The seedling nursery is not large, about two-tenths of an acre. These families don't have many paddy fields, so these seedlings are enough. The remaining land needs to be cultivated again, and with the addition of farmyard manure, it can be used to plant beans or sorghum.
As native northerners, Gu Qingshan and others wanted to plant wheat, but the land was not fertile enough and the wheat planting season had passed.
In the Jiangzhou area of the Great Sheng Kingdom, most people grow rice, followed by sorghum. As for wheat, fewer people grow it, and there is only one season for winter wheat.
Rice is relatively expensive and must be sold after harvest. The money can be used to buy more daily necessities. As for what people eat on a daily basis, they mostly eat sorghum flour. Sorghum is easy to grow and has a high yield. Although it tastes bitter and not very tasty, it can fill their stomachs and is the best choice for ordinary people's daily diet.
When Qin San Niang planned to brew wine, she initially chose to use glutinous rice, but was deterred by its high price. She then had a bright idea: why not choose sorghum, which was cheaper and had a higher yield? She heard from Wang Guixiang and the others that many villages in the surrounding area grew it, making harvesting relatively easy.
People probably never imagined that sorghum, which is dry and bitter, could be brewed into a mellow sorghum liquor! For Qin San Niang, this was great news; the cost of the liquor would be lower, and the profit would be even greater!
This small plot of land was no difficult task for the three women, and they finished in about half an incense stick's time. Afterward, Qin San Niang went to fetch water from her spatial storage, and while Liu Shi and the others were resting, she thoroughly watered the land all by herself!
After learning the method, Old Han went back and did the same.
Wang Tieniu and several other younger colleagues watched her work with such speed and agility that they couldn't help but feel overwhelmed.
"Mother, will this work? I've never heard of anyone planting rice like this before! Father, you're older, have you ever heard of this?" The speaker was the second daughter-in-law. Because she had a son, she held considerable sway in the family and spoke with more conviction than the others. Seeing her mother-in-law cultivating rice seedlings this way, she was surprised and asked the question. Besides, this was no joke; what was being sown and planted was real grain! Rice seeds! They sell for twenty seeds a pound at the grain store!
Hearing his daughter-in-law say this, Wang Tiebao felt a little embarrassed. What kind of daughter-in-law would question her parents-in-law like that? Even if she was questioning them, she shouldn't ask it like that! He was a hot-tempered man, but he didn't want to argue with his wife in front of his parents. His face darkened immediately, and he thought he would deal with her later!
Madam Han knew her second daughter-in-law's character all along; if she had lowered herself to her level, she would have been driven mad long ago. So, she didn't show any anger on her face and said, "This is Madam Qin's method. It is said that she learned it from a famous alchemist. It is not a method that ordinary people can know. We are just trying it out! If you agree, then take out two acres of land to plant it and see."
"Madam Qin has traveled all over the country and knows a great deal. Although she's young, her knowledge surpasses that of your father and me! Eldest son, second son, what do you two think?"
Han's questioning was very skillful. Although it seemed like she was answering her second daughter-in-law's question, the final focus was on her two sons.
Wang Tieniu, the eldest son, was honest and kind, always obedient to his parents. The second son, Wang Tiebao, harbored resentment; though filial, he had his own ideas. This is why Fang Shi, such a troublesome woman, was still able to marry into the family. Old Mrs. Han knew that her second son was stubborn, but she could control him. Even the mighty Monkey King couldn't escape the Buddha's grasp.
“Mother, since it was said by Madam Qin, it must be pretty much true! But our family only has six mu of land, isn’t giving away two mu a bit too much?” As the eldest son in the family, even if Wang Tieniu was honest, he still had to express his opinion.
“Mother, Father, and elder brother, I think two mu of land is perfectly fine, maybe even more. We’ve put a lot of effort into rice these past few years. No matter what methods we use, whether it’s fertilizing more, watering more frequently, or changing the planting distance, we’ve taken good care of it, haven’t we? But the rice yield is only slightly higher than other people’s.” Wang Tiebao said after thinking for a moment.
He usually works in the county town, doing all kinds of physically demanding jobs, and his muscles are really tough! A few days ago, Old Wang sent him a message, asking him to come back and work for Qin San Niang's family. It's all about earning money, and the Qin family pays him wages and provides meals, so there's no reason they wouldn't think of their own son.
In the past two days, Wang Tiebao also learned about Qin Sanniang's deeds indirectly, and he admired her very much. In fact, even if he hadn't come into contact with Qin Sanniang, he had come into contact with Gu Qingshan, He Yingyuan and others, and these people were already enough for him to admire!
Especially Gu Qingshan, that man's skills were exceptional, even deeply impressing Wang Tiebao, who always thought he was worth three men. Therefore, Qin Sanniang, who could make a fierce man like Gu Qingshan obedient, must be an extraordinary person.
More importantly, Wang Tiebao wanted to make a change. Although he didn't know what it meant to be the first to try something new, he had the courage to do so.
"Tiebao, are you kidding me? Have you lost your mind? This is two acres of land! If it's all wasted, what will your son eat?" Fang's voice suddenly rose as she questioned her husband.
She thought to herself, "My son is the only son in the Wang family. While everyone else in the family is drinking wild vegetable porridge, my precious son is eating thick millet porridge. As his mother, I can also enjoy some benefits. But if we lose so much rice, what will be left after paying the tax?"
"What does your son eat? He eats whatever Daya and the others eat? What? Is your son no longer a member of the Wang family?" Old Man Wang was getting angry. His second daughter-in-law was becoming increasingly outrageous.
As a father-in-law, Old Man Wang usually didn't say anything, but this time he couldn't hold back any longer! His wife had already told him about it, and after thinking about it all night, he agreed. He thought to himself that he had earned quite a bit of money from Qin San Niang's family, so the harvest from these two acres of land wasn't a problem. Even if there was no harvest at all, he could still raise the child. Besides, he didn't think Qin San Niang was the kind of person who would talk big!
Wang Tiebao's face darkened even more after being glared at by his father! He couldn't believe this woman was becoming increasingly unreasonable. Where had the gentle and virtuous woman gone? Was it really as his mother said, that this woman was scheming and had forgotten her own surname after giving birth to a son?!
"Fang, shut your mouth! Our parents are talking to us men, what are you doing interrupting? Do you really think your husband is a fool? Get back here right now!" Wang Tiebao scolded sternly.
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