34 Chapter 34
◎ Let the good seeds in your hand spread out, the first step has been taken◎
When Zhao Shitou heard about this, he ran to tell Cheng Mi immediately.
"They can't get through to the Eighth Master, so they plan to ask the village head for help."
"Oh." Cheng Mu knew that people would be jealous after harvesting so much grain from the land. Otherwise, why could one acre of land in the space yield four or five stones? She only controlled it to two stones this time.
"Mrs. Cheng?" Zhao Shitou was worried about her.
Cheng Mu didn't take it to heart at all. "I understand."
After harvesting rice, it is time to harvest corn.
The corn seeds bought by County Magistrate Huang and Mu Yun were improved by Cheng Mu in the space, and some were planted in the wheat fields and some were planted on the hill behind the mountain.
The wheat fields need to be harvested quickly so that the land can be prepared for planting winter wheat. The hills behind can be harvested later.
It is no problem to use the sickle to harvest crops such as rice, wheat and alfalfa, but it is a bit difficult to use it to cut corn stalks. To harvest several acres of corn, you have to use the sickle yourself.
Mu Yun, along with Sao Hu and a few others, have been busy harvesting and tilling the land recently. After the paddy fields are tilled, they just leave them as they are. As the average temperature here is too low in winter, they have not yet found any suitable crops to plant, so these 60 acres of land are still mainly used for growing rice.
The growth and development of crops require heat, water and light, which is a disadvantage in the north. It is difficult to harvest two crops a year. It's a pity that sixty acres of land have been idle for more than half a year.
Now she could only scrimp and save to arrange a two-year, three-crop project on the 40 acres of land owned by the two brothers Zhao Datian. Winter wheat could survive the cold winter, and then other crops could be arranged in the summer when there was enough heat, water and sunlight.
I have 40 acres of land. I planted corn in May this year, planted winter wheat after the autumn harvest, harvested wheat in May next year, planted corn after the harvest, and harvested it in autumn. In this way, I can have the opportunity to harvest crops three times within two years.
When Zhao Shitou went out, he met Mu Yun who had returned.
Yu was not at home, and only Gui'er was outside playing with Xiaoliu and Xiaoqi.
Mu Yun asked him with a defensive look, "What are you doing here?"
"Tell the boss something."
"What's up?"
Zhao Shitou was too lazy to say anything at first, but then he realized that since he was also the boss, maybe they could come up with a solution. So he told him again what Old Man Zhou and the others had planned. "If they really find the village head, he will definitely not only favor our Zhaojia Village, but also those other villages. Wouldn't you be at a complete disadvantage?"
Mu Yun replied, "Oh."
Zhao Shitou was speechless. How could they react so calmly to such a big event?
Don’t you take it seriously?
Mu Yun asked him, "Have you made the corn thresher?" Zhao Shitou shook his head. Mu Yun said, "Remember to bring the finished thresher with you next time you come."
Don’t come if you haven’t done it.
Mu Yun went to the bucket by the well to wash his hands and glanced at Zhao Shitou's back as he left. It was not that he didn't care, but he knew that Madam Cheng came down to farm, and she would be happy only if she exchanged all the good seeds in her hands.
But those people cannot enjoy her benefits while questioning her.
"Is Mu Yun back?"
Cheng Mu stood in the main hall and asked Gui'er outside.
Mu Yun scooped a bucket of clean water and quickly washed his face twice.
Cheng Mu had already seen him and came to the courtyard. "Muyun, here's a bowl of potato vermicelli. Widow Xu brought it here. Take it to the hill in the back and give it to Qi Bo and the others."
Water was still dripping from Mu Yun's face, and he silently said "hmm".
Gui'er came to the courtyard, holding a child in each hand, and asked, "Mom hasn't come back yet?"
Yu went to Widow Xu's house to teach her how to make potato vermicelli, which was also taught by Cheng Mu.
Potato vermicelli can be stored for a month after being air-dried. It is also convenient to eat after it is made. You just need to soak and boil it in water.
Xiaoliu leaned forward, asking Cheng Xi to hold her. She opened her arms and suddenly called out, "Mom!"
Cheng Mu exclaimed, "Xiao Liu can talk now!"
Guier quickly asked her to shout again and again.
"mother."
Although the baby is not my own, the happiness and feeling of knowing that the baby I have raised for so long can call me mom is beyond words.
Cheng Mu said cheerfully, "Muyun, Xiaoliu can call me mother now."
Mu Yun met her sparkling gaze for a moment, then looked away again, his voice surprisingly calm, "Yeah."
Guier taught Xiaoliu, "Aunt, call me Aunt. Uncle, call me Uncle. No, it should be Daddy."
In the Zhaojia Village dialect, father’s brothers are not called uncles, but are called according to their order of birth, such as eldest uncle, youngest uncle, or second, third, fourth, and fifth uncle.
Xiaoliu kept stretching out his arms for Cheng Mu to hold him, but Cheng Mu was so moved that she didn't stretch out her hands. Mu Yun stepped forward and took them.
"father."
Xiaoliu suddenly said this, and Muyun's ears suddenly felt hot.
I really hope no one hears.
Gui'er was already shouting, "She really screamed, she called daddy!"
Xiaoliu leaned on Muyun and called out "Daddy" in a milky voice.
Mu Yun felt that he could not stay there any longer, so he pushed Xiao Liu into Cheng Mu's arms and ran away.
Cheng Mu laughed so hard, "He's still a child, and he's so embarrassed by being called dad."
At this time, Yu came in from the front and said to Madam Cheng happily, "Madam Cheng, Dong'er just gave birth to a boy."
"Really? That's great."
A few days later, Zheng Lizheng came to visit.
Zheng Lizheng was different from Mr. Zhao Baye. He was chubby and had a landlord-like face. He also acted like a landlord, pacing with a duck gait, swaying from side to side as he walked.
"Congratulations, congratulations! Lord Huang personally dug ditches and improved the land, and you've achieved a yield of two dan per mu, which is comparable to the rice in the Jin Temple. Lord Huang has been busy with official duties recently and hasn't been able to meet in person. I've sent someone to report it, and maybe you'll even get a reward."
Cheng Mu asked him to sit down and made tea for him. "Master Huang personally renovated the land and brought the grain seeds. This achievement cannot be attributed to me."
"We've dealt with each other several times before," Zheng Lizheng said, sipping his tea. "It's a great blessing for the whole area that you've come to Zhaojia Village to farm. You grow all the taro and corn. I've had taro a few times at the restaurant in town. It's a good thing, and it tastes great."
Cheng Mu knew why he was wearing so many high hats as soon as he arrived, so she ignored him and said, "The corn was also sent by Mr. Huang."
"Why didn't Mr. Huang give it to Zhao Hu, Zhao Laoliu, or other people in Zhaojia Village? Isn't it because others can't grow it well, only you can grow it well?"
"Mr. Lizheng didn't come here just to praise me today, did he?"
"I'm here on a serious note." He said seriously, "I was the one who arranged your wheat exchange last time, and now it's time to plant. Did you know that Huang Ashui from Huangli Village exchanged a few bushels of your wheat from his in-laws? He planted five mu of wheat around Grain in Ear. Guess how much he's harvested so far?" Zheng Lizheng didn't really let her guess. "Four dan. Madam Cheng, your seeds will benefit the area."
Seeing Cheng Mu didn't say anything, Zheng Lizheng asked directly, "What do you think of this grain seed? Can we also... trade it for half and sell it for half?"
Everyone wanted to change the crop, but Mrs. Yu Cheng was not in favor of it. Zheng Lizheng changed it to a half-exchange and half-sale at the last minute, and he thought this should be acceptable.
Cheng Mu reiterated, "The grain seeds were sent by Master Huang."
Zheng Lizheng shook his head. "Huangli Village and Zhengzhuang Village used the same seeds and also cleaned and improved the land under the guidance of Master Huang, but they only harvested an extra three or five bushels. Compared to Madam Cheng's harvest, it's nothing."
"So everyone thinks my seeds are extra good?"
"Of course it's not just seeds. Madam Cheng is an expert in farming."
"Oh? You want me to change the seeds and do as I say. Is that what I understand?"
Zheng Lizheng laughed awkwardly, "It's a blessing for every household that Madam Cheng is willing to provide guidance."
So everyone was still unwilling to listen to her. "Master Lizheng," Cheng Mu said politely, "I am responsible for my own profits and losses in the land I cultivate now. If someone else takes the seeds and fails to grow them, will I be held responsible? There is a lot of room for maneuver, and it is difficult to prevent it. No matter how much wealth I have, it will not be enough to compensate them."
There are all kinds of monsters in the world, so she wasn't afraid to speak frankly. "You should first ask clearly whether the person who wants my seeds is willing to bear the cost of their own profits and losses."
Zheng Lizheng's face was solemn. After a moment's silence, he said apologetically, "Mrs. Cheng is right. I was reckless."
He didn't sit any longer, "Goodbye."
Since Zheng Lizheng had failed to accomplish his goal, the people from several villages stopped making a fuss and turned their attention to the families who had received the grain from Cheng Madam. If Cheng Madam refused to change, they would look for them, especially the Zhao families who had received four, five, six, or seven stones of grain and who did not need so much grain seeds even if they grew them themselves.
Those families didn't think as much as Cheng Mu did. They only had a few acres of land, and the land they rented to Madam Cheng didn't require their own seeds. It would be a waste to eat such good seeds. Since someone was willing to pay for it, they would naturally be willing to sell.
One dan of grain costs one tael of silver, which is much more expensive than buying rice. There is also a 20% loss when the grain is ground into rice.
The buyers thought that one dou could be exchanged for two shi in the future, so they didn't care about the low value at all.
Someone also went to the hill behind the mountain where Cheng Mu stored grain in the middle of the night, but the grain was not lost. After all, there were five or six young men guarding the hill behind the mountain, and their fighting power was greater than that of a tiger. Who would dare to go up there?
Several villages joined together to change the grain seeds but failed, but later Mr. Huang succeeded.
After hearing about Cheng Mu's harvest from the sixty acres of land, he felt that regardless of whether the brine treatment was effective or not, the millet grown there could at least tolerate some salt and alkali, and would be beneficial to similar land. He wrote to Cheng Mu, wanting to exchange millet with her and sow it elsewhere.
Cheng Mu agreed and was ready to serve at any time.
As for how much to exchange, she could keep only the grain seeds for the sixty acres of land next year and give him the rest.
During the autumn slack season, people from the county government escorted fifty stone of millet. They were busy all day going up and down the hill behind the mountain, taking it out of the warehouse, weighing it, and putting it in the warehouse.
The journey was long and difficult, so they stayed in villagers' homes and set off at dawn the next day.
When they learned that they had exchanged all of Madam Cheng's good millet, those who had gathered together to exchange the millet felt as if their favorite things had been snatched away, and they had no idea how they felt.
When Zheng Lizheng heard about this, he only said, "Mrs. Cheng is a smart person."
Mu Yun also thought about it secretly. He thought that Madam Cheng would take advantage of the situation to accept Zheng Lizheng's request, but she refused. The reason was that anyone who came for her grain seeds would only bring trouble to herself no matter whether she exchanged or sold them.
Mu Yun didn't think deeply about these things. He thought that maybe Madam Cheng was not doing it for money or profit, and it was better to have less trouble than more. Qi Song analyzed it from the perspective of the wickedness of human nature, and he agreed with Cheng Mu's approach.
So why did she agree to exchange with the government? It was simple. Mr. Huang's starting point was different from the villagers'. The villagers just wanted more, and their expected harvest couldn't be much worse than Ms. Cheng's current harvest. Mr. Huang wanted to make rice bloom even in this saline-alkali land, for the benefit of the people. And with the government's endorsement, Ms. Cheng had nothing to worry about.
No matter who she exchanges with, what she wants is to spread the good seeds in her hands, and the first step has been achieved.
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