Chapter 303
Chapter 303
Five days ago, Jiang Yunsui had asked Ji Yan’an to bring Snow-Treader over so it could have a bath and its coat brushed.
To everyone’s surprise, Snow-Treader had wandered into the rear courtyard and fallen hopelessly in love with Little White at first sight.
After that, it no longer waited for anyone to bring it over. Snow-Treader arrived at the mansion on its own every day, right on time.
Since Little White had been brought along for today’s trip to the estate, Snow-Treader naturally followed.
Lately, everyone had watched Snow-Treader strut around Little White like a peacock spreading its tail. Even the children knew it wanted Little White as its mate.
Snow-Treader also found Ji Yan’an, who was riding on Little White’s back, extremely irritating.
Ji Yan’an said, “If you dare spray your slobber on me, you will never be allowed through the gates to see Little White again.”
Seeing that Snow-Treader was about to snort in protest, Ji Yan’an delivered the threat in an icy voice.
Snow-Treader: …
It tossed its head and flicked its tail with exceptional grace. It would not stoop to arguing with this two-legged human.
At the estate, everyone was hard at work.
Rice was grown here, but there was even more wheat.
It was now time to transplant the rice seedlings.
Following Jiang Yunsui’s instructions, they had started the rice seedlings by soaking the seeds in warm water. Once the seeds sprouted, they scattered them evenly across prepared rectangular nursery beds.
Afterward, they used a sieve to sift the soil until it was fine and loose, spread a thin layer over the seeds, and built a small shelter from oiled paper.
The temperature inside the shelter was just right for the rice seedlings to grow.
By now, the seedlings were almost ready. The shelter had been removed, revealing lush green rice shoots a little taller than a person’s hand. At that height, they could be transplanted into the paddies, where their roots would take hold in the soil and grow better.
Everyone was busy in the paddies. Some carried bundles of seedlings to the edge of the fields, while others stood in the water, planting the shoots one by one.
Ji Yan’an and Jiang Yunsui stood on the bank with the others and watched.
“So this is how rice is grown.”
Many members of the Ji Family were seeing rice cultivation for the first time.
They watched with curiosity, but none had any intention of going down to try it for themselves.
For one thing, there were bugs in the water, especially bloodsucking leeches. Those things were disgusting, and the Ji women were mistresses of their households in this age. There was no reason to put themselves through such misery.
For another, entering the water meant going barefoot and rolling one’s trousers up high enough to expose a great deal of skin. The Ji women could never accept that.
For women raised from childhood to be noble ladies, it was simply too much.
Jiang Yunsui was eager to try, but Ji Yan’an held her back.
“I don’t want to bring home a little monkey covered in mud.”
There was no need to wonder. If Jiang Yunsui went down there, she would come back covered head to toe in mud, too filthy to look at.
Jiang Yunsui pouted. “Hmph. Fine, I won’t go. I can plant sweet potatoes, though, right?”
Planting sweet potatoes did not require wading into a paddy, but it would still dirty their hands.
Old Madam Ji took the women of the Ji Family to try that instead.
“Do not complain about the dirt. Everything we eat grows from the earth. There is nothing dirty about soil.”
She changed into a short, practical outfit. When the others saw her, they naturally dressed the same way.
“Everyone should try. I do not expect you all to farm for a living someday, but you should at least know how it is done.”
Second Aunt muttered reluctantly, “Is that not what servants are for? Why must we do it ourselves?”
Under the guidance of a farm woman, Old Madam Ji had already planted a sweet potato seedling.
“Then tell me this. If Yan’an had not still been there for the Ji Family during our recent crisis, what do you think would have become of us?”
Without waiting for an answer, Old Madam Ji continued.
“Once we had completely lost our usefulness to the emperor – or once enough time had passed – he would have found some convenient crime to pin on the Ji Family. We might not have died, but exile would have been inevitable.
“A better outcome would have been for this old woman to sacrifice everything the Ji Family possessed and take all of you away from the Capital City, back to the family’s country home. But how difficult would it have been for a group of women like us to settle there? Feeding ourselves alone would have been a challenge, and farming would have been unavoidable.
“The Ji Family was fortunate. Yan’an supported us, so we did not collapse completely. But this crisis was a warning. We cannot devote ourselves solely to elegant pursuits that serve little purpose. Farming may be tiring and dirty, but it keeps people alive.
“From now on, every child of the Ji Family must experience farming. Even if they never depend on it for a living, they must know how crops are grown and what these different seedlings are.
“After all, no one can guarantee that a family will prosper forever.”
The women of the Ji Family fell silent.
Liu Huan was the first to roll up her sleeves.
“Grandmother is right.”
The others exchanged glances. Thinking back on the Ji Family’s recent crisis left them frightened even now.
They stopped complaining and joined in the planting.
Of course, some remained extremely reluctant.
Second Aunt thought Old Madam Ji was worrying far too much.
Was the Ji Family not doing perfectly well now?
She glanced over and saw that her granddaughter had already run to the little Jiang girl and started planting beside her.
Ji Yan’an had also changed into a practical short outfit and entered the field to try planting sweet potatoes.
But none of them had ever farmed before. Their bodies had always been pampered, and in less time than it would take an incense stick to burn down, they began to tire.
Eldest Aunt wiped the beads of sweat on her forehead with the back of her hand.
“I never knew farming was truly this exhausting.”
The others all nodded.
“As I recall, one mu of rice paddies only yields around two shi of grain. After taxes, how much food can a family possibly have left?”
They planted at an unhurried pace and began discussing the matter.
Eldest Aunt, Third Aunt, and Ji Yan’an’s eldest sister-in-law, Liu Huan, had all been raised to manage large households. Whatever else might be said of them, they were competent at arithmetic.
They did the calculations, and the result left them speechless.
“A family must have at least three or four members. If they can keep even one shi from a mu of land, that would already be fortunate. Yet one person cannot live on a single shi of grain for an entire year, can they?”
“Fine rice can be traded for coarse grain, which is cheaper, but even then, it cannot be easy for a family to fill their stomachs.”
Now they had personally experienced both the hardship of farming and the difficulties faced by ordinary people.
Ji Yan’an said, “Mobei is in a much better position now that we have sweet potatoes.”
“Sweet potatoes have a high yield. One mu of land can produce seven or eight shi. They may become cloying if eaten too often, but they fill the stomach. At least no one will starve to death.”
Old Madam Ji looked at the tiny sweet potato seedling in her hand.
“Such a small sprout will produce so much food one day. That makes the hard work worthwhile.”
Before they knew it, their conversation had turned to matters of the people’s livelihood.
Jiang Yunsui and Ji Yang listened for a while, then leaned their little heads together and began whispering.
Jiang Yunsui said, “Let me tell you, there are different kinds of sweet potatoes. The ones with red flesh are soft, sticky, and the sweetest. The white-fleshed ones do not taste as good, but they have lots of starch, so they are great for making sweet potato noodles. Horses and pigs love eating them too. There is also a kind with purple skin. Once roasted, it tastes like chestnuts, a little dry and floury.”
Ji Yang’s eyes sparkled. She had never known any of that!
Jiang Yunsui said, “When the sweet potatoes are ready, I’ll have Fat Chef roast some for us.”
Ji Yang nodded. “All right!”