farming
After resting for a few days, Gu Yu took a general look at the sprouting status of the basket of taro she had brought.
This basket of taro, after being separated by the sprouts and cut into small pieces, was buried in the soil. It could probably only plant half an acre of land. She wanted to plant some millet from this area on the other half acre to see how it fared.
The millet seeds had been prepared early in the morning.
When Xu Qiu told her where the acre of land the prefect had allocated to her for the experiment was, Gu Yu immediately sent someone to wait, and she also prepared to set off with baskets.
"Madam, I'll come to pick you up later. Li Shiqin is here today too; I need to go with him to check on the fields."
When Xu Qiu left in the early morning, he hugged Gu Yu.
Although Xu Qiu wouldn't kiss her casually without her consent, he often hugged her. Gu Yu didn't mind, and later she would even hug him back.
The Imperial Guards have also arrived, and it seems they came secretly; they're about to stir things up.
"Okay, be careful. I'll wait for you to come pick me up." Gu Yu straightened his collar, and after he left, she asked the guard carrying the baskets to go to the outskirts of the city with her.
"Qiuju, take some money and hire some tenant farmers from the nearby farms. I'll plant these seeds with you guys, but I don't know how long it will take."
Qiuju accepted the task and went to the place where the tenant farmers were resting.
"Are any of you free today? Our young lady wants to find people to plant some grain seeds. If you are available, you can all come with me. It will cost one hundred coins per person for half a day."
One hundred coins can buy enough food for one person for ten days, which is a lot. Many tenant farmers are eager to participate, and it only takes half a day.
It's the end of the autumn harvest season, and most of them are doing mundane tasks like turning over the land and picking up the leftover millet and sorghum. But now, a good job has suddenly come along.
But seeing that the maid was dressed very richly, they feared that this young lady was also a formidable character, and they were afraid that if they did something wrong, they would be punished severely.
"Young lady, may I ask what you are planting?"
Qiuju said, "Taro and millet."
They knew about millet; most families grew it because it was drought-resistant. However, it was generally best to plant it in midsummer or early autumn when there was rain and it germinated easily.
It's already the end of autumn, wouldn't it be a waste to plant seeds now?
But they had never even heard of taro.
What is "Tuyu"?
Qiuju didn't know how to explain it to them, "It's grain from the Northern Di, which is easier to feed them." After thinking for a while, she added, "It's also very delicious."
In the eyes of these tenant farmers, grain is good as long as it fills their stomachs; there is no such thing as good food. They are still somewhat afraid of taro, fearing that if they don't grow it well, they will offend the powerful and be imprisoned.
"Don't worry, my young lady will teach you how to plant it. If it doesn't survive, it's not your fault."
Seeing Qiuju say this, they remained silent until a rather young child spoke up in a loud voice, "Girl, let me go with you to take a look. After I finish my work, I'll help your young lady plant some."
"Erzhuzi, aren't you afraid something will happen?" an older tenant farmer called out to him.
Erzhuzi shook his head. "I'm not afraid. The girl has already said so, so I'll go and see. Besides, half a day's salary is a hundred coins, which can buy a white flour bun. I have to go and see."
Led by Erzhuzi, a few of the bolder ones followed him. Qiuju looked at the few people there and thought about how big the field was, and her head started to ache.
She went to several more places, and only after Erzhuzi persuaded her did she add a few more people.
Qiuju led about thirty people back, including the old and the young, all of them dark-skinned, thin, but with bright eyes.
"Miss, I've gone around in circles, and these are the only people I can find."
Gu Yu glanced at them and comforted them, "It's alright, it's enough. If it's not enough, we can come again tomorrow."
"Divide the people into two teams, one team starts planting millet from the east, and the other team starts planting taro from the west."
Qiuju quickly selected the people; those who were bolder were assigned to the west side, while the more honest and dutiful ones went to the east side.
Liu Yun took the bundle of millet out of the basket and led the group to the east, distributing seeds to them. Soon, the work in the east began in full swing.
Qingfeng then carried the basket of taro seeds to the west.
He had the good fortune to eat taro once when he was still in the army, so he probably knew what taro tasted like. However, it was even more surprising that Gu Yu was able to grow it successfully.
The basket contained small, pre-cut grain seeds. Gu Yu taught them how to plant them. Her instructions were very simple: dig a hole, not even very deep, bury the seeds, and then cover them with soil.
Erzhuzi was stunned. Was it really that simple? Could this person survive?
Moreover, after examining the incomplete grain seeds in his hand, he became even more confused—
These seeds have been cut into so many pieces with a knife, can they really survive?
Qingfeng also thought it was simple. After thinking about it, he joined those troops and started digging holes and planting seeds with them.
Gu Yu planted a few, then stopped and began instructing those around her, "Don't dig the holes so deep, so deep, the seeds will rot..."
Qiuju brought Gu Yu a cup of tea. "Miss, it's sunny here. Have some tea so you don't tire yourself out."
Gu Yu wiped her sweat with a handkerchief, then explained the distance between the empty spaces in each pit before she had time to go and take a look at the east side.
The millet seeds need to be buried deep, and the progress in the east is much slower than in the west. But by sunset, at least the seeds have been planted.
Qiuju settled everyone's wages and distributed the extra millet seeds to them, who beamed with joy.
“I would like to select ten more people, two people per night, taking turns to keep watch, two hundred coins per night. Is there anyone willing to do this?” Gu Yu looked at them.
"I...I...I..."
Erzhuzi was immediately excited. This great philanthropist not only gave so much money for burying a seed, but also gave money for keeping watch at night.
Some people, concerned about the land they were renting, remained silent.
The other, more quick-witted ones nudged him, "Are you stupid? You get two hundred coins for guarding the field all night, but you can't go to work the next day. You could give someone else a hundred coins and they'd do the work for you..."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Wu no longer hesitated and his eyes lit up. "I'm willing to keep watch at night. I'm strong and healthy, and I can fight. I'm not afraid of anyone stealing from me."
Seeing the mess, Gu Yu handed the task over to Qiu Ju, saying, "Qiu Ju, you choose. I'm tired. I'll sit in the shed for a while."
She had just sat down when she saw two people walking towards her from afar in the twilight of the fields. They walked with very proper postures and an air of officialdom, so she guessed it was Xu Qiu.
Sure enough, upon closer inspection, it turned out to be Xu Qiu and Li Shiqin.
Gu Yu poured tea for both of them. "Lord Li, it's our first meeting. You are indeed as dignified and imposing as the rumors suggest."
Xu Qiu's face darkened upon hearing this. He took a closer look at his brother Li and realized he was just a simple-minded, big, and clumsy fellow, not even as good-looking as him.
When Li Shiqin heard Gu Yu praise him like that, he scratched his head and said shyly, "Madam Xu is also beautiful. My brother is so lucky to be able to marry such a good wife."
"Madam, why don't you praise me?" He took a sip of tea, somewhat displeased.
Seeing that the young couple was about to whisper sweet nothings, Li Shiqin quickly made an excuse to slip away.
Gu Yu rested her chin on her hand and looked at him, still teasing him, "Lord Xu, I've noticed that you get jealous of everyone. When I praised him, it was just for show. You and I are so familiar with each other, and you still need me to praise you?"
Qiuju returned at this moment, "Miss, the person has been chosen."
"Then let's go back."
Gu Yu stood up and suddenly realized that she had been standing all day and her legs were starting to ache. Xu Qiu noticed that something was wrong and helped her up. "What's wrong? Is Madam tired?"
"Come on, get on." He leaned down slightly and let Gu Yu climb onto his back. "I'll carry you for a while. The carriage is waiting on the main road."
Gu Yu didn't hesitate and hugged Xu Qiu's neck. Xu Qiu got up and weighed her to make sure she could lean on him securely.
"Why is Madam so light? She doesn't usually eat much."
"If I ate a lot on a normal day, would Lord Xu be able to carry me?"
"My wife eats a lot, so I'll eat a lot too. After all, I have to be able to carry my wife."
He chuckled softly, the sound carrying far across the open fields.
Qiuju lagged a few steps behind, blocking Liuyun and Qingfeng, preventing the two tactless people from getting closer, "Slow down, don't disturb the young master and young lady."
The five of them walked slowly in the afterglow of the setting sun, smelling the warmth of the trees from the sun. The chirping of insects and birds was noisy and disturbing, but the time was peaceful and serene.
Gu Yu turned her head to look at Xu Qiu's small face, reached out and touched his earlobe, and asked curiously, "Last time I touched you, your earlobe was very red and beautiful, why isn't it red this time?"
Xu Qiu was somewhat at a loss for words, "If the madam kisses it, it will turn red."
Gu Yu looked around and realized that Qiu Ju and the others were some distance away from her, so they probably couldn't hear what the two were saying.
She muttered a curse at him under her breath, tugging at his soft cheek, "You shameless bastard."
Xu Qiu actually wanted her to praise him; he was simply joking.
"Oh."
Xu Qiu simply smiled, a genuine smile.
Once they reached the main road and boarded the carriage, the two realized that the hems of their clothes were covered in mud.
"How did your inspection go today?" Gu Yu poured herself a cup of tea, took a few sips, and then found some pastries on the carriage. "Are you hungry? Have some too."
"Madam, I am also thirsty. Let me have a cup of tea first."
Gu Yu poured him a full glass of water. "Drink it."
Xu Qiu must have been really thirsty, because he finished the whole cup of tea.
"In Xi'an Prefecture, there is very little private land left, and the situation is not good. Most of the land is in the hands of wealthy merchants and gentry, as well as the land cultivated by the nearby garrison."
I've discovered that the military farmland in the garrison areas far exceeds the registered area; I fear that if the Land Bureau were to intervene, it would face severe resistance. If things aren't handled carefully, it might..."
He was impeached by the local garrison as soon as he arrived in Xi'an Prefecture, which was not good. This matter should be dealt with slowly.
After Xu Qiu finished speaking, he saw Gu Yu start to frown, so he reached out and smoothed her brows. "This is a matter on my side, Madam, don't worry about it. There will always be a way."
"The relief tents will be set up tomorrow. I would appreciate it if you could help keep an eye on them, Madam, as I'm worried something might go wrong."
"Alright. Who exactly is this prefect here? Why doesn't he care about anything? I feel like you've only been here a few days and you're already worried about it. Why doesn't that corrupt official show his face?" Gu Yu asked.
“Sigh…” Xu Qiu really wanted to sigh when he talked about this. “His surname was Liang, and his name was Liang Lingfeng. He was a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) in the same year as Sun Gu, and he was the second-place candidate.”
"This man seemed to feel that his talents were not being recognized. He came to this place, which was plagued by famine every day, to serve as the prefect. He spent his days reciting poems about his unfulfilled ambitions and did not handle official business much. He left the official business to the lower-level clerks."
"However, the only thing I'm certain of is that he and Sun Gu are not on the same side. On the contrary, he is very jealous of Sun Gu's current position as Grand Secretary. After all, they were both Jinshi in the same year, but Sun Gu was only a bottom-ranked third-class candidate back then."
“When I went to see him, he would talk to me about poetry and songs, but not about serious matters.”
Gu Yu listened with surprise, "Are there really such people?"
"Why would I lie to you, Madam?" Xu Qiu saw that she had eaten pastries and there were crumbs left on her lips, so he wiped them clean with his thumb. "But there is one advantage to this: I have more power than I imagined. Moreover, I am this year's top scholar, and he values me quite a bit. There are some things that he doesn't care about, but I have the final say."
"No wonder you told me to check on the shed tomorrow. So that's what the higher-ups are like. If the upper beam is crooked, the lower beam will be crooked too. The people doing things below might also have problems." Gu Yu suddenly realized.
"Please take good care of things, Madam. Just tell me what kind of compensation you need. You brought too few clothes and jewelry, so I'll go shopping with you in a couple of days to buy some more. Also, please buy anything else that's missing from the house."
"Lord Xu has considered things very carefully." Gu Yu rarely praised him. "Knowing that I can't stay idle, he has arranged all my work and even thought of compensation."
"If I have done so well, shouldn't Madam reward me?"
Gu Yu said coldly, "I've already praised you, there's no other reward."
"When will you show me more affection, my lady?"
She gritted her teeth and said, "Keep your voice down. Is it honorable to say these things if someone hears you?"
"When no one is around, will you show me any tenderness, my lady?"
Xu Qiu lowered his voice as Gu Yu suggested. He now understood why Gu Yu had been so enthusiastic when she teased him earlier. Now that they were in different roles, he also found it fun to tease her.
"You...don't...think about it."
Gu Yu was afraid that Xu Qiu's opportunistic nature would really make things complicated between them.
"Don't forget, we're getting a divorce." Gu Yu said this both to remind him and to herself.
Sometimes Gu Yu felt that it wasn't good to have an ally with someone who knew her too well. When his words struck a chord with her, she would feel like jumping up and down.
As expected, the atmosphere in the carriage became terribly tense after these words were spoken. Xu Qiu lowered his eyes and said dejectedly, "I know."
Gu Yu turned her face away and refused to look at him again. The two of them were completely different when they got off the carriage this time compared to when they got on.
Qiu Ju had no idea what had happened between the two of them, and she, Liu Yun, and Qing Feng looked at each other in bewilderment.
The master and lady have already quarreled over the short time it takes to ride in a carriage?
Even though Xu Qiu was in a bad mood, he still remembered to help Gu Yu down from the car, asking, "Does your foot still hurt? I'll carry you back to your room."
Gu Yu shook her head expressionlessly, and asked Qiu Ju to help her back. After returning home, she washed her hair and bathed, ate some pastries for dinner, and then prepared to go to sleep.
Although the atmosphere between the two had been a bit tense, Xu Qiu still returned to his room that night.
He and she used the same soap, and their scents were the same, as if she had absorbed his scent.
When Xu Qiu hugged her, he complained a little, "You always say things that are annoying..." But he still loved her just the same.
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