Chapter 224: The Yield Is Truly Far Too Much Higher Than in Previous Years
Old Madam Luo arrived at the foot of the mountain first. Seeing people working there, she had them go find Wen Xiuyi and tell him to get down the mountain immediately.
Because it was impossible to rely entirely on those three tree-planting fruit farmers for so many fruit trees on the mountain, the Wen family had selected a few diligent men from the village and hired them as long-term laborers just to take care of the fruit trees on the mountain.
Old Madam Luo waited at the foot of the mountain, and before long, Wen Xiuyi came walking down, drenched in sweat.
“Mother, what is it?” Just now, they had rushed up the mountain in a panicked flurry to tell him that Old Madam Luo was looking for him. It had scared Wen Xiuyi into thinking something had happened to the old lady, and he had hurried down. Only upon seeing that the old lady was perfectly fine did he let out a sigh of relief.
“They say the Magistrate is here and wants to see you. Go check what this is about first,” Old Madam Luo said.
Wen Xiuyi was utterly bewildered. “What is the Magistrate doing here?”
Old Madam Luo shot him a sidelong glance. “If you ask me, whom am I supposed to ask?” After saying that, she walked away.
Wen Xiuyi hurriedly kept up.
When the mother and son arrived at the village chief’s house, the entrance was already blocked by a massive crowd of people. Someone shouted, “Scholar Wen is here! Auntie Wen is here too!”
With a sharp swish, the crowd scattered apart, physically making a path for them.
Old Madam Luo walked in front and Wen Xiuyi followed behind as they entered the gate of the village chief’s house.
The village chief was obsequiously keeping County Magistrate Chen company, answering every question raised. It wasn’t until he heard the people outside saying Scholar Wen and Auntie Wen had arrived that he hurriedly came out to welcome them.
“What took you two so long?” the village chief asked in a low voice.
“Busy on the mountain, couldn’t get away,” Old Madam Luo replied directly.
The village chief took a deep breath and led the two into the room.
“Your Honor, Scholar Wen and Auntie Wen have arrived,” the village chief hurriedly said to Magistrate Chen.
As Old Madam Luo and Wen Xiuyi bowed, Magistrate Chen hurriedly stepped forward and said with a smile, “Brother Wen, why be so polite? You too, Auntie Wen. Why perform such a bow? Sit, sit, sit. Let’s sit down and talk.”
The village chief’s jaw nearly dropped to the ground. Just moments ago, this Magistrate still carried an air of high-and-mighty aloofness. How had he suddenly changed into an entirely different face when confronting Wen Xiuyi and Old Madam Luo?
Wen Xiuyi and the others were considered old acquaintances with Magistrate Chen. After sitting down, he clasped his hands and asked, “May I ask what business Your Honor has with this commoner?”
Before the village chief could recover from his shock, he heard Magistrate Chen say, “To tell you the truth, this official heard some matters regarding the grain yields of your Gutong Village, so I wanted to come for a field inspection. I must trouble Scholar Wen to help lead the way for this official so that I can properly see if it is truly as the rumors say. If it really is so, then our Gutong Village will have achieved a monumental merit.”
So he had come precisely for this matter?
“Very well, then this commoner will lead Your Honor around the fields.” Wen Xiuyi stood up.
Magistrate Chen followed him up, and the village chief also stood up right after, keeping them company from front to back.
“This official also heard that a significant portion of the credit belongs to Scholar Wen?” Magistrate Chen asked as they walked.
Wen Xiuyi smiled faintly. “It can’t be called credit. It’s just that I researched some methods myself and thought it would be good if I could help improve everyone’s grain harvest.”
“Scholar Wen is indeed a person whose heart is set on the livelihoods of the people. With such qualities, you ought to continue with the imperial examinations. Why is it that there have been no records of Scholar Wen participating in the exams over the past few years?” Magistrate Chen asked.
Wen Xiuyi stroked his nose awkwardly and smiled. “Ha, isn’t it just that I fell in love with farming? Your Honor, please step this way. What would Your Honor like to see first?”
Magistrate Chen forced himself not to expose his awkward method of changing the subject, merely saying, “Then let’s go see everyone’s wheat in the fields first.”
Just like that, Wen Xiuyi led Magistrate Chen with the village chief following beside them. Old Madam Luo turned back and went home halfway through the walk. Her grand sauce factory was busy to death; how could she have the time to accompany this Magistrate as he wandered aimlessly all over the place?
Behind them, a large crowd of spectators from among the villagers also followed.
Magistrate Chen was like a leader visiting the countryside to inspect the situation, questioning everything wherever he walked. Whichever family’s field he reached, he would call that family over to ask what differences there were between this year’s harvest and last year’s. It wasn’t until they had completed a large round that they reached the borders of the Wen family’s land.
Compared to other places, the wheat spikes in the Wen family’s fields were even plumper and more densely packed, and the stalks were even thicker and sturdier than those of other households.
Magistrate Chen was puzzled, so Wen Xiuyi explained the reasons to him.
After listening, Magistrate Chen cast a glance at those following villagers and merely said a single sentence, “What a pity.” What a thoroughly ignorant group of people.
When they arrived at the cornfield, Magistrate Chen asked curiously what it was.
“Ah, this is just another kind of foodstuff.” For the time being, Wen Xiuyi hadn’t fully considered whether he should tell Magistrate Chen about the corn. After all, he couldn’t determine right now whether this was a good official.
Magistrate Chen was just about to continue questioning, but he suddenly recalled something. The expression on his face shifted slightly, and the words at the tip of his tongue turned into: “Oh, then let’s go wander elsewhere.”
Almost, I almost pried to the root of the matter. He had forgotten that person’s reminders—some things that shouldn’t be asked simply shouldn’t be asked.
Wen Xiuyi then led Magistrate Chen to visit the waterwheels and irrigation channels, his own family’s duck coop, and fish ponds, and even took a glance at the winery. The fruit trees on the mountain had just been planted, and the paths up the mountain were not easy to walk either, so he merely led him around the foot of the mountain.
Only at the very end did they return to the village, where he personally watched the village chief demonstrate the curved-shaft plow.
And all of this was fully recorded by the county chronicler he had brought along beside him.
After making a round, what needed to be asked had been asked, and what needed to be recorded had been recorded. It was also time for Magistrate Chen to leave.
“Then this official will head back today. Scholar Wen, rest assured, this official will definitely report what you have done truthfully to the higher authorities. If it truly can improve the grain yields, then Scholar Wen will be the great merit-earner of our Yunwu Town,” Magistrate Chen said.
Scholar Wen smiled modestly. “It is good as long as it can help everyone. Not worth mentioning, not worth mentioning.”
Magistrate Chen merely smiled. To you it is not worth mentioning, but someone wants to make your reputation soar, so I can only cooperate.
The group of people respectfully sent Magistrate Chen back onto his horse carriage again. Watching the carriage depart, the village chief was still unable to recover his wits for a very long time.
Their village had actually gained the favor of the Magistrate. This was truly something that had never happened before. In the future, his status as the village chief among these neighboring villages would instantly rise.
“Brother Xiuyi…” The village chief turned his head, wanting to cozy up to Wen Xiuyi, only to find that there wasn’t even a shadow of a person left beside him. Looking again, Wen Xiuyi had already strolled off a long distance away, swaying leisurely.
Seeing that a ring of spectators was still gathered around, it was evident they hadn’t seen enough yet. They were still watching even when the Magistrate’s carriage could no longer be seen.
“Alright, alright, everyone scatter quickly! Is there no work left to do in the fields? The wheat will be harvested in a few days. Have you cleared out the space at home?” Following a burst of shouting from the village chief, half the crowd dispersed.
Only when Old Man Wen came down from the mountain did he learn that the Magistrate had already left. Such a wonderful opportunity to show off was gone, which infuriated Old Man Wen so much that he ate half a bowl less for dinner.
However, within a few days, the excitement of the Magistrate having visited Gutong Village vanished. In its place came the joy and passion of the people preparing for the summer harvest.
This year’s grain yield was truly far too much higher than in previous years.
