Chapter 142: Chapter 128, Grain_1
After the Chongyang Festival, Daohua’s life returned to what it was before.
Every day after class, she would finish the homework assigned by the Shen tutor and then join her grandmother in the old lady’s courtyard to tend to the flowers and plants together.
Recently, Daohua had read several ancient books on grafting and was excited about researching flower grafting to cultivate some unique plants.
In ancient times, there weren’t many types of flowers and plants suitable for pot planting, and due to regional differences, the varieties of flora that people commonly saw were somewhat limited.
Now, the flower shops were selling common varieties, and other flower shops sold the same, too. If you wanted your flower shop to keep thriving, Daohua felt it had to be irreplaceable.
In the courtyard, Madam Yan watched Daohua recklessly pruning the flowers and felt pained, wanting to stop her. Yet, the girl insisted she was improving the plant varieties, putting the old lady in an awkward position whether to speak up or not.
“Mother, you should speak to Daohua, even though there are many plants in your courtyard, it’s still not appropriate for her to be so rough with them!”
When people paid their respects recently, they all saw Daohua with her hands covered in mud, plucking and throwing plants around in the courtyard. Even Yan Zhigao, who usually paid little attention to the backyard matters, knew that the eldest daughter was wreaking havoc in the old lady’s garden.
One evening, while the Yan family was waiting for dinner in the old lady’s courtyard, Yan Zhiyuan couldn’t help but complain to his grandmother.
This time, before the old lady could respond, the usually taciturn Yan Zhiqiang spoke up to defend Daohua.
“Daohua isn’t mistreating the plants; she is improving the plant varieties,” he said.
Yan Zhiyuan sneered, “Younger brother, I admit that Daohua has a gift for growing and caring for flowers, but to say that a young girl like her is improving plant varieties, isn’t that a bit much? It seems more like mischief to me.”
“I’m not ignorant, second brother. Over the years working alongside our eldest brother, I’ve also been to many wealthy and influential households. Those families with real heritage have specialized gardeners for their plants, and yet, have you heard anyone talk about any new varieties coming from those households?”
“Let’s not even mention other families, just take the first aristocratic family of Xingzhou City, the Zhou Family. Old Master Zhou is famously passionate about flowers, but aren’t the varieties he plants all well-known to everyone?”
After saying this, Yan Zhiyuan looked at Yan Zhigao and Madam Li with a smile.
“Big brother, sister-in-law, I know that the family’s finances have loosened up a bit this year because of watermelon sales, but I feel that we should still be frugal where we can, shouldn’t we? We can’t be wasteful,” he said.
It was Yan Zhiqiang who spoke this time to counter Yan Zhiyuan, “Second brother, all you say is true, but our Daohua has a good hand with farming. If she says she is improving the plant varieties, then she is improving them.”
As he spoke, without waiting for Yan Zhiyuan to reply, he turned to Yan Zhigao, “Big brother, the autumn grain from our farm has already been completely harvested, and I have sent the accounting books to sister-in-law.”
“I won’t say much, just that for the same mu of paddy field, common rice varieties can yield about four stones of grain, but with the rice varieties improved by Daohua, you can reap at least one more stone. With careful attention, an increase of two stones isn’t impossible.”
Upon hearing this, others in the room did not particularly react, but Yan Zhigao, who always cared about the people’s welfare, suddenly stood up, eagerly asking, “Are you telling the truth? Are you not deceiving me?”
If it weren’t for the crowd present, he would have wanted to rush forth and shake his younger brother to see if he was speaking nonsense.
Yan Zhiqiang replied, “Big brother, you can compare the accounting books from our past years with this year’s. This year, because we bought the farm late, we missed the spring plowing. Otherwise, you could see the bountiful harvest with your own eyes.”
Yan Zhigao stared intensely at Yan Zhiqiang and seeing his serious face with no signs of deceit, felt an overwhelming sense of excitement.
What is an achievement?
Ensuring that the common people have enough food and clothing is the greatest achievement and the original intent behind his role as an official.
Yan Zhigao couldn’t care less about the others present and, excitedly rubbing his hands, began pacing around the room.
Seeing this reaction, everyone was taken aback.
Maintaining his dignified demeanor as the head of the family, Yan Zhigao rarely showed his feelings openly in front of his family, so this unrestrained display of emotion was extremely rare.
“Where’s the accounting book? Hurry, bring it for me to see!”
After pacing for a while, Yan Zhigao hastily grabbed Yan Zhiqiang and asked.
Yan Zhiqiang had not expected Yan Zhigao to be so agitated, and for a moment, he was somewhat stunned.
“Third brother, come on, speak up, where is the account book?” Yan Zhigao couldn’t wait, really following his heart’s desire, he grabbed Yan Zhiqiang and shook him a few times.
At this time, the Old Madam of the Yan Family spoke, casting an annoyed look at her eldest son: “Eldest, let go of your third brother. Look at yourself now, do you appear at all like a Prefectural Governor?”
Yan Zhigao sheepishly withdrew his hand: “Mother, your son is just excited!”
Seeing her eldest son was indeed in a state of urgency, the Old Madam summoned the nanny: “Go, bring me the account book from the chest in the inner room.”
During the wait, Yan Zhiyuan couldn’t quite believe it and looked towards Yan Zhiqiang: “Third brother, I know you like the girl Daohua, but don’t lie to your elder brother just to speak up for her!”
“Bang!”
The Old Madam of the Yan Family forcefully set her teacup on the table: “Second Brother, Third Brother has never lied. Do you not know that?”
Seeing this, Yan Zhigao’s anxiety, which had been stirred by Yan Zhiyuan’s words, settled down again. With mother reacting like this, the words spoken by the third brother just now must be true.
“I…”
Yan Zhiyuan choked, just as he was about to defend himself, at that moment, the nanny came out with the account book.
Yan Zhigao eagerly took the account book, and seeing the childish handwriting on it, he was surprised: “The account book was written by Daohua?”
The Old Madam laughed, “Your daughter said that only by fully understanding the harvest from the fields can we improve the grain strains better. Since she and your Great Uncle mastered reading, she has been keeping the family accounts.”
Yan Zhigao examined the account book very carefully. It was meticulously recorded—the wet fields, dry fields, and even the yield of the barren hills and wasteland were all documented.
The more he read, the more shocked Yan Zhigao became.
The records in the account book were clearer and more detailed than those in the Governor’s Office.
There were comparisons of the yields of wet and dry fields, even comparisons of different types of grain crops, and they used a clear, comparative chart that made everything evident at a glance.
“Mother, did Daohua truly write this?” Yan Zhigao asked again, his tone laced with disbelief.
The Old Madam retorted irritably: “If not her, could it possibly be this old woman?”
Yan Zhigao turned to look at Yan Zhiqiang, who immediately nodded in confirmation.
Just at that moment, Daohua walked in. Seeing that no one in the room was speaking, she felt puzzled: “What’s going on with everyone?” Sitting down next to the Old Madam, she said, “Grandmother, I’m hungry. Isn’t it time for dinner yet?”
“Daohua, your father is asking you, did you record this account book?” Yan Zhigao held out the account book as he asked.
Upon seeing the household grain harvest record account book, Daohua’s spirit immediately perked up.
She had wanted to promote her own grain strains for more than just a day or two. The production of grain in ancient times was too low, causing many people to not have enough to eat. Blessed with a space where she could grow grains, she also wanted to do her part, so her journey to the ancient past wouldn’t be in vain.
“Yes, Father, as I was saying, the grain strains that I’ve improved are really good. When can we start promoting them in Xingzhou City?”
The experience of fleeing disaster had left a deep impression on her.
It truly was a scene of widespread starvation and endless sorrow!
She had originally thought that, having missed the spring planting this year, it wouldn’t be until next year at the earliest that the issue of grain strains would come up. She hadn’t expected happiness to arrive so suddenly.
Looking at his eldest daughter, who seemed even more excited than he was, Yan Zhigao’s mind reeled.