The grandson was accidentally killed by his son, the son was imprisoned, and the daughter-in-law hanged herself in front of him.
The successive blows and shocks left Old Lady Lu bedridden and she passed away in less than a week.
However, by the time everyone realized that Old Lady Lu was not there, her remains were already emitting a foul stench.
Jiang Ling remembered the village chief's flustered expression and the magistrate Duan's furrowed brows very clearly.
However, their deaths were like a drop of ink in the sea; they were forgotten in just a few days.
...
Jiang Ling distributed the fertilizer to everyone who had signed up. Then, she started a class at the Lu Family Ancestral Hall to teach how to use the fertilizer. She repeatedly reminded the villagers, "You must not use too much fertilizer! If you use too much and burn the seedlings, it will be a huge loss!"
Having learned from the mistakes of Old Lady Lu and Lu Youren, everyone kept Jiang Ling's words firmly in mind.
The next morning, Jiang Ling and Jiang Yaojie drove the carriage toward the yamen gate.
Magistrate Duan was somewhat curious and doubtful, but Jiang Ling's confident expression made him immediately swallow all his curiosity and doubts.
After a brief discussion, Jiang Ling had Jiang Yaojie lead the carriage to the market in Pingxi County.
The market was bustling with activity. Jiang Ling walked for a long time before finally finding a spot.
She asked Jiang Yaojie to borrow a stool and a table from the shop next door. After everything was ready, Jiang Ling stood in front of the carriage and began to shout, "Fertilizer! Fertilizer for sale! Magical fertilizer that can increase yield!"
Jiang Ling's shouts immediately attracted the attention of the crowd, and almost everyone on the street turned their gazes towards her.
"Oh my, isn't this Madam An?"
"What? She's Madam An? She's so young!"
What are you selling here?
Whispers came from all directions, but Jiang Ling didn't try to hide it; in fact, it was a good thing if these people knew her.
"Madam, what are you selling?" Some quick-witted people walked up to Jiang Ling and asked cautiously.
"This stuff is called fertilizer. It can increase crop yields. Would you like to buy some and try it?" Jiang Ling enthusiastically introduced her products.
"Increase production? There's such a magical thing? Is it a scam?"
"Don't talk nonsense, or Madam An will punish you! How could there be anything wrong with what Madam An sells!"
"..."
The crowd, which had quieted down, began to whisper among themselves again after hearing the words "increase production."
The middle-aged man who had just been asking Jiang Ling for advice was now embarrassed and didn't know what to say. If he wanted to buy it, he hadn't asked the price, and what if it was too expensive for him? If he didn't want to buy it, he might anger the lady, and he couldn't bear that kind of blame.
Just as the middle-aged man was scratching his head, not knowing what to do, a voice made everyone present kneel down.
"Magistrate Duan has arrived!"
"Fellow villagers, get up quickly!" Magistrate Duan said hurriedly, looking at the crowd kneeling on the ground.
The crowd was curious to see Magistrate Duan appear in the market, but because of his status, they dared not approach and tacitly made way for him.
Magistrate Duan glanced at the crowd and said with a smile, "I've come here today mainly for fertilizer!"
The words had barely left his mouth when another commotion erupted. Just as Zhao Liu was about to reprimand them, Magistrate Duan stopped him.
Magistrate Duan cleared his throat and said, "Land is the foundation of farmers' livelihood, and grain is the foundation of the nation's survival. My wife has invented something called chemical fertilizer, which can increase our land's grain yield!"
“I know you may have doubts about this, since it has never appeared before in recent years. So I discussed it with Madam and we are now introducing two policies!” Magistrate Duan recounted Jiang Ling’s previous ideas.
Seeing the stunned crowd, he continued, "This time, the contract is being signed directly with our government office, so you can all rest assured now!"
Magistrate Duan's words caused another stir. Everyone looked at Jiang Ling, then at Magistrate Duan, then back at Jiang Ling again, going back and forth several times.
"Then... is what you said true, Magistrate? Will tax revenue really decrease?" The middle-aged man who had asked Jiang Ling before asked timidly from the crowd.
“Of course, we will draft a contract with you. It doesn’t matter if you can’t read. We can find a teacher from a nearby study to help witness it. You will get a copy of the contract, and we will keep a copy in our county office. If I go back on my word when it comes to taxation, you can take the contract to Qingzhou Prefecture and ask the prefect to come over!” Magistrate Duan said confidently.
Faced with the "discounted" tax, some people are getting excited, while others are considering whether it is more appropriate to pay in full or to pay with a deposit plus the balance.
"How much is a bag of fertilizer, and how do I use it?" Finally, someone started talking about buying fertilizer; it was the middle-aged man from before.
“Three hundred copper coins per packet, one packet is enough for about one acre of land! As for the method, I will register it after you purchase it, and then send someone over to teach you how to use it!” Jiang Ling replied.
The middle-aged man nodded, carefully took out three taels of silver and said to Jiang Ling, "Okay, then I'll buy fertilizer for ten acres of land, that'll be three taels of silver in total!"
Jiang Ling smiled and accepted the silver, then gestured for the middle-aged man to go to Jiang Yaojie to sign the contract.
Although the middle-aged man was illiterate, it was clear that he trusted Magistrate Duan and Jiang Ling very much, as he put the contract in his pocket without even looking at it.
Jiang Yaojie registered the man's address again and arranged a delivery time.
With the middle-aged man leading the way, many people became eager to try, and soon all the fertilizer Jiang Ling had prepared was sold out. Some people who didn't have much land simply bought it directly...
Jiang Yaojie completed the registration process and confirmed the delivery time.
"Young lady, don't rush back for lunch. Let me treat you to a meal at the county government office!" Magistrate Duan gave Jiang Ling a thumbs-up as he looked at the sold-out fertilizer.
Jiang Ling smiled, nodded, and said okay.
Surprisingly, Jiang Ling did not refuse Magistrate Duan this time. Jiang Ling herself knew that she had refused Magistrate Duan too many times before, and this would make her seem a bit ungrateful. Since it was already noon and she was a little hungry, she simply agreed.
Magistrate Duan was delighted to hear this and left with Zhao Liu.
To everyone's surprise, a heavily made-up woman, carrying a pipe and with flowers in her hair, was loitering in front of the county government office.
When she saw Magistrate Duan and Zhao Liu return, she immediately rushed out.
"Magistrate! Magistrate! You're finally back!"
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