"That's right, Liu Village. There are several seriously injured men recuperating in that village. I don't know what the situation is. You escort Lord Cao to check it out." Dou Yong had gray hair and beard, and was coughing non-stop as he was busy reviewing official documents.
"yes!"
Guo Honglei clasped his fists, his heart skipping a beat as he heard this. He thought to himself, "Oh no! The battle at Changguwan has been going on for days, and Liu Village has been affected by the fighting again! I wonder how things are going at home? Have they escaped the chaos?"
Cao Hua was deeply worried about his son and wished he could fly to Liu Village to visit him, but he hesitated. "But I have unfinished business, and the general is not in good health. I dare not ask you to work hard while you are sick."
"It's an old problem. It happens three or five times every year. It's nothing serious."
Dou Yong, the commander-in-chief, presided over the military operations. He'd worked tirelessly for days, his eyes bloodshot from the exhaustion. Sitting at his desk, he gazed at his two trusted subordinates and said kindly, "Don't rush the remaining tasks you have. You can give them a day or two. If there are any urgent ones, I'll handle them myself or arrange for someone to temporarily relieve you. Don't worry, go visit your children. They're your own flesh and blood. If it weren't for the urgent battle situation, you would have visited them long ago."
Cao Hua was deeply moved and filled with gratitude. He clasped his fists and said solemnly, "Thank you, General, for your consideration! I will go to Liu Village to visit the wounded and will return to the camp as soon as possible!"
"Hmm." Dou Yong waved his hand. He looked old and thin, yet his presence was intimidating without him getting angry. This was because among the wounded soldiers in Liu Village was the son of a general. Otherwise, the news of a few wounded soldiers would never have reached the commander's ears.
The two men took their leave and left the general's tent together.
Cao Hua was terribly worried and strode with great speed. Out of the corner of his eye he glanced at the heroic and noble exile, the rising star in the army, but he had no time for politeness. He anxiously asked, "How far is Liu Village?"
As escorting a general, and with whom he had no prior acquaintance, Guo Honglei, according to protocol, lagged behind by two steps and replied simply, "Not far. If we ride a little faster, we'll be there in an hour and a half."
Although they were only a few dozen miles apart, due to strict military regulations, relatives could not see each other often. Throughout the year, at most they could visit their relatives five or six times.
Cao Hua walked hurriedly, saying as he walked: "The wounded soldier is staying at your house to recuperate. I am sorry to cause trouble to your family."
"What?"
Guo Honglei was stunned and paused, then asked in surprise, "In my house?"
"It's been two or three days, haven't you heard?"
Guo Honglei shook his head, sweat dripping down his back, and explained, "For the past few days, my subordinates have been near Changgu Bay. We only returned to the camp to report after we finished our work."
"I see." Cao Hua's eyes flashed with admiration. He raised his hand and patted the other man on the shoulder, praising him: "I heard that you have always been brave and good at fighting, and have made many meritorious deeds. Young man, you are not bad!"
Guo Honglei couldn't help but be modest. "No, you're exaggerating. It's all because of your wise leadership that the Heqin Guards have been able to win so many times."
"You are a good person, everyone can see that, so why be so modest." Cao Hua strode out, his heart was in turmoil, and he sighed worriedly: "My boy is about the same age as you, but not as calm as you. He has a quick temper. I heard that he was seriously injured... Now we don't know whether he is dead or alive." At the end, the father's voice became hoarse.
Guo Honglei was silent for a moment, and could only comfort him: "Don't worry, let's go to Liu Village first and see what happens."
"Oh." Cao Hua sighed, his temples gray.
Soon, a group of people walked out of the camp gate, followed by more than a dozen riders and a carriage carrying doctors, rations and medicines.
In early July, the weather was extremely hot and humid, with no wind at all. The cicadas were chirping in the trees, making a great noise.
A courtyard in Liu Village was bustling with activity.
The main hall was spacious, with a table at the top where three people sat side by side; and several rows of benches at the bottom where dozens of village heads sat.
A group of officers armed with swords leaned against the doors and windows, fanning themselves with palm-leaf fans and watching leisurely.
At this moment, the village heads from the two towns were talking at once, vying to ask:
"Young sir, is it true that potatoes are easy to care for and produce a good harvest?"
"I'm not from Yuehu Town. I live in Niujia Village, Liangang Town. I've never seen potatoes before and don't know how to grow them. Even after hearing all this talk, I'm still completely confused."
"The government suddenly ordered us here. I thought we were going to collect relief grain, but I didn't expect they were going to get some new grain!"
"Young sir, you spoke too fast just now. I didn't hear you clearly."
"Do we have to plant potatoes? Can we switch to corn or wheat? Can we switch to something that the villagers are familiar with?
…
The headmen in the room were all confused and wary, talking to each other in a noisy atmosphere.
Fifteen-year-old Guo Hongzhe, known as "Little Teacher," stood nervously, clutching a manuscript. He glanced at the students, bewildered, then mustered his courage and tried to answer. "Yes, the government has issued an order. It stipulates this. We've invited you all here for one purpose: to promote new grain varieties and encourage the entire county to seriously experiment with planting them."
"Every word I just said is true. Potatoes are easy to grow and yield a good harvest. If you don't believe me, feel free to ask the villagers here."
Jiang Yushu sat calmly beside the village chief, looking very confident. Cuimei moved a stool and sat behind her, her courage well-trained and without any fear.
Gradually, Guo Hongzhe was not afraid, but was unable to resist and could not help but turn his head to look at his sister-in-law.
Jiang Yushu had been paying close attention. Feeling that her brother-in-law's courage had been tested, she raised her hand and motioned for him to sit down. "Azhe, take a break and drink some water. I'll talk to them with Zhuang Zhubu."
"Okay!" Guo Hongzhe was as if he had been pardoned. He immediately sat down, wiped the sweat off his face and drank some water.
Zhuang Song sat upright in the middle of the table, slamming his folding fan shut. "Knock, knock, knock," he rapped on the tabletop, and shouted, "Quiet, quiet!"
"If you have any questions, ask them one by one. No arguing or shouting is allowed."
"I've told you before, the harvests have been poor for years. Not only is Heqin County, but the entire Western Cang is short of food! That's why the imperial court has specially allocated new grain to save the people on the border from famine."
Jiang Yushu chimed in, patiently coaxing them into giving them a helping hand. "I know you'd rather grow corn and wheat, but right now, old grains are in short supply. Thousands of fields are lying idle. What a shame! Why not plant potatoes? Take the opportunity to learn how to tend new crops, and have an extra food on your table in the future!"
Since ancient times, people have been afraid of officials. The village chiefs dared not shout anymore. Some sat, some stood, looking at each other, frowning and muttering.
Zhuang Song cleared his throat and said sternly, "Don't worry. When it comes to planting new crops, as long as you follow the government's instructions, no one will suffer any loss. Plant diligently for a season, and the benefits will be plentiful later."
Jiang Yushu remained calm and asked loudly, "Before discussing this, didn't you all personally inspect the cellars of several households in our village? The grain piled up in those cellars is real, all the rewards we received for assisting the government in its potato planting trial. The county kept its word and weighed the grain publicly during the summer harvest. The people weren't shortchanged. What are you worried about?"
When the villagers mentioned the grain piled high in the cellar, their eyes lit up, but they were still hesitant. They chatted in groups of three or four. After a while, an old man came out, hunched over and bent over, asking, "I heard that the government gave Liu Village 35% of this summer's harvest and exempted it from taxes. So, if we plant the crops, how much will the government reward us?"
Now we come to the point!
Although Jiang Yushu has always been known as "a talented agricultural figure specially invited by the government to the capital", she always remembers her identity and has no right to interfere in the distribution of grain. She wisely picked up the cup and drank tea.
Zhuang Song raised his head, rapped his folding fan against the table, and said in dissatisfaction, "Hey, everyone, there's not even a sign of grain, and you're already thinking about 'how much' to share? Is that appropriate? There are only a few hundred thousand kilograms of grain in the county right now, which is not enough to go around."
"Listen carefully. The hundreds of thousands of kilograms we have now are seeds. How much grain we can turn into in the autumn harvest depends entirely on your ability. When the harvest is plentiful, the government will certainly not treat you unfairly."
The village head was smiling and nodding his head, "Yes, yes, the government never mistreats the people." He then changed the subject and pressed, "But could you give us a little more information? This is brand new food, after all. We've come all this way here, and if we don't know anything when we return to the village, I'm afraid the villagers won't dare to plant it."
"Ahem." Zhuang Song took a sip of tea and spoke vaguely, then added earnestly, "The government did give Liu Village 35% of the harvest, but as everyone knows, Liu Village was the first to do so, willingly and diligently experimenting with planting for two seasons straight, earning the award. You, the latecomers, didn't need to learn anything, just taking advantage of the existing experience. Do you have the nerve to also take 35%?"
Why are you embarrassed?
Jiang Yushu almost choked on her tea and endured it quietly.
The village head, fanning himself with his straw hat, whispered to his companions for a moment, then asked cautiously, "We dare not ask for 35%. But life is hard in every village, and many families can barely make ends meet. We've worked so hard, and we beg the government to give us some food to get us through the winter."
Jiang Yushu sighed, knowing that the other party was not exaggerating.
The famine lasted for several years, and the people in the border areas could not afford three meals a day, and they suffered from hunger and misery. However, the government took the overall situation into consideration. In order to plant new grain in the entire county as soon as possible, it was necessary to have a large amount of grain seeds so that there would be room for planning and allocation.
She thought about it for a moment, then turned around and whispered a few words with Zhuang Song.
After a while, Zhuang Song opened his folding fan and fanned himself with it, raising his head and saying, "What are you afraid of? Do you think the government cares about the lives of the common people? I'm telling you, Lord Pan has temporarily decided that as long as you all work diligently on the crops and the harvest isn't too bad, each village will be given 25% of the grain, and it will also be tax-free. This 25% will be considered both a reward and relief."
"Twenty-and-a-half percent? Oh, it's certainly less than Liu Village."
"If it's tax-free, it's not a small amount."
"Never mind. I haven't been able to get any corn or wheat seeds, and I'm getting bored. I might as well plant some."
"If we can really harvest 3,000 kilograms per mu, the villagers will be happy."
"Tsk, brand new food, what a hassle."
…
The crowd was gathered in a circle, talking among themselves, some hesitant and some suspicious.
Seeing this, Jiang Yushu raised her voice and lobbied, "Liu Village has already achieved two crops a year, yielding 3,000 kilograms per mu. This is no empty boast. 25% is actually not a small amount if used as a grain crop. If nothing unexpected happens, if we persevere for a year or two, we can increase the yield tenfold or even a hundredfold. It's much better than corn and wheat!"
"It sounds impressive, but we have never grown it before. We are really unsure and afraid it won't turn out well." Zhongli Zheng came from afar, half believing and half doubting, trying to be careful and smiling, beating around the bush, questioning and probing constantly.
Everything was as expected. Jiang Yushu had experienced this situation before, past and present, and was accustomed to it. With great patience, she explained the situation in detail and repeatedly, trying her best to dispel the crowd's doubts, hoping that the village head would return to the village and mobilize the villagers to plant the seeds smoothly.
At noon, Guo Honglei led the way and led Cao Hua and his men to their doorstep.
"Whoa!"
Guo Honglei dismounted and tied the horse to the shade of a tree by the roadside. "Master Cao, we're here."
"Your family lives here?" Cao Hua dismounted, looked around the old farmyard in surprise, and threw the reins and whip to his personal soldiers.
Guo Honglei nodded and raised his hand, saying, "Please."
As the group stepped onto the steps, the gate was opened. The soldier named Zhuzi was overjoyed and saluted excitedly, saying, "Sir! You are finally here."
Cao Hua took two steps at a time and quickly entered the courtyard. He asked, "Where are they? How are their injuries?"
"Don't worry, everyone's alive!" Zhuzi trotted over and led the way to the wing room. "However, Master Cao was the most seriously injured and has only just regained consciousness. Doctor Fang said he needs to rest for a while."
"There is no 'Master Cao' in the army, there is only Cao Da." Cao Hua said lightly.
"Yes!" Zhuzi scratched his head embarrassedly.
Hearing the noise, Nanny Pan peeked out of the kitchen, instantly overjoyed, and shouted, "Oh! The young master is back!" She was cooking, wiping her hands on her apron. Before she could even ask how he was doing, she asked in surprise, "Why aren't Lin Qin and the others here?"
Guo Honglei explained, "I'm not visiting relatives. I'm escorting Lord Cao to visit the wounded." He looked around and asked in a low voice, "Where are the others? In the fields?"
"It's too hot, it's not time to plant the seeds yet. The young lady is with the third young master at the village chief's house, receiving dozens of village heads to discuss important matters related to military farming. Zhou Yan is with the others, germinating the potatoes." Nanny Pan circled around him a few times, staring at him closely.
Guo Honglei understood, "Don't worry, I'm not injured." He was about to go to the wing room to visit the wounded, but he heard someone behind him ask:
"Guo Honglei, these bags are food rations for Cao Da and six other people. They can last for half a month. There are also some medicinal herbs. Where should we put them?" Several soldiers asked while carrying things.
"Mammy, please do as you wish."
Nanny Pan hurriedly said, "Come with me and stay under the eaves first."
Guo Honglei nodded and walked quickly to the wing room. Just then, Cao Hua came out and said, "The two inside are fine. They will recover after resting in bed for a while. Come on, follow me to the next room to check on the other two."
"yes."
In another wing, Fang Sheng was changing the dressing on a wounded man. He was too busy to leave, otherwise he would have gone out to greet him. He turned around and greeted him happily.
Guo Honglei informed him, "This is Lord Cao, who has come to visit the wounded soldiers."
"Oh? Lord Cao, please sit down." Fang Sheng bandaged the wound and stood up to offer his seat, revealing two wounded men on the couch. The one on the inside was asleep, while the one on the outside half-opened his eyes and asked weakly, "Dad, why are you here?"
"Dad?" Fang Sheng was startled. Guo Honglei quietly waved his hand, signaling him to be quiet.
Cao Hua sat in front of the couch, sweat pouring down his forehead, not even bothering to wipe it. He examined his son's deep knife wound on his abdomen and the shallow scratches on his arms and shoulders. Although he felt distressed, he was also relieved. He replied sternly, "I came to visit the wounded and came to see you. You called me 'Dad' when we met, so it seems you've recovered well."
"If the Guo family hadn't been so kind as to take him in and treat him, my son would have died long ago." Cao Da's face was as pale as paper, and he was out of breath, but his mind was clear.
Cao Hua was filled with gratitude and solemnly said, "Honglei, your family saved my son's life. Once he recovers, I will do my best to repay you!"
Guo Honglei shook his head and replied sternly, "This is a blessing from heaven. It's just a small effort for my family."
Having survived the disaster, Cao Da was filled with gratitude and apologized, saying, "Your Madam was kind-hearted. In order to save an unrelated person, she generously gave me ginseng and made three bowls of ginseng soup, which saved my life."
Guo Honglei grew up in a wealthy family and took the Single Ginseng Soup for granted. "It's nothing. Medicinal herbs are meant to heal people."
After a brief greeting, the wounded man was exhausted, so everyone left the room, leaving the father alone to accompany his son.
@Unlimited good articles, all in Jinjiang Literature City
Guo Honglei realized he couldn't stay much longer, so he hurried out, saying, "I'm going to go to Zhuang Zhubu and see what she's doing."
"Sir, wait a moment."
Aunt Pan came closer and said cheerfully, "I have good news for you!"
The author has something to say:
Nanny Pan: This good news of mine will surely turn the Second Young Master into a fool!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
