The weather was perfect during the autumn harvest; it was sunny and clear.
The tenants packed the dried rice into sacks in their courtyards, and the strong men carried the large and small bags toward the most luxurious house in the village.
Many tenants had already arrived in the courtyard carrying grain, and Wang Fu had prepared the scales early on, waiting for everyone to arrive before starting the weighing.
Zhen Wanwan sat in the shade watching Wang Fu weigh the produce. She noticed that every tenant farmer had a happy expression on their face, indicating that this year was a bumper harvest.
Zhen Wanwan smiled, also touched by their enthusiasm.
The weather was a bit muggy today, and Zhen Wanwan suddenly wanted something refreshing to drink, so she asked Rou'er to go to the kitchen and ask Aunt Ma to make some lemon water for everyone.
Aunt Ma and Aunt Wang worked quickly, and Zhen Wanwan had already taught them how to make lemon water. The method for making lemon water is very simple, but since the quantity was large today, it took them a little longer to prepare than usual.
Fifteen minutes later, Ma Xiaosi arrived with his guards, carrying two large buckets of lemonade.
"Zhen Niangzi, the lemonade is ready!"
Rou'er was holding a glass of lemonade in her hand. Zhen Wanwan took the lemonade, drank a couple of sips, and replied casually, "Why don't you share a glass with everyone? It's so hot!"
Ma Xiaosi responded and then skillfully led the people to distribute lemonade.
The tenants had spotted the large barrel behind Ma Xiaosi early on, and they knew exactly what was inside.
Recalling the sweet and sour lemonade they had drunk before, everyone swallowed hard and looked at Zhen Wanwan with gratitude in their eyes.
Everyone received their own lemonade, but the woman who doted on her child and wife only took a sip and then stopped, wanting to save it to take home for her child to try.
Some people secretly regretted not bringing their children, otherwise they could have gotten a free glass of lemonade.
People in the countryside would only buy a couple of candies for their children during the Lunar New Year to sweeten their mouths; otherwise, they would never buy snacks.
Today they got a good deal, receiving lemonade from Zhenwanwan. Most of them were reluctant to drink it, wanting to save it for their families to taste.
Noticing this, Zhen Wanwan sighed and told Aunt Ma and the other woman to prepare more, and also told Ma Xiaosi to inform the tenants.
I'll finish the lemonade I was given soon; there's still quite a bit left at the manor. I can take some home with me when I leave.
With this message, everyone cheered, and the lemonade tasted even sweeter and more delicious.
Zhen Wanwan felt heartbroken. She believed that before long, putting aside everything else, the people of Guangling County would be able to afford to buy candy whenever they wanted.
Because of the high grain yield this year, Zhen Wanwan invited Wang Basan to her home to help Wang Fu weigh the grain.
Although the two worked quickly, it was already evening.
When Wang Basan finished tallying the production figures and saw the unbelievable numbers on the books, he was completely dizzy.
"Madam Zhen! A total of 160 mu of land, with a grain yield of... 198,888 jin!"
When Wang Basan said this astronomical figure, his voice trembled.
The noisy crowd in the courtyard fell silent instantly; no one dared to take a deep breath, afraid they were dreaming.
The tenants never dreamed that this year's grain production would be so high!
They just thought that this year's rice was growing well and had many ears, which meant it would be a bumper year, but they never expected it to be this bumper!
Suddenly someone burst into tears, which acted as a fuse, and in no time, the tenants were all burying their faces in their hands and weeping.
Regardless of whether they know each other or not, regardless of whether they are men or women, they will grab anyone they can and start crying.
Even Wang Fu and Wang Ba San had tears in their eyes, and Ma Xiao Si and his wife, as well as the passing guards, were silently wiping away tears.
They all grew up in the village. After paying the grain tax, each family had only a little grain left, not enough for the whole family to eat until the next harvest.
Everyone present experienced periods of hunger as a child.
Even Zhen Wanwan herself, in the original owner's memories, during the famine years, they ate only one meal a day, or sometimes only one meal every two days.
Back then, people in their fifties and sixties would choose to starve to death, saving their food for their children.
Zhen Wanwan felt very heavy-hearted, thinking of the corpses of people who starved to death on the road when everyone was fleeing famine last year.
The voice of Master Guiyi flashed through her mind, and she was immediately stunned. Could it be that the master knew her secret?
Zhen Wanwan suddenly felt a chill in her feet; the feeling of being seen through was too unpleasant.
However, she quickly calmed down. If Master Guiyi really knew her secret and had any ill intentions towards her, then he wouldn't have asked her to go and save people from suffering.
Zhen Wanwan secretly breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that she had to work hard on people's livelihood issues to ensure that the people of Anqing Prefecture had enough to eat and wear.
The tenants received their share of grain, and looking at the sacks containing several times more grain than before, tears streamed down their faces.
They will never have to go hungry again!
One of the elderly men, with white hair, walked shakily to Zhen Wanwan and knelt down before her.
"Thank you so much, Madam Zhen! Thank you so much, Madam Zhen! You are a bodhisattva who saves us from suffering, growing such good rice for us. This old servant kowtows to you in gratitude!"
Zhen Wanwan and the others were stunned by his actions. She jumped up and said in a panic, "Grandpa, please get up! It's what I should do! Yue, please help the old man up!"
Upon hearing this, A-Yue tried to step forward, but the old man didn't get up and even kowtowed several more times.
"Madam Zhen, you saved our lives. We will never have to go hungry again. This old servant is so grateful to you!"
The other tenants also realized what was happening and rushed forward to kneel and thank Zhen Wanwan. Each of them had tears in their eyes and thanked Zhen Wanwan repeatedly.
Ah Yue's hands froze in mid-air as she looked at the crowd of people in the courtyard, unsure of which one to help.
"Everyone, get up! The better days are yet to come. As long as you work hard, life won't be bad!"
Helpless, Zhen Wanwan could only encourage loudly.
After everyone kowtowed in gratitude, they slowly got up. Zhenniangzi was right; they would definitely work hard and listen to Zhenniangzi from now on.
After the tenants left, Zhen Wanwan had the grain moved into the warehouse. Her elder brother would transport the grain to Anqing Prefecture in a few days.
Taking advantage of the autumn harvest, she could move some of the mountain of grain out of her space.
Once the sweet potatoes in Guangling County are ripe, the soldiers and all the people of Anqing Prefecture will no longer have to worry about food and drink for the next five years.
Zhen Wanwan felt a little relieved, but only a little. She didn't know how long this battle would last.
If the Northern Hu people cannot break out, more people will suffer their persecution. If the war continues, the number of corpses along the roadside will only increase.
Zhen Wanwan and Mo Sheng sighed. Having experienced peacetime, they now faced war again and realized the despair that came with it.
This is something that cannot be truly understood by the brief overview in the book. As Zhen Wanwan recalled the humiliating history of her country in her previous life, she felt an even greater disgust for the Northern Hu people.
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