Chapter 123 Autumn Harvest When the freshly baked milk mooncakes were delivered to the bedroom,...
The freshly baked milk mooncakes were still warm when they were delivered to the bedroom.
Amid the fragrant milk aroma, Mu Xue held a knife and cut several mooncakes into small pieces, and tasted a little of each. The milk skin mooncakes fell apart when cut, and had a crunchy texture. The milk tofu mooncakes had a light sweetness and tasted a little dry, which was perfect to eat with tea. She liked the cheese-filled ones the most, which could be drawn into strings and had a cheese-like texture.
It was considered a new experience. Mu Xue ordered people to pack the milk mooncakes in boxes and send them to the capital so that Emperor Kangxi, the Empress Dowager, and Concubine Yi could taste them.
He also prepared some mooncakes and snacks for the governor-general Lama and the general stationed in the city and asked someone to deliver them.
Muxue thought for a while and called Qiuhua over: "The mansion is making mooncakes. I want to prepare one for the dowry and the people on Yanzhi's land. You can calculate how much it will cost, and then tell Madam Wu, and make a note of it and ask the kitchen to prepare it together."
"I thank the princess on behalf of everyone."
"You interact with them a lot, so just ask the kitchen to prepare whatever fillings you like."
Qiu Hua thought for a while and said, "Maybe something like five-kernel is better. The people below are not like the people in the mansion. They usually eat light food. They prefer something with some flavor."
Mu Xue nodded: "Okay, then prepare it according to this, don't be stingy with the materials."
Qiuhua agreed and said, "I met the eunuch Guanzhuang before, and heard him say that the farmers were busy with the autumn harvest. They have been planting for several years, and this year is a good year. The corn and yam are growing very well. Some farmers are thinking about you, and if there is a chance, they would like to invite you to take a look."
Autumn harvest...it does have a different meaning. Mu Xue said, "I forgot about this harvest. I should go and take a look. You ask them to prepare and pick a day. I will go and celebrate the harvest with everyone."
After receiving the order, Qiuhua went to the nanny first and told Nanny Wu and Nanny Zhao about the princess's order. Yunqi was leading people outside to collect debts, and they were in charge of the internal affairs of the princess's mansion.
"The mooncake issue is easy to deal with. Just make a list and give each person one mooncake, no more, no less." Nanny Wu said, "Why do we have to go to the fields? We'll get our clothes dirty if we don't get any."
Qiu Hua just smiled and said, "Just for fun, maybe just prepare some fine cloth clothes like before."
"Okay, what's the use of her? Who can say it's not the princess's intention?" Mother Zhao called a disciple and asked her to go to the front yard to inform the chief historian and ask him to prepare for the mooncake delivery to the capital. Then she called the eunuch Guanzhuang to discuss the princess's trip. They discussed how to arrange the day, how to send guards, and how to protect her safety.
When everything was ready, they picked an auspicious day, held an autumn harvest ceremony, and invited the fourth princess to attend.
Muxue took the little princess out with her.
The little princess could already walk. When they arrived at Yanzhi Field, Muxue told the nurse to put her down: "Don't hold her in your arms all the time. Let her walk around and feel it."
The wet nurse had no choice but to put the little princess down, and the mothers all kept their eyes fixed on the little princess, fearing that anything might go wrong.
Mu Xue also looked at the little princess and smiled, paying attention to her expression and actions.
The little princess stepped on the soil for the first time, and her eyes widened. The feeling of stepping on the soil was different from carpet and bluestone. She grinned and stepped on it again, looking at Mu Xue and said, "Mom, it's fun."
"There's something even more fun to do. Let's go." Mu Xue bent down slightly, held the little princess's hand, and moved forward slowly and patiently.
A group of people had already gathered on the ridge of the field. When they saw the princess leading the little princess in, they all knelt down.
"Alright, no need to be polite, let them all stand up." Mu Xue ordered his attendants. Immediately, an attendant ran over to pass on the message, asking everyone to stand up.
Eunuch Guanzhuang and the head of Jiangzhuang came forward to report this year's harvest to the princess: "The wheat has been harvested, and there are still some corn and yam eggs left. The harvest is very good! Finally, we have survived the first few years of land reclamation and have a good harvest."
Mu Xue followed their introduction and looked at several crops. Corn is corn, and yam is potato. Although they are not as big and full as those in later generations, they are still very good now.
"You should be careful and select good seeds as next year's seeds. If you cultivate them from generation to generation, the harvest will be higher." Mu Xue said.
Maybe we can build an agricultural college to specialize in breeding and agricultural related matters. She thought to herself and directly called on the secretary: "Where is the secretary?"
Xiaoluan led another secretary forward and asked if there was anything he wanted to do.
"Build an agricultural college based on the school system, select experienced farmers and students who are smart and have ideas about farming, and study farming in detail." Mu Xue instructed, "Please take note and do it later."
Can a school be built on farmland? Jiang Zhuangtou was surprised. This was the first time he had heard of it and he didn't know what it was used for.
Xiao Luan asked, "Master, do you want to breed?"
"That's one of them, but there are other knowledge, such as how to improve soil fertility, how to irrigate and save water, etc.," Mu Xue explained, "In the past, there were agricultural books like "Qimin Yaoshu", which recorded some experiences that were beneficial to farming by referring to established examples and applying them in practice. I'll allocate two experimental plots for you to use as experiments."
There is no harm in summarizing experience and lessons and increasing production. The only downside is that it costs money, but Mu Xue is not short of money now, so this is not a disadvantage.
After instructing the nurses on the establishment of the Agricultural College, Mu Xue asked them to take good care of the little princess, and she took a sickle and cut an ear of corn to celebrate the harvest. She cut the corn, peeled off the stalks and husks, and looked at it in her palm.
The farmers on the ridges cheered. This was something that had been agreed upon. Jiang Zhuangtou had announced in advance that when the princess cut the corn, they could start harvesting the remaining crops. It was like a competition. Whoever cut the most crops within the specified time would win a prize, a pig and a set of new farm tools.
A whole pig! A whole set of farm tools! All tied with red cloth, placed aside, beckoning in the sunlight, this is more tempting than a few hundred dollars! And divided into two parts, the corn cutter and the yam digger each have a first place.
So the sickles and hoes were used together, and for a moment the fields were bustling with activity.
Mu Xue stood aside and watched.
Probably because she was there, she had given advance notice, and the farmers were all dressed in blue cloth. They were all farmers recruited from Kouzi. She had previously specifically petitioned to increase the population, regardless of gender. So some farmers came with their families, including women who worked in the fields.
Mu Xue noticed a young peasant woman in the field, holding a piece of floral cloth on her head, silently swinging a hoe and digging yam eggs. Her movements were very smooth, first pulling out the top rhizome with her hands, then digging the ground with the hoe, digging out a series of yam eggs, with a unique skill and very fast speed.
It's really amazing, there are top talents in every field. Mu Xue sighed, looked at the corn cutters, and then looked back at the potato field. Later, she gradually stared at the potato field. The young peasant woman was very fast and was on the verge of winning. However, there was also a farmer chasing closely, and it was hard to tell who was better.
Until the gong sounded, announcing that the time was up, the autumn harvest competition was stopped.
Mu Xue decisively walked towards the potato field.
The person in charge of weighing and recording walked up to the young peasant woman and was obviously surprised. After recording, he weighed again and after checking, he announced: "The first name of the yam digger is Zhao Yangshi."
Mu Xue glanced sideways: "Tell me your name."
He immediately changed his name to: "The first name is Yang Erniu."
There was a moment of silence in the fields. Several farmers looked a little angry and dared not say a word. The head of Jiangzhuang and the eunuch of Guanzhuang immediately led the cheering to ease the atmosphere, and there were sparse responses.
Suddenly, a loud cheer was heard: "My mother is the first, my mother is the best!"
A little girl with pigtails jumped down from the ridge of the field and ran over.
The guards over there saw a child suddenly jumping out and tried to stop him.
Mu Xue hurriedly said: "Don't hurt her, be careful not to fall."
Just as the guard let go, the little girl with pigtails ran over and threw herself into her mother Yang Erniu's arms, shouting excitedly, "My mother is the best!"
Yang Erniu also smiled and touched the little girl's nose affectionately.
"You've always wanted to eat meat, now you can have some."
Mu Xue took a few steps forward and said with a smile: "You did a good job."
He took off the bag at his waist and handed it to her: "This is the candy I brought for my daughter. Give it to the child."
Yang Erniu pulled the little girl with pigtails and expressed her gratitude.
The excitement of the competition ended and it was time for dinner. The dining table had been prepared long ago, on the flat ground in front of the room where eunuch Guanzhuang usually worked. It was a very large and solid round table, laid on a felt mat.
"Princess, please take your seat."
Mu Xue sat down, and the guards kept a distance from her. There were many tables in the outer circle for farmers to sit and eat the harvest feast. The food was ready, and the steamed buns and noodles made from new wheat exuded a unique and rich wheat aroma. Some meat and vegetables were placed next to them and could be brought to the table at any time.
Muxue glanced at a nearby table, a high wooden table that looked stable. Sitting on it were the village head, older farmers, and a farmer who had just been harvesting corn.
But Yang Erniu from before was nowhere to be seen. The accompanying tables near the main table were all occupied by men.
Mu Xue's gaze moved further and further away, toward the edge, where peasant women were crowded on low tables and benches, with cracked coarse porcelain bowls in front of them, chatting and laughing with each other, and children were also crowded among them.
Yang Erniu was also among them, sitting at the small table as usual, and was telling her daughter how to cook the pig: "First, I'll use the fresh meat to make you sesame cakes, and the extra meat will be made into bacon, which we can save for the winter..."
But the daughter was absent-minded, only staring at the main table where the princess was sitting and the nearby accompanying table.
That Yujiaozi was sitting very close to the main table, so why did her mother sit at such a far away small table? Why could she only sit here?
"Mom, why don't we sit at that table?"
Yang Erniu was stunned, and the peasant woman sitting next to her laughed: "What are you talking about, little girl? Isn't it nice and comfortable for us to sit here and talk conveniently? This is already very good. If there is a banquet in my hometown, some wives have to squeeze into the kitchen to eat. This is very good."
The little girl with pigtails was not convinced: "What's better about it?"
"Be good, that's the adults' table." Yang Erniu comforted.
The daughter looked up and asked in confusion, "Isn't mom an adult?"
Looking at her daughter's innocent little face, Yang Erniu felt like she was stuck with a fishbone and didn't know how to answer.
A maid came over and said with a smile, "Come, the princess ordered you to sit up high."
"This... isn't it a bit against the rules?"
An old man muttered at the accompanying table.
Mu Xue said calmly: "Here, what I say is the rule."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
