He Tongsheng had no choice but to properly bow to Zheng Qing: "Brother Qing."
Zheng Qing was a good child; he never bullied others by taking advantage of being the son of the county magistrate. He returned the salute to He Tongsheng and said, "Let’s go find Brother Cheng, Brother Gu said he’s at ho preparing tools, I’d like to help him."
Grandpa Ouyang said that for an official’s son like him, doing farm work is good; only then can he truly understand agriculture.
"Didn’t you hear what the son of the county magistrate said? Hurry up!" Village Chief He glared angrily at He Tongsheng, as if daring him to delay for a mont that he’d dare to beat him to death.
He Tongsheng shivered, quickly grabbed Zheng Qing’s hand, called the Zheng family’s servant, and ran swiftly.
Seeing this, Village Chief He shouted, waving his cane, "You little brat, you think the son of the county magistrate is your brother? Quickly let go, walk behind him!"
Steward Zheng laughed, "Village Chief He, there’s no need to scold, Lord County Magistrate said to let Brother Qing make friends with peasant children to broaden his experience. Just let them be."
Village Chief He listened and smiled broadly, showing his teeth: "Ah, yes, what Lord County Magistrate said is right; a son like Brother Qing should indeed make friends with more peasant children."
He then praised He Tongsheng, "It’s not just my words boastfully, my son Tongsheng is the leader of the children from several nearby villages. Many children follow him around, calling him Brother Tongsheng, mighty indeed."
He Dacang saw his father becoming more and more prideful and quickly said, "Dad, please stop talking. Let’s hurry up and go with Steward Zheng to take the county magistrate to the fields."
"Ah, see , once I start talking about my grandchildren I can’t stop." Village Chief He quickly followed Steward Zheng, ca to County Magistrate Zheng, and bowed: "Lord County Magistrate, Lord Director of Agriculture."
Yu Sinong, who was over fifty years old with a dark complexion, showing he regularly inspected the fields, was truly soone who could tend crops. Seeing Village Chief He greet him, he nodded.
County Magistrate Zheng said, "No need for excessive courtesy, co along with us to the fields."
Upon hearing this, Village Chief He beca even more excited, supported by He Dacang, followed County Magistrate Zheng and his party directly to the fields.
These days in Da Feng Village, each household was transplanting bean sprouts. The fields around the village were filled with people. So families started working before dawn and had transplanted nearly two acres of land by now.
Yu Sinong watched villagers using sharpened bamboo tubes pushing into the bean sprouts field, lifting groups of three sprouts each into the baskets beside them, curious asking: "What’s that shovel-like thing?"
Gu Jin’an smiled: "It’s a bamboo shovel; modeled after an iron shovel, specially used to lift the bean sprouts. A single shove lifts the sprouts by the roots; a quarter-hour and you’re done with a load of sprouts, very ti-saving and labor-efficient, also saves on iron."
Delighted by what he heard, Yu Sinong said: "This thod is great; iron tools are expensive, and farrs spend quite a bit of Silver Coin making tools. With these bamboo shovels, if they break, you can just cut more bamboo."
Recalling the fad bamboo items of He’an Prefecture, originally circulated from Qingfu Town in Tianfu County, Yu Sinong looked at Gu Jin’an and asked: "The bamboo boxes for serving dishes in restaurants, along with bamboo basins and barrels, are also made by your family?"
Gu Jin’an nodded: "Exactly, my father enjoys doing carpentry, but trees take years to grow, while bamboo grows quickly; a few bamboo stumps can grow into a whole forest, we’re never worried about running out. My father replaced wood with bamboo for all these bamboo products."
County Magistrate Zheng beside him laughed: "Nowadays, we use those kinds of toothbrushes too, crafted by his father, quite ingenious."
Yu Sinong was shocked and asked: "The toothbrushes sold in the pharmacies were made by your father? That’s remarkable indeed."
Both toothbrushes and tooth powder beca popular three years ago, and now families who can afford them buy these to brush their teeth; they are essential for the Great Chu citizens.
Originally, Yu Sinong thought the Gu Family was rely rich country folks with a little Xiao Qian, but having calculated the usage and selling price of toothbrushes, he wouldn’t underestimate the Gu Family as re country rich folks anymore.
This Gu Family hides their wealth well, not to be underestimated.
"Elder brother, Lord County Magistrate, we’re over here!" Brother Cheng waved his bamboo shovel, calling out to Gu Jin’an and the others.
Zheng Qing and He Tongsheng, clutching bamboo shovels, were learning how to lift bean sprouts with Third Grandpa and Third Grandma.
The young won of the Gu Family heard County Magistrate Zheng was coming, and deliberately avoided coming to work in the fields.
Gu Jin’an responded with a smile, waving his hand, said to Yu Sinong: "Please follow , Sir."
Leading Yu Sinong and County Magistrate Zheng’s group to their bean sprouts field, Gu Jin’an rolled up his sleeves, grabbed a bamboo shovel, and alongside He Jinseng, Gu Dexing, and Qi Kangming began working on lifting bean sprouts.
Their movents were swift and smooth, the bean sprouts lifted as if playing music. In less than a quarter-hour, each of them had lifted a load of bean sprouts.
Village Chief He couldn’t stop smiling, pointing at He Jinseng, he said to Yu Sinong: "Sir, this is my grandson Jinseng; he’s already a student, taking the college examination this year for a Scholar."
He repeated the sa thing to County Magistrate Zheng.
County Magistrate Zheng was quite helpless; for three years since he arrived, Village Chief He had been telling him that — never needed repeating, even with a poor mory, he rembered He Jinseng.
He Dacang was resigned to his father’s braggadocio of his grandson and promptly said: "Good Brother An, once we’ve lifted enough bean sprouts, let’s go planting for the agricultural official from the Prefecture to see."
"Yes." Gu Jin’an replied, and along with Qi Kangming, they carried the bean sprouts and headed to a nearby dry field.
In the dry field, Gu Dashan along with Zezi, Da Tuan, and Ah Jiang were digging furrows for the bean sprouts, having completed quite a large area.
Once Gu Jin’an’s group arrived, they began planting directly.
The bean sprouts lifted with the bamboo shovel had soil attached; Gu Jin’an’s group picked up the soil-laden sprouts, dropping them into the furrows, then pushing the soil from the raised mounds into the furrow pits to complete the planting.
Old Zhu and his son carried special water buckets, which had a "dragon head" feature on the bottom. Once they removed the cloth blocking the dragon head and walked along the furrows, the newly planted bean sprouts were watered.
With just one round-trip, the four rows of bean sprouts were watered completely.
It was Yu Sinong’s first ti seeing crops being watered this way, he was astonished and pointed at Old Zhu and his son asking: "This way of watering the fields, who thought of it?"
County Magistrate Zheng said: "Gu Jin’an."
Yu Sinong looked at Gu Jin’an and sighed: "Ah, the young are formidable."
Gu Jin’an blushed a little, truthfully, the thod was thought of by Xiao Yu, but considering Xiao Yu was a girl, and since the Great Chu wasn’t favorable to girls gaining renown, he’d been saying it was his idea.
Gu Jin’an said: "Sir, these yellow beans are transplanted this way. Transplanting yellow beans has two benefits: Makes them ready for harvest earlier and boosts yield."
Regarding yield, Yu Sinong had heard long ago but was sowhat skeptical and asked: "Can the yield per acre truly reach 650 pounds?"
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