The Country Maiden: Fields and Leisure-Chapter 1669 - 1663: You Won’t Know If It’s Sweet Until You Take a Bite
Early the next morning, Song Chongjin woke up, sitting up abruptly in alertness, and looked around the familiar surroundings—his own room, the well-known bed canopy, and the faint scent of Yongzhu still lingering in the air.
Instantly, he visibly relaxed, let out a long breath, indulged himself by lying back down, and comfortably nestled against the pillow, full of ease and contentment.
Although he didn’t see Wang Yongzhu in the room, he wasn’t anxious at all, having a leisurely smile on his face.
Soon enough, Wang Yongzhu entered through the door, seeing him awake, she teased him playfully: "Last night, you, my lord, got drunk and mistakenly wandered into the yard of this humble household, treating me as your madam, holding me tightly and not letting go. This humble servant is a respectable woman of good standing, should avoid suspicion, yet seeing you so enchanting and heroic, I couldn’t resist and thus tarnished you, my lord—"
She deliberately paused before continuing, "Now that I’m already yours, you can’t abandon me, my lord—"
Song Chongjin’s eyes flashed with humor, "Dear Madam, you should know that a forcibly picked melon is not sweet. I already have a wife at home, and there’s no future with you!"
Wang Yongzhu raised her eyebrows, slammed the table fiercely, "Whether it’s sweet or not can only be known by taking a bite! Besides, this lady doesn’t fancy sweet things. Can’t I just pick your melon and dip it in sauce to eat?"
Song Chongjin was momentarily startled but quickly caught on and replied, "Since Madam has such deep feelings for me, and insists that it’s me alone, I shall entrust the rest of my life to Madam, and ask for your care—"
Ugh! What kind of nonsense is this?
Wang Yongzhu’s face turned cold, adopting the manner of a rogue, "Consider yourself enlightened! You must know, only this lady can forgive your past and accept you, an impure man who has been through marriage! Behave properly and honestly, and I will naturally cherish you in the future!"
She said with a stern face, "It’s already late morning, what kind of man still lazes around in bed? Get up quickly and go out to earn money! Are you expecting me to support you?"
Song Chongjin smiled, got out of bed, took his clothes, and changed.
In the outer room, there were hangover-relief tea and a warm breakfast already prepared beside the table.
Because he drank too much last night, today’s breakfast was light—a bowl of white congee, two plates of vegetarian side dishes, and two vegetable-filled buns.
Song Chongjin once again enjoyed this long-lost care.
Wang Yongzhu had already eaten beforehand and accompanied him by his side as Song Chongjin ate his breakfast while she discussed today’s schedule.
The main point was to ask about the officials from the Capital City’s Minister of Agriculture—whether they were going to the manor today.
Also, how to arrange for the group sent by the Emperor to inspect the trade market? Song Chongjin contemplated after calming his unsettled stomach with a bowl of warm white congee, and responded, "Over at the trade market, let’s take them to have a look today, to prevent any suspicion from them, thinking I might be up to some trickery amidst all."
"Regarding the Minister of Agriculture, I’ll have to trouble Madam to oversee things. It was originally you who has been tracking the wheat production increase, so you’re more familiar with the various situations than I am!"
Wang Yongzhu nodded, not objecting.
The couple thus made arrangements, and naturally came to a mutual understanding in their hearts.
Song Chongjin didn’t forget to remind, "After this busy period, let’s also gather those families with whom we have good relations, to reassure them—"
Wang Yongzhu nodded; during this period, the community of Chicheng City would have to intensify their efforts, perhaps unable to keep a watchful eye on their homes, relying on the womenfolk.
As the highest-ranking female of Chicheng County, being Song Chongjin’s wife, she naturally had to represent the County Yamen to offer comfort to these womenfolk.
The couple was deeply attuned to each other regarding these matters, besides there being set guidelines, thus knowing how to proceed once words were exchanged.
Once Song Chongjin finished eating, Wang Yongzhu personally escorted him to the front yard, reminded him a few times, watching him leave for the County Yamen, and then turned back.
She first went to see Old Granny Zhang, told her about today’s arrangements, asking her to rest well at home while she took the officials from the Capital City’s Minister of Agriculture to the manor.
Old Granny Zhang upon hearing, could hardly stay put.
She had spent most of her life dealing with the land and grain.
Despite having experienced countless harvests, each time seeing the reaping, she felt exceptionally thrilled and assured.
Moreover, this time it was people from the Capital City coming to observe, ensuring no mistakes could occur, she had to keep an eye on things herself to feel at ease.
Wang Yongzhu couldn’t argue with Old Granny Zhang, so she agreed to have Yao Da prepare the cart.
Once Wang Yongzhu was ready, the subordinates under Song Chongjin had already brought the people from the Capital City’s Minister of Agriculture to the County Yamen.
Having met each other, all being straightforward individuals, they didn’t dwell on small talk and headed straight for the manor.
The manor was merely about ten miles outside the county seat, not far.
The Steward at the manor had received instructions early on and had made the arrangements.
The fields that needed to commence reaping had personnel guarding them; the sickles had been sharpened to gleaming, the ropes for bundling the wheat stalks had also been prepared.
The strong and robust tenant farmers of the manor were ready, just waiting for the owner’s command to head out.
The women had received instructions to rise early and prepare tea. Since harvesting is the most crucial time of the year, the men must exert themselves fully, and eat well to sustain themselves.
Therefore, the Steward ordered the slaughter of a sheep and several chickens to provide nourishment.
The half-grown children also couldn’t idle, having to help in the fields, gathering the scattered cut wheat ears together, where women would bind them up.
Ultimately, strong men would carry the bundles of wheat ears back to the manor’s grain drying ground.
Then thresh and dry them, eventually transporting them to the warehouse.
Meanwhile, in the wheat fields, there would still be stray wheat ears left behind, and the children would have to traverse the fields several times to collect them all, not wasting a single one.
Once the grains were all stored, the task was still unfinished; the bare wheat stalks left behind must also be bundled up and stacked.
Crafty old farmers could weave hats or mats from these stalks as everyday household items.
In most cases, these wheat stalks would become fuel in each household’s kitchen.
Furthermore, the freshly harvested wheat, when milled into flour, wasn’t pure white but carried a slight tinge of yellow.
Although it didn’t look appealing, the buns and noodles made from this fresh flour carried the natural fragrance of wheat, making them highly palatable.
With the sun high in the sky, Wang Yongzhu’s group finally arrived at the manor.
The tenant farmers, having waited impatiently for a long time, kept glancing at the Steward.
Knowing that wasting time was essentially wasting life—harvesting swiftly was akin to a life battle!
The Steward was finding it hard to hold his stance; he too was anxious.
Upon spotting the arrival of Wang Yongzhu and her group, he could finally breathe a sigh of relief and came forward to greet them.
After exchanging slightly formalities, the officials from the Capital City’s Minister of Agriculture, proficient in farming matters, quickly assessed the situation. They selected a patch of land and instructed to start immediately.
