Chapter 518 Trying to Farm
What was unexpected was that the Li people were very enthusiastic about restarting trade with the Han people.
Higher than Lu Qiniang had imagined.
In order to thank Jiang Mingyue for opening the window, they took the initiative to help her and Wenxuan build two houses.
No reward was asked.
Although Jiang Mingyue's father may have supported this out of guilt, the fact that this matter was not opposed among the Li people shows their attitude.
But things are not all smooth sailing.
After Shang Linfeng's house was built, when the Li people were eagerly looking forward to more work, there was none.
A Tai was a little confused.
"Ma'am, why is this happening? Are all the others rich?"
It seems not.
So far, many of the people who came here have not built houses yet.
Not to mention, there were many more lower-class Han people who had no place to live before.
Even if not everyone can afford to build a house, it is unlikely that after building two houses, no one else will need it.
Lu Qiniang saw this very clearly.
"When you first arrive, who wouldn't wait and see?" she said. "I want a house, but I don't want to offend the local boss right away."
Xiao Yan dared to overturn the table because he came prepared.
They also have backers.
Including Shang Linfeng.
Although County Magistrate Zhou ignored them, he treated Shang Linfeng as a guest of honor.
Perhaps in this barren and backward place, County Magistrate Zhou felt depressed and had no place to display his talents, so he plunged into the world of poetry.
So he fanatically worshipped Shang Linfeng.
Now he comes to Shang Linfeng almost every day to discuss things, calling himself a "student".
With him around, Shang Linfeng has something to rely on.
No one else can.
"Then, what should we do?" Atai was a little anxious.
We finally managed to break the deadlock, but now it's stuck like this?
She was worried about Jiang Mingyue and Wenxuan's situation.
"We can't ask others to do anything and go against the business." Lu Qiniang said, "We have to eat one bite at a time, wait."
Because when people make important decisions, few people do it on a whim.
Shouldn't it take some time for people to think about it?
There are differences in ideas between people.
But there are always people who will weigh the pros and cons.
For example, those who cannot afford to build houses by looking for businesses will probably not be able to hold on for a few more days.
If they have enough money to get the Li people to help build houses, they will come.
"Hold your composure." Lu Qiniang said with a smile, "Besides, we can't just make a big scene right away, as if we're going to take down the business. That wouldn't be good."
They have to take it one step at a time, as they can't leave in a short time.
"It's like raising pigs. From the moment you bring the piglets home, you're eager for them to leave the pen, but you can't rush. You have to feed them one meal at a time, and they'll slowly fatten up."
Lu Qiniang has her own plans.
She plans to reclaim wasteland and start farming.
Although farming is a very unfamiliar field for her.
She is a "city girl".
At most, I would help harvest wheat in the countryside during the harvest season and earn some money.
She doesn't know much about farming.
But it doesn’t matter, even if she can’t do it, there are people around her who can.
Lu Qiniang told Shitou about her thoughts.
Shi Tou's words poured a bucket of cold water on her.
"Madam, it takes several years to fertilize the cleared land."
"ah?"
But this doesn't pose a problem for Lu Qiniang.
"That's okay. We can discuss the land reclamation later. Let's first see if there's any ready-made land on the island. Let's go rent some."
Lu Qiniang had already toured the surrounding area and asked Jiang Mingyue a lot about the situation on the island.
For example, the Li people make a living by picking ready-made fruits and growing their own cassava.
Some Li people who live near the sea also go fishing, but not all Li people do this.
Only when you get close to the Han people will this happen.
Farther away from them, there are some Li people who are more closely connected with the jungle and have no contact with the Han people. Those do not belong to Jiang Mingyue's father's tribe.
Jiang Mingyue is an experienced person, while those people are newbies.
On the Han side, some people grow crops and vegetables, but they don't seem to be good at production and can barely make a living.
Moreover, the seeds here are monopolized by businesses and are very expensive.
Lu Qiniang didn't have this worry, as the seeds were ready.
She needs a piece of land now.
Not only did she want to farm herself, she also wanted to bring the people around her along.
Here in Qiongzhou, there are too few varieties of both grains and vegetables.
Let her give it a try.
Anyway, there are stones here, so there is nothing to be afraid of.
Lu Qiniang still wanted to rent a piece of land from the Han people, but she failed in the end.
As she said, many Han people have realized that they are going to break off relations with the trading companies, so they are trying to protect themselves and do not want to get involved.
But Lu Qiniang was not discouraged.
She asked Jiang Mingyue for help and rented three acres of land from the Li people. The annual rent was two pieces of cloth and ten kilograms of sugar.
The land is divided into several pieces by stones and used for growing vegetables and grains.
"No, Shitou," Lu Qiniang asked after seeing him plant all the seeds directly. "Don't you have to worry about the season?"
Even though she has never eaten pork, she has always seen pigs run.
Doesn’t it have to follow the solar terms?
Shitou smiled honestly and said, "Madam, right now, in the capital, it's still the transition from winter to spring, with the weather still warm. But we're so hot that we can only wear shorts."
If he guessed correctly, the plants here grew rapidly because of the suitable temperature and humidity, which was different from the solar terms required for planting in the Central Plains and could not be copied blindly.
"That's right." Lu Qiniang nodded, "The grass here grows crazy fast."
The grass in front of the house will grow lush if it is not pulled out in a few days.
"Okay, let's try it boldly." Lu Qiniang said, "Whatever we plant will be fine. Let's try it slowly."
Only by building houses and farming can people feel safe.
So Shitou planted the seeds brought from the Central Plains.
Cabbage, radish, beans, onion, ginger, garlic, coriander, and various types of wheat, sorghum, and corn are also stewed in one pot.
The first time I planted, I just wanted to gain experience and understand how crops grow here, and I didn’t expect a good harvest.
Xiao Miaomiao came out quickly, attracting many Li people to come and watch curiously.
They had seen a few of them among the Han people, but most of them were new to them.
Lu Qiniang was already familiar with them, and she said with a hearty smile, "If I can grow it later, I'll give you some seeds. Go back and try it."
Who can stand eating cassava every day?
Lu Qiniang tried it for fun at first and thought it tasted okay.
But when she learned that the Li people eat cassava for almost every meal, she wondered how they could survive.
The crops in the fields thrive under the sunshine and rain of Qiongzhou.
And just as Lu Qiniang had expected, some of the people who were exiled together, because they were driven out of the official residences and could not afford to build houses, began to try to ask her for help.
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