Chapter Thirty-One: Walking on the Right Path
Seeing that the magistrate was so easy to talk to, the villagers began to chat about a wider range of topics. In the middle of the conversation, someone asked, "Lord Lu, you're so handsome, what was it again? Are you married?"
“You’ve only been to school for a few days, yet you’re so talkative,” the village chief immediately interrupted.
"My lord, please have some water." Shen Zhiyi poured the bamboo tube she was holding into the bowl in Lu Jingbai's hand, hoping to change the subject with this action.
"I'm just concerned about Lord Lu. It must be so hard for him without a wife by his side," the man muttered under his breath.
"Go away, go away, what nonsense are you spouting without a wife?" someone teased.
“Who says I don’t have one? Huang Hua from the neighboring village has promised me. Once the chili peppers are sold, I’ll have the dowry, and then I can marry Huang Hua…” The man spoke with a hint of shyness, and the people around him stopped teasing him and became curious instead.
The others listened with great interest.
After the laughter subsided, Lu Jingbai asked Shen Zhiyi, "I remember there's still a batch of chili peppers, are they not fully grown yet?"
"Hurry up, some of them are almost ready to be made into..." someone blurted out, then paused, pointing into the house, "They're in jars! They say it'll be a while before we can eat them."
"Those jars?" Lu Jingbai turned and asked.
"Yes. I thought selling only chili peppers was a bit monotonous, so I discussed it with the villagers and made other chili-related products. I originally planned to show them off when I came to pick up the chili peppers at the end of the month, but I didn't expect to be exposed." Shen Zhiyi laughed. "Everyone, please wait a moment. I'll go get some and help you take a look."
Upon hearing that it was about chili peppers, Lu Jingbai's curiosity was piqued, and his gaze naturally followed Shen Zhiyi's departing figure.
Back inside, Shen Zhiyi opened the chest and carefully took out dried chilies, half-crushed chili skins, and fully ground chili powder. Chili oil was not made because it was too expensive, and the pickled chilies and chili sauce were not ready to be opened yet, so she could only take out some of the dried goods first.
There are other effects as well, but these are things that a lowly peasant girl like her couldn't have come up with. Let those important people discover them.
When Shen Zhiyi came out, she saw that everyone had started a lively conversation about another topic, so she quietly sat back down in her original seat. As soon as she sat down, she noticed Lu Jingbai's gaze and smiled politely in his direction.
"Zhiyi's back. We can talk about your little problem later." Someone noticed Shen Zhiyi's return and interrupted the current topic.
Everyone looked over with smiles. Shen Zhiyi was not intimidated at all. She carefully opened the dried lotus leaf package, which contained dried chilies. They were large and well-shaped, and very pleasing to the eye.
"These are dried chili peppers," Shen Zhiyi explained. "They're used the same way as fresh chili peppers, but they're more suitable for long-distance transportation. In other words, as long as they're dried, they can meet the needs of other regions."
"Similarly, there are also half-crushed and fully ground ones..." Shen Zhiyi showed them one by one, not forgetting to mention the earthenware jars that she hadn't had a chance to show yet, "There are also pickled peppers and chili sauce. We can open them at the end of the month to see how they are. If they're good, they can add another flavor to the peppers!"
"Bravo!" Someone in the crowd shouted first, followed by a round of applause, all expressing their approval.
Chili peppers have become an important source of income for the entire Xiaba Village. Developing more by-products will allow it to go further.
Shen Zhiyi's attempt, seemingly accidental, is in fact a masterpiece honed over time. Success that comes too easily on the shoulders of giants is not necessarily a good thing.
Although there are some concerns, we cannot let them deter us.
Once the matter was settled, the village chief called the other villagers to leave, as the chaotic scene made it inconvenient to discuss serious matters.
The bustling courtyard gradually quieted down. Thinking of the seedlings he had seen that morning and the many more inside the house, Lu Jingbai pondered the cause and effect carefully and couldn't help but ask, "Miss Shen wants me to resolve the matter of the seedlings?"
Shen Zhiyi has now figured out Lu Jingbai's intentions. Whenever he hears Lu Jingbai refer to himself as "this official," it means that the other party is on high alert and is always wary of any requests she makes. He is serious and formal, and it is best to talk about things objectively.
"Sir, you can see the condition of those seedlings. If we don't find a place to properly settle them, they are very likely to rot from the roots." Shen Zhiyi could only exaggerate the situation. After all, she still had a batch of well-preserved seeds. If this batch couldn't be planted and didn't make a name for itself, it would be even more difficult to start seedling cultivation later.
“During the planting process, I discovered that seedlings of the Chinese gourd and those with regularly changing leaves thrive in sandy loam soil. They also prefer the slightly warm temperature of a heated kang (traditional Chinese bed), where they grow the fastest. Seedlings with fuzzy leaves need fertile loam. After clearing wasteland, they need to be composted for a period of time before planting. They are growing best in their current condition. Once they have more leaves, they should be planted outdoors,” Shen Zhiyi said methodically. “Although I don’t know what they will look like when they grow, as long as they are given suitable soil, sunlight, and a planned fertilization and weeding, they will flower and bear fruit!”
“Look, isn’t that how chili peppers are?” Shen Zhiyi quickly brought up an existing example. “As long as you understand its habits, record its growth process, and then give it to someone in a booklet, you can successfully grow it. And it doesn’t take up arable land!”
Lu Jingbai fell silent.
Seeing this, the village chief was extremely anxious. He wanted to speak up and smooth things over, but he also felt that this was a serious matter that could not be ambiguous. He should wait for the county magistrate to think things through before he could try to make amends.
In contrast, Xuan Yan was the calmest.
Having had a few experiences, Shen Zhiyi knew that such silence meant "thinking," and the fact that she didn't give a straight rejection meant there was still a chance!
She carried a somewhat old stool out of the small thatched hut next to her, first handing it to Xuan Yan, then glancing towards Lu Jingbai as if to indicate her presence. She then placed another stool next to the village chief, silently pointing in the direction of the hut, and left only after receiving a nod.
Shen Zhiyi returned to the house and began her observation journal for the day. Even without looking at the markings written on the bottom of the earthenware pot with a fire poker, she could distinguish the batches of seedlings here.
What may seem tedious to outsiders is Shen Zhiyi's daily work.
Controlling soil moisture and sunlight helps crops grow better, cultivate superior varieties, and increase yields.
Now, in this simple room, without sophisticated instruments and equipment, she can only rely on her five senses to observe, which makes her even more amazed at how great the wisdom of the improvements made before the advancement of science was.
She never imagined she would experience it herself, but fortunately she had learned various experiences and methods.
"Miss Shen." Xuan Yan's voice rang out at the door. Shen Zhiyi snapped out of her observation and asked, "Is it Lord Lu who wants to see me?"
“Yes, young master requests your presence,” Xuan Yan replied.
"Alright, coming right away!" Shen Zhiyi called out, carefully avoiding the various earthenware pots on the ground. As soon as she stepped out of the room, she walked quickly away, and before she even got inside, she spoke up, "Lord Lu, do you think what I said makes sense?"
“That makes sense,” Lu Jingbai said slowly. “But how can you guarantee that you can understand their habits? What if it’s handed over to another village to plant? If it fails, the land will be abandoned for a while. And who knows how long it will take to grow…”
"So we should let those who are willing to try try first!" Shen Zhiyi said earnestly. "Just like in our village, no one wanted to grow chili peppers at first, but later every household was willing to grow them. Wasn't that a great start?"
“Sir, you can see those new seedlings. They look plentiful, but they can’t actually provide enough land for the whole village to cultivate. So we’re looking for those willing to try. We’ll start with one person and then encourage the whole village.” Shen Zhiyi became excited as she said this. “If no one in this village is willing, we’ll look in the next village. We’ll find someone eventually!”
We must allow the first person to try something new to emerge.
"As for how to figure out their habits, there are indeed many unknowns, but with chili peppers as an example, we have a general direction," Shen Zhiyi said earnestly.
Lu Jingbai met Shen Zhiyi's unwavering gaze, and something seemed to sprout in his heart, giving rise to boundless pride, and he was no longer afraid of the uncertainties ahead.
"Okay." Lu Jingbai responded excitedly, then realized he had lost his composure and silently loosened his clenched fist. "Someone has to try first to know the result!"
Seeing that Lu Jingbai wanted to make his point clear, Shen Zhiyi pressed on, "So, does Your Excellency agree with my idea?"
"What exactly are Miss Shen's plans?" Lu Jingbai asked.
“The seeds have some requirements for the soil, so we need to go and see for ourselves to know which plot to choose. It would be best to choose from reclaimed wasteland. But it will get cold again next month, and we don’t know the specific situation yet, so it’s not convenient to transplant them rashly. Why not take advantage of the time when…” Before Shen Zhiyi could finish speaking, Lu Jingbai interrupted, “First, select a wasteland that is suitable for transplanting.”
“Yes, that’s it,” Shen Zhiyi replied.
Lu Jingbai hesitated for a moment before saying, "Miss Shen is not a government official, so it is inconvenient for me to inform the villages about the land reclamation situation. It just so happens that I need to visit the villages these next few days..."
Xuan Yan was slightly taken aback upon hearing this. He had only just learned of his young master's plan and quickly made the necessary arrangements in his mind.
"I understand! I promise I won't delay your important trip to the villages!" Shen Zhiyi immediately assured him. She knew she could find out the details by asking Xuan Yan later, so she didn't need to inquire here.
Seeing that Shen Zhiyi remained silent, Lu Jingbai inexplicably hoped that she would say something more. However, he then felt that this thought was too strange. From this morning until noon, he felt as if he had become Jiang Taigong's fish, walking step by step to get here.
Even though he was being schemed against, Lu Jingbai didn't feel disgusted, which was something he couldn't understand.
At the same time, the village chief noticed the figure peeking out from outside the courtyard. He glanced at the sky and suddenly realized what was happening. He hurriedly said, "It's already noon, Lord Lu..."
“Village Chief Li, there’s no need to be so polite. I was planning to take my leave, as I have matters to attend to at the county office. How could I dare to linger here?” Lu Jingbai said with a serious expression as he walked out.
Not only did Xuan Yan follow behind, but Shen Zhiyi also followed, asking Xuan Yan about the time as she went. After learning the exact time, she warmly saw them off.
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