"Tell me, what exactly happened?" Tao Wanniang told Lin Zhuangshi to calm down and explain the situation in detail.
After Lin Zhuangshi finished speaking, Tao Wanniang asked again, "How much grain can our acre of land produce?"
"There are almost no empty valleys. I predict that this acre will yield about 700 to 800 catties!" Lin Zhuangshi has been farming all his life and has never seen such good millet.
"How much does an ordinary rice paddy yield per mu?" Tao Wanniang asked. In the past, in Lingjia Village, it was considered good if an mu could yield two hundred jin.
"In the Beijing area, a good harvest yields about 400 jin per mu. Boss, we do need a lot of our millet," Lin Zhuangshi said with a hint of pride.
Of course it is! She selected these rice seeds after comparing several suppliers in the system.
Tao Wanniang pondered this. The government wanted to collect grain from her, and she couldn't refuse, but she couldn't just give it away for nothing. Frankly, this was essential for the people's livelihood; she had no reason not to give it, but… she couldn't just give it away for nothing!
“Then next time you should just say it’s my land, and you can’t make the decision,” Tao Wanniang said. “Have that person come to me.”
“Okay, boss, I figure we should at least keep some for ourselves, right?” Lin Zhuangshi said again.
"Of course, he can take all five acres, leaving one acre for himself and for planting next year!" Tao Wanniang instructed. "Our vegetable garden, after a few months, should be ready to harvest some vegetables."
"That's fine, then... shall we send some over?"
Tao Wanniang thought for a moment and said, "I'll go there myself when I have time. You can pick some of the everyday vegetables yourselves."
"Okay, so... potatoes, tomatoes... can we eat them?" Lin Zhuangshi asked, having never seen those before!
Tao Wanniang almost laughed, not because she was amused by Lin Zhuangshi's lack of understanding, but because she was happy to think about how useful these things would be in the future. "I'll see. I'll come over the day after tomorrow when I'm off work and bring some back."
"Alright!" Lin Zhuangshi thought he had finished explaining things and was about to leave, but Tao Wanniang called him back.
"Since you're already here, let's have a meal at Zhaixing Tower. You wait inside while I go and have someone bring you some dishes."
"This...this isn't quite right, boss. He doesn't look like someone who would eat and drink in a restaurant!" Lin Zhuangshi said cautiously.
"Don't belittle yourself, just wait patiently!" Tao Wanniang said, and then went to attend to her work.
The millet in the fields wasn't ripe yet, but Shi Tianbao, the Vice Minister of Revenue, wasn't in a hurry; he was waiting to see the final harvest. He had also learned that the owner of the estate was named Tao Wanniang, and that Tao Wanniang was the first wife of General Ling Yunzhou.
After several attempts to arrange things, Shi Tianbao finally met at the Lingyunzhou residence to discuss matters.
Although they were colleagues, Shi Tianbao had never dealt with Ling Yunzhou before. This time, he was thinking of having Ling Yunzhou mediate between them. As a minor official in the Ministry of Revenue, he was quite nervous about facing the current Grand General.
"You mean you've discovered that a family's millet is growing exceptionally well, and you want to acquire it to cultivate seeds and plant it widely?" Ling Yunzhou listened to the gaunt-looking man before him, somewhat confused. "What does this have to do with me?"
"Hehe, General, I've already inquired. This land belongs to Tao Wanniang, the one who's yours..."
"Stop, Tao Wan's mother?" Ling Yunzhou understood. "She still grows millet?" Wasn't it sorghum that she grew last year for brewing wine?
Tao Wanniang not only ran a restaurant, but also started growing millet. Doesn't she know how to stop and enjoy life?
"Five mu of rice, with almost no empty grains. When it ripens, the yield will be several times that of other people's rice!" Shi Tianbao said excitedly. "If all the rice grown by the people of Dayue was like this, would there still be starving people?"
"You came to see me because you want me to act as a mediator?" Ling Yunzhou hadn't bothered Tao Wanniang for several months.
"The government wouldn't take the people's grain for nothing, but the Ministry of Revenue has always been quite poor, so..."
Ling Yunzhou glanced at Shi Tianbao. "The Ministry of Revenue is poor? Who are you trying to fool!"
“Alright, I’ll sound him out later,” Ling Yunzhou said.
“If Lord Ling doesn’t mind, I can also go along. It’s better to teach a man to fish than to give him a fish. I’m very curious to know why this Taowan woman’s rice is so good,” Shi Tianbao said shamelessly.
Ling Yunzhou thought that Tao Wanniang never gave him a good look whenever she saw him, so he nodded, thinking that having an outsider around might make things a little better.
"Then... shall we go sit at the Star-Picking Tower?" Ling Yunzhou suggested.
"Now?" Shi Tianbao was also taken aback; he hadn't prepared in advance!
"What, do I have to pick a day to see someone?" Ling Yunzhou said with dissatisfaction.
"No, not really. I've heard that this Taowan woman is quite an extraordinary person. She's the head chef of Zhaixinglou Restaurant, and she's on good terms with the former Prince Rui's mansion. In addition, even the Emperor visits Zhaixinglou Restaurant. The most amazing thing is that the things she grows on her estate are different from what others grow. So, I'm always a little embarrassed to talk about such an amazing person."
Shi Tianbao chuckled and said, "I really love that rice! Anyone who can cultivate this kind of rice is definitely a genius!"
Ling Yunzhou frowned as he looked at Shi Tianbao; his dark, thin appearance made him look rather sleazy.
"So, are we going or not?" Ling Yunzhou asked dismissively.
"Go away, go away!" Shi Tianbao rolled up his sleeves, somewhat excited.
Inside the Star-Picking Tower, Tao Wan's mother used potatoes and tomatoes to make several new dishes.
Potatoes can be stir-fried, deep-fried, steamed, cut into strips, or made into small balls. Sprinkle with cumin and salt and pepper for a unique flavor.
"Manager Tao, this little thing is good, but it's only grown on your farm. How do you know it's edible?" After trying the potatoes prepared in different ways, Zhao Changsheng still highly approved of them.
Especially these fried fries, paired with that ketchup, the taste is simply amazing!
“Everyone has eaten, so it’s fine!” Tao Wanniang said, appearing quite nonchalant.
“Our Star-Picking Tower will go further and longer in the future. Without something special, how can we go so far?” Tao Wanniang said.
"Will these potatoes also be transported to Wangjing in the future?" Lu Sanqi asked. "Manager Tao, I understand now. If my brother-in-law doesn't join your Zhaixinglou franchise, his Zhaixinglou is just a fake. No other restaurant has these dishes!"
“You’re right, Zhaixinglou is determined to be unique!” Tao Wanniang said. “There’s more to come, just wait and see. What Zhaixinglou has, no one else has!”
"Manager Tao, we have guests!" Just then, Lu Neng knocked on the kitchen door frame. "This time it's not just General Ling who's here, but also Minister Shi from the Ministry of Revenue. They say they're here to discuss rice."
If it were only Lingyunzhou, Shandong Luneng wouldn't have bothered calling Taowanniang!
Tao Wan's mother was taken aback for a moment, then she understood. "Alright, I'll go right away!" More money coming her way!
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