So, from the very beginning, when he heard about Qin San Niang's new method, while others didn't believe it, he did! Without waiting for his family to discuss it, he made a decision to try planting two acres of paddy fields first.
The whole family looked at each other in bewilderment!
However, as the person with absolute authority in the family, no one questioned his decision. Thus, Uncle Chen Geng finally verified his idea and found the reason why his father's planting method was effective!
However, even though he had experienced half a lifetime of trials and tribulations, when he heard that the Minister of Agriculture was coming to question him, he was still extremely flustered, no more so than his own children and grandchildren.
For some of these peasants, it would be their entire lives to never see an official. But fortunately, Old Man Chen Geng never saw an official higher than the grain collection clerk or the city guard! To be precise, those weren't even considered officials; the Minister of Agriculture was a real, officially registered official position in the imperial court!
Seeing the panicked look in the family's eyes, Old Man Chen tried his best to calm down!
The Chen family had few descendants; he only had one son, but fortunately, this son had two sons, namely his two grandsons, Chen Dajiang and Chen Dahe. The eldest grandson was very much like his father, both being honest and taciturn, as was his eldest daughter-in-law.
So, Old Man Chen quickly made a decision: he and his grandson would answer the questions later, and everyone else should refrain from saying anything.
The others were naturally overjoyed; they had no desire to answer the official! They figured by the time the official arrived, they'd be trembling like leaves in the wind, utterly unable to utter a reply.
Chen Dahe was also afraid; who wouldn't be afraid of an official? But when he thought of his father's trust in him, he inexplicably gained more courage and nodded, indicating that he would be careful in his reply later.
Qi Yuchen had no idea that the farmers regarded him as a fierce tiger. He had a face as fair as jade and clear, bright eyes. Anyone who saw him would have to admire him. At this moment, he was leisurely walking on the ridge of the field.
"Uncle, why are there fish in this rice paddy?"
Old Man Chen had seen them arrive long ago, and the whole family quickly knelt on the ground, speechless.
When Chen Dahe heard the official's question, he didn't even wait to see if it was directed at him. What if they didn't answer and angered the official? He'd heard they'd be punished with a beating.
"Your Excellency, these fish are raised in our rice paddies. This is called rice-fish farming! My family has already harvested quite a few fat fish and sold them all. The two acres in front won't be ready for harvest for another two days, and the water hasn't been drained yet. My grandfather was thinking of letting these fish stay alive for a couple more days!" Chen Dahe looked at the fat fish in the distance and, thinking of the money he had earned from selling fish before, was no longer afraid, and his speech became more and more fluent.
"Rice-fish farming? I've never heard of that method before. Your fish look very plump. How many fish can you raise in one acre?"
"Reporting to you, sir, the previous four mu of land yielded a total of six hundred jin of fish! At one wen per jin, my family sold them for six hundred wen!" Chen Dahe replied with a smile. This year, his family could earn nearly one tael of silver just by selling fish, which was truly a cause for celebration!
"Six hundred catties?" Qi Yuchen's mind raced. Six hundred coins were nothing to him, but for a farmer, it was a considerable income. If the grain yield was high, the harvest from this one mu of land would be truly astonishing! "This method is really good. Did you come up with it?"
Chen Dahe scratched his head and replied in a very honest manner, "How could I have come up with that idea? It was Qin Niangzi's idea, and we just followed her lead!"
Upon hearing her name mentioned, Qin Sanniang quickly stepped forward and replied, "Sir, this method of raising fish in rice paddies was also mentioned by that expert. I wanted to try it out, thinking it would be a good way to add some dishes to the children's diet. I never expected the fish to be raised so well! Our family harvested several hundred kilograms of fish, and they've all been sold!"
Qi Yuchen was somewhat excited. He never expected to see such a clever person in the countryside! The rice planting method alone was already amazing, but he never thought that fish could be raised in the rice paddies.
Afterwards, he inquired in detail about Chen Dahe's family's harvest, which was exactly the same as Cheng's family's, between two and three shi (a unit of dry measure), closer to three shi. This undoubtedly proved that the rice transplanting method was indeed effective.
Finally, Qi Yuchen enthusiastically consulted with Qin Sanniang and suggested that the method be presented in a report.
Qin San Niang naturally agreed immediately. This matter was already out in the open, and besides, if it could be popularized among the people, it would greatly alleviate the pressure on farmers. For both reason and sentiment, she would not keep it to herself.
Her attitude was quite magnanimous, not only in Qi Yuchen's eyes, but also in the eyes of Cai Bo and the two constables.
As he was leaving, Qin San Niang caught up with Chen Sheng and handed him two jars of wine. Chen Sheng accepted them with a smile, inwardly giving her another thumbs up! Da Wa's mother was such a good person.
He hurriedly handed the gift to Cai Bo behind Qi Yuchen. He had long since realized that this old fellow was taking care of the Minister of Agriculture.
Qi Yuchen naturally declined, even though he really wanted it because the wine smelled so good, and the food was also quite nice! However, Chen Sheng's words were very flattering, and he said that the wine was brewed by a farmer and wasn't worth much money, so it wasn't a gift!
Once on horseback, Qi Yuchen instructed Cai Bo to hand one tael of silver to the village head, who was to pass it on to Qin Sanniang as payment for her meal.
When Qin San Niang received the money, she thought to herself that this young master of an official was not bad after all, as he knew to pay for the meal! She was sure to make a profit this time!
Not long after Qi Yuchen returned, he reported the matter to Chief Clerk Qi. Upon hearing that there were methods to increase production and even the old man's method of raising fish in rice paddies, Chief Clerk Qi was quite astonished!
Who would have thought this kid would have such good fortune! To make a discovery as soon as he took office? He's been in office for three years, and he's exhausted all his energy just from suppressing bandits. Who would have thought that just when he was about to slack off, this kid would snatch his job away? It's infuriating!
However, Qi Zhubu was still pleased that the young man had reported the matter to him first. He was acquainted with the young man's elder brother, so naturally he couldn't claim credit for it.
"Tell me, is this news true? And is there any evidence to support it?" Chief Clerk Qi thought for a moment, then asked calmly.
The methods of rice cultivation are essentially unchanged, passed down from our ancestors. If any changes are to be made, there must be solid evidence to prove the effectiveness of these methods. Otherwise, if they are implemented blindly and the results are unsatisfactory, they will all face serious consequences!
Looking at the face that resembled his brother and father so closely, Qi Yuchen felt a surge of resentment. He finally understood why his brother and father had brought him here—because someone was watching him!
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