Chapter 231: Chapter 213: Food Protection_1
Daohua Manor.
This was a manor specifically used by Daohua for growing food crops, and among the three manors given to her by the Li Family, it was the largest one, covering nearly five thousand acres.
In the manor, Daohua had also specially had a granary built.
Upon entering the granary, Yan Wenxiu and Defu’s eyes widened.
So much wheat!
Neatly stored in one warehouse after another.
The wheat was all freshly harvested this year, each grain plump and glossy, clearly of a high-quality breed even to those unfamiliar with agriculture.
“There must be nearly twenty thousand dan of grain here, right?” Defu said excitedly.
The Governor had lost twenty thousand dan, and now they could return twenty thousand dan, so they wouldn’t have to face punishment.
Xiaoliu nodded with a smile, “Not more, not less, just right at twenty thousand dan. This year’s harvest was good, each acre yielded nearly six dan of grain. After deducting the seeds sown and the grain sold to the nearby villages, this is what’s left.”
Yan Wenxiu’s expression changed, “Six dan per acre?”
Xiaoliu nodded again, “Yes, but this is because the fields on the estate are fertile. For the other villagers’ fields, they can only get a little more than five dan.”
Defu quickly said, “That’s already very good. As far as I know, an output of over five dan per acre is only possible in the southern regions with abundant rainfall. It’s really great to have such a high yield in the north.”
Xiaoliu chuckled. He clearly remembered that when he first discussed the yield per acre with the young lady, she was not satisfied and said that in the future, she wanted to cultivate grains with even higher yields.
Of course, this was not something he would reveal to outsiders.
Defu looked at Yan Wenxiu, “Eldest Young Master, let’s start transporting now. The sooner we deliver it to Fenxi, the sooner the master will be at ease.”
Yan Wenxiu nodded.
Watching bag after bag of wheat seeds being loaded onto the horse-drawn carts, the anxiety in Defu’s heart gradually settled.
Compared to the increasing smiles on Defu’s face, Xiaoliu watched the granaries he had worked so hard to fill gradually empty, and it felt like a punch to the gut.
“By the way, my lord, Defu, have you arranged for enough people to transport the grain seeds? Please don’t let them be lost again.”
Defu said with a smile, “Don’t worry. I’ve already informed Commander Shen. This time, he will personally oversee the escort. The Jinling Guard who are close to the master will also follow, and once we arrive in Fenxi, the soldiers under the Governor will come to meet us to ensure the grain reaches the people of Fenxi.”
Hearing this, Xiaoliu did not say anything more.
true enough, once all the grain had been loaded into the carts, a troop of soldiers in armor and carrying long sabers arrived outside the manor.
Xiaoliu took a look and noticed that there were many soldiers, each one appearing to be quite capable, which finally put his mind at ease.
…
By the time Yan Wenxiu and the others returned to the Yan Residence, it was already afternoon. Commander Shen and the soldiers escorting the grain were at the port and did not enter the city.
Hearing that they had collected twenty thousand dan of grain, Xiao Yeyang was very excited and happy. He looked at Daohua, wanting to say something, but as the words reached his lips, he felt they would be too trite, so he swallowed them back down.
“I need to accompany the grain convoy to the provincial capital, so I’m leaving now,” he said.
Daohua thought for a moment and then said, “I saw you didn’t eat much at noon. Wait a minute, I’ll get you some food for the road.” Then, turning to Yan Wenxiu, she asked, “Big brother, are you also going?”
“I…”
Yan Wenxiu looked at Xiao Yeyang. To be honest, his return this time was to help collect the grain seeds. Now that the issue of the grain was resolved, the Little Prince no longer needed his help.
Xiao Yeyang glanced at Yan Wenxiu and after thinking for a moment said, “He will go too. Once at Wuhua Mountain, pick up Wenkai and the others. The Commandant Office has several of my uncle’s men. Whether it’s horsemanship, archery, or physical prowess, they are all exceptionally good. It’s a good opportunity for them to meet.”
Yan Wenxiu’s spirits lifted. What was the Yan Family lacking? Solid foundations and connections. Now that the Little Prince was willing to introduce them, that was more than they could ask for.
Daohua nodded, “Alright, you guys wait here; I’ll get some more food.”
Concerned that Xiao Yeyang had been waiting for a long time, Yan Wenxiu said, “There’s no need, right?”
Daohua replied, “Don’t worry, it won’t take much time,” and then, she turned and ran off.
Xiao Yeyang smiled, “After all, it’s a kind gesture from Daohua, so let’s wait a bit. We’re not in a hurry for this moment.”
Soon, Daohua came back carrying a porcelain jar, “You’re really lucky, this is a Chinese yam and black rice nourishing porridge that I especially made for Grandmother. It has a lot of good stuff in it. After you board the ship, you two split it and eat.” As she spoke, she passed the porcelain jar over.
Daohua’s hand was reaching towards Yan Wenxiu, who was also preparing to take it, but Xiao Yeyang beat him to it, taking the jar into his own hands.
Seeing his protective attitude towards the food, Daohua laughed, “I’m telling you, you can’t eat it all yourself. You have to share half with my brother. He’s so thin; he really needs to nourish himself. Alright, you should go now; don’t delay delivering the grain seeds.”
Xiao Yeyang glanced at Daohua, picked up the porcelain jar with Yan Wenxiu and De Fu, and walked away.
…
After boarding the ship, Yan Wenxiu sat in the cabin waiting for Xiao Yeyang to share the black rice porridge. However, after waiting for quite a while, there was no movement from him.
No way, the Little Prince wouldn’t really be thinking of eating all by himself, would he?
Considering this, the corner of Yan Wenxiu’s mouth twitched, and with an indifferent face, he asked, “Little Prince, aren’t you hungry?”
Xiao Yeyang glanced at Yan Wenxiu and said disdainfully, “Look at you, making a fuss over just some porridge—is it really worth all this concern?”
Yan Wenxiu fell silent.
It wasn’t ordinary porridge; it was porridge made by his eldest sister for Grandmother, surely it tasted very good.
He remembered once when he was paying respects to Grandmother, he happened upon her eating Chinese yam and red date porridge that his elder sister had made specially for her. Grandmother gave him half a bowl to try, and the taste was incredibly good—he still remembered it to this day.
“…I didn’t eat lunch.”
After saying this and seeing that Xiao Yeyang still had no intention of sharing the porridge, he had to resort to tough measures, “My fourth brother loves the food made by Elder Sister the most. When he arrives later, he will surely pester you for some.”
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yeyang finally frowned and thought of Yan Wenkai, that gluttonous eater. He felt it was better to eat the porridge quickly.
So, while instructing De Fu to get some bowls and utensils, he looked at Yan Wenxiu unsatisfied, “You just said you didn’t want any, and now you want some, which is really…” He shook his head in disdain and left it at that.
As for Yan Wenxiu, he didn’t respond, as his goal was simply to eat the porridge.
Having been associated with the Little Prince for such a long time, though he wasn’t as uninhibited as his fourth brother, he wasn’t too restrained either.
De Fu quickly brought over the bowls and utensils.
Only then did Xiao Yeyang open the porcelain jar.
As soon as he opened it, the rich aroma wafted out.
“Gurgle gurgle~”
De Fu immediately started to salivate.
How he wanted to eat it!
But he knew it was impossible.
His master didn’t seem inclined to share even with Young Master Yan, let alone with him.
“Er…”
Looking at the half bowl of black rice porridge pushed in front of him, Yan Wenxiu was speechless. He hadn’t expected the Little Prince to be such a food-possessive person.