Chapter 91
◎Full potato feast◎
When Liu Jiang and Feng Ping were on their way to Yunzhou, a group of traveling merchants came into Zhaojia Village and stayed at Zhao Zong's house.
Zhao Zong's youngest son went around telling anyone who had wheat to exchange for silver to come to his house and he would exchange one and a half dan of wheat for one tael of silver.
It was a rare sight to see peddlers coming to collect and sell goods, but now that traveling merchants were coming to collect grain, everyone who heard the news, regardless of whether they had grain to sell, would go and join in the fun.
Today, the output of every household's land exceeds the needs of the population, and every household has surplus food. Traveling merchants have already collected a lot in other villages.
A man about eight feet tall weighed the new wheat and loaded it onto the donkey cart with one hand. "The situation in the northwest is better than in the Central Plains and the south of the Yangtze River these days. I've heard a lot about Madam Cheng along the way. I wonder who she is and if we'll ever meet."
The villagers watching chuckled, "We all know this Madam Cheng. Haven't you heard other villagers tell you which village she lives in?"
"Because I'm eager to meet you, I've been guided all the way here, but I don't know what to do next."
The villagers were very attentive. "Pay the money first, and we'll take you there."
During the conversation, the traveling merchant introduced himself as Lin. He said that after the wheat was harvested, he asked the villagers to lead the way to Cheng Mi's house.
At the corner, they ran into Madam Cheng's escorts. They had already seen the huge procession and stopped them, asking, "What are you doing?"
"Madam Cheng's family!" The villagers shouted, "This group of merchants came to visit Madam Cheng. Please give them some favors!"
Merchant Lin stepped forward and bowed, "Sir, we admire Madam Cheng's elegance and grace, and have come to seek an audience." Seeing them looking at the donkey cart, he said, "We are merchants traveling from Gansu. This is all the wheat we've harvested along the way."
There were only about ten people in this caravan, but because they were all men and there were four donkey carts, Fan Qingsong and others did not dare to be careless. They stopped them at the corner, personally checked the goods in the donkey carts, and looked at these traveling merchants one by one.
One person stepped forward and said, "Isn't this Brother Fan? Is this Brother Fan?"
Another person said, "He is definitely Madam Cheng's man."
When these words were spoken, everyone present was stunned, even Fan Qingsong was shocked, and after the shock he felt his ears and cheeks getting hot.
Two people in the caravan recognized Fan Qingsong, and Merchant Lin was overjoyed, "We've found him!"
Fan Qingsong also felt that they looked familiar, but they had no personal relationship and might not even have spoken to each other.
Merchant Lin said, "These are my two younger brothers. They came to Yunzhou a few years ago and were trapped in the snow for two months. Later, they were captured and taken to Meng State. Thanks to Madam Cheng's care, not only did they not suffer humiliation, but they were also redeemed. We are here to express our gratitude. See these carts of food? It's a small token of my appreciation."
Fan Qingsong returned the greeting, "Master, please follow me."
Fan Qingsong brought people to the front of the house, took out a few stools from Zhao Datian's house, made tea for the caravan members, and asked them to take a rest. Then he brought Lin Dangjia and his two younger brothers to find Cheng Xi.
Cheng Mu had already learned about it and met with several people in the main hall.
Lin Dajia repeated his purpose in a sincere tone, "Madam Cheng, you are so kind. This small gift is not worth mentioning."
The merchants, all well-connected, learned that Madam Cheng had raised grain in exchange for people, and gratefully returned the favor, personally buying grain to express their gratitude. Four carts of grain weighed approximately 20 dan, and Headmaster Lin presented her with a 500 tael silver note.
Cheng Mu didn't dare to accept it. "Master Lin, you are too serious. The people were redeemed by the imperial court. I didn't contribute much, how can I accept it?"
"Madam Cheng has hidden her achievements." Lin Dangjia smiled, his voice rising involuntarily. "We've heard a lot about Madam Cheng's grain collection along the way. Madam Cheng worked hard for her compatriots, raising thousands of dan of grain. It's unreasonable to expect her to repay all these debts with her own strength."
It was very hard for Mr. Lin to collect grain along the way. It would be best if he could express his gratitude with grain. However, it was not that he could not collect so much. Although every household had surplus, there were too few people willing to exchange it for silver. After collecting for several days, he could only collect this little. There was no other way but to make up for it with silver.
"Madam Cheng has received it."
After refusing several times, Cheng Mu finally couldn't refuse and reluctantly accepted it.
Then she asked about the Lin family's ancestral home and the harvest. Although it seemed like she was just chatting with the three Lin brothers, Cheng Mi actually gained a lot of information.
The place where they lived was a mountainous arid land with a shortage of water resources, drought and little rain. The environment was harsh, and the harvest was poor even though they planted a lot. The yield per mu was not as good as the saline-alkali land here. When a severe drought occurred, even the seeds could not be harvested. The local water and soil could not support the local people. Thanks to the hundreds of years of habits of the Silk Road, some brave people went out to do business to make a living.
"Nothing can go to waste, but the crops." Combining her modern understanding of the local agriculture, Cheng Mu already had an idea. "I have some ideas that may be of some help in the harvest."
The three Lin brothers' eyes lit up with excitement and anticipation, "Madam Cheng, please feel free to give us some advice."
Cheng pointed out the pain point of growing crops in their hometown: drought resistance. She first shared her ideas for improving the land and increasing income there. "The soil can be improved, but the climate cannot be affected by human intervention. We can only focus on seeds and farming methods."
As for seeds, as the drought has become more and more severe in the past two years, the wheat yield here has continued to rise year by year, indicating that the wheat seeds here are already very "thirst-resistant". They should try to bring back the water-saving wheat seeds here to plant.
As for the farming method, the double-furrow sowing with full film developed by the agricultural sector is a very new and effective technology. It can reduce soil moisture evaporation, alleviate wind and water erosion, collect small rainfall, increase surface temperature, and improve wastewater utilization.
The three Lin brothers were tempted, but worried that they would not be able to do it properly, so they were both happy and worried.
"It would be great if Madam Cheng could go to Longzhong!"
Cheng Mu said leisurely, "If you are not in a hurry, you can stay here for a few more days. I happen to have a piece of land to plant, and this method of cultivation is also suitable. It's a good opportunity to observe."
Lin Dangjia stood up and bowed, saying, "Of course it's very good!"
Cheng Mu didn't expect anyone to remember her kindness in raising grain in exchange for people. The Lin brothers were kind-hearted people who had come all the way here. Since she had received five hundred taels, Cheng Mu wanted to make sure their trip was worthwhile.
At this time, the land that should be planted has been almost planted, and we need to find another piece of land to teach them the full-film double-ridge furrow sowing technology. After discussing with Xu Xiuying, we plan to dig out a piece of land in Songzhuang.
The Lin family caravan then moved to Songzhuang. There were not many seedlings to grow in the nursery base recently, so a few rooms could be cleaned up for them to live in.
The most troublesome problem at this time is what to use as a substitute for the ground film if there is no plastic film.
The closest function to plastic film is oil paper, but if you want every household to use this technology, oil paper is obviously not feasible and increases costs unnecessarily.
Only straw can be used.
The simpler method is to lay straw directly, the more sophisticated method is to weave it like a mat, and the more technical method is to chop it up and add batter, steam it, grind it into pulp, and then make paper. The process is a bit complicated, but its advantages are more obvious than laying straw directly on mats. It will not carry insect eggs and diseases, will not cause root burns of crops, and can degrade by itself over time.
Cheng Mei talked to the Lin brothers about the production of ground film. Coincidentally, one of them knew how to make paper and quickly grasped the key points. Some people worked in the kitchen while the other group followed the farmhands from Songzhuang to plow the land.
Based on the poverty alleviation results in her hometown in later generations, Cheng Mi chose to teach them how to grow potatoes.
"What is this? I've never seen it before." Shisanhuai, the youngest in the caravan, asked.
"This is something from the West." Lin, the head of the family, was quite knowledgeable. "Many wealthy families in the capital raise it to appreciate the flowers."
Lin Sanlang and Silang had lived in Tianma Town and had eaten it before. They said, "It's a vegetable, but also a grain. It seems to be called a mountain egg."
Cheng Mu introduced: "This is taro. It comes from the West and is also called yang taro. People here call it mountain egg or mountain tooth egg because it grows well anywhere. Rice and wheat are picky about the land, but taro is not. It can be grown on hillsides. The rich and powerful in the capital grow it to enjoy the flowers because they have no shortage of food. It is the most practical food for us common people. It can be used in cooking and as food. Tomorrow I will make a taro banquet for you all."
The best way to recommend potatoes to them is to make a potato banquet. There are many ways to eat potatoes, some of which are commonly eaten and some are not cooked before. Cheng Mu listed them all on a list.
French fries and potato chips need to be fried, which is given to the Yu family. The stove in Songzhuang stews chicken and mutton, stir-fries shredded potatoes, and pan-fries potato chips. The staple food is steamed potatoes and potato flour.
Frying, braising, stir-frying and stewing, all kinds of dishes are performed, filling up the table.
Potatoes have a variety of flavors, making each dish full of flavor.
The Lin family caravan gathered around the table, eating in silence.
"Everyone, do you like the food made with potatoes?" Cheng Mu asked with a smile.
Lin, the head of the household, ate until he was full. Thinking of the situation back home, he couldn't help but ask carefully, "Madam Cheng, these potatoes can grow easily by sowing them in the ground. They have a high yield and taste great. Could you allow me to take some back to Longzhong to plant?"
Lin Sanlang said blankly, "It's delicious. This table is full of potatoes, in different forms, each with its own delicious taste. They are delicious no matter how you cook them."
"Stewed together with the meat, the meat is tender and the potatoes are soft and glutinous. After frying, they are crispy and tender, and served with a sweet and sour red sauce, the flavor is unique," Lin Silang commented seriously. "I love potato vermicelli the most. Stewed in this pot, they absorb the broth and are delicious and refreshing. Madam Cheng, I wonder how these potato vermicelli are made?"
Mr. Lin glanced at them sideways, annoyed that they were talking nonsense, and interrupted them.
Cheng Mu smiled and said, "If anyone in the village wants to make vermicelli these days, I'll let you know. Go and see."
"Great! We make wheat noodles here, so the principle should be the same. If we bring dried noodles with us when we go out to trade, it would be great to cook a pot of them in the winter."
Lin Silang then looked at Lin Dangjia, and his voice couldn't help but lower several degrees, "Brother, do you think it's okay?"
Shisanhuai interrupted, "Big brother was just asking Madam Cheng for permission to take the seeds back to Longzhong to plant them." He glanced at the head of the family and brought the topic back to him. The head of the family, Lin's expression, finally improved a lot.
Lin Silang sat up straight upon hearing this. "Madam Cheng, you prepared this feast and tried so hard to tell us that potatoes are easy to grow. I'm sure you want us to bring this variety back to our hometown, right?"
Lin, the head of the family, looked at him and said, "Mrs. Cheng is neither secretive nor partial. We are willing to pay a large sum of money to marry her."
Cheng Mu shook her head. "It's enough for everyone to understand the benefits of potatoes. I've already received the banknotes, and this is all I can give back to you. Next, I'll leave the care of my family's land for future planting in your hands."
"Mrs. Cheng is so kind!" Headmaster Lin led the caravan in expressing his deep gratitude.
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