Chapter 489 Opportunities are given to those who are prepared
Everyone was stunned when they saw Huo Xi taking out a large bag of seeds.
Even though Li Shimian was well-informed, he didn't understand Huo Xi's intention.
Huo Xi smiled and plucked the seeds with his hands: "These are extra seeds brought back by the fleet that went to sea. Some of them are said to be very productive. Although the world is peaceful now, food is still insufficient. Now Jiangnan, Huguang and other places
A large amount of grain is being transported north, and fields in the south of the Yangtze River are being cultivated for mulberry cultivation. I am afraid that soon even the grain eaten by the people in the south of the Yangtze River will have to be transported from Huguang and other places."
The king puts the people first, and the people put food first. Food is the most important thing in the country, and it is related to the destiny of the country.
"I learned from my grandfather's letter that you have to hand over 70% of the grain to the government every year. If you work hard for a year, you may not be able to fill your stomach with the rest. I had people collect these seeds from overseas. Grandpa
You can try various things. If you have a high yield, you can firstly provide more subsidies to your family, and secondly..."
He glanced at Li Shimian.
Li Shimian thought, looked at Huo Xi in surprise, and asked, "Sister Ning, are you planning to ask your grandfather to plant these extra seeds to add more edible varieties to my court?"
Huo Xi pursed her lips: "I heard that if a sinner wants to obtain amnesty, in addition to any important events in the court, such as the establishment of a queen, the establishment of a prince, etc., it is a matter of merit for the country..."
The current crown prince has been established, and the queen probably won't do it again. Huo Xi doesn't know if there are any other incidents worthy of amnesty.
Emperor Yongkang almost killed and demoted all the old ministers of his nephew's dynasty. He was afraid that he would not easily pardon the old people. If he wanted to be pardoned, he could only think of other ways.
Li Shimian looked at Huo Xi blankly. Ma Shi came to his senses and held Huo Xi in his arms, with tears in his eyes: "My son, it's hard for you to think about your family..."
Both the Miao family and the Cui family understood it clearly. Thinking of these inhuman days of exile, they felt sad and turned away to wipe away tears.
Both of them have children, and their two daughters are similar in age to Huo Xi. But now look at Huo Xi, and then look at Mingjin and Mingyue. Their daughters can only marry the same sinners in the future, or nearby villagers.
Even if you marry a nearby farmer, you will still be disliked.
Just thinking about it makes my heart feel like it's being twisted with a knife.
If there is really a chance to be pardoned, that would be a good thing that is unimaginable.
Li Shimian looked at Huo Xi with great relief. This was Rou'er's child and his grandson. They were not blood relatives, so he couldn't think so hard for them.
He lowered his head and blinked away tears, "What kind of seeds are these? Tell me about it. Let me remember it."
Mrs. Ma also wiped her tears and took her two daughters-in-law and granddaughter-in-law to the side to listen carefully.
Huo Xi pointed to the seeds in small packages and explained them one by one, and thoughtfully listed the instructions on the small packages.
Some of them she combined with the memories of later generations, memorizing the planting time, climate, and key points. Some of them she didn't know just from the seeds. Some of them she asked Huo Erhuai to secretly try planting in Zhuangzi.
Pointing to the dry white seeds as big as the cover of the little finger: "This is a Japanese melon seed. It was introduced by Westerners to Luzon, Java and other places, and then from these places to the Japanese country, and then from the Japanese country to our country. It has high yield and is resistant to drought."
, placed in a dry place, it can be stored for more than half a year. So people who go to sea like to bring it as food. It doesn’t sound good, so I call it pumpkin.”
They all thought that pumpkin was introduced from the Japanese country, so they called it Japanese melon. The Japanese also thought that it was introduced to their country from our country and called pumpkin Tang eggplant. In fact, pumpkin was introduced from the West.
"This kind of pumpkin has a very high yield per acre. It doesn't require much care or pick the land. The yield per acre can reach several kilograms. It can be used as a staple food or as a vegetable. Places like the exile village are far away from the county and state capitals.
, it is inconvenient to travel, so we grow this kind of pumpkin as food, which is easy to store and can satisfy our hunger."
At this time when the north needs a lot of supplies, if they are grown in the future, transported properly, and get good results from the emperor, my grandfather's family will not have no chance of amnesty.
They were just implicated in the first place and didn't make any big mistakes.
Li Shimian and Ma understood. They looked at the packet of pumpkin seeds with burning eyes.
A few thousand kilograms of seeds per mu are more valuable than gold, silver, pearls and jade.
Li Shimian carefully picked up a few seeds in his hand, looked at them again and again, and asked Huo Xi how to plant and take care of them. After reading Huo Xi's instructions, he carefully wrapped the seeds and put them aside to prepare.
Plant it yourself.
"Don't worry, Sister Ning, my grandfather will take your uncles, aunts, and cousins to cultivate it." If it really comes to pass, of all his disciples, there must be one or two who are willing to work for him, right?
After a while, Li Shimian's heart felt hot.
They were living in a haze, unable to see a way out, and thought they would be like this for the rest of their lives. Unexpectedly, Sister Ning brought them hope.
If he really succeeds, even if he can't escape sin, he will be much better than today.
Li Shimian and Ma Shi glanced at each other, and both saw fluctuations in each other's eyes. Cui Shi and others also understood, and there was hope in their eyes.
After collecting the seeds, Li Shimian was eager to go to the fields. He wanted to see where his land could be planted, or if there was no more land left, he would have to open up more wasteland somewhere else.
Too anxious to sit still, he pulled Huo Xi and Huo Nian to stand up: "Let's go to the fields with my grandpa. Your grandma and the others haven't finished planting the soybeans yesterday."
"Father, we can just plant it. There isn't much left. I'm afraid Sister Ning and Nian'er have never been to the ground," said Cui.
Huo Xi smiled and said: "It's okay, let's go to the fields together."
Huo Nian also nodded: "My sister and I have gone to the fields. My sister is growing grain on Zhuangzi, and we have all gone to the fields with her."
"Okay. Let's go to the ground then." Li Shimian was very happy. His two grandchildren were not squeamish at all, and he was very pleased.
Huo Xi and Huo Nian changed into simple clothes and followed them down to the ground. Bao Kang, Xiang Xiang and Xia He also followed. Mother Ma stayed behind to look after the house.
Huo Nian followed his grandfather, who used a wooden planer to dig a hole in front of him, while Li Shimian followed him, placing beans and burying the hole. The two grandfathers and grandsons cooperated very harmoniously, and soon they were far away from Huo Xi and Ma.
Bao Kang also followed the lead, and they cooperated with each other tacitly, chasing each other, and it was so exciting.
There were only a few ridges left, and there were so many people that they finished the work in a short time. When brother Li Dianshou came back with his three nephews at noon, all the soybeans in the field were finished.
The family stood on the slope and looked at the neat soybean fields, feeling very accomplished.
I heard from my grandfather that sinners cannot pay for their food in exchange for silver, but must pay in full amount of food. I guess he didn’t want the exiles to live too comfortably, so they had to personally participate in the work, and 70% of their food was taken away.
Huo Xi looked at this piece of land and had some ideas.