Chapter 358: Autumn Harvest of Ten Thousand Grains [Seeking Double Monthly Tickets]
Five kinds of grains are offered in front of the altar.
Shen Tang lit the incense and candles.
This time she learned her lesson.
The prepared notes should avoid using words of power as much as possible, and one should constantly repeat in one's mind, "This is the Lord's Prayer, not words of power. I absolutely cannot make any more mistakes," while keeping a close eye on one's dantian.
She wasn't the only one on high alert; Chu Yao, Qi Shan, and the others were also on edge, their eyes fixed on Shen Tang's reaction.
I'm afraid that if I lose focus even for a moment, someone's literary talent will vanish.
Fortunately, this did not happen.
Thank goodness!
These were the true feelings of several literary figures at this moment. Shen Tang also felt as if he had just fought a battle, with cold sweat dripping down his back.
The surrounding common people also worshipped devoutly.
Some elderly people with white hair hunched over secretly turned away to wipe their tears. In the past, when they were poor, let alone having enough to eat or work to do, they couldn't even farm. Every household dug for vegetables, drank water, and ate tree bark, at one point digging several mountains until they were bald.
Year after year, we persevered.
They never expected that Heaven would finally show them mercy and send them a prefect who truly cared for them. Just as Shen Tang finished speaking, he heard sobbing from the crowd.
Even the youngest children are no longer naughty.
They obediently followed their parents and learned how to perform the rituals.
They were old enough to remember things and knew the pain of hunger.
After the ceremony, the most crucial part began.
Shen Tang rolled up her clothes and trouser legs and got off the ground.
He pulled out a specially made large pair of scissors.
The millet looked exactly like an enlarged version of foxtail grass, with thick roots and a slender, short plant body, its tip heavy, almost bending the entire plant over. Shen Tang carefully cut it off and put it into the bamboo basket slung over her elbow.
These few acres of land nominally belong to the government office of the administrative center.
Except for the time it takes for Shen Tang to participate in plowing and harvesting, the millet is cared for by a dedicated person. It is clear that these few acres of millet are being taken excellent care of; as far as the eye can see, they are a golden expanse, with neither the green of immature millet nor the black of millet caused by disease.
The ears of grain are long and sturdy, each bunch heavy and substantial.
Shen Tang used the large scissors to cut a small half-basketful, which was quite interesting. Then she turned her head and waved to Qi Shan and the others: "What are you standing there for?"
No one should even think about slacking off.
"Yes, I'm coming right now."
Accustomed to their lord's carefree and unrestrained style, no one said anything "improper" or discouraging at this time.
The common people also began to work enthusiastically, with a minor official in charge of calculating the yield per mu in each area.
Children followed behind the adults, picking up the millet grains that had accidentally fallen; the fields were filled with the sight of people working hard.
After harvesting one acre of land, it must be weighed.
Because these fields nominally belonged to Shen Tang, they were rented from her to landless commoners, i.e., tenant farmers, with her deciding to incorporate the rent into the land tax. The level of the land tax was linked to the quality of the farmland and the average yield per acre in the surrounding area.
Land tax is levied on each acre according to this ratio.
If the harvest is good, harvest more.
If the harvest is poor, harvest less.
To reduce the workload, the local government decided to randomly select a few acres of land in a certain area on the first day of the autumn harvest, calculate the output of each acre, and determine the land tax for that year.
Every acre of land was carefully remeasured and re-divided by Gu Chi, so the data here can be trusted.
According to past records, millet yields have been low.
Even the most experienced farmers, working diligently for a whole year on fertile, high-quality land, would only yield about three shi (a unit of dry measure) per mu (a unit of land area). Ordinary people, using poor-quality, infertile land, would be lucky to get one shi per mu.
Shen Tang watched the official weighing the items nervously.
I want to urge them, but I don't dare to.
"How is it? How is it? How many stones?"
With a hundred kingdoms vying for power, each country used slightly different units of measurement. Shen Tang had weighed the bronze weights used in the Xin Kingdom; one shi (石) was approximately thirty kilograms. It was said that one shi in the Geng Kingdom was about fifty kilograms, and because of the different weights and measures, the conversion could be deadly.
The clerk weighed it again and again.
A trembling voice: "Four, four shi, two jun, three jin..."
"Four shi, two jun, and three jin?"
Shen Tang quickly changed his mind.
It's only about 250 pounds.
Even after molting, there are still far more of them than before!
The minor official was practically trembling with joy.
How many years has it been since he last saw this yield per acre?
This is absolutely a bumper harvest!
The yield per mu of the several mu of land was around four shi. Shen Tang waited for a while, and then other minor officials rushed over to report the news. The yield of those fields was not as high as four shi, but it was still around three and a half shi.
Outside of Fugu City, the yield per mu is approximately three shi (a unit of dry measure).
This yield per mu was enough to make the common people weep with joy and cheer with excitement. You have to know that this year's harvest was far from a bumper year. The weather was not good, most of the fields were newly reclaimed and the soil was not well cultivated and accumulated. The yield per mu was at most two shi.
As a result, the output far exceeded expectations!
If we happen to have a truly bumper harvest, wouldn't the yield per mu double? The official's hands trembled as he held the bamboo slips.
Shen Tang, however, felt that the number was not high.
She vaguely remembered that there should be crops with a yield of sixty or seventy shi per mu, which was considered a high yield. But looking at the common people in the fields who kept wiping away tears, thanking heaven and thanking Lord Shen, she could finally have a prosperous year next year. Shen Tang couldn't help but smile.
Well, surprises need to be built up layer by layer.
A soft laugh came from Gu Chi beside him: "Is my lord happy?"
Upon hearing this, Shen Tang turned her head and asked, "What do you think?"
She was so happy she couldn't speak.
Gu Chi witnessed the myriad aspects of human nature, but did not express his inner feelings.
With you, I am so fortunate.
Shen Tang simply plopped down on the edge of the field.
Watching the busy crowd, he recited leisurely: "Sow a grain of millet in spring, reap ten thousand grains in autumn, and there will be no idle land under the heavens... I won't recite the next line, it's bad luck. Anyway, I hope that one day no one in the world will lose their life because of a single grain of food..."
Qi Shan was very pleased to hear this.
My lord is finally able to recite the incantation normally.
Chu Yao was also very pleased.
Only Kang Shi remembered something disappointing: "My lord, should we return the grain we borrowed from the allied forces?"
Shen Tang: "..."
With a firm and self-righteous attitude, he said, "I borrowed it through my own abilities, why should I pay it back? Besides, we haven't even had a proper meal yet. We can pay them back when our granaries are overflowing with grain..."
They have a deep understanding of the essence of deadbeats.
Kang Shi: "That's true, everyone is richer than us."
We can't wait for our lord to cook this little bit of rice.
Everyone chatted and laughed in a pleasant atmosphere.
On the other side, the clerk had already finished tidying up several acres of millet and asked Shen Tang what to do with it.
Shen Tang then said, "It's better to share joy than to enjoy it alone. Such a good thing should naturally be shared with all of you gentlemen!"
Let everyone taste the millet she grows.
Millet porridge is soft, sticky, and smooth; adding a touch of sweetness makes it even better.
Not only Qi Shan and a few others, but also Gong Shuwu, who now holds the position of River Governor and Commandant, is included. Zhao Feng led his troops to help the common people collect grain and was not nearby, so let's remember to include him as well.
Hehe, it's not much, just a token of my appreciation. Let's all share in the joy and look forward to an even better year to come.
She knew exactly how many kilograms each person would receive.
That's what Shen Tang thought.
Unexpectedly, everyone started having nosebleeds.
Everyone:
Shen Tang: "..."
Everyone covering their noses, etc...
This scene is kind of mesmerizing.
She belatedly realized what she had overlooked.
Before she could even react, the energy of heaven and earth surged and trembled.
〒▽〒
It was supposed to be 4,000 words, but I got a headache from converting and looking up the yield of millet per mu. I haven't figured it out after two hours. This thing is too difficult. It's vertical traditional Chinese characters, and my head is spinning. The units are different for each dynasty. Damn it.
So if there are any problems with the data, please ignore them, or if an expert points them out, I will revise them tomorrow.
*sobs* (╥╯^╰╥)
P.S.: I currently have 8788 monthly tickets, 1212 more than 10,000. After deducting double points, that's 606 tickets. Waaaa, it's so hard! Does anyone have any more tickets? Please help!
(End of this chapter)
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