Chapter 949
: Scolding and High-Yield Grains [3]
Chapter 949: Scolding and High-Yield Grains [3]
Qiong Lao: "Why just one sentence? Qin Dongjia, please continue, elaborate, and don't just give a brief answer!"
He then shouted to everyone around him, "No one is allowed to interrupt. If you have any questions, wait until Master Qin has finished speaking before asking. Otherwise, I will have the students and soldiers beat you up!"
"Mmm-hmm-hmm!" The students, soldiers, government officials, and villagers present all covered their mouths and nodded, indicating that they would not interrupt.
This is a high-yield grain, a matter of life and death, so they have to listen carefully and not interrupt!
Qin Xiaomi continued, "Besides taro, there is also a kind of wild yam. Both are like kudzu root, with high yield, but they are coarse grains that can nourish people better than kudzu root."
"The minimum yield of taro is 3,000 jin per mu. Due to the temperature difference between the north and south, the yield per mu will decrease in our northeastern prefecture, but the estimated minimum yield per mu can still reach 2,000 jin."
"Taro has a soft and powdery texture, and a mild and fragrant taste... Hmm? It has a chestnut-like texture, but it's softer and more fluffy. It's quite nourishing and can be used as a supplementary food or whole grain. People can eat it every day."
"Taro plants prefer moist conditions, but they have a certain degree of drought and cold resistance. When the first frost falls, the taro leaves begin to wither, but the taro tubers are unaffected. So as long as they are harvested before October, just like soybeans, the taro tubers will not suffer from frost disease and rot."
At this point, the crowd was almost out of control, and Gao Zhenzhi struggled violently, requiring Qiong Lao's attendant to use great strength to hold him down.
Clang clang clang! Commander Zhong promptly banged the gong and shouted, "This concerns grain! All of you, shut up! Anyone who dares to interrupt, no matter who you are, will be arrested immediately!"
Phew, after hearing this, everyone calmed their wildly beating hearts and continued listening.
Qin Xiaomi: "That's about taro. Now let's talk about sweet potatoes."
"Sweet potato is a plant that almost no one has heard of outside of Lingnan Prefecture. It is quite similar to kudzu root, but it is more nourishing and has the thick texture of taro. It grows in the mountains of Lingnan Prefecture, so it is not picky about the soil compared to taro. It can be planted in the mountains, even by the roadside, or at the base of your wall."
"The yield per mu is also very high. In the south, the minimum yield per mu is about 2,000 jin, but here, the minimum yield per mu can be guaranteed to be around 1,500 jin."
"Sweet potatoes are slightly better at resisting drought and cold than taro, but taro tastes slightly better."
Taro, especially fried taro stewed with chicken, is a dish that everyone who has tried it loves.
"The mountain people of Lingnan Prefecture have been eating these two types of tubers for many years. It can be confirmed that when these two types of tubers are fresh, apart from the juice causing skin itching, they are not harmful when cooked."
Qin Xiaomi looked at Elder Qiong and the others and said, "I've finished speaking. You may ask questions now."
Old Qiong: "The minimum yield per mu is really over 1,500 jin?!"
The villagers also shouted urgently, "Yes, yes, is the yield per mu really that high? Nowadays, even high-yield soybeans only yield three or four hundred jin per mu. Mr. Qin, your yield of two thousand jin per mu is more exaggerated than a heavenly book!"
Hearing this, Gao Zhenzhi was delighted and winked at Zheng Qianjia, signaling him to make things difficult for Qin Xiaomi.
Zheng Qianjia has always presented himself as honest and upright, but the matter of high-yield grain production is too significant to be compared to the Zhang family ancestors' papermaking or the Yong family of the Yong Dynasty bringing cotton seeds back to this land.
Therefore, Zheng Qianjia questioned on Qin Dongjia's behalf: "Master Qin, although taro and sweet potato are high-yielding coarse grains, they are not very cold-resistant and can hardly survive in the Northeast."
"Moreover, it has a major drawback: its growing period is too long, taking more than half a year to mature and be harvested. However, the Northeast region is in the cold season from March to September, so it is unlikely that this taro can be widely promoted and planted in the Northeast region."
Seeing that Zheng Qianjia's words made sense, Elder Qiong didn't interrupt him and even nodded in agreement: "Master Qin, Zheng Qianjia is right. The previous dynasty also tried to grow taro and sweet potatoes, but unfortunately, this plant cannot complete its growth period in the Northeast, and it is not a proper staple food like rice or wheat, so it was abandoned and not widely planted." No matter how high a yield something is, if it is limited by temperature and cannot complete its growth before the weather turns cold, it is all for naught for the farmers to harvest.
“We can’t harvest it when it’s only half-grown, otherwise the tubers won’t be fully developed and we won’t be able to eat them.”
"Times are progressing!" Qin Xiaomi suddenly said something that no one except Jiang Dalang could understand, and then said, "The records you are talking about are from the previous dynasty. Now the Great Wei Dynasty has been established for more than a hundred years, and people in Lingnan Prefecture have already been planting early taro."
"The taro seed I had Huang Family Trading Company deliver was early-maturing taro. It only takes 150 days, or half a year, to fully mature."
"Also, we can grow seedlings indoors... like sprouting bean sprouts. We can first grow the seedlings in a warm indoor environment for half a month, and then transplant them to the ground when the weather gets warmer."
"Although it's a bit troublesome, taro and sweet potatoes have a high yield per mu, and they don't require fertile land. Ordinary land can be used for planting. If each family takes down a medium-sized plot of land and plants one or two mu, they can harvest an extra 4,000 jin of miscellaneous grains every year."
"Four thousand catties! Add to that the wheat, soybeans, millet, and other grains grown in other fields, and how many lives can be saved by eating this mixed diet?!"
"If we have such high-yield coarse grains when the Eastern Desert army attacks, we won't have to worry about food shortages. With enough food, why would we need to fear the Eastern Desert army?!"
We still need to be wary, since the fact that our supplies are plentiful is not significantly related to the Eastern Desert army's forceful breach of the city.
"The method of seedling transplantation? Without actual planting records, Qin, you are just spouting nonsense and fooling the people!" With the help of the Zheng family servants, Gao Zhenzhi finally broke free of his restraints and shouted out.
After hearing this, Qin Xiaomi said to Qiong Lao, "Qiong Lao, you're not doing well. Why is the duck quacking again?"
"Qin woman, how dare you humiliate me, I... mmm!" Gao Zhenzhi was covered in the mouth by Zhong Baihu, knocked to the ground with two thuds, and tied up with ropes.
Zhong Baihu grabbed his hair and slammed his head to the ground with a thud. Finally, he asked, "Are you awake now? If not, I'll help you wake up again."
He still didn't wake up; the more I hit his head, the dizzier he became.
"Don't you scholars believe in the saying 'Among three people walking together, there must be one who can teach me'? I really don't understand. Is what Master Qin said wrong? He's so right, but just because he embarrassed you, you're acting like a madman. What have you been studying for over ten years?" Zhong Baihu was truly puzzled.
“Poor kid, go and teach him. After all, he’s a student you brought here,” Old Master Xun instructed.
Old Master Qiong had no choice but to fulfill his duty as a teacher. He sat down on the ground next to Gao Zhenzhi, patted his back gently, and said, “Zhenzhi, even I, and many famous scholars, teachers, and powerful officials in this world, have been humiliated. But if what they say makes sense, we will listen… To be willful, to close off one’s five senses, to focus only on one’s own path and not listen to the achievements of others will only make one’s path narrower and narrower until one has nowhere to go and is completely abandoned by heaven and earth.”
Gao Zhenzhi was stunned, then lowered her head and remained silent.
Old Qiong sighed. Although he wanted to throw the student away, he still helped him up, untied him, removed the gag from his mouth, and said gently, "I will give you two choices. One is to have someone send you back to Taifu Restaurant to rest, and the other is to stay. But you must not speak again, otherwise I will send someone to take you away and end your travels."
Gao Zhenzhi remained silent, but ultimately made a wise choice: "Thank you for your guidance, sir... I choose the second option, and I promise to keep my mouth shut."
The high yield of two thousand catties per mu of miscellaneous grains, and two kinds of miscellaneous grains at that, has seriously affected the private granaries of the aristocratic alliance, so he must stay and listen to the whole story.
Leaving like this would be too humiliating, and he would never be able to hold his head up high again, so he absolutely cannot 'flee' now!