Chapter 225: Dongjun Sang Family?
The fact that Chu Qichang had arrived at the Shen's house was no secret in the manor. His official uniform was too eye-catching, and the Shen's family lived in the innermost part of the manor. As he went in, people from other families were watching him, so they didn't dare to go to the Shen's house.
Just as Chen Lie and the other two had sent Chu Qichuang out of Daxingzhuang, they turned back and were stopped by the people gathered outside the Xu family's door, asking about the situation.
Knowing that they would have to go to the mountains to look for people, who wouldn't like this thing, with both money and mountain land? Even the well-off families like Old Lady Xu and Wei Lingzhen were happy to have some mountain land at home, and every family in the village was even more happy.
Only Old Man Lu and Mrs. Lu felt regretful, knowing that they could not catch up this time as others had taken their place. Even if they wanted to go back, they could not. There was nothing they could do. However, they were already very satisfied with having received more than 30 acres of land and seven and a half taels of silver.
Chen Lie stopped intervening in the subsequent matters and left it all to Chen Dashan. He returned home, Sang Luo boiled some warm water, and Chen An, Shen Jin and others were washing the dishes and wiping the table.
Sang Luo was tired after a day of work, so she tidied up a bit and didn't get involved anymore.
The couple talked about Chu Qichang.
Chen Lie said, "He seems honest, but he is actually very smart and thoughtful. I wonder what he is thinking about our family's origins. Qiyang County was burned down by a fire, and no household registration information was left. I'm afraid he will think more about it."
When Chen Lie said this, he looked at Sang Luo. He was actually shocked today. This was the first time he saw a side of Sang Luo that was completely different from her usual self. The difference was huge in the changes in her demeanor, temperament, and words.
"You should have thought more about it. Red wine is too eye-catching. I am glad that there is more than one rare thing on the table today. It is better to be unsure of what is going on than to be targeted by others without any scruples."
Sang Luo now finally realized the benefits of the multiple courtyards inside and outside the houses of the ancient wealthy families. Let alone several courtyards in the front and back of her house, even if there was a courtyard gate, eating and entertaining guests were not in the same place, so if a guest suddenly came, everything would not be exposed.
Chen Lie thought about what happened during the banquet and said, "I think he won't mention the wine again. But Wen Qing mentioned that yam can be planted. He asked about it a lot during the banquet. I'm afraid the state government will come to ask about the situation soon. There are too many mountains in Shezhou. They won't miss this."
Sang Luo was not opposed to it. Whether it was teaching the planting method in detail or promoting yam in advance, she had already taught them a few years ago. She was happy to see the economy of Shezhou improve, so she said, "If you come to our house to ask, you can teach us everything you have. You can also buy seeds, but try to exchange them for grain. The price of grain in the city is too high. It may not drop much in one or two years. And it may not be easy to buy even if you have money. At least before the autumn harvest this year, we should focus on stockpiling grain, and money is secondary."
Farming depends on the weather. Her family has food to eat now, but who knows what the weather will be like next year?
As for the possibility that the government would not give money and directly requisition the money, Sang Luo did not think so. After observing the behavior of the officials in Shezhou since she came out of seclusion, she knew that they would not do so.
Chen Lie heard what she meant, and knew that he would be the one to handle it all. He moved his lips slightly, wanting to say something, but thinking about who the person coming from the state government office would be and what his character would be like, he swallowed the words again, nodded, and said, "Okay."
…
The government officials arrived faster than Chen Lie thought. Chen Lie and Shen An were reading in the morning, and Chen Zheng went to work in the mountains. Not long after he started working, Xu Wenhong came running up the mountain: "Master, Master, the governor is here! My father is leading him here."
Zhao Da and Zhao Si, who were chopping trees, were so frightened that their axes almost dropped deflected. Thinking they had heard wrong, they looked in surprise at Xu Wenhong who came to report the news.
Chen Lie was at the top of the mountain. Most of the trees in this area had been cut down. After hearing what Xu Wenhong said, he stood up and looked down the mountain. In the distance, three men in official uniforms led by Manager Xu were coming this way. Of course, there were also yamen runners and attendants following behind them.
There was no common people who were not afraid of the yamen runners with swords. Zhao Da and Zhao Si were a little nervous and asked, "Master Shen, what's going on?"
Seeing that the group of people were walking very fast and were not far from his home, Chen Lie did not dare to delay and said, "Nothing, they must be here to ask about Shu Di. You guys are busy, I will go down to greet them."
He then instructed Shen An: “Go tell your sister-in-law.”
He hurried down the mountain.
…
The visitors were not only the governor, but also the chief secretary and the assistant military officer Chu Qichang who had just arrived last night.
Shen Lie did not expect that the governor of Shezhou was so young, looking only about twenty-five or twenty-six years old.
After Chu Qichang helped introduce the two, Chen Lie followed all the etiquette and bowed. Before he even bent his knees, the governor held his arm and said, "You don't need to be so particular outside. Take me to see the yam you planted."
Chen Lie saw that his eyes were clear and upright, and he looked noble. It was rare that he didn't care about ostentation or false courtesy. He was more concerned with practical matters. When he spoke and acted, he had the decisiveness and swiftness that was unique to the military commanders he was quite familiar with.
"Please, sir."
Shen Lie led the way, while the governor of Shezhou looked at him inconspicuously, and also looked at the Shen family not far away, as well as the mountain top that Shen Lie had just come down from, which had been almost completely deforested, and the few thatched huts on the side of the mountain.
There weren't many people in the village, but the few families I met along the way all had goat and chicken sheds, with quite a few goats and pheasants in them. In Shezhou, where most people, except for the wealthy families, were struggling on the poverty line, this was considered wealthy.
What a great Daxingzhuang.
…
Sang Luo measured her own garden and house in the morning, and was sharpening charcoal pencils and staying in the house, using a large piece of straw paper she made herself to think about how to build the yard and house in the future, so as to make a plan for building the yard in the spring. I didn't draw much with Shen Ning, and Shen An came back and said that the governor had come.
He hurriedly collected the paper and hid it, then left the house in a hurry. Chen Lie and his men had already arrived in front of the house.
Seeing Chu Qichuang coming with her, Sang Luo did not find it strange at all. She had already put on a disguise yesterday and could not turn into a real peasant woman in front of Chu Qichuang today. Therefore, she followed the etiquette and went forward to greet him with Shen Ning.
Chen Ning was fine, as he had not been exposed to these things since childhood. However, Sang Luo, who was standing in front, made the governor and the chief secretary raise their eyebrows slightly.
This is the sensitivity of the children of noble families to their own kind.
This was different from the way Chen Lie greeted him just now. One was the form, the other was the spirit, and the last was the calmness.
Although the woman in front of him was wearing a cloth skirt and a straw hairpin, she was definitely not a country peasant woman. Even if she was not from a wealthy family, she should at least be from a commoner family.
"No need to be polite." He nodded as a gesture of return, and stopped staring at Sang Luo. He turned to Shen Lie and said, "Bring the yam over and have a look."
Seeing that he was a gentleman, Chen Lie breathed a sigh of relief, turned around and went to the firewood room next to him, and soon took out a whole yam that was more than half a person's height.
The governor and the chief secretary had obviously eaten yam before, but how could they, as young men from aristocratic families, have ever seen the food before it was served on the table? Like Chu Qichang, he had only seen cooked food made into medicinal food, and this was the first time he had seen the yam before it was served on the table.
Not minding the dirt, he took it and looked it up and down. Seeing that it was covered with sand, he asked why. He was told that it was a pile storage method used for large-scale storage, which opened his eyes. Thinking of what Chu Qichang said about this thing being planted on a mountain, he turned around and looked at a mountain in the distance that had been cleared to the point of being almost bare, and asked, "Is that mountain prepared for planting yam?"
Shen Lie nodded: "Yes."
The governor raised his eyebrows: "Do we need to cut down all the trees? Do we need to loosen the soil on the mountain?"
If it is extremely manpower-consuming, it is a difficult task as apart from the Zheng family, there is not even a working ox to be found in Shezhou now.
Chen Lie shook his head and said, "You can plant them directly, but coarse seeds are easier to plant, and the yield will be much lower than fine seeds."
The position of Chief Clerk was nominal, but he helped the governor share the burden of educating and cultivating the people, so he asked in detail, "How do you breed a fine seed?"
There was no place to entertain the guests at home, so Chen Lie simply invited them to the mountain, where Shopkeeper Xu accompanied them and explained in detail the method of growing yam.
This conversation lasted more than two quarters of an hour, from whether yam prefers shade or sun, what kind of soil it prefers, how to select seeds, when to plant them, how to fertilize them, and when to harvest them.
The Chief Secretary and Shen Lie, one asked a lot of questions, and the other answered in detail.
The governor listened to the whole story and asked Chen Lie, "In the past, I only knew that yam was a medicinal herb that was dug from the mountains by herbalists. How did you know how to grow it?"
Shopkeeper Xu raised his eyes slightly.
Chen Lie pondered for a moment and said, "My wife saw the record in the books at home. We were in the mountains to avoid disaster and were short of food. We happened to find yam in the mountains. We dug it up to satisfy our hunger and kept the roots to plant."
Chu Qichang looked up in surprise, but soon lowered his eyelashes again.
Sang Luo, who had accompanied him but had not shown any interest, was also a little surprised. She looked up at Chen Lie, but Chen Lie smiled at her.
The governor of Shezhou raised his lips, turned to look at Sang Luo who had remained silent, and asked with a smile: "Where is your mother from?"
At this time, Sang Luo had to introduce herself, of course, she reported the identity of the original owner.
"I am from Dongjun."
The chief secretary raised his eyes with a hint of surprise, and then looked at the governor. The young governor stared at Sang Luo for a long time and asked, "The Sang family of Dongjun?"
Now it was Sang Luo's turn to be stunned, "My Lord, do you know the Sang family?"
My original family was considered to be pretty good in Dongjun, but their reputation was not so high that everyone would think of the Sang family when they mentioned Dongjun.
The governor smiled and said, "What a coincidence! My wife is from the Fan family of Chenliu, which is not too far from Dongjun."
However, thinking of the flood that hit Dongjun severely a few years ago, the governor said nothing more and changed the subject to Sang Luo, "This method of growing yam is very good and is just right for Shezhou to promote. Madam, do you mind publishing this method?"
Naturally, Sang Luo had nothing to be unhappy about.
"To be honest, sir, those years in the mountains were difficult, and I didn't keep this method to myself. The people in the nearby villages all know it. You just need to promote it. If you need roots, we have saved some, but this is originally our family's grain. If you need it, you don't need money. Just keep enough roots for our family to use in the spring next year, and you can give us some grain in exchange for the rest."
She responded readily. She also heard that the yam was not only grown by her family, but also by villagers in several nearby villages. This was great news for the governor and the chief secretary.
"Okay, my lady, you are kind-hearted. I will not let you suffer any loss. I heard that General Chu is quite familiar with you. I will not let anyone else take over this matter. I will let General Chu talk to you later. How about that?"
"It's all up to you, my Lord."
The governor laughed. He was busy with official duties and did not stay long, so he set off down the mountain. Before leaving, he patted Chen Lie on the shoulder and said, "The provincial academy is good. Study hard. The current time is right for talents. If you succeed in your studies, you will have a bright future."
Chen Lie didn't expect that the governor knew that he had passed the provincial school examination. He was surprised and bowed to thank him.
The governor smiled, turned around and left Daxing Manor. After walking a distance, he said to his attendant, "Go back and copy the volumes of Shangshu Annotations in my study and send them to the Shen family."
The servant was stunned and opened his mouth to say something, but the master had his reasons for his decision and would not allow a servant like him to comment, so he quickly nodded in agreement.
The chief secretary's eyebrows jumped when he heard this. He knew what this light-hearted remark meant. He tilted his head and asked, "Does your Excellency think highly of Chen Lie?"
The governor smiled and said, "She has good character and is pleasing to the eye. Aren't Sang and my concubine from the same hometown? We are half fellow villagers, so I'll take care of her."
Chu Qichang, who was walking last, had his heart pounding like it was about to jump out of his chest. Taiyuan Zeng's "Shangshu Zhushu"!!!
He swallowed his saliva, Shen Lie's luck is beyond belief! ! ! !
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