Chapter 640: The Imperial Examination Family-Raising System (49)

May in Guixiang Town—

"Lao San, I heard from the village head that your family's ten mu of Paddy Field had a bumper harvest! The yield broke five shi, is that true?"

"What! The yield from Lao San's family's Paddy Field is that good?"

"Those ten mu of Paddy Field of Lao San's family are all top-grade fertile land, isn't it normal for the harvest to be good?"

"Breaking five shi is normal? Doesn't Wealthy Philanthropist Chen's family have all top-grade Paddy Field? Yet even his most fertile field only yielded three and a half shi."

"Whoa! Now that you mention it, that's true! Lao San, what kind of fertilizer did you use on your fields? How is the yield so high?"

"It's not just the high yield of the Paddy Field at Lao San's family; even that mu of thin soil at the foot of the mountain has millet that I think grows better than what's in my fields."

"Lao San, if you have a good method for fertilizing fields, you can't keep it to yourself!"

Song Zhisheng gave a simple, honest smile: "Actually, I don't know why this year's harvest is so good either. My wife says it's because the rice seeds our daughter-in-law bought are good. This batch of rice seeds this year was brought back by Yanqing's wife from the Provincial Capital last year. The yield per mu of non-glutinous rice really did break five shi, and one mu of glutinous rice also yielded four and a half shi."

"Whoa!"

Hearing Song Zhisheng confirm this data himself, the villagers present all gasped in surprise.

You have to know, their own rice yields were at most three shi; they couldn't even compare to the glutinous rice yield of the Song family third branch.

"But the reason for the rice seeds is just my wife's guess," Song Zhisheng continued. "I actually think that the reason our family's harvests have been getting better these past two years probably has to do with that Fermentation Fertilizer Method that Yanqing's wife mentioned..."

"What Fermentation Fertilizer Method?"

"I knew it had to do with fertilizing the fields!"

"Lao San, stop keeping us in suspense! Tell us about it quickly!"

"That's right, Lao San, if we don't increase our yields, our families will soon be unable to put food on the table!"

Recalling the instructions his daughter-in-law gave before she left, Song Zhisheng cleared his throat and said: "Yanqing's wife said that the fertilizer we apply to the fields isn't fermented enough."

"What's 'fermentation'?"

"Oh, Uncle Seven, can you stop interrupting? Let Lao San finish speaking."

"Sigh, alright, alright! Lao San, I won't interrupt, you continue with what you were saying."

Song Zhisheng: "... Well, I can't explain it clearly, but anyway, ever since we moved to the new house, the waste from our latrine has been channeled underground, connected to the Farm that was part of Yanqing's wife's dowry. It's buried underground, which they say makes the fermentation more thorough. When we need to apply fertilizer, we just scoop it out from another opening. And let me tell you, the scooped-out waste doesn't smell at all. Yanqing's wife said this means it's fully fermented; not only is it odorless, but the fertilizing power is even stronger."

"So that's how it is..."

"No wonder the tea tree saplings on Chai Shan are shooting up so fast!"

"And those fruit trees in the Farm, I remember they were just saplings when they were planted last year, right? This year they've already shot up taller than I am."

"Taller is nothing! I looked over the courtyard wall and saw they're already bearing fruit!"

"It seems that if you want a good harvest, you can't skimp on fertilizer!"

"Lao San, when is your daughter-in-law coming back? Can you let her teach us how to make the waste odorless and full of fertilizing power?"

"She told me about this before she left and even left a blueprint. Whoever needs it can come to my house with me to get it, and find an old stonemason to dig a latrine just like ours according to the blueprint."

"I want one, I want one!"

"I want one too! Lao San, I'm coming with you right now!"

"Lao San, I'm going too!"

The group chatted all the way about this year's summer harvest as they followed Song Zhisheng toward his house.

Along the way, one could see the ten mu of fertile land belonging to the Song family third branch. Although the rice had already been moved into the Grain Warehouse, one could tell from the golden rice stubble in the fields just how thick the stalks had been, how fertile the soil was, and how heavy the rice ears had been!

These ten mu of fertile land were said to have been bought with money from Yanqing's wife and registered under Yanqing's name, but everyone knew full well who had paid the Silver: that boy Yanqing had really made something of himself!

He passed the provincial examination as a Juren, and even the county magistrate personally brought a tray of patterned Silver to offer congratulations. No wonder they say "there is a house of gold in books"! Rewarded Silver to buy fertile land, fertile land planted full of rice, and a Grain Warehouse full of golden rice—isn't that exactly a house of gold!

"Lao San! Song Laosan! You have guests! It's someone sent from Jingcheng to deliver the good news!"

A person came running hurriedly from the side of the field; it was the village head's son.

"Hurry, hurry, hurry! The person is waiting for you to arrive to read it out!"

"Really?"

Song Zhisheng paused for a moment, then happily took off running.

A string of people followed behind:

"Wait for us! We're going to listen to the good news too!"

"Is it really from Jingcheng? Could there be a mistake?"

"There can't be a mistake! That boy Yanqing has been in Jingcheng for the imperial examinations for half a year now; it's about time there was news!"

"Does that mean he passed again?"

"If there's good news, he must have passed! Why would they send good news if he didn't pass?"

"Whoa!"

While they were talking, Song Zhisheng had already run out of sight.

"This Lao San! When did he start running so fast!"

Everyone twitched their lips and also quickened their pace.

The entrance to the Song house was currently surrounded by people, all holding their breath to listen to the good news:

"... Your honorable residence's young master, Song Yanqing, has placed first in the first rank of the Palace Examination, is granted the title of Jinshi, and is appointed as a Compiler in the Hanlin Academy. Congratulations to Master Song and Madam Song! Your honorable residence's young master has won three consecutive firsts and placed as the Zhuangyuan!"

"Wow—"

The whole crowd let out an exclamation of wonder.

"What, what? Lao San's Yanqing passed as the Zhuangyuan?"

"That's right! Didn't you hear this gentleman congratulating the couple? Oh my, he's really made something of himself!"

"Doesn't that mean our Qinghe Village has become a Zhuangyuan village?"

"Yes!" the village head laughed loudly, "Soon someone will come to build a Zhuangyuan Arch, and Qinghe Village will be famous throughout the entire dynasty!"

"Hey! Then I'm going to hurry back to my maiden home to share the good news!"

"Hahaha! Lao Liu's wife, Lao San's son passed the imperial examination as the top scholar, why are you going back to your maiden home to share the good news!"

"Why can't I share the good news? Everyone says our village has become a village of top scholars; isn't this a great joy? When the time comes, girls from other villages will scramble to marry into our village, and our village's girls won't have to worry about finding husbands! Aren't all these things happy events?"

"When you put it that way, that's true! Hahaha..."

In short, all of Qinghe Village was filled with joy.

The only ones who couldn't be happy were probably the Lao Song family.

"What? Lao San's family is going to Jingcheng?"

After some time had passed, hearing that the second grandson had sent people to pick up Lao San's family to go to Jingcheng, Lao Wangshi was so shocked that her voice went out of tune.

"Isn't it that Xiao Er has already been appointed as an official in Jingcheng? From now on, he is a resident of Jingcheng. Lao San only has him as a son; if he doesn't go to Jingcheng to rely on him, who else does he plan to rely on?"

Song Laoda, on the other hand, felt it was within expectations; the only regret was that he hadn't reconciled with Lao San's family before his nephew passed the imperial examination... no! Before he passed the budding scholar exam. Otherwise, as the eldest uncle, he might have been able to follow them to Jingcheng. Even if he couldn't live in Jingcheng long-term, it would have been nice to follow Lao San's family and broaden his horizons.

"What about us? I am Xiao Er's own grandmother, and you are Xiao Er's own eldest uncle and second uncle. You can't write the character 'Song' twice in one stroke; now that he has passed the imperial examination and become a high official, is he just going to ignore us?"

"..."

Hearing their mother's tone of taking it for granted, the two brothers looked at each other helplessly, thinking to themselves that saying this now was too late! If they hadn't split Lao San's family off two years ago, their whole family might have been able to follow Lao San to Jingcheng to enjoy life by now, but...

"Mother, stop making a scene. Lao San said that if we don't cause trouble, he will leave his thin plot of land for us to farm, and additionally share with us a few catties of high-yield rice seeds with a yield of over five shi per mu, and some things brought in from foreign lands called sweet potatoes and Potato. If we keep making trouble, we won't get anything at all."

Lao Wangshi was so angry she almost couldn't catch her breath, clutching her chest as she asked, "Aren't there still ten mu of fertile land?"

"Those ten mu of fertile land were bought by Xiao Er's wife and have been incorporated into her dowry Farm."

"..."