Chapter 73
When Chu Huan was a child, she worked in the fields with her grandparents, planting peanuts, sweet potatoes, and corn. However, she was over 30 years old in her previous life, and 14 years old after traveling through time. Her childhood memories had long since disappeared in the long river of time.
She did not deliberately conceal the news of sweet potato rotation, but she really did not know how to rotate and with which crops to rotate. Instead of an outsider instructing experts, it would be better to give some suggestions and let the people in the Ministry of Revenue study it themselves.
This is how the cowpox vaccine and penicillin were made in the past. If the Imperial Medical Service can do it, then the Ministry of Revenue can certainly do it too.
The caravan brought three baskets of sweet potatoes, a small portion of which was eaten by Chu Huan and given away, while most of them were taken away by the Jinyiwei, who also took away the caravan's information.
For an unfamiliar crop that you know nothing about, instead of researching it all by yourself and starting from scratch, it is better to ask local farmers who have grown sweet potatoes with experience, which can help you avoid many detours.
As the days go by, people put up couplets, hang lanterns, buy firecrackers, and the atmosphere of the New Year is everywhere.
I usually don’t want to buy good things because I always think that saving money is better, but now I will make up my mind to buy some - the Spring Festival is a special day.
It was the New Year, and the emperor had put down his pen and rested, the old Grand Tutor and the old Grand Preceptor had stopped teaching, and the Fifth Prince had also returned to the palace to celebrate the New Year. Chu Huan could finally relax for two days amidst the constant busyness.
Perhaps because he had been warned in advance by the Jinyiwei, Chu Qi did not run to Chu Huan to show his presence after returning from Songshan College, but stayed in his own yard honestly.
Affected by the "dowry withholding" policy, Chu Shu no longer exuded the scent of white lotus. She stayed quietly beside Old Madam Chu, and she looked much more pleasing to the eye.
Occasionally, when Chu Qi looked angry and wanted to say something, Chu Shu would signal him not to make a fuss during the New Year. Although she was the younger sister, she was more reliable than her brother.
All parties tried to gloss over the situation, and this year's New Year's Eve dinner was the most peaceful in recent years.
After getting through this year safely, Chu Ping and Wen Shi both breathed a sigh of relief. They were really afraid that this year would be difficult, and they had been trembling with fear, always worried about having to clean up the mess.
After the meal, Old Lady Chu asked Chu Qi and Chu Shu to support her for a walk on the pretext of helping digestion. After that, she never came back. She only sent someone to spread the excuse that she was "old and tired" and went back to rest early. Chu Qi and Chu Shu also did not come back.
"Then the three of us as a family will stay up together until the New Year is over." Chu Ping didn't mind at all and thought it was a good idea.
The fewer people there are, the less likely it is to make mistakes, and he doesn't need to worry all the time, fearing that his mother, Chu Qi, and Chu Shu will say something wrong.
He doesn't have excellent reaction and speed to save the situation, so it's easy for him to be exposed.
Wen gave a gentle smile. She also thought this was a good idea, but her identity as the mistress prevented her from saying such words.
"If Qin'er were here, it would be like our family of four bidding farewell to the old and welcoming the new."
"A good man has great ambitions. He's also gone to work for the emperor and the court." Chu Ping didn't have big ambitions himself, but he had high hopes for his son. "As long as he works hard, he'll be promoted when he returns to Beijing next year, and he'll soon surpass me."
When Chu Ping thought about his son being on the same level as him at such a young age, he didn't feel jealous at all, but rather very proud.
Whose son can be promoted to the fifth rank at the age of 21? It's his family, hehehe.
Of course, it would be even better if my daughter could also serve as an official in the court.
Chu Ping glanced at Chu Huan who was silently eating melon seeds, hoping that day would not be too far away.
This year, without the two white lotus flowers, one large and one small, making sarcastic remarks, Wen was in a particularly good mood. She teased her husband, "Then you should also work hard to avoid being surpassed by your son?"
Chu Ping's smile slowly disappeared. Did Madam think he wasn't bold enough?
Madam, you have changed! You used to say that I was fine the way I was, that you liked it that way.
Receiving Chu Ping's condemning gaze, Wen calmly picked up the teacup and took two sips.
She used to think it was good for her husband to be a bit mediocre and indifferent, as long as he stayed out of trouble and their lives would be leisurely and peaceful. But now that her son and daughter have risen one after another, her mediocre husband seems not good enough.
Other people have fathers raising their sons and daughters, but in their family, it's the daughter who's raising her brother and her biological father. Is that even reasonable?!
Wen didn't say a word, but it seemed like she had said everything. Chu Ping's spirits were dispirited. His son and daughter were so outstanding, and it was really difficult for him to be a father.
Chu Huan ate melon seeds while watching her mother train her husband. If it weren't for her identity as a daughter, she really wanted to applaud her mother.
[Pa pa pa...] The sound of applause rang out. It turned out that the system thought the scene was very good and manually dubbed its own applause.
System: [Sister Huan, I've been wanting to say this for a while now. Isn't your father a bit of a nerd?]
Chu Ping and Wen Shi: "..."
Others: “…”
Chu Huan pretended not to notice her father's expression and gave a very pertinent assessment: "My father has very low material desires. He'll use good things, and he'll be fine with average quality. He doesn't have any special needs, so he doesn't have high ambitions. He can do things by the book, but he lacks the ability to adapt flexibly."
[This is also the reason why he was assigned to the Simen Division, one of the four divisions of the Ministry of Justice. There is less work to do, and it is very leisurely. He just needs to follow the rules and is less likely to make mistakes.]
In a less busy department, it's not easy to accumulate merit; one has to rely on years and experience to gradually gain experience. He wasn't very good at flattering others, so he just kept doing his job without much fanfare. Then, perhaps because he thought this kind of life was good, he decided to become a layoff.
Chu Ping gave Wen a puzzled look: "How does my daughter know me so well? What did you say?"
Wen shook her head: No, she must have figured it out herself.
Chu Ping was immediately delighted: My daughter understands me! So happy!
Wen: “…”
System: [A few months ago, I saw him trying hard, but maybe he was too exhausted from striving, and soon he reverted to his lazy self. I really want to flip him over with a stick.]
The system spoke in a soft voice, expressing its disappointment, with a funny feeling of a child pretending to be mature.
Chu Huan suppressed her laughter: [Tong'er, don't expect too much from a salted fish.]
System: [But your father's expectations of himself are too low.]
Chu Ping was dissatisfied. "Fifth rank, is that low? It's not low at all!"
Chu Hua: [Let him be. I can't put a knife to his neck and force him to make progress. Maintaining the status quo is good.]
System: [Sister Huan, your expectations of your father are also very low.]
Chu Ping raised the corners of his mouth and said in his heart: That's because Huan'er loves her father.
As soon as Wen saw his smile, she knew that he was thinking about something weird, so she lowered her head and drank her tea in silence.
Feeling sorry for you? Not happening.
As expected, Chu Huan said: [It's okay, if the big one is broken, there's still the small one.]
Chu Ping's smile froze. "Big or small?" What did that mean?
The system suddenly realized: [That's right, if your father can't do it, there's still your brother.]
[No wonder you spent so much money to get so much information for your brother. It turns out you knew your father was unreliable and were training a secondary account.]
Chu Huan was still chatting with the system, but Chu Ping was already in a trance and could not hear at all.
It turns out that the main character is him, and the secondary character is Chu Qin. His daughter doesn't feel sorry for him, but knows that he is not capable and has completely given up on him...
Chu Hua: [Tong'er, it's Chinese New Year, what is my brother doing?]
System: [Wait a moment, let me take a look.]
Seeing that Chu Ping was still distracted and looked as if he had been hit hard, Wen Shi quickly pinched the soft flesh on his waist and twisted it hard.
I don't even want to hear from my son, what are you thinking?!
"Hiss—" Chu Ping took a breath and was about to ask Wen why she pinched him when he was pinched on the thigh again. The pain brought him back to his senses quickly.
Chu Ping hurried to see Chu Huan, and saw Chu Huan looking at him curiously. After meeting his gaze, she gave an awkward but polite smile, and quickly looked away, as if to say: Have you offended your mother again?
Chu Ping felt bitter, but couldn't say it.
System: [Hey, your brother is lucky in love.]
Chu Huan's spirits immediately perked up: [What? Tell me more!]
Her brother has a handsome face, is over 1.8 meters tall, is good at both literature and martial arts, and is still unengaged at the age of 20. This is partly because Chu Ping and the Wen family want him to establish a career before starting a family, and partly because this guy is too straight and has attracted too many romantic opportunities.
If a girl dropped a handkerchief at his feet, the gentleman would usually pick it up and return it, then take the opportunity to chat with her, exchange names and family backgrounds, and then go back to ask his family about the girl's character and family traditions, and then look for an opportunity to meet her again.
So what did Chu Qin do?
The guy returned the handkerchief and said, "Girl, your handkerchief fell down," then turned around and left.
The girl was stunned at that time.
Such an unromantic straight man actually has good luck in love. The Chu family was excited when they heard the news.
It is said that the sleeping old lady Chu listened attentively, and Chu Qi and Chu Shu, who had always been annoyed by Chu Huan and the system's chattering, no longer found it annoying. This is good news!
Chu Ping and Wen were the most excited. Could it be that the daughter-in-law they had been waiting for for so long was finally coming?
System: [Your brother is an imperial envoy. He initially concealed his identity and slowly investigated. However, over time, he dealt with many people along the way, and his portrait and identity information have all spread.]
He recently settled in Jinyang County. The local magistrate, seeing that he couldn't go home on New Year's Eve, felt it was pitiful for him to be away from home alone, so he paid a prostitute to come and serve Chu Qin.
As soon as the door opened, Red Card weakly pounced on Chu Qin. Chu Qin had never seen such a scene before. Terrified, he yelled, "Don't come over here!" and punched Red Card, giving him a black eye. Hahahaha...
At this moment, all the men, women, young and old who heard it fell silent.
The entire Chu family echoed with the system's arrogant laughter: [Chu Qin really made me laugh to death! Red cards really know how to thank hahahahaha...]
The man gritted his teeth: I have seen people who don’t understand romance, but I have never seen someone like you who directly beats away romance when we meet!
The woman was speechless: "Even if you don't like prostitutes, there's no need to hit them as soon as you meet them, right? How can they receive customers if they beat you like that?"
No matter how imaginative Chu Hua was, she had never expected such a brilliant development. She was speechless for three seconds before asking, "Did he get a red card?"
The system laughed and said, "No, haha."
[Red Card took the initiative to explain why she came. Chu Qin quickly apologized, worried that she would have difficulty receiving customers in the next few days, and even wanted to compensate her with some money.]
This was something Chu Qin would do, and everyone nodded in satisfaction.
It doesn't matter if he doesn't understand romance, as long as he has an upright character. But... bribing the imperial envoy with silver or beauty is a must-do for local officials. Given Chu Qin's way of doing things, is the money he brings enough to pay the compensation?
The system's tone turned serious: [Red Card didn't ask for his money, he just wanted to ask him to do a favor.]
Chu Huan smelled the scent of a big melon: [What's going on?]
System: [Find her missing father, brother, younger brother, and fiancé.]
Chu Hua: ???
Everyone: ???
How come four people disappeared at once? Did they disturb the nest of missing persons?
The system continued: [She said that the first people to disappear were her father and brother. After the flood this year, the family had very little money left. When her father and brother heard about the job openings, they went out to work with the villagers.]
[He left and never returned, leaving her and her brother worried, as did the villagers. Then, a group of people from the village went to the mine to demand an explanation, but they also never returned.]
Furious and anxious, she ran to the police. Later, she learned that the men had never gone to the mines, and that no one at the mines had seen them. They might have gone somewhere else along the way, or been killed by bandits.
How could the girl accept this? She secretly went to the mine and saw that the officers and soldiers were very strict and no one was allowed to enter. Many people were mining shirtless. One of them was a villager she knew.
The girl felt something was amiss, but she saw the soldiers and wondered if the magistrate was in cahoots with them. She didn't know where to find someone, and before she could come up with a plan, she was discovered and sold to a brothel.
Chu Hua: [The imperial court's legitimate mining operations don't need to be so secretive. Either the mines are unknown to the imperial court, or local officials are secretly mining without the court's knowledge.]
System: [It's the former. Sister Huan, guess what kind of mine this is?]
Chu Hua: [It should be metal, right? Copper, iron, gold, silver are all possible. Otherwise, if the profit is not enough, they won't take such a risk.]
System: [Correct! It's bronze!]
When Chu Huan heard it was copper, her hair stood on end.
The consequences of illegally mining copper mines are even more terrible than those of mining iron mines.
Iron ore still needs to be smelted. If you want to rebel, you have to find people to make weapons and armor, find a place to hide them, and find a way to transport them. The more processes there are and the more people involved, the greater the possibility of mistakes.
But if copper... is melted down and cast into copper coins, and then released into the market at the time of the annual issuance of new copper coins, it will be difficult for ordinary people to distinguish the authenticity and find the source, and it will also have an impact on the currency market.
Simply put, it is inflation and rising prices.
Chu Hua: [Did they mint copper coins privately?]
System: [Yes.]
Chu Hua: [Is it counterfeit money?]
The system is unsure: [These are not officially minted copper coins, so they must be counterfeit...right?]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
