mtl008 Chapter 162 The Rice is Finally Ripe
Chapter 162 The Rice is Finally Ripe
After everyone was seated, the servant had already served a cup of tea to everyone present.
Ouyang Ming couldn't wait to pick up the teacup, first bringing it close to his nose to take a sniff, then praising it profusely, "Hmm~ Good tea! This tea is fragrant and has a sweet aftertaste. It's truly top-quality!"
As he spoke, he squinted his eyes in satisfaction and savored the taste.
Wang Xinyao smiled slightly and asked softly, "You two gentlemen have come to visit me today. I believe you have something important to discuss?"
Hearing this, Luo Qing calmed himself down, cleared his throat, and talked about the recent severe floods that had hit other states and counties, leaving the people homeless and suffering terribly.
Wang Xinyao listened quietly, and when she learned the details of the disaster, her heart felt heavy.
She remembered that because of the plague, she had made preparations in advance and purchased a large amount of land in the eight towns of Nanhu County.
Now that I think about it, the crops grown in these fields can be used to resettle the disaster-stricken people and help them overcome their difficulties.
Ouyang Ming slowly stood up again with a sincere look on his face.
He bowed to Wang Xinyao and said, "After the rice harvest is complete, I wonder if Miss Wang would be willing to sell some of the grain to the imperial court?"
Wang Xinyao frowned slightly and fell into a brief moment of contemplation.
After a while, she gently opened her red lips and replied, "Of course there is no problem, and the price of this grain can be calculated according to the current market price."
After hearing these words, the big stone in Ouyang Ming's heart finally fell to the ground, and he couldn't help but be overjoyed.
You know, this batch of grain is of vital importance to the imperial court and is a must-buy material.
Before, he had always been worried that Wang Xinyao would take the opportunity to ask for an exorbitant price!
Seeing that the other party was so reasonable, Ouyang Ming became excited: "Miss Wang, you really understand the righteousness..."
Wang Xinyao spoke again, "Sir, in addition to this, I am willing to donate 2,000 dan of rice to the disaster area."
Ouyang Ming and Luo Qing were both shocked and grateful when they heard this.
"Two thousand shi? That's so much!" Ouyang Ming hurriedly bowed and said, "Miss Wang, this is truly a kind-hearted act. The victims will surely be grateful to you."
Wang Xinyao waved her hand and smiled faintly, "I'm only trying my best. I'll need your help with the transportation."
Luo Qing hurriedly said, "Don't worry, Miss Wang, we will take care of this matter properly."
Wang Xinyao saw Luo Qing and Ouyang Ping's words and actions and guessed that they had not told Prime Minister Ouyang about Zhao Haoxuan's matter, which made her feel relieved.
Three days later, the sun was shining brightly and a gentle breeze was blowing across the land. Eunuch Xu arrived at Xiejia Village in his carriage.
After the papermaking workshop in Xiejia Village became prosperous, Chen Fengjiao opened a restaurant in Xiejia Village for merchants to stay.
Especially when the rape flowers bloom, they attract many scholars and the restaurant business is very booming.
This made Third Aunt Liu Dongxiang laugh out loud, and she kept telling everyone that Erxiong's daughter-in-law was really capable!
Eunuch Xu walked into the restaurant with steady steps. He smiled and greeted Chen Fengjiao at the counter, "Boss, I'd like to rent a room here."
As he spoke, he waved his right hand lightly, and a silver ingot fell on the counter.
Chen Fengjiao looked up at the sound and replied apologetically, "It's unfortunate, sir. The upper rooms are full, and now there's only one ordinary room on the second floor that's vacant. However, I'm keeping this for entertaining my relatives, so... I'm really sorry!" As she spoke, she slowly pushed the silver ingot that she had just placed on the counter back to Eunuch Xu.
Eunuch Xu couldn't help but frown slightly when he heard this, feeling a little dissatisfied.
He originally thought that he could stay in a comfortable upper room and have a good rest, but he didn't expect that there would be no rooms available.
However, this place is still quite a distance away from Ping'an Town, and it may not be easy to find another place to live now.
So, after a brief thought, he took out another fifty taels of silver from his pocket and handed it to Chen Fengjiao.
Eunuch Xu said firmly, "Boss, how about this? Take these fifty taels of silver, and I'll take this house."
Chen Fengjiao lowered her head and quickly glanced at the silver, with a hint of hesitation clearly revealed in her eyes.
This is not a small amount of money. For a small business owner like her, it is really hard to refuse. After all, these fifty taels can build a restaurant.
After a moment's silence, she finally nodded and said, "Well, since you insist, I'll have to make an exception. Please follow me!"
After saying that, she turned around and walked towards the stairs with Eunuch Xu.
After Xu Gongan put his luggage away, he took a short rest and then slowly went downstairs to enjoy a sumptuous meal.
It was dinner time, and the restaurant was bustling with people.
He found an empty seat and sat down. Just as he was about to order, he heard several guests at the next table talking about Wang Xinyao's plan to donate a large amount of food to help the disaster-stricken people.
He thought to himself that no matter what, he had to secretly investigate this extraordinary woman.
After dinner, he went to his room to rest and suddenly found that from the window of this room, he could clearly see the pedestrians coming in and out of Wang Xinyao's house.
This would be very helpful for him to keep an eye on Wang Xinyao's family. It seems that renting this house is worth it...
Time passed quickly, and before we knew it, several days had passed. At this moment, the rice finally reached maturity!
In Zhangjia Village, the fields are golden, and the fields seem to be covered by a layer of golden silk, presenting a magnificent golden scene.
Zhang Shuisheng stood in this golden ocean, his face filled with irrepressible joy, and was enthusiastically directing the villagers to harvest crops in full swing.
Zhang Shuisheng has always made a living by growing rice. It can be said that he has a deep emotional bond with this land.
However, after years of hard work, he has never seen such a bumper harvest as this year.
Each ear of rice is full of grains, hanging its head heavily, as if showing people its abundant harvest.
If you look closely, you can't even find a shriveled grain. Such a bountiful harvest scene is truly amazing.
It is estimated that this rice harvest is twenty times higher than before!
Looking back on those difficult years in the past, he wished that the millet he planted back then could have achieved one-tenth of its current yield.
Maybe his poor father would not have died of hunger.
Or perhaps, his beloved wife would not have passed away early because she had no money to treat her illness.
Thinking of this, Zhang Shuisheng couldn't help but feel deeply moved, with tears in his eyes.