This would continue until late into the night. When everyone first arrived, they were hurrying with confounded looks on their faces. When they left, they were calling each other brothers with smiles across their faces. It was obvious that friendly cooperation had been achieved.
They would set up a food processing workshop, with the Jiang Family contributing 40% in expertise. The others would contribute silver coins, with the Zhou Family at 10%, the Qu and Jiang families each at 20%, and Master Lu and another grain private advisor each at 5%.
The potential and enormous profit contained within the persimmon cakes and canned goods were obvious to anyone who wasn’t a fool.
Especially the canned goods - if made well and transported north, they would absolutely make a fortune.
With his hands on these two golden mountains, Jiang Wenyuan could have kept it all for himself, and with his current status, even if others were envious there was nothing they could do but watch.
The reason he chose to share this enormous cake was twofold. Firstly, time was tight, and every day delayed meant greater losses for Qingzhou's fruit farmers. He didn't want to see them lose everything they had worked for.
These big merchants not only had extremely abundant funds, but also mature sales channels and extremely extensive connections. With their capabilities, the farmers’ fruit could be sold at the fastest speed possible, minimizing losses.
Secondly, aside from himself, the rest of the Jiang family were honest folk. They were good at farming, but couldn’t manage the twists and turns of the marketplace.
It was better to generously share it out, cooperate together, achieve mutual benefits and shared prosperity. His precious daughter called this attracting investment.
For the merchant families, turning down the olive branch offered to them would be foolish. The Jiangs were people they dreamed of currying favor with every day!
Two days later, by the banks of the Qing River east of the city, a workshop named "Qing River Foods" hung up its shingle, announcing that it would be purchasing large quantities of fresh mandarin oranges, tangerines, Asian pears, and persimmons.
The purchase price for mandarin oranges and tangerines was 2 copper coins per 0.5 kg, 1.5 copper coins per 0.5 kg for Asian pears, and 3 copper coins per 0.5 kg for persimmons. Although this price was lower than last year’s retail price, it was still considered very high this year.
In a short time, the common folk spread the word and brought their families' fruit over.
At the same time, a small, inconspicuous shop west of the city also put up a notice saying they would purchase large quantities of chestnuts, hazelnuts, jujubes, kiwifruit and other mountain products and fruits unsuitable for canning.
This was Jiang Yuqing having Jiang Wenyuan send people to purchase them. She had plenty of space that wouldn't cause them to spoil.
Purchasing them now would allow the commoners to sell what they had worked hard to produce, and selling them in winter could earn a profit margin.
If nothing else, they could eat the surplus themselves or give them to relatives as gifts.
Who would have thought they almost couldn’t stop purchasing? In the nearly 20 days until the end of the fruit season, they purchased a staggering 70,000 – 80,000 kg of assorted nuts and fruit.
In between, because they ran out of silver coins, Jiang Wenyuan had to return home and ask Old Lady Hu for more.
His father joked, “Other officials line their pockets with money from work, while you do the opposite!”
Jiang Wenyuan seriously asked in return, “Oh? Should your son also skim a bit off the top then?”
As soon as Old Jiang heard this, he immediately slapped the table: “You dare! If you dare do such a disloyal and unrighteous thing, I’ll break your legs!”
Seeing everyone's smiling faces, he suddenly realized his youngest son was teasing him.
He didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “You little scamp, daring to make fun of your own father - the height of unfilial behavior!”
The food processing workshop was also in full swing making canned goods. The first batch was already on its way north. The persimmon cakes were also drying very well, and would soon be ready for the frost.
In the busy hustle and bustle, the ninth month’s maiden gathered up her golden skirts and gracefully departed. The tenth month’s maiden dragged her dreary temperament onto the stage.
Some of the trees’ leaves were already turning yellow, flying in the wind to land everywhere. When leaves fall, they return to the root.
The sweet potatoes in the Jiang family fields had grown large enough to harvest. Two days prior, the Jiangs had already put out word that they would be digging up sweet potatoes.
Everyone in the village knew about the field of sweet potatoes planted by the Jiang family. When they were first planted, some had asked what they were. The Jiangs said they were sweet potatoes.
As for where they came from, the Jiangs gave everyone the same story – that Jiang Wenyuan had accidentally rescued a wandering Taoist on the road to the capital for the exams, and the Taoist had given these to him.
Supposedly they were an overseas grain variety with very high yields, but they didn’t know the exact yield.
They only said they would first try planting it themselves, and if the yields were as high as the old Taoist claimed, they would share it with everyone later. Now hearing they were ready for harvest, everyone naturally wanted to see for themselves.
On the morning of the fifth day of the tenth month, the autumn air was crisp and the sky clear for thousands of miles.
Early in the morning, Jiang Wenyuan brought Private Advisor Lu and a team back. Aside from the seven Jiang boys away at school, the entire Jiang family turned out.
Sickles, hoes, sacks, baskets, and a large scale.
Villagers who came to watch the lively scene also filled up the sweet potato field.
Jiang Wenyuan took the lead, rolling up his pant legs and personally cutting the vines. Seeing this, everyone else followed suit, sickle in hand.
Some villagers couldn’t resist and hurried home to grab sickles to join the vine-cutting army.
With over thirty men fanned out across the field, it only took half a shichen to completely clear away the vines from the 1.5 mu.
The cut vines could be bundled to feed pigs or cattle, nothing wasted.
Now came the crucial part.
Jiang Wenkang first hefted a hoe, went to one end of a mound, brushed away some dirt, then fiercely drove the hoe down and pulled - a cluster of reddish tubers appeared.
Two more strikes of the hoe brought out the entire cluster. Immediately cries of astonishment rang out: “Damn, look how many, and so big!”
Jiang Wenkang happily picked up the string of sweet potatoes, counting seven.
The biggest was as large as his palm, at least 1.5 kg, and the smallest 2-3 liang. Hefting it, this one plant had to be at least 4-5 kg.
Just one tuber was 4-5 kg, with so many plants per mu...Jiang Wenkang’s eyes turned red.
Not just his eyes turned red, everyone present had reddened eyes.
The men didn’t hesitate, each grabbing a mound and swinging their hoes to start digging.
The others weren’t falling behind either, grabbing baskets and sacks to follow and gather the potatoes.
Startled cries continuously rang out:
“Wow, this one’s huge, even bigger than my head!”
“Good heavens, this plant has ten potatoes!”
“Quick, quick, I need another sack. I can’t fit them all...”
After another shichen, all the sweet potatoes in the 1.5 mu were harvested. Jiang Wenyuan also had the final numbers.
The total harvested was 7,289 kg, averaging 4,859 kg per mu. This was after measuring twice.
Hearing this number and looking at the mountain of sweet potatoes piled at the edge of the field, everyone fell silent, then their eyes reddened.
One of the county clerks suddenly dropped to his knees, sobbing loudly, “Mother, open your eyes and see, a grain that produces 4,000-5,000 kg per mu. We’ll never go hungry again, never go hungry again!”
Seeing this, the other clerks present patted his shoulder comfortingly.
Jiang Wenyuan knew this clerk’s circumstances. His father died early, and his mother had struggled to raise him.
Later, disaster struck their hometown and the crops failed. His mother took him to flee famine with their neighbors.
On the road, in order to let her son survive, his mother gave him her own rations, eventually starving to death.
Fortunately he was later picked up by kind people and adopted. He learned to read and write from his adoptive father, and was recommended to work as a county clerk.
After watching his mother starve to death, it was understandable that he would be so emotional today, moved by the circumstances.
Jiang Wenyuan had the uprooted potatoes carried away to steam at home.
The rest were not to be touched - this was next year’s seed grain, the lifeline of the common people.
After transporting all the sweet potatoes back to the manor, Jiang Wenyuan arranged a special room to store them and had people guarding them twelve hours a day.
It wasn’t that he didn’t trust his family, but rather to prevent thieves from outside. No matter the time, there would always be those willing to take risks for profit.
After settling everything, Jiang Wenyuan hurriedly returned to the county office with his people.
After returning to the county government, Jiang Wenyuan immediately wrote a letter, attaching a small booklet detailing the methods of planting sweet potatoes, along with a basket of sweet potato vines with the roots still attached, and sent it urgently to the prefectural government.
Two days later, the Prefect of Lingzhou, Li Zheng, received Jiang Wenyuan's letter. After reading it, he couldn't help but burst into laughter.
He then used an urgent express delivery, sending Jiang Wenyuan's original letter and the sweet potatoes to the Capital City.
It only took eight days for the items to arrive in the Capital City.
When the items arrived in the Capital City, it was during a grand court session. Hearing the urgent reports coming from outside the hall, the ministers' hearts skipped a beat.
Oh no, could it be another disaster somewhere?
Even Emperor Xia Jing on the throne had a look of grave concern.
"Report - urgent express from Lingzhou Prefect!" A messenger with a dusty face and tired look ran into the hall carrying a bamboo basket. He knelt down, took out a letter sealed with wax from his bosom, and said, "Announcing to Your Majesty, urgent express from Lingzhou Prefecture."
The head eunuch Li Deshun hurried down to take the letter from the messenger, along with the heavy basket of items, and brought them up to the imperial steps. The messenger was then led away to rest.
The Emperor took the letter envelope and tore it open in three moves, speed reading it. His eyes instantly widened in shock.
Grabbing the letter in one hand, and pushing away the interfering eunuchs with the other, he personally pulled the bamboo basket over. From inside he picked up a heavy string of fruit, weighing it in his hand - at least four or five catties.
The letter's words were not false.
Emperor Xia Jing couldn't help throwing both hands in the air and shouting to the heavens, "Excellent, excellent, excellent! The heavens bless my Da Xia! Hahahaha!"
The Emperor's loud laughter echoed throughout the grand hall.
The ministers who had been closely observing the Emperor's every move were immediately greatly relieved.
Seeing the Emperor's smiling face meant it was happy news! At the same time, they were curious what exactly was this joyous event, important enough to warrant an urgent express delivery to bring smiles from the Emperor.
This suspense did not last long. After laughing for a while, the Emperor handed the letter to the Minister of Revenue Zhang Xiu.
"Minister Zhang, take a look at this! And you all, come take a look, everyone come see haha." At the same time, he had Eunuch Li Deshun bring down the sweet potato vines for everyone to see.
After reading the letter, the ministers were also shocked, with their temples pulsing.
No wonder the Lingzhou Prefect used an urgent express to deliver this, if the matter was true, even an eight hundred mile express delivery would have been warranted.
Minister Zhang Xiu's eyes turned red.
