gnovel Chapter 8 Divine Skill!
Chapter 8 Divine Skill!
"Sir, how many paddy fields are there on that plot of land?"
"500 mu."
Rice is the most valuable grain, but rice cultivation technology in Northeast China is not yet mature, so even Yu Wendou did not dare to invest too much.
Lu Xingzhou explained his plan:
"With spring plowing just around the corner, there's no rush to clear land. If the enclosure is big enough, I plan to plant all 2200 mu of dry land."
There is also the concept of crop rotation and fallow on normal land. Leaving the land fallow for three years can improve soil fertility, and a little tidying up will not delay spring planting.
"As for the paddy fields, if they can be cleared by the end of April, we can plant rice seedlings there without delay. If they can't be cleared, we'll have to wait until next year."
The Yu family's business, "Fengjuchang," mainly dealt in essential goods such as grain, salt, and oil mills, and also owned millions of acres of farmland. Yu Wendou was naturally skilled in agriculture.
Previously, he had worried that Lu Xingzhou was pretending to know what he was talking about and had opened up 13 mu of land in one go, but now he stroked his beard in agreement and took the opportunity to introduce the situation of the enclosure:
"The enclosure has seven main rooms, which is enough for you and your niece-in-law to live in. There are 18 rooms in the east and west wings and 8 rooms in the rear building, all of which are large communal sleeping areas. Two hundred farmhands can also sleep there, so farming more than two thousand acres of land is no problem."
That enclosure wasn't built for personal residence; it was more like a dormitory for the farmhands than a separate building.
After some deliberation, Lu Xingzhou realized that if they didn't clear the land in the first half of the year, they wouldn't need so much labor, so he made a special request.
"I know the dangers of reclaiming land at the source of the Liao River, so the wages for long-term laborers can be increased by 5% above the market price, but I have one condition."
"No solo runners, only those with families. I'll cover all their food and drink expenses."
Yu Wendou frowned: "Is this... too much pressure?"
If the farmhands really brought their families along, it would greatly reduce the difficulty for him to recruit workers for Lu Xingzhou, but he was somewhat worried about Lu Xingzhou's balance of income and expenditure.
Wages are secondary; food and lodging are the biggest expenses.
Lu Xingzhou remained silent.
Thinking that even without other family assets, 24 silver dollars would be enough to keep him busy for several years, Yu Wendou stopped asking questions.
"With your request, the wages don't need to be increased at all. Even if they were reduced by 50%, there would still be plenty of people willing to work for you. However, in that case, the 26 rooms can only accommodate a maximum of 5 strong laborers, so I'll have to provide you with more large livestock."
The farmhands' wages weren't used for literary debates, but the livestock required his money. However, Grandpa Yu was wealthy and didn't need these meager sums.
They instructed the steward to make preparations, and the uncle and nephew chatted until evening before resuming their feast.
Preparations were rushed during the day, but this evening's meal is the proper welcome feast.
Yu Wendou, who grew increasingly fond of Lu Xingzhou, even called his second son, Yu Fengzhu, who had returned from the business, and his youngest daughter, Yu Fengzhi, who had been studying in the backyard during the day, to meet and get to know them.
Yu Fengzhu, at forty, is a handsome middle-aged man, but his slightly balding head detracts slightly from his good looks. However, Yu Fengzhi, at fourteen, was already incredibly cute.
The little girl in the "Liu Xigua" template is completely different from the historical figure. She is very pretty and charming. I wonder if she will look like Zhu Kaishan's daughter Xian'er when she grows up.
The brother and sister are quite far apart in age and have very different personalities.
Yu Fengzhu was honest and taciturn, while Yu Fengzhi was lively and talkative. Both were very proper in their dealings with others, which shows that Yu Fengzhu's upbringing was far superior to that of Zhang Dashuai.
After a few rounds of drinks, Yu Wendou, who had drunk a couple more cups while chatting animatedly, suddenly started coughing violently without warning.
"Cough cough cough~ cough cough~ cough cough cough!"
After a long period of comforting from the Yu siblings, Yu Wendou, whose cough had just stopped, seemed to understand something.
He pulled Yu Fengzhu and Lu Xingzhou's hands together, his face showing a look of melancholy.
"Fengzhi and her husband are still young. I hope that you two brothers will love and care for each other and visit each other often!"
Looking at her frail and elderly father, Yu Fengzhu choked back tears, her eyes red: "Father, I... I remember!"
"uncle!"
Lu Xingzhou, who understood the old man's unspoken meaning, was truly flattered.
Yu Fengzhi, who didn't understand what her father was saying but could sense his low spirits, quickly tried to coax the old man into being happy.
"Dad, what are you saying! So what if I'm young? Does being young mean I can't associate with Brother Lu? What kind of logic is that?! Are you being biased?"
Yu Wendou composed himself and laughed loudly, "Hahaha~ Yes, of course! Dad was drunk and misspoke. You two should visit each other more often in the future! Cough cough cough~~"
Another bout of violent coughing brought the banquet to an abrupt halt.
The brother and sister helped Yu Wendou back to his room to rest.
Looking at the old man's thin back, knowing that he didn't have many years left to live, Lu Xingzhou thought for a moment and decided not to intervene.
In today's world, to be able to witness a girl's grand wedding without having to endure her unhappy married life, and to avoid the torment of the Japanese invaders' heinous atrocities in Northeast China, is truly a blessed man.
With a sigh, I pushed open the door and saw Lin Fengyi, dressed in a plain, shiny cheongsam, sitting with her back to the door at the square table, propping her chin up with one hand and dozing off.
Under the flickering candlelight, the exaggerated gourd-shaped body presented a breathtaking curve, and Lu Xingzhou immediately felt his mouth go dry, banishing all his feelings of wonder.
Glug~~~
The sound of swallowing saliva woke Lin Fengyi.
She hurriedly braced herself on the edge of the table to get up. Her innate talent stretched the glossy satin so tightly that it almost burst, making Lu Xingzhou's gaze burn as if it were solid.
Lin Fengyi stayed up all night because she was worried about Lu Xingzhou's injured leg when he rescued her, so she specifically asked the servants of the Yu family for medicine for his injury.
Under his intense gaze, she picked up the medicine bottle and gauze from the table, her face flushed with shyness:
"Master~~ Fengyi, Fengyi is waiting to apply your medicine, oh~~!"
Caught off guard, she could only let out a cry of surprise before Lu Xingzhou, who was panting heavily, pulled her into his arms.
"Apply medicine? What medicine? Young master will feed you medicine!"
...
...
The Yu Mansion is a large house with three courtyards, east and west wings, and a back garden, and more than 80 rooms.
Lu Xingzhou, being a nephew, was visiting and stayed in a side room in the second courtyard. The Zhu family were guests and were temporarily staying in guest rooms in the east wing.
In Zhu Kaishan's room.
The second son, Zhu Chuanwu, is still arguing with Old Zhu because he won't let him marry Xian'er. Xian'er, who hasn't had a chance to be adopted by Old Zhu yet and whose original husband, Zhu Chuanwen, has married someone else, doesn't know how to deal with it.
They sat silently on opposite sides of the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed).
In the middle is Zhu Chuanwen's newlywed wife, Na Wen, who is caught in a dilemma.
As for the eldest son, Zhu Chuanwen, that coward, he was squatting by the fire pit with his hands in his pockets, warming himself by the fire, when he yawned and began to complain:
"Dad, what time is it? Why aren't you asleep yet? What are you staring at that broken flowerpot for? You want the peanuts to sprout overnight? Why don't you just say you want cows to fly! If you believe that, aren't you senile?!"
Zhu Kaishan glared at her, about to explode, but Na Wen, who finally had a chance to break the awkward atmosphere, quickly interrupted her father-in-law to retort to her husband:
"What nonsense are you spouting?! Our dad is just keeping his word; he doesn't lie about what he promised. What's wrong with that?!"
Seeing that his eldest daughter-in-law was reasonable, Old Zhu calmed down.
"I was in the wrong for scolding that kid first, so playing with him for a bit is my way of returning the favor. You guys can all go back to your rooms and get some sleep if you don't have anything else to do."
Knowing his temperament and what kind of person his eldest son was, Wen's mother started to chase people away.
"Listen to your father, everyone go and rest!"
After they left, Wen's mother sat down next to Old Zhu.
"My dear husband, you really believed that child's words, didn't you!"
He said he was just playing around, but once he got back to his room, he kept staring at the flowerpots. He didn't even leave for dinner. His serious demeanor couldn't fool even Wen, who had just come in.
Recalling Lu Xingzhou's expression, Zhu Kaishan nodded affirmatively.
"That kid doesn't seem like he's just talking nonsense, and I hope he really does have that ability!"
Farmers encounter countless hardships and setbacks throughout the year; a slight misstep can lead to ruin and death.
Lu Xingzhou's words about his abilities were true, and Zhu Kaishan, who had a heroic spirit in his heart, was willing to help him save thousands of families.
Wen's mother smiled after hearing this, not caring about her social status, which might fall from a wealthy merchant's wife to a poor, worn-out housewife.
Gently, she placed her hand on Old Zhu's rough, large hand and nestled close to the fire pit beside him.
As dawn broke, the couple, unable to stay awake any longer, closed their eyes one after another.
It just so happens to be such a coincidence!
The topsoil in the flowerpot stirred slightly, and six tender white sprouts, wrapped in rose-red peanut skins, visibly and resolutely pushed their way out of the soil, growing upwards and pulling out new nodes.
In less than half a minute, it grew into a new seedling with three or four delicate leaf buds!
Hook~ Hook~ Hook~~
The sun rises in the east, and the rooster crows at dawn.
Zhu Chuanwu, who was preoccupied and unable to sleep soundly, woke up without waking his older brother who shared a bed with him. He tiptoed outside, put on his cotton-padded coat, and went outside.
He asked a servant for a pot of hot tea and went straight to the old couple's room.
Although he was impulsive and reckless, and prone to holding grudges, he was actually a meticulous person. He knew that his father's stubborn nature meant he would have to stay up all night, and his mother would suffer along with him.
Getting angry is one thing, but it doesn't stop me from being filial to my parents.
She quietly pushed open the door and, sure enough, saw the elderly couple nestled together, dozing off with their backs to the door.
The temperature inside the room wasn't too low, probably because his father had added charcoal to the brazier in the middle of the night to keep the peanuts warm so they could sprout.
Otherwise, sitting like this all night would surely make me sick from the cold.
He poured a bowl of hot water and went around to the elderly couple, saying, "Mom, it's dawn now. Have a bowl of hot tea to warm yourself up."
Wen's mother groggily opened her eyes: "Oh my god, it's already daylight?! How did I fall asleep like that?!"
As Zhu Chuanwu was handing out hot tea, his gaze inadvertently swept over the flowerpot, and the bowl in his hand fell to the ground with a "crash!" and shattered into several pieces!
Hot water splashed, wetting Wen's mother's trouser leg, which made Old Zhu angry and he cursed:
"What are you doing, all rash and impulsive?"
Zhu Chuanwu's hand trembled as he pointed to the flowerpot, his eyes wide with shock at witnessing this miracle, and he stammered:
"Dad, it's true, the peanuts have really sprouted!!!"
Zhu Kaishan suddenly turned his head!
Six tender peanut seedlings stand upright in the flowerpot, looking fresh and vibrant!