Chapter 1447: Chapter 1425: Betting (Happy Birthday to reader “Wang Chunting”)
Manbao thought for a mont, then said, “But my father says farming is fundantal. Even if my fourth brother and others go out to do business, they must first cultivate the land at ho. Business makes a lot of money, but I always think, if making money as a rchant becos very easy, won’t many people abandon the land to manage business? What about the grain then?”
Bai Shan nodded, “This is exactly my concern, so we still need to find ways to increase grain production. Unfortunately, the new wheat seed is only one kind, and I have checked the manor’s ledger statistics these years, and the grain seems to be degrading.”
Manbao said, “It’s not degrading, but adapting.”
Bai Shan questioned, “Adapting?”
Manbao nodded confidently, “It’s adapting to our environnt, evolving into grains more suitable for local growth and spread. Haven’t you noticed in previous years the wheat fields’ highest and lowest yields varied greatly? But it’s stabilized a lot these past years.”
Bai Shan recalled the data, it indeed was true.
He slightly raised his eyebrows and said, “I thought you were now focused on studying dicine, when did you start looking at the ledger?”
Manbao bowed her head, a bit embarrassed, she noticed it when reconciling accounts at the year’s end, but didn’t go back to check each one, instead she directly asked Keke.
This explanation was also given by Keke.
The highest yield of the new wheat seed ca down, but its heredity was more suited to the local environnt. In places suitable for wheat cultivation, it gradually evolved into a locally suitable wheat seed.
And its yield is much higher than the original wheat seed.
Manbao said, “Before leaving, didn’t we ask Manor Head Bai to oversee the selection of the finest wheat seeds? I believe year after year, future wheat seeds will only get better.”
Bai Shan nodded, wheat is the main food for people north of the Long River, while rice yield doesn’t even compare to wheat. Now, new wheat seed has circulated regionally, its effect will appear in the next two years.
If ten acres of land could only support one person before, now maybe only five acres are needed, then there will be much leftover grain available for comrce.
Thinking about this, Bai Shan stopped writing, pulled out a sheet of white paper to calculate, Manbao leaned by the window and said to him, “But relying solely on a single grain’s yield increase is not enough. At least this level of increase isn’t enough. If you want to benefit comrce, you must stabilize the land, which ans reducing taxes for farrs, otherwise, under heavy profit, the land will surely be left barren. It might all end up in the hands of noble families.”
She said, “You forgot the books we read, how many dynasties have fallen at the hands of noble families?”
Bai Shan laughed, “Those are rely fictional stories, how can they be taken seriously?”
Manbao seriously looked at him and said, “Do you think that book was written reasonably?”
Bai Shan paused and began to frown, contemplating.
Manbao said, “Look, you find it reasonable. When it’s advantageous, you use it, and when it’s not, you say it’s a fictional story. So we won’t talk about those stories, let’s discuss our true history, how did the previous dynasty fall?”
It was overthrown by the uprising of noble families, the current royalty of the Li Clan is a noble family from Longxi.
Manbao continued, “And how did the dynasty before that end?”
By coincidence, it too fell to nobles, specifically a father-in-law seizing the throne from his son-in-law and grandson.
Manbao: “And how did the dynasty before that collapse?”
It was even more chaotic, the later emperors were all puppets of the houses, and eventually, the dynasty was obliterated by a group of noble families.
Manbao shrugged, “See, even true history reflects this.”
She directly judged his article, “I think your article is definitely not going to pass.”
Bai Shan raised his eyebrows high and laughed, “That’s not necessarily true.”
“Then let’s bet?”
Bai Shan: “Bet it is, what will you bet?”
Manbao thought for a while and didn’t co up with anything she wanted to bet, mainly because she was unwilling to offer anything. So she said, “Betting money is what bad people do. Let’s bet on sothing else. If you lose, next ti the teacher assigns howork, you’ll do it for . If I lose, I’ll do a piece for you, how about that?”
Bai Shan: “I don’t need you to do my howork, never mind, how about you give your short knife if you lose?”
Manbao firmly refused, “No way.”
Bai Shan rolled his eyes and said, “If you lose, then you accompany to Xuandu Temple to admire the peach blossoms, no one else, just the two of us.”
Manbao broke into a smile and nodded repeatedly, “Alright!”
Mr. Zhuang and Xiang Mingxue lazily returned from outside. As soon as they entered the yard, they saw two young masters, one inside the window and one outside, talking with smiles on their faces, not knowing what cheerful things they were discussing.
Mr. Zhuang spoke up, “Why are you talking by the window instead of coming inside when it’s so cold?”
It was already late February, though the spring wind blew everywhere, unfortunately, this cold snap still felt very cold these days.
Manbao, having just bet to write howork, was startled by Mr. Zhuang’s sudden appearance. She was flustered and couldn’t stay calm. She stood up straight, grasping for an excuse, “I was just saying a few words to him.”
With that said, she found an excuse and ran.
Mr. Zhuang watched her run into the garden, then turned to look at Bai Shan.
The Bai Shan inside the window blushed slightly and also put away his work, “I, I’ve been sitting there for a long ti, I’ll go to the garden to rest my eyes.”
He also ran away.
Xiang Mingxue watched them both run away and laughed to Mr. Zhuang, “Young people really are lively.”
Mr. Zhuang laughed, “Young Master Xiang isn’t much older himself, why act like an elderly man?”
He chuckled, “You’re in your pri, and now that your legs are fine, shouldn’t you consider marriage?”
Xiang Mingxue hadn’t expected this matter to be dragged over to himself, he paused then smiled bitterly, “Mr. Zhuang is joking, I’m now rely part of the common family, and penniless. Which lady would agree to marry ?”
Yet there are many, as Bai Erlang’s autobiography about Xiang Mingxue is quite popular now, though mostly read by n, yet many won also follow the story.
Furthermore, there are storytelling sessions in teahouses where they bought books to specifically recount in the teahouse.
Mr. Zhuang often heard won comnting when drinking tea in the teahouse, wondering how excellent a woman must be to marry Xiang Mingxue.
So Mr. Zhuang believed Xiang Mingxue wouldn’t struggle to find a wife.
Moreover, he didn’t think earning money would be hard for him, given that he managed to organize people to assassinate Prince of Yizhou under such difficult circumstances, succeeding thrice before being caught.
And now the court returned Dongxi Village to him, along with so properties that belonged to the Xiang Family but were confiscated during the massacre, returning them to him. Making money should not be difficult for him.
Mr. Zhuang then smiled, “I don’t know what kind of person Young Master Xiang likes, I might be able to matchmake for you.”
Xiang Mingxue: … I should’ve known better than to tease Bai Shan and Zhou Man.
That one remark surprisingly led to so much.
Manbao, in the evening, recorded today’s bet with Bai Shan in her moir to ensure she wouldn’t forget. She believed, as long as the teacher and the professors of the National University weren’t fools, they would return his article.
She certainly would win!
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