Although neither of them said it aloud, they were both thinking of each other.
Of course, Song Xibai was telling the truth; her father was indeed not suited for officialdom. Moreover, he was genuinely dedicated to healing and saving lives. If he were sent to another department and spent his days idly, he wouldn't be happy.
However, the two also have differences in their ideas.
Song Xibai felt that she could rely on herself in the palace. What she wanted was to secure her position and gain some power so that she could protect the people she cared about, including but not limited to her own children, her father and brothers, her niece, and Dingxiang's family.
But the Crown Prince thought that while he could protect her inside the palace, he sometimes couldn't protect her outside. So he wanted to do his best to cultivate a strong family for Song Xibai so that she wouldn't be left without anyone to rely on when she was outside.
The ways of thinking, separated by thousands of years, have a natural difference.
Song Xibai could sometimes tell that the Crown Prince had an excessive protective instinct towards her, interfering in everything from her outings to her meals.
At first, it feels sweet, but as time goes on, Song Xibai will also have troubles.
At this time, questioning or making a scene is not appropriate. The only thing to do is to make the Crown Prince believe that she has the ability to protect herself.
Song Xibai touched her stomach.
Before a child is born, all unsettling factors in the surrounding area must be eliminated.
The two embraced quietly for a long, long time.
After Song Siyuan left, Song Xibai and the others spent three peaceful days at the manor.
Aside from eating and sleeping, Song Xibai's greatest pleasure was going out to collect folk songs.
Go up the mountain to see the wildly growing flowers and plants, and look for medicinal herbs; or go to the fields to watch the farmers work, and ask someone to bring you some food.
One day, Song Xibai was in high spirits and dragged the Crown Prince to the river to fish.
Neither of them were skilled enough to catch a fish more than the length of an index finger, which Song Xibai released.
After returning home, Song Xibai kept asking for grilled fish.
The prince was speechless for a moment, and asked her why she had just released fish when she loved to eat them.
Song Xibai replied: "That fish is too small, it doesn't taste good!"
Then he excitedly ran to the kitchen to teach the new cook how to grill fish.
That evening's dinner consisted of only two dishes: charcoal-grilled fish and iron plate-grilled fish.
The prince stared at the iron plate, which was almost half the size of the table, and held his chopsticks for a long time, unsure of where to start. In the end, he silently picked up some side dishes from the grilled fish on the iron plate and ate them.
The next day, Song Xibai went out again and was pleasantly surprised to find that there were sweet potatoes here!
It was lunch that I happened to see an old man working in the fields carrying.
The sweet potato wasn't very big, with white flesh and a pinkish appearance, unlike the soft and glutinous sweet potato she used to see in her previous life.
Song Xibai squatted by the edge of the field and chatted with the old farmer. He learned that everyone called sweet potatoes "digua" and said that they came from the south.
"This thing can grow by simply cutting off a vine, and it grows into a large bunch. It's very easy to grow! You don't need to take good care of it; you can just throw it on the mountain and it will grow. It's just that the taste isn't very good, and eating too much of it can cause heartburn and nausea."
"Grandpa, could I have a taste?"
Song Xibai asked gently.
The guards on the side tried to stop them, but Wei Hong stopped them.
There must be a reason why one's master does things.
In the short time it took to stop him, the old farmer had already broken off a small piece of sweet potato and handed it to Song Xibai.
Song Xibai took a bite and chewed for a while before swallowing.
It's very dry, not sweet or soft, and has a high starch content.
Actually, in his previous life, sweet potatoes had been introduced to China for hundreds of years. It wasn't until Song Xibai's generation grew up that various different flavors and varieties emerged. Early sweet potatoes were all this kind, mealy and dry.
Song Xibai didn't know anything about farming, nor did she know how much sweet potatoes could yield per acre, but she did know that this crop was extremely beneficial to the people.
Song Xibai took a sip of the water Wei Hong handed him and asked, "Grandpa, since these sweet potatoes grow so many and so fast, why not plant more? Even if you can't sell them all, you can store them up to eat in the winter!"
The old farmer glanced at her.
“Madam, it’s obvious you’ve never managed a field before. What we plant isn’t up to us; it’s all decided by the master! The master said we should plant top-quality rice and wheat on this farm. These are all fertile fields; wouldn’t it be a waste to use them to grow sweet potatoes?”
Song Xibai felt a little embarrassed; she really didn't understand.
"Don't you old folks own any land?"
"Madam, you're joking again. If we owned our own land, why would we need to rent it out?"
Song Xibai frowned and asked many more questions.
The old farmer was quite satisfied with the treatment he received at the estate. He usually paid 40% of the rent, and the rent would be reduced in bad years. Moreover, apart from the fertile fields, the estate manager did not take care of the other field ridges, woodlands, and mountains, so the tenants would grow other crops, including sweet potatoes.
Song Xibai thought about it and realized that she didn't know how to do it, so she decided to leave it to someone who did.
So, after returning to the courtyard, she summoned Yue Zhuangtou.
Yue Zhuangtou was not only the commander of the secret guards, but also the manager of the manor. Moreover, he was a manager who actually did things, not just a figurehead.
When the mistress suddenly asked about the crops in the fields, Yue Zhuangtou was a little confused, but he still answered truthfully.
Song Xibai then started talking about sweet potatoes.
"This stuff has an extremely high yield. Since it's only early spring, Commander Yue, why don't you set aside a piece of land and have people plant some? When the harvest is in the fall, you'll be quite surprised."
Yue Zhuangtou's brows furrowed into the shape of the Chinese character "川" (chuan).
“But now the fields on the estate have all been planted. Besides, this is a royal estate; every inch of land is top-quality fertile land. Wouldn’t it be a waste to use it to grow inferior food?”
Song Xibai's expression changed immediately: "Commander Yue, you are mistaken. What distinction is there between expensive and cheap food? On the same acre of land, growing japonica rice can feed a hundred people, while growing sweet potatoes can feed a thousand people. Which do you think the commander should choose?"
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