"I heard you were looking for me?" Qin Yue walked in from outside and sat down casually in his usual seat.
Seeing this, the shopkeeper hurried forward to help Qin Yue pour tea, but Qin Yue waved him away and poured a cup of tea himself.
"But what about the pasta machine? Those craftsmen have only recently figured out the principles behind it. The pasta machine they promised you will be delivered to you in a few days!"
Qin Yue thought that Li Yan came to see him probably to ask about the progress of the noodle machine, so he spoke directly.
Li Yan hadn't come here for this matter, so she shook her head and said, "There's no rush for the noodle machine. I came here because I want to cooperate with you on something. I wonder if Mr. Qin is interested?"
These words naturally made Qin Yue sit up straight, staring at Li Yan with burning eyes, motioning her to continue.
In a few days, the winter wheat in the south will be harvested. I wonder if you have ever thought about going south to plant another season of sweet potatoes.
Li Yan's words were like a thunderclap, leaving Qin Yue a little confused. After a moment, he came to his senses and asked, "Do you mean that we can still plant this high-yield crop now?"
Li Yan nodded. "Of course it's not possible here. The weather gets cold early, which makes it unsuitable for growing sweet potatoes. It's possible in the south, but it's a long way off, a thousand miles from the north. Are you willing to take the risk and try?"
Li Yan originally thought that after bringing back so many sweet potatoes, the cultivation of sweet potatoes would become popular in a year or two, and there would be no need to rush to promote them.
It seems that the political situation is not very stable now. I am afraid that all the sweet potatoes planted this year will have to be kept for seeds, so Li Yan decided to plant them in the south.
But my ability is limited, so I have to find someone more capable to do this task that consumes a lot of manpower, material resources and financial resources.
Qin Yue was very excited after hearing this, but now the sweet potatoes are still in the ground and have not been harvested yet. How can they be planted in the south? Qin Yue expressed his doubts.
In the current situation, it would be a good idea to store up food. At this time, Li Yan's mention of the two seasons of sweet potatoes naturally touched Qin Yue's heart.
Li Yan smiled and said, "Sir, have you forgotten where I found these sweet potatoes? You can buy them from Songshu County, where I originally found them, or you can grow the seedlings there directly and then take the seedlings and vines south along the waterway. This way, you can save a lot of transportation!"
Qin Yue nodded. This was a good idea, but his doubts deepened. How could this little girl from a farmer's family know so much?
Qin Yue asked tentatively: "Miss, have you been to the south before?"
Li Yan's heart suddenly skipped a beat. This person was doubting her. Suppressing her panic, Li Yan said calmly, "I heard this from a local woman when I got this kind of goods. As for how he knew about it, I don't know!"
This was barely understandable. Qin Yue did not continue to ask about this matter. Instead, he asked why Li Yan told him about this?
"My lord, you should also know that a group of refugees will arrive in Rongcheng soon. It would be a good idea to find a way to prepare more food and fodder."
Li Yan's words were blunt, and her meaning was clear: she felt uneasy. Perhaps there would be more refugees in the future?
How many refugees will there be by then? Or will the city have sufficient food reserves? These are things we must start preparing for now.
She was not clear about the current situation, but she knew that General Qin was in charge here, and this area could be defended. She might not be able to lead troops to fight, but she could think of stockpiling food and fodder in a forward-looking manner.
Qin Yue didn't expect that this girl would have such a sense of crisis because of the refugee incident.
He knew much more than this girl. Judging from the current situation, the Northwest Army might not be able to get food and fodder this year. He had already informed the shopkeepers in the south that as soon as the summer harvest began, they must get the food and then transport it to the northwest.
But after all, he was weak and could not compare with those big grain merchants. Fortunately, the construction of this market benefited from it and attracted many businesses, including many grain merchants, which allowed him to stock up a lot.
With the help of this east wind, he thought that when the summer harvest is over, more grain merchants will come.
But no matter how much food there is, it still doesn't feel like enough: "Thank you very much for telling me, young lady. I will send someone to take care of this matter right away!"
Just as Qin Yue was about to order the people outside to come in, Li Yan hurriedly stopped him and said, "Wait a minute, this journey is long, a thousand miles away. Sir, have you thought about how to transport these harvested sweet potatoes back?"
Qin Yue didn't think too deeply about this matter, and blurted out: "It's nothing more than taking a boat or a carriage on land!"
There are only these two ways. Is there any better idea?
"That's not what I meant. I meant this thing is so bulky and takes up so much space. It's really expensive to transport it back from such a long distance. I might even lose money. It's really not worth it!"
The journey was so bumpy, and considering the roads of that period, most of the goods would probably be damaged if they were transported back!
Qin Yue knew all these, he just wanted to stockpile food and supplies, so what was the point of calculating these things?
Li Yan smiled and said, "I have a way to make sweet potatoes into vermicelli noodles. It's much easier than shipping the sweet potatoes directly."
Qin Yue looked at the girl's cunning smile, and suddenly realized that this girl had been waiting for him here for so long!
Qin Yue took a sip of tea, suppressed his anxious mood, and said straight to the point: "What are your conditions?"
"First, the recipe for this food must not be made public for five years. Second, if you provide this food to the military camp, I will take a 20% profit."
The conditions offered by Li Yan were quite generous. After all, this method was proposed by her, and 20% profit was not much, so Qin Yue readily agreed.
In the end, the two of them agreed on this matter very happily.
Seeing that the matter was settled, Li Yan stood up and said goodbye, "Then Mr. Young Master will arrange for people to plant the sweet potatoes first. When we harvest the sweet potatoes, you can bring people here to learn how to make them!"
Qin Yue nodded, then stood up to see Li Yan out. After watching her enter the shop, he turned around and went back to the tea room.
Qin Yue returned to the house and immediately started writing a letter. He had to send a message to the shopkeeper in the south to handle this matter.
It only took a cup of tea for Qin Yue to seal the letter and called the shopkeeper to deliver the letter immediately.
Because he was worried, Qin Yue then instructed Ying Yi to arrange several farmers who had grown sweet potatoes to go south immediately and find a way to grow these summer sweet potatoes in the south.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com