"Okay, okay!" Shen Dezhong smiled and looked at the golden rice wave in front of him, with a look even happier than the owner, Shen Yanbei.
"The sun is scorching. Uncle Zhong, let's go over there." Just standing under the sun for less than a moment could make them feel so hot.
Shen Dezhong smiled and nodded, following Shen Yanbei to the side of the shade of the tree.
"The fish have all gone to the ditch?" When the rice was about to be harvested, the water in the field had to be drained. Apart from being convenient to harvest rice, it could accelerate the maturity of rice. Since there were fishes on Shen Yanbei's rice field, the fish would have to be moved.
"Yes." After deciding to raise fish at the beginning, he specifically instructed Uncle Xu to dig the ditches of the ridges, so that they could raise fish in the ditches while drying the fields.
Admired by Shen Yanbei's detailed plan, Shen Dezhong said happily, "The weather is good these few days. Once the rice is harvested, it has to be dried and put away." Because Shen Yanbei was a Xiùcái, he didn't have to pay taxes. So these grains of rice could enter the warehouse directly.
"I know." Shen Yanbei replied. Because he had no grain at home before, the grains that he bought outside were all the coarse grains. So he had to save some of these grains and grind some of them to eat. The peasants here had worked hard for a year and still had to pay taxes. So they didn't have much rice left. The white rice that was milled out was usually reserved for New Year's Eve and New Year holidays. They rarely eat large white rice on weekdays. But he had eaten white rice for more than 20 years. Although coarse grain rice could be accepted, the taste was not good. Now his family was not short of money or food, so he didn't need to make himself suffer.
Shen Dezhong stroked his beard and felt relieved. Thinking of the villagers' request, the joy on his face faded, and he looked at Shen Yanbei a little hesitantly.
Seeing that he was hesitant to speak, Shen Yanbei raised his eyebrows. "What's wrong Uncle Zhong?"
Shen Dezhong tentatively asked, "Yanbei, your method of breeding fish, rice, and duck together now seems feasible. Have you ever thought about expanding the scale of farming? Have you thought about buying land?" When Shen's Family was at its peak, there were hundreds of acres of fertile land. They were a famous landlord in these ten miles and eight townships! Now there were only ten acres of farmland left, he didn’t know if Shen Yanbei had the idea of restoring the glory of the Shen's Family.
"Of course. Buy some more to round up." The restaurant now received several hundred taels a month. Besides the money being kept, it was also a good idea to invest it somewhere.
"It's good to buy land, it's good to buy land! You can exempt 80 mu of land tax under your name. You won't regret it!" Shen Dezhong breathed a sigh of relief.
Shen Yanbei was puzzled. Intuitively, what Shen Dezhong wants to say was probably related to his exemption of 80 mu of land tax.
"Some people in the village saw that your harvest is good this year, so they also think of it. They want to put the land under your name, so they can raise fish, rice, and duck together like you..." Shen Dezhong was a bit embarrassed to say it. Although this idea did not harm Shen Yanbei's interests, it still made people feel uncomfortable. Moreover, Shen Yanbei had a self-respecting temperament in the past, so the villagers were a bit afraid to speak up!
Shen Yanbei was taken aback and then shook his head. "I can teach them the method of raising fish, rice, and duck together, but you can't put the land under my name." Inequality rather than want was the cause of the trouble. All from the same village. If he helped some people who weren't his direct blood relative to avoid taxes, it might make other villagers inevitably feel that he treats them differently.
Shen Dezhong nodded and said firmly, "I'll tell them when I go back and let them give up. Don't worry, the villagers don't want to take advantage of you, they just came up with this method because they are desperate."
Shen Yanbei understood that as the village head, all his decisions should be considered for the sake of the villagers. It was just that... was someone in the village already in such a difficult situation?
Shen Dezhong explained: "There is a family that was originally poor, and both father and mother were in poor health. To make more money, the man ran the boat outside. But the boat sank a while ago and no one was left..."
After getting the economic situation of the people in Shenjia Village from Shen Dezhong, he said, "Whoever wants to raise fish, rice, and duck together in the second half of the year, I will teach everyone how. Besides, I will purchase a large amount of bean curd, more varieties of radish, and Chinese cabbage at the market price."
His peppers had grown well, and it would be harvested in the second half of the year. By then, they could pickle hot and sour vegetables. This area was near the river, and boats were going north from the dock in the county seat. After his restaurant launched the capers dish, many businessmen from north to the south would come to order. The journey to the north was far away, and the waterway was not like land, which had to be frequently recharged. The ship needed to prepare food that could be stored for a long time, so pickled vegetables and meat were very popular among the boaters. A savvy businessman smelled the business opportunity and had ordered hundreds of capers from him early. When the hot and sour pickles were launched, he believed that more people would look for him to order!
Knowing that Shen Yanbei intended to help everyone, Shen Dezhong said gratefully, "Okay, I'll talk to everyone after this!"
Shen Yanbei smiled. This move could be regarded as killing two birds with one stone, that was, it solved the problem of the source of his pickles, and it also helped the villagers. But if the villagers really wanted to make a fortune, it depended on their effort and brave to do it!
The paddy was bowing because of the heavy golden rice grains. The man who harvests the rice held a sickle and grabbed a handful of rice stalks with the left hand. Raising his head and wiping the sweat from his forehead, Uncle Xu looked at the golden ground and his eyes were full of admiration. In the beginning, he thought that Shen Yanbei's farming of fish in the fields was a careless decision, but the facts proved that this Master Xiucai was far-sighted! In the past few days, he had helped harvest a lot of people’s rice. But only Shen Yanbei’s rice had the best quality and was predicted to have the highest yield!
Eight acres of rice were harvested in less than two days, which made everyone in Shenjia Village shocked. Generally other people harvested four hundred catties per mu, but Shen Yanbei's rice had reached eight hundred catties. This harvest was so terrifying!
The result was actually doubled!
Shen Yanbei was quite satisfied with this number. In modern times, the average yield per mu of land was about 800, in kilograms! But in ancient times, conditions were limited. Without pesticides and fertilizers, the land he planted actually could yield half of the modern per mu, which exceeded his expectations!
Shenjia Village was boiling! People with paddy fields came to ask Shen Yanbei how to farm the land. Shen Yanbei didn't hide his personal information, he explained in detail and passed on his experience on the spot. When the next season of rice was planted, the rice fields of the villagers in Shenjia Village were all surrounded by fishing nets.
Shen Dezhong was a little worried. It looked like all the villagers were in the battle. Everyone was farming according to a unified pattern. It was a good thing to increase production, but when the time came, the fish and ducks would increase sharply. How could this be sold?
"It's okay, if the villagers can't sell it, they can sell it to me." Shen Yanbei said with a generous and honest voice. His ducks were currently selling very hot in Tongfu Restaurant because nobody else before him ever sold the roast duck!
The roast duck had a strong smell, and the scent spread to the surroundings, which attracted everyone nearby. Because there were some breeding ducks and female ducks that laid eggs, the restaurant only sold five roast ducks a day on a first-come, first-served basis. In the future, if the villagers sold the ducks to him, he could offer even more menus!
As for fish, if peppers had grown a lot, whether it was sauerkraut fish, boiled fish, chopped pepper fish head, and other dishes would greatly drive fish sales!
With Shen Yanbei's words, Shen Dezhong was completely relieved. Tongfu Restaurant was now the best and most popular restaurant in the county. People came for breakfast and dinner every day, and the employees were often unable to sit down. For this reason, it also served the delivery service. This method was really manageable!
After collecting millet and selling ducks, Shen Yanbei was happy in his heart so he wanted to make a delicious meal. In modern hot summer, one of the things that people liked to do most was to eat barbecue and drink cold beer. Even though there was no beer here, making a barbecue with mung bean syrup was still quite good. In the evening, Shen Yanbei took out the iron grid made by the blacksmith and put it on the charcoal fire. The meat and vegetable skewers made of long bamboo were put on the table.
This way of eating was quite fresh. The teenagers were full of enthusiasm and each took their favorite meat skewers and grilled them on the iron net.
"First brush the oil on the chicken wings, then turn it to one side to the other side..." Shen Yanbei held a small brush to demonstrate to a few people. The oil dripping on the chicken wings fell on the charcoal fire, which made the white smoke come out. The smoke brought the aroma of the barbecue mixed with the heat of the charcoal fire.
"It's fun!" Su Qingze's eyes were bright, he brushed his corn with oil, and asked curiously, "Shen Dàgē, how do you know so many ways to make food?"
"Food is the most important thing for the people." Shen Yanbei hid the source, raising his hand to brush Gu Changfeng's chicken wings with cumin. "If you like to bake it yourself, you have to be careful!" After speaking, he handed the grilled chicken wings to Gu Changfeng.
The outer skin of the chicken wings was roasted brown, brightly colored, and exuding an incomparably alluring aroma. A gust of wind blew, dots of sparks on the charcoal fire were flying, and the rich aroma of the barbecue was blowing into the distance.
Gu Changfeng's quiet black eyes smiled. When he picked up the chicken wings and was about to eat, a strange feeling suddenly surged in his heart. He frowned slightly and raised his head. His puzzled gaze crossed the fence and landed on the big tree outside the yard. The tree was very tall, with dense leaves on the thick trunk, like a large emerald green umbrella. For a moment, he seemed to feel a hot gaze staring at his chicken wings...
"What's the matter?" Shen Yanbei asked with a smile.
The strange feeling in his heart dissipated suddenly, and Gu Changfeng shook his head.
It should be an illusion...
"It's delicious!" Su Qingze was moved and sad. "What should I do if I can't eat these so many delicious things when I return to Qinghe in the future?" He had been away from home for a few months. Seeing the Mid-Autumn Festival was approaching, his parents had sent him a letter urging him to go back for the holiday.
"Don't just worry about eating. Remember to measure the consumption after returning to your house." Shen Yanbei warned.
Su Qingze nodded. Shen Yanbei's eating control was very strict but not harsh. He would not be prohibited from eating meat or fish, but he still had to move more after eating. Now he had reduced his appetite a low, and he had also developed the habit of exercising every day.
Looking at Gu Changfeng's tall and sturdy body, Su Qingze was full of confidence. As long as he persevered, one day he would become as strong as Gu Dàgē!
But……
"Shen Dàgē, I think you should open the branch restaurant at Qinghe!" Su Qingze said earnestly. "There are many wealthy people in Qinghe. Everyone is quite picky in eating. The dishes at Tongfu Restaurant can definitely satisfy them. Besides, Shen Dàgē will go to Qinghe to participate in the autumn imperial examination next year, so he can also get familiar with the environment at the same time!"
Hearing this, Gu Changfeng looked straight at Shen Yanbei, but Shen Yanbei did not change his color face. "This is a good idea, I'll think about it."
"Shen Dàgē, you must think about it! I have to go back to Qinghe in a few days, but I don't know if I will come again." Su Qingze was a little melancholy.
Ming'an quickly comforted. "Young Master, let's go back first so that we don't need to be watched by someone! You also can let lǎoyé and fūrén see you and make them feel at ease. Wait until the end of the year if you want to come again."
Gu Changfeng frowned. "Who is watching you?"
Ming'an calmly said, "There is a woman named Lin Wanru who has been staring at my young master recently. We can meet her wherever we go! It's so annoying!"
Su Qingze brushed oil on his shrimp skewers, and said indifferently, "I didn't know what she wanted to do before, until one day she told me in private that the Juren of Lijia Village admired me very much. She inquired about my preferences so he could send me gifts to please me..."
"I pooh! How come there is such a shameless person? That Li Juren is in his 30s, right? It's a toad who wants to eat swan meat!" Zhou Yu's eyes were full of contempt.
Shen Yanbei twisted his eyebrows. "What does he want to do?"
"I don't know." Su Qingze said without taking it to heart, grilling the shrimp on the iron net.
"It may be because of the school's problems," Gu Changfeng said solemnly.
Several people were startled, then they all understood.
"It's disgusting!" Zhou Yu was angry.
Su Qingze turned the shrimp to the other side and grilled. "I have told my brother-in-law about this, and my brother-in-law will take care of it."
Shen Yanbei and Gu Changfeng looked at each other, Gu Changfeng's eyes were firm and slightly cold. Shen Yanbei said, "After you return to Qinghe, please find a place for me. We plan to open a branch in Qinghe."
Su Qingze was overjoyed. "Really?"
Shen Yanbei smiled: "If the time comes, and you find it, we'll go and take a look first..."
"Great!"
...
As several people talked, the meat on the iron rack was grilled one after another, and the aroma became more fragrant after being sprinkled with cumin or salt and pepper. Just as a few people were talking and laughing and eating meat, a black shadow quickly flashed out of the big tree outside the yard.
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