Being asked by Bai Hanyun, one of the maidservants smiled and replied, "Fairy Bai, the farrs and citizens are preparing for the harvest ceremony."
Hearing this, Bai Hanyun blinked twice and curiously asked, "Harvest ceremony? What are they harvesting that requires a ceremony?"
The other maidservant chuckled at her questions and explained, "Fairy Bai, this is a tradition that has been passed down from our ancestors for generations. Before planting or harvesting crops, we pray to the Autumn Goddess, hoping for a bountiful harvest."
"Today, the sweet potatoes are finally ready for harvest, and the farrs are going to pray—not to the Autumn Goddess, but to you."
When Bai Hanyun heard this, her expression turned complicated.
’No, why are you all praying to ? I’m not a god, and I’m still alive. Isn’t this the sa as shortening my lifespan?’
While complaining inwardly, Bai Hanyun rely nodded and said, "I see. Do you two know when the ceremony will begin?"
The first maidservant looked at the morning sky and replied, "Answering Fairy Bai, the ceremony should begin in half a shichen."
Receiving her answer, Bai Hanyun said, "I want to go watch the ceremony. Can you two help dress up?"
The two maidservants smiled and responded in unison, "Yes, Fairy Bai."
With that, Bai Hanyun returned to her bedroom, followed by the two maidservants.
Half an hour later, she left the Great General’s mansion with Feng Wu. When they arrived at the farmland outside the southern city gate, Bai Hanyun saw that Hua Yuyu and his team were also there.
Bai Hanyun waved at them as she called out, "Brothers!"
Hearing her voice, Hua Yuyu and the others turned around. Seeing her approaching them together with Feng Wu, Hua Yuyu greeted her, "Good morning, Miss Bai. Are you also here to watch the harvest ceremony?"
Bai Hanyun nodded. "Have you all been here long?"
"No. We just arrived as well," Hua Yuyu replied.
Just as he said this, the crowd suddenly cheered.
"It’s the Great General!"
"Long live the Great General!"
Bai Hanyun followed the crowd’s line of sight and saw Feng Xiyan standing on top of the tall platform that had been used to summon rain a few months ago.
Seeing that no one realized she was there, Bai Hanyun looked at Feng Xiyan like a carefree spectator.
Noticing a familiar aura among the crowd, Feng Xiyan scanned the surroundings and saw Bai Hanyun, who was wearing a veiled hat, standing beside Hua Yuyu.
Not wanting to ruin her fun, he looked away. Lighting three sticks of incense, he bowed to Heaven three tis before placing them into the incense burner.
Facing the crowd below, Feng Xiyan calmly said, "We are gathered here today to thank Heaven for its blessings and Fairy Bai for her kindness. May we never forget the hardship and suffering of the past. May we always move forward with hope and gratitude."
He paused for a second, looked at Bai Hanyun, and added, "The auspicious hour has arrived. Begin the harvest."
The mont his words fell, the crowd erupted into cheers. Their joyful and expectant voices shook the heavens and the earth.
Standing among the crowd, Feng Wu quickly shielded Bai Hanyun from the others and said in a low voice, "Fairy Bai, it is quite chaotic here. We should change locations."
Bai Hanyun had already been bumped into several tis, so she nodded in agreent.
Overhearing their conversation, Ouyang Zhuangyu said, "I know a good place to watch the harvest. Co with ."
Following him, the group quickly left the crowd. Before long, they arrived at a higher area not far from the farmland.
Looking at the farmland below, Bai Hanyun gave Ouyang Zhuangyu a thumbs-up. "Brother Ouyang, this place is perfect."
Ouyang Zhuangyu chuckled, then took out a large picnic mat. As he spread it on the ground, he said, "While waiting for the harvest to finish, let’s eat first."
They had been in a hurry to join the harvest ceremony, so none of them had eaten breakfast. When Ouyang Zhuangyu ntioned food, Bai Hanyun and the others rubbed their stomachs.
"Alright," Hua Yuyu said, then took out so food from his Qiankun Pouch that he had bought yesterday.
Bai Hanyun also sat down and took out more food and drinks to share with her friends.
While the group enjoyed breakfast and watched the farrs dig up sweet potatoes, the sun slowly climbed higher into the morning sky.
By the ti the farrs dug up the last sweet potato from the soil, the sun had already hung high above their heads.
Wiping away his sweat, one of the farrs announced, "The last sweet potato has been dug up! The harvest is complete!"
The mont his joyful voice echoed through the surroundings, the other farrs, soldiers, and citizens cheered at the sa ti.
Looking at the sweet potatoes that had already ford small mountains across the farmland, Tan Pengtai smiled from ear to ear.
Waving his hand, he ordered, "Weigh the sweet potatoes!"
"Yes, General Tan!" Following his order, the soldiers began weighing them.
While they worked, the farrs stood to the side, anxiously waiting for the results.
Based on the agreent between the Feng Army and the farrs, the contracted farrs would receive five percent of the total harvest as a bonus in addition to their daily wages. As for the farrs who owned farmland, they would pay forty percent of the total harvest to the Feng Army as tax.
When the first team finished weighing the sweet potatoes, the farr who had contracted the one mu of farmland asked anxiously, "Sir, what is the total weight of these sweet potatoes?"
The soldier grinned widely and announced, "The total harvest from this one mu of land is six thousand jin!"
As his powerful voice echoed through the surroundings, everyone was stunned into silence.
Seeing that nobody reacted, the soldier paused before repeating, "I said, the total harvest from this one mu of land is six thousand jin!"
Coming back to their senses, the crowd erupted into cheers.
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