most honorable person in Qin!
Not only did she have such a good time chatting with those common people, but now she even agreed to have dinner at that common people's house!
Gao Sheng couldn't understand this world. Was he crazy, or was it the Queen Mother?
Zhao Yuanxi finally reacted.
Now she is no longer a technician who follows the villagers to the countryside, but the Queen Mother of Qin.
Behind her were two followers and eight guards. With these eleven mouths to feed, they would probably consume half a month's worth of food for the Chu family.
Zhao Yuanxi regretted that he spoke without thinking, so he could only ask Gao Sheng to buy some food from the nearby farmers.
It’s okay to eat for free, but you can’t eat yourself into poverty!
After Chu brought Zhao Yuanxi and others into the yard, the huge group of people scared Chu's wife and children.
Chu's wife was named He. She was small but very energetic. The children behind her were taken care of neatly. The half-grown kids hid behind Chu's wife He, looking at Zhao Yuanxi and others nervously and fearfully.
Chu lowered his head and explained the reason to his wife He.
He nodded nervously, without any dissatisfaction, but when she looked at the child behind her, her eyes were full of heartache.
The Chu family actually lived a good life in Lugewu, otherwise Chu would not have been able to become the head of the village. But even so, it was still very difficult for him to raise several children.
He carefully prepared a sumptuous dinner. In addition to the bean rice and bean soup that farmers usually eat, there was also a chicken and a few eggs in front of Zhao Yuanxi.
The chicken without seasoning actually tasted very ordinary. Zhao Yuanxi had no appetite, but when he looked up, he saw the children behind He staring at him eagerly.
Zhao Yuanxi felt a little embarrassed for causing so much trouble for his nonsense.
She waved to the children and distributed the meat and eggs to them.
Chu wanted to stop him, but Zhao Yuanxi stopped him first, "I've already eaten, let them eat."
"This boy is rude, I hope Madam will forgive me!"
"I gave it to them, how can that be considered rude?" Zhao Yuanxi smiled and waved his hand, his eyes falling on the stone mill in the yard.
She did have an idea that might make life better for the family.
"Did you make this millstone?"
"My brother made it. He's good with his hands and can make some small things for the household."
Only then did Zhao Yuanxi notice that there was not only a stone mill in Chu's yard, but also a water dispenser that was very similar to the windlass used in modern rural areas.
The Qin State was located in the northwest, where the groundwater level was relatively deep. Water was generally drawn using a winch. A windlass was a common tool for drawing water in the southern region.
But the windlass in Chu's yard was equipped with a crank and a pulley, which not only allowed it to draw water from deep wells, but also saved more effort.
If you want to do your work well, you must first sharpen your tools.
Zhao Yuanxi originally planned to improve the agricultural tools used for farming to increase farming efficiency. Now that such professional and technical talents are delivered to her door, how could she not want them?
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