OBS Chapter 77 High Yield
Chapter 77 High Yield
After everyone finished their meal, satisfied, they went to the fields together.
Grandpa Xiao had already informed the village chief of the situation beforehand. Upon learning that the Grand Tutor of the current dynasty had come to their small Xiao Family Village, the village chief was so excited that he didn't know what to do. He immediately gathered all the villagers to help dig potatoes.
So when Xiao Siyue and the others arrived at the field, everyone in the village was already waiting. Young and old, men and women, except for some elderly people who were really unable to move and those who were away from home, almost everyone came.
"My God, I really met the Grand Tutor of the current dynasty."
"Yes, I never expected to meet such a high-ranking official in my old age. I've lived a truly fulfilling life!"
“My husband isn’t here. When he comes back, I’ll have to tell him. He’ll be furious, haha,” a woman said happily.
When Xiao Siyue arrived at the field, she saw this scene: many villagers were craning their necks to look in their direction, and some were even knocked down in the crowd trying to see them. Xiao Siyue couldn't help but sigh that this was just like a fan meeting.
"You are the village chief here," Shen Junru asked with a smile as the village chief, who appeared somewhat nervous and at a loss, walked up to him.
"Yes, yes, I am the village chief of Xiaojia Village. I have met Grand Tutor Shen." The village chief forced himself to calm down and replied with a somewhat stiff expression.
“You don’t need to be so nervous. I’m here mainly to check on the potato yield,” Shen Junru said with a smile.
The village chief's face flushed red. He didn't want to be nervous, but it was beyond his control.
He said somewhat embarrassedly, "I have gathered the whole village to help with the digging, and we will be able to tally the yield soon."
Shen Junru: "Okay, that's good. Let's get started right away."
At the village chief's command, the entire village threw themselves into digging potatoes. Some of them had dug before, so it only took an hour to dig up all twelve acres of potatoes.
Looking at the mountain of potatoes, Shen Junru's usually serious and composed expression cracked: "Quick, quick, weigh them."
The village chief quickly organized people to weigh the items.
"Grand Tutor, it's all been weighed. The total is [amount in kilograms]." The village chief excitedly reported to Shen Junru.
"Nearly 60,000 catties, that's about 500 shi, and the yield per mu is 41 shi," Shen Junru said. Although he already knew this before, it was still not as good as seeing it with his own eyes.
He had always been a people-loving official, and now that he saw grain that would stop the people from going hungry, how could he not be moved? Shen Junru was in tears, and his hand supporting Li Han was trembling.
"Brother Xiao, you are meritorious officials of our Great Zhou Dynasty. Don't worry, I will definitely report to the Emperor and ask for your commendation." Shen Junru said excitedly to Old Master Xiao beside him.
"Grand Tutor Shen, you flatter us. It is our honor to be able to help the people," Old Master Xiao quickly replied modestly.
"Brother Xiao, we might have to take these potatoes away, but don't worry, we'll leave some for you," Shen Junru said somewhat awkwardly. This was his mission for the trip: to take the potatoes away and plant them in the Imperial Estate for breeding next year.
"Grand Tutor Shen, this is only right. Just leave us some seeds." This was their original plan.
"Grandpa Shen, how many are you planning to take?" Xiao Siyue suddenly asked. Actually, when she wrote to Xiao Qinian earlier that morning, she had intended to hand over the potatoes. Only the Emperor could promote the potatoes.
So during the nearly one year that Lord Lü came to Xiaojia Village, Xiao Siyue was teaching him how to plant and preserve potatoes.
However, she couldn't let Shen Junru take all the potatoes away. Firstly, she had promised the villagers last year that she would give them seeds this year, and secondly, they also wanted to plant some themselves.
If Shen Junru takes all the potatoes away, it will probably take another two or three years for them to become widespread.
“Well, I’ll take 400 shi, and you can keep the rest,” Shen Junru said after thinking for a moment.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Siyue immediately calculated in her mind that they would have 94 shi (a unit of dry measure) left. Xiaojia Village had 120 households, which was enough.
"Yes, thank you, Grandpa Shen." Xiao Siyue was immediately happy.
"Grandpa Shen should be thanking you for saving the lives of the people of Great Zhou," Shen Junru said with a smile.
"Yue'er, we're heading back to the capital tomorrow," Shen Junru said. They needed to get these potatoes back to the capital as soon as possible. They had brought many people with them this time, all sent by the Emperor, specifically to protect the potatoes on their way back to the capital.
"Are you going back tomorrow? Didn't you say you wanted to see the chili peppers again?" Xiao Siyue was a little reluctant to part with them, and she also wanted to present the chili peppers to the imperial court. Although chili peppers are not a staple food, they are still a good thing.
"Chili peppers!" Shen Junru thought of the warming properties of chili peppers and also wanted to wait until they were ripe to bring them back.
"Yue'er, can we go take a look?" Shen Junru suggested.
"Grandpa Shen, I'll take you there, it's not far from here." Xiao Siyue said, leading Shen Junru and the others toward the chili field.
These lands were purchased by the Xiao family last year, totaling twenty mu (approximately 1.3 hectares). Fifteen mu (approximately 1.1 hectares) were planted with chili peppers, and the rest with wheat.
Standing on the edge of the field, everyone looked out at the vast expanse of chili peppers, the lush green chili seedlings, and the bright red fruits—a truly breathtaking sight.
Shen Junru stood aside and looked at it, then said in surprise, "This plant must have dozens of fruits."
"Grandpa Shen is right, one plant can probably produce fifty or sixty fruits,"
Because three seasons have already been planted, the yield has decreased. Xiao Siyue thinks that next year she will probably only get forty or fifty fruits, but she doesn't expect the yield to drop below 30 fruits in the future.
"Fifty or sixty, that's the yield?" Shen Junru asked, looking at the large field of chili peppers.
"Grandpa Shen, the current chili pepper yield should be around 10,000 jin, but that's the weight of the wet fruit. After drying, it might only be around 1,000 jin," Xiao Siyue sighed. "Next year, it'll probably be less than 1,000 jin."
"That's a very high yield!" Shen Junru was startled when he heard the number of catties (10,000 jin).
"Yue'er, how much longer until the chili peppers are harvested?" Shen Junru asked.
"It will be ready in another half month, but after harvesting, it may need to be dried for another half month," Xiao Siyue said after thinking for a moment.
"Well then, Lord Zuo, you can keep it for now. We'll go back tomorrow," Shen Junru said, turning to Lord Zuo.
"Yes"
Lord Zuo naturally understood Shen Junru's meaning and immediately replied.
After loading the potatoes into the car, it was already close to evening. Shen Junru had a hot pot meal specially prepared by Xiao Siyue at the Xiao family's house, which further strengthened his determination to bring the chili peppers back as well. He also gave some special instructions to Lord Zuo.
The next day, before dawn, Shen Junru left the Xiao family with the gifts prepared by Xiao Siyue, satisfied, and headed to the capital.