Chapter 247: Start Collecting Moth Wing Grass

Ning Jinli did not answer, but asked, "If we have everyone in Black Water Village collect Moth Wing Grass, how much can be gathered in a day?"

Hei Da thought for a moment and said, "Black Water Village has a total of 893 people; excluding the old, weak, sick, and disabled, there are 781 men and women who can pick the grass. Since Moth Wing Grass grows everywhere, we could easily harvest fifteen to sixteen thousand jin in a day."

Ning Jinli made a rough estimate.

A daily output of about seventy to eighty tons, though far short of the domestic basic demand for producing Bi Si slow-release agents, is already enough to start production.

Moreover, this is under extremely backward conditions.

With the later introduction of tools and even large equipment to assist collection, the output can certainly keep up.

"Fine, then gather the manpower to collect it and transport it to me," Ning Jinli said decisively, "I won't let you work in vain; you'll receive generous rewards."

Hei Da laughed and said, "Collecting Moth Wing Grass isn't hard at all. Since Miss Ning needs it, I'll order it right away. As for the reward, it doesn't have to be lavish; as long as the brothers who work get something to eat, that's enough."

The matter was settled that way.

Ning Jinli then took out a flashlight and told Hei Da that the treasure he thought of was this very thing.

Hei Da scratched his head apologetically and said, "To be honest, I'm not after a treasure. Things that look good but are useless only attract the rich. My original plan was to snatch it, sell it for food and clothing…"

"No, no, no, brother, you're mistaken!" Hei Er strained his neck, swallowed the food in his mouth, hurriedly pulled out the flashlight Ning Jinli had given her, "This isn't a useless trinket. Sister Ning said it's an excellent illumination tool. Look!"

Hei Da's face was full of shock, "Little sister! How could you take the benefactor's thing? Return it at once!"

The siblings have roamed the jianghu for a long time; besides robbery, they also have some thieving skills, and Hei Da thought his sister was just restless, taking it from someone else.

Dealing with those rich and heartless people, he was eager for his sister to act that way.

But the two in front of him were clearly good people; how could they act recklessly?

Seeing Hei Da's misunderstanding, Ning Jinli quickly explained and also gave the newly taken flashlight to Hei Da.

Hei Da felt embarrassed to take it, but stared at the flashlight and curiously asked, "A lighting tool this delicate and unique—I've never seen one before. Does it truly need no fuel, can control its brightness, and even work underwater?"

Hei Er immediately demonstrated it for him, leaving Hei Da dumbfounded.

"Grand Master, take it," Ning Jinli handed it over again.

Hei Da was conflicted.

To say he wasn't tempted would be impossible.

This thing is practically a divine artifact, not only rarer than those flashy but impractical treasures, but also possesses unimaginable functions.

After hesitating repeatedly, he rubbed his hands on his clothes, then carefully took the flashlight, looked left and right, pressed the switch, and grinned from ear to ear.

Afterwards, Ning Jinli and Xiao Qidi went to visit Lady Xing.

Although living conditions in Luan Chuan Bao are poor, the best two rooms were still allocated to Lady Xing and her child, as well as Fu Bo, along with several nimble, experienced women assigned to care for mother and child.

After moving in, Lady Xing was helped by these women to take a bath and eat some food; now she lies on the bed, drifting into sleep.

Among the caretakers are two women who gave birth less than a year ago, perfect to serve as nannies for Lady Xing's child.

The infant had just finished nursing and was now also falling asleep.

He lay in an old but clean cradle, which was lined with fine, tidy animal fur, showing the people here took great care in looking after her.

Ning Jinli inquired about the baby's condition.

The nanny praised the child's robust body, saying it fed more than ordinary newborns and was in especially good condition; when grown, he will surely be a brave man.

Xiao Qidi stood beside the cradle, gazing at the infant's sleeping face.

According to the history of Ning Jinli's world, the Xuan Dynasty fell during the reign of the second emperor; two years before Emperor Xuan II's death, Xing Lie launched a rebellion against the tyrannical second emperor.

Around the same time, the magistrate of Ding County was killed by the locals, and Li He also started an uprising.

At that time, Li He was nearly fifty, while Xing Lie was just over twenty.

About two years later, the Xuan Dynasty collapsed, and Li He and Xing Lie fought for the realm.

After four years of great war, although Xing Lie's martial prowess was unparalleled, his arrogance and lack of strategy led to defeat; after being besieged, he slit his own throat.

Li He inherited the Huaxia Great Unity and became the founding emperor of the new dynasty.

That legend remains a story people still talk about enthusiastically even after two thousand years.

At this moment, Xiao Qidi, looking at the newly born Xing Lie, recalled the young Li He he had met not long ago, feeling a strange sensation.

"What are you thinking about?" Ning Jinli walked to his side and asked softly.

Xiao Qidi came to his senses, "I'm thinking that if I hadn't intersected with you from the parallel world and been influenced, I would have become, like my counterpart in your world, a puppet's replacement, dying in a dark, sunless underground palace, and would never have seen Li He and Xing Lie."

Ning Jinli laughed, "Don't talk about the you in that world; even the puppet that replaced you there never saw the two in his lifetime."

Xiao Qidi thought briefly, then turned to the busy nanny beside him, "May I hold him?"

Though he delivered the child, the delivery was urgent, and he had no time to examine closely.

The nanny replied, "Sure, but be gentle."

Xiao Qidi then carefully extended his hands, slowly lifted Xing Lie, and, looking at the chubby infant, couldn't help smiling, then gently stroked the little one's soft body, "Hmm, not bad, not bad—remarkable bone structure, truly a one‑in‑a‑million martial talent."

"Jinli… you said… what will our future child look like?"

Xiao Qidi's sudden question caught Ning Jinli off guard.

Ning Jinli's cheeks flushed, "We haven't even married yet, and according to my side's laws, you still have several years before you can marry."

Xiao Qidi chuckled, "By my side's rules, we could have married long ago."

"Hmph," Ning Jinli wrinkled her nose, "I never said I'd have a child with you; stop daydreaming."

Xiao Qidi said, "If not with me, then with whom? Do you intend to marry another man? If so, tell me earlier."

Ning Jinli looked up, staring into his eyes, "Little brother, what do you mean, are you already preparing to break up with me?"

"No," Xiao Qidi lowered his head, leaned close, a smile curling his mouth, "If you'd told me sooner, I could have killed that person earlier; I'd see who could still marry you—aside from me, no one else can."

Ning Jinli let out a snort of laughter and pinched his ear.

At that moment, Lady Xing woke up, saw Ning Jinli and Xiao Qidi beside her, hurriedly called "Benefactors," and was about to rise to bow.

Xiao Qidi immediately placed the infant back into the cradle.

Ning Jinli quickly supported Lady Xing, "You just gave birth; don't move around."

Lady Xing's eyes glistened with tears, "If you two benefactors do not disdain, could you… could you accept Lie Er as an adopted son? In the future I will surely teach him to repay your kindness well."

Xiao Qidi and Ning Jinli widened their eyes and stared at each other.

Lady Xing said: "Ah…… if you two mind, then… then please forgive my boldness."

"No objection, no objection!" they said in unison.

Having Lie Er as an adopted son was more than they could hope for.

Thinking back to when they had accepted Li He as a dry younger brother, and now they had taken Lie Er as an adopted son, it was truly wonderful and delightful.

Now Lady Xing was also happy, but only then did she realize she still didn't know the two benefactors' names, so she asked.

This left Xiao Qidi momentarily unsure how to respond.

After all, the Xing family is a martial lineage of the Marsh State, while I myself am the king of Xuan Guo.

This relationship is rather awkward.

Ning Jinli thought for a moment, had the few women in the room withdraw first, then nodded at Xiao Qidi.

Xiao Qidi understood, and with a solemn tone said: "Lady Xing, the members of the Xing family command my sincere respect; if I were to conceal anything from you, I would feel uneasy, but… please prepare yourself mentally."

Lady Xing blinked, "You… could you be fugitives?"

Before Xiao Qidi could answer, Lady Xing immediately said:

"It's all right…… I know you two are certainly not bad people; nowadays the world is in turmoil, foolish kings and treacherous ministers abound, even if you are fugitives, many are innocent victims of false accusations. So no matter who you are, I will have no objections, I ought not to have objections; in short, you are the lifesavers of me and Lie Er."

Xiao Qidi said softly: "I am the king of Xuan Guo, Xiao Qidi."

"Xuan……" Lady Xing froze instantly.

"Her name is Ning Jinli," Xiao Qidi added, "she is my… beloved."

After a while, Lady Xing recovered from the shock, yet still found it hard to believe that the person standing before her could actually be the king of Xuan Guo; with a complex expression she asked: "You… how did you end up here?"

Ning Jinli said: "It can't be explained in a few words; in short, please trust us."

Lady Xing pondered a moment, then smiled: "I do not disbelieve, but I find this too extraordinary… we mother and son are truly blessed with great fortune, to actually be rescued by the king and queen of Xuan Guo……"

Hearing her refer to Ning Jinli as the queen, Xiao Qidi's mouth almost split up to his ears.

Lady Xing continued: "The Xing family's wholehearted fervor was solely to let the people of the Marsh State live in peace and prosperity, to make the Marsh State strong and enduring; yet what we received in return was this outcome—the Marsh State's king disregarded how the Xing ancestors, generation after generation, had opened up territory and built countless achievements for the royal clan, exiling our entire family… to the point that nearly the whole clan faced annihilation, almost extinct! Such a king, we might as well do without! From now on, my son Lie Er shall be a person of Xuan Guo!"

Hearing these words, Xiao Qidi and Ning Jinli felt relieved and were quite moved.

Indeed, those who can support Marquis Xing, General Xing are certainly not stubborn and pedantic; Lady Xing truly understands the greater good.

In order not to disturb Lady Xing's rest, the two subsequently took their leave and departed.

Regarding how to properly settle this mother-and-son pair and Fu Bo in the future, further careful planning is needed; for now, we can only let the three continue to reside in the Black Water Stronghold.

Ning Jinli and Xiao Qidi bade farewell to the two heads of the Black Water Stronghold, returned to the Delta, and informed the Special Action Team of the plan to gather hundreds of people from the Black Water Stronghold to collect Moth Wing Grass.

Thus, the Special Action Team, from the surveyed area, selected several suitable locations for receiving and storing the Moth Wing Grass.

These locations are all near the Delta; at that time Ning Jinli will be able to batch-transmit them back to the modern world.

On the Black Water Stronghold side, Hei Da and Hei Er quickly mustered personnel and dispatched boats to harvest Moth Wing Grass.

Ning Jinli and Xiao Qidi also transported tons of grain; once the Black Water Stronghold's people deliver the Moth Wing Grass, they can then take the grain back with them.

Through this model, mutual benefit forms a virtuous cycle; later we can gradually increase their grain varieties, as well as other supplies and advanced tools, helping these forced-to-become bandits suffering people return to normal life.

That evening.

One after another, dilapidated wooden vessels of various sizes, laden to the brim with Moth Wing Grass, arrived successively near the Delta in the afterglow of the setting sun.

Ning Jinli and Xiao Qidi had long been waiting here, directing them to unload the harvested Moth Wing Grass at designated spots.

The lead boat, with Hei Da and Hei Er aboard, was the first to unload its cargo; after finishing, the two heads immediately set out again to harvest more, saying the weather was fine today, the sun had not yet fully set, so they could gather a bit more.

Ning Jinli advised: "Today's amount is enough; there's no need to make everyone work too hard. I see your lead boat has several dozen people; just stay here for now and later lend me a hand."

Since she said so, Hei Da and Hei Er the siblings naturally obeyed.

Afterward, Xiao Qidi lifted the green waterproof tarp beside him, revealing the grain packed in burlap sacks inside.

Hei Da and Hei Er the siblings stood aside, curiously watching.

"These are today's wages for everyone," Ning Jinli explained, "they have already been packed; later you will help distribute them, each sack estimated to feed ten people for a day."

Hei Da gazed at the burlap sacks stacked layer upon layer like small hills, his dark, rough face full of astonishment: "You two couldn't possibly be doing magic? To actually bring this much from nowhere in less than a day."

"You needn't worry about that," Ning Jinli said with a bright smile, opening a burlap sack, "Come, take a look."

Upon seeing the burlap sack filled with rice, the siblings were so shocked their eyeballs nearly fell to the ground.

"Brother… am I not mistaken? This… this is…"

"Rice! It's actually rice?!"

Hei Da's hands trembled as he shakily reached out and scooped up a small handful.

At that moment he truly thought he was dreaming, so he told Hei Er: "Little sister, quickly give me a slap!"

Pa! Pa!

The sound of slaps rang out.

Hei Er obediently slapped him once, then gave herself a slap as well.

The siblings winced in pain, only then confirming they were not dreaming.

"Rice… oh my heavens!" Hei Da exclaimed, tears welling up, "In my whole life I have only obtained rice twice when we robbed large merchant ships!"

Hei Er nodded vigorously, the braid beside her head swaying back and forth, swallowing her saliva, she said:

"Exactly, exactly, I also remember; those two occasions were five years ago, and combined they didn't even amount to this one sack! We boiled it into several big pots of thin soup, each person took a sip, and the flavor was wonderful!"

Regarding the siblings' exaggerated reaction, Ning Jinli was not surprised, only feeling heartbroken.

At this time, ordinary folk's staple consisted mainly of coarse ancient yellow millet, little millet, and legumes, and they often went from one meal to the next without knowing if there would be another.

Wheat and rice, limited by cultivation and processing techniques, have low yields; only the affluent populace or high officials and nobles can enjoy them.

Black Water Bay is clearly not a wealthy place; they only got to see rice because they luckily robbed a large merchant ship, otherwise they would never have eaten rice in their lifetime.

The life of ordinary commoners in ancient times was just this hard.

Hei Er suddenly woke up as if from a dream, and hurriedly asked:

"Big Sister Ning, don't tell me that this big pile beside us... is all rice?"