noffsinger Chapter 191 A Pleasing Corn Yield
Chapter 191 A Pleasing Corn Yield
Shortly after lunch, Li Fu came to report: "Sir, all the corn has been harvested."
Xiao Qinian stood up: "Have they all been threshed?"
“They’ve all been threshed,” Li Fu replied.
"Let's go take a look," Xiao Qinian said, and walked out first.
Upon arriving at the drying ground, one sees a layer of golden corn kernels spread out, a sight that brings joy to the heart.
Upon reaching them, Xiao Qinian casually grabbed a handful of corn kernels, then tossed them aside, the kernels falling with a crisp sound.
The corn is already dry. It's very hot today, and even though we didn't specifically dry it, the corn kernels are still completely dry.
"Li Fu, arrange for someone to weigh it immediately," Xiao Qinian instructed.
"Yes, sir." After receiving the order, Li Fu began to arrange for some young and strong men to start bearing the weight.
Xiao Qinian wasn't in a hurry at this point. Although he hadn't weighed everything yet, he could roughly guess what it was.
Suppressing the excitement rising in his heart, Xiao Qinian waited patiently on the side.
Soon after, all the corn was weighed.
Joy was evident on everyone's faces.
Li Fu excitedly ran up to Xiao Qinian and said, "Master, we've made it! It's a total of eighty shi."
"Eighty shi?" Xiao Qinian was astonished. Five mu of land yielded eighty shi, which meant that the yield per mu was sixteen shi.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Siyue was very satisfied and praised the system once again, saying that everything the system provided was indeed of the highest quality.
It's important to know that in modern times, corn yields varied, but on average, they were generally around 1,000 jin (500 kg). However, modern corn production utilizes many technological methods.
Although the soil here is fertile, the lack of chemical fertilizers and plastic film makes the yield quite impressive.
The others present were even more excited; they hadn't expected that the corn grown by the owner would have such a high yield.
"Old Liu, where did this corn grower find? The yield is just too high!" Old Mrs. Liu nudged Old Mr. Liu beside her and said enviously.
"How would I know?" Old Master Liu was also very envious. As a farmer, he had absolutely no resistance to such high-yield grains.
"Hey, do you think we can grow this corn in the future? If we can, then we won't have to go hungry anymore," another thin man said.
They were actually doing well, especially in the last two years, when their employers gave them more money. Unlike before, when they had to hand over some of their harvested grain to their employers and then sell some of it to earn money, leaving their families hungry.
Even now, though they have more money, they are reluctant to spend too much, fearing they might need it someday.
"Definitely, look, aren't all the people planting potatoes and sweet potatoes this year?" the person next to him replied.
"Yes, yes, we will have high-yield grains in the future, and we will never have to go hungry again."
"Haha, that's right. You wouldn't believe it, when the master came to cook that corn, I smelled it, it smelled so good, I almost died of craving." An old woman said. She had been helping in the kitchen when the corn was being cooked, and the aroma almost made her drool.
"Really?" The men were all very curious when they heard the old woman's words.
"Of course it's true. I happened to be in the kitchen at the time. You wouldn't believe how tempting the aroma was!" The old woman said with pride, as if she had tasted it herself.
"Oh, now that you mention it, I can't resist anymore. Just now, when I was shelling the corn, I looked at the golden corn and wanted to taste what it tasted like."
“You can’t do that! I heard that these are meant to be saved for seed, so we can plant them again next year.” Someone’s expression immediately changed.
They all knew these were new seeds, and that eating a little would reduce the supply. At this rate, when would they be able to grow their own?
Seeing the expressions on the faces of those around him change instantly, the speaker quickly said, "Of course I know that, I was just saying, I wouldn't dare."
The crowd was noisy and discussing.
Xiao Siyue and the others didn't hear it; Xiao Qinian had already started having people collect and pack the corn.
These are all more precious than gold and silver treasures, so they must be carefully protected.
However, if these corns are planted next year, it will probably take several thousand acres, and their village only has a thousand acres of fertile land, which is not enough to plant them all.
Thinking about this, Xiao Qinian decided to discuss it with Xiao Siyue later to see what to do.
After all the corn was packed, it was put into the warehouse on the estate. Xiao Qinian then called Li Fu over.
"Li Fu, you must keep a close eye on these seeds. We'll deal with them later." Xiao Qinian was still a little worried, but if they took them back, there was nowhere to put them.
"Sir, rest assured, we will protect the grain seeds with our lives." Li Fu's eyes were firm. He now knew the importance of these grains, and even if Xiao Qinian hadn't said anything, he would have protected them well.
"Alright, then we'll head back now." Xiao Qinian patted Li Fu on the shoulder. He trusted Li Fu; Li Fu was someone he had specifically sent to the estate.
He naturally knew what abilities this person possessed.
When they left, Xiao Siyue was still sitting in the same carriage as Xiao Qinian.
Xiao Qinian told Xiao Siyue about his problem, mainly because Xiao Siyue was the one who provided the corn, and he would discuss any decisions he made with her.
“Father, you could have just handed over the corn. The imperial estate has so much land, and it’s safe. We wouldn’t have to worry after you handed it over.” Xiao Siyue understood what Xiao Qinian meant.
She didn't think there was anything wrong with it. In fact, she had the same idea. Firstly, it wasn't safe for the corn to stay with them, as they didn't have the ability to protect it. Secondly, these things would still have to be handed over eventually, so what difference did it make if it was sooner or later?
"Okay, I'll write to the teacher when I get back."
"Yes, but Dad still needs to save some seeds for us," Xiao Siyue said. She mainly wanted to eat corn next year, and if they didn't grow their own, they definitely wouldn't be able to get any.
"Yes, I know. I'll make it clear in the letter." Xiao Qinian wasn't too worried about it. There had been similar examples before, where they had saved seeds for potatoes and sweet potatoes.
Xiao Siyue wondered if her family should buy some more land, otherwise, as she received more and more seeds, the small plot of land on the estate would become unusable.
Moreover, she recently received some fruit tree seedlings, and she plans to open an orchard specifically for growing fruit.
She'll take care of this when she gets back; she wants to buy herself a large estate.