As they were talking, the village chief came over in a hurry. Seeing An Dashan, he said hurriedly, "Dashan, you are finally back. The county magistrate must have heard about the bumper harvest of our winter wheat. What are your plans?"
An Dashan poured a glass of water for the village chief and said, "Uncle village chief, sit down and drink some water first, then talk slowly."
The village chief took a sip from the water cup, then put it aside and said excitedly, "Dashan, I didn't expect the yield of winter wheat to be so high. It's almost twice as high as our ordinary wheat. Do you think we should report this to the county magistrate?"
An Dashan said, "Uncle Village Chief, don't worry. I never intended to hide the matter of winter wheat. Let's go to the county government office tomorrow and report this matter to the county magistrate."
After hearing what An Dashan said, the village chief finally felt relieved. Although the winter wheat was not his idea, it was grown in the village under his jurisdiction. He believed that the county magistrate would not treat him unfairly, and he might even get some rewards. So he said, "Okay, I feel relieved after hearing your words. By the way, how was your trip to the border this time? Did something happen? Why did you go there in such a hurry?"
An Dashan said, "Da Yong wrote to us, saying that because of his great achievements, the emperor made an exception and appointed him as the fifth-rank General Anyuan, and that the governor of Yecheng also took a fancy to him and wanted to marry his daughter to him. I thought that such a big thing as engagement could not be done without the elders by my side, so I rushed to the border and came back after the wedding date was set."
The village chief was shocked by An Dashan's words. After a long pause, he said, "Is this true? Why don't you celebrate such a big event? Our village hasn't had an official for so many years. I didn't expect that a fifth-rank official would suddenly appear. This position is much higher than that of the county magistrate."
The village chief was originally worried that the credit would be embezzled by the county magistrate, but now that he has such a powerful backer, he no longer has to worry about that.
An Dashan smiled and said, "When Dayong gets married, I will hold a big banquet and invite the villagers to celebrate."
The village chief nodded repeatedly and said, "Yes, it should have been done long ago."
The village chief talked to An Dashan for a while before getting up to go home.
An Ning and Wang had already prepared dinner. Seeing An Dashan seeing the village chief off, An Ning hurriedly said, "Grandpa Village Chief, please have dinner at home! Dinner is ready."
The village chief waved his hand and said, "Don't stay for dinner today. Your family is very busy. Come and have a drink with your father when you have time."
An Dashan also smiled and said, "Yes, after I'm done with this busy period, I'll have a drink with the village chief uncle no matter what."
After seeing off the village chief, An Ning and Wang placed the food on the table. An Ning said, "Grandma, you guys eat first. I'll go take food to my mother."
Wang was not polite and asked everyone to start eating. An Ning came to Gao's room with a bowl of porridge, a small plate of scrambled eggs and a plate of stir-fried cabbage.
Gao was sitting by the bed feeding little An Rui. When she saw An Ning coming in, she said, "I'll go out to eat later. How can you be so delicate?"
An Ning smiled and said, "Mom, you should be careful after giving birth. You eat first, and I'll hold my brother."
Gao nodded, handed Xiao Anrui to An Ning, then fastened her clothes and started to eat. Because she had just given birth and needed to eat small meals frequently, An Ning did not dare to serve more food.
An Ning looked at Gao who was eating and said, "Mom, the doctor said that you should eat light food at first, otherwise it might block your milk supply. I will make you chicken soup or other nourishing food in a few days."
Gao smiled and said, "Well, my daughter still knows how to care for me."
After Gao finished her meal, An Ning coaxed little An Rui to sleep on the bed and left the house carrying the empty bowls and plates.
When Wang saw An Ning coming out, she quickly said, "Ning Ning, come and eat quickly, or the food will get cold."
An Ning nodded, put the bowl and chopsticks on the table, then sat down and started eating.
Nothing happened that night. The next day, just after the An family had breakfast, they saw the village chief coming over, along with his eldest son. An Dashan harnessed the mule cart, and the three of them headed for the county town.
When they arrived at the government office, An Dashan explained their purpose to the gatekeeper. The gatekeeper had seen An Dashan before, so he didn't make things difficult for them and went in to report.
The county magistrate was sitting in his study reading a book. After listening to the report from the yamen runner, he became interested and said, "Please invite them in quickly."
The yamen runner went out and returned with a few people soon. An Dashan and the other two bowed to the county magistrate, and then An Dashan said, "Sir, I tried to grow winter wheat this winter, and I didn't expect it to be successful, so I came here to report to you."
The county magistrate asked in confusion, "What is winter wheat?"
An Dashan explained: "Winter wheat is planted in late August or early September and can be harvested in April or May of the following year. This way, it does not delay the planting of other crops."
The county magistrate stood up suddenly and said, "Are you serious?" At this moment the county magistrate was very excited. If it was true, it would be a great political achievement and promotion would be just around the corner.
An Dashan placed the wheat in his hand on the table of the county magistrate and said, "I dare not lie. Look, sir, this is the winter wheat we have grown."
The county magistrate took a handful of wheat from the bag, looked at it carefully, and said, "This wheat looks bigger than ordinary wheat. What is the yield per mu of this wheat?"
My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It’s even more exciting later!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
