Chapter 2

The Grand Tutor was filled with curiosity about this manor. The sudden appearance of a powerful young man next to the imperial manor was simply too incredible.

Indeed, in his view, the young man was powerful.

Because even though they were both growing wheat, the wheat in the imperial manor was not as good as that in Li Yi's manor.

There was a clear difference of about ten days in the maturation period, and the wheat in Li Yi's manor grew much stronger.

The variety was the same.

What went wrong?

As he pondered this, he looked at the eunuch beside him.

The eunuch had never paid much attention to the neighboring manor before; his mind was more focused on the palace, where he wanted to return.

Now, seeing the growth of the wheat in Li Yi's manor, he was also somewhat stunned.

The eunuch naturally understood that the wheat in Li Yi's manor would be harvested first.

He also understood the significant difference.

Harvesting ten days earlier meant much less risk.

Once the wheat reached maturity, if it encountered heavy rain, the early harvest would already be completed, and even dried.

The late harvest would either result in reduced yield, with the grains not fully developed, or the wheat would sprout after being soaked by rain.

"Grand Tutor, I... I..." The eunuch was flustered, unsure how to explain.

"Learn from it next year." The Grand Tutor, Li Chengqi, chose to forgive the eunuch.

The eunuch felt bitter, realizing that he wouldn't be able to return this year.

Managing an imperial manor, how could it compare to serving the emperor in the palace, like Gao Lishi?

"Call me Li... Sir. Lower your voice." Li Chengqi instructed.

"Yes, Li... Sir." The eunuch quickly lowered his voice, making it less shrill.

He envied Gao Lishi in this regard; despite both being eunuchs, why did Gao Lishi have such a deep voice?

As they spoke, they arrived at the garlic field, a vast area of one hundred acres.

A group of people were bending over, scattering garlic cloves.

Some people were carrying baskets of garlic cloves on poles to the field.

Soon, Li Chengqi found Li Yi in the crowd, recognizing him by his unique demeanor, even while working.

He looked at the ground, which was wet, and stepped in.

The eunuch grimaced, gritted his teeth, and followed, his shoes immediately getting wet.

"Li Yi?" Li Chengqi stood next to Li Yi and asked.

Li Yi looked up: "Ah, it's me."

"Brother Li, please." Li Chengqi bowed.

"Brother, please." Li Yi returned the bow with his muddy hands.

"Brother Li, why plant garlic in wet soil?" Li Chengqi asked, puzzled.

He knew that garlic was usually planted first, then watered.

"The weather is cool, and the soil lacks nutrients. Water the soil first to enrich it, then let it dry for two days. The soil temperature will rise, and the soil will be moist. In the northern region, when planting garlic in spring, this is the method."

Li Yi explained the situation.

In Chang'an, the soil lacks sufficient nutrients.

If the nutrients are mixed into the soil and then watered, the temperature for planting garlic is crucial.

Therefore, in the north, the wet planting method is used, where the soil is watered first, then dried, and the garlic is planted.

This method is efficient and effective.

It's called scientific planting.

"The weather is cool, so water first, then dry, and plant?"

Li Chengqi thought he knew how to farm, but one question revealed his ignorance.

"Exactly." Li Yi nodded and continued planting garlic cloves.

"What happens next?" Li Chengqi squatted down to ask, finding it interesting.

"Apply fertilizer. Garlic is the most difficult to grow and requires a lot of nutrients. If it's dry, apply watered fertilizer. If it rains, apply dry fertilizer."

Li Yi answered casually, finding it simple and unnecessary to ask.

Li Chengqi felt belittled, took a deep breath, and changed the topic: "When the manor is short of food, is there enough grain?"

Li Yi looked at him: "Is there a manor?"

"Yes." Li Chengqi answered honestly.

Following the spacing, Li Yi continued to scatter garlic cloves.

He said, "Whether there is enough grain depends on how much is consumed. If more is consumed, there won't be enough."

"Then won't they be hungry if they don't eat?" Li Chengqi thought to himself, isn't that obvious?

"Hunger depends on how much fat is in the stomach. Those who eat more meat need less grain. Those who eat more fatty foods also need less grain. Isn't that right?"

"Right!"

"On my manor, we don't lack fat, so the remaining grain is enough to last until harvest." Li Yi explained, not hiding anything.

He was willing to share this information with the other party, hoping they would follow and extend their lifespan.

Li Chengqi understood, nodding: "I see that your manor buys a lot of fatty foods?"

Li Yi shook his head: "Not that much fat, I use bean oil."

"Bean oil? Which beans? Do beans have oil?" Li Chengqi understood but was more confused.

"Soybeans, they do. After pressing the oil, the residue can be used to make tofu, though the tofu isn't very tasty. If not used for tofu, the residue can be steamed and eaten."

Li Yi said with a smile.

"Beans are smelly, can they produce oil? Is the oil smelly?" Li Chengqi delved deeper into the discussion.

"The disadvantage of using bean oil for cooking is that it is quite smelly, especially when the oil is raw. However, we can use soy sauce or scallions to reduce the smell."

Li Yi was in a good mood, appreciating the other party's curiosity.

He thought about possibly selling bean oil in the future.

If the other party had enough influence, he could share the method of pressing bean oil.

Then the other party could provide oil to many people, and he could earn more lifespan.

***

By noon, everyone returned to the dining hall to eat, without needing to bring food from elsewhere.

Li Chengqi called Li Yi "Brother Li" and followed.

The female servants who stayed behind had prepared the meal.

A large pan was filled with bean oil, and scallion pancakes were being made.

The bean oil-fried bean cakes were crispy, spread with sauce.

Smoked meat stir-fried with garlic sprouts, wild vegetable and egg soup.

There were also preserved vegetables and pork skin from the previous year, marinated with shrimp paste.

The people who had worked all morning were not shy and ate heartily.

"Brother Li, you feed them this?" Li Chengqi was amazed, thinking how good their life was.

"Ah, if they don't eat, where will they get the strength to work?" Li Yi was surprised, thinking, are you lacking in common sense?

"What about bran?" The eunuch, understanding the leader's meaning, asked in a low voice.

"Feeding pigs and chickens, otherwise, where would the eggs come from?" Li Yi looked at him, implying, are you also lacking in common sense?

Listening to the three of them talk, the tenant farmers and the bought laborers unconsciously straightened their chests, feeling proud.

With the manor owner present, even on regular days when they were not busy, they still had two meals a day with plenty of oil and fat.

Now, working, they had three meals a day, all delicious and plentiful.

Li Yi didn't mind, as he was used to it, having been a small company owner before.

How could employees work well if they didn't eat well?

To take care of the young female employees, he even bought a milk tea machine and ingredients, letting them learn to make it and drink it freely.

Some employees, after becoming proficient, quit to sell milk tea.

What could he do about that?

Li Chengqi, eating the bean oil-fried pancakes and dishes, found them quite good and asked: "Is the oil made from beans?"

"Indeed, the residue from pressing the oil, when steamed with wild vegetables and mixed with sauce, is also good with alcohol."

Li Yi shared his experience, explaining that the residue from pressing soybeans, with current technology, was still edible.

"How is it pressed?" Li Chengqi asked the key question.

The eunuch, in a low voice, coughed, reminding the leader not to ask, as it was the other party's skill.

Being able to extract oil from beans was a valuable skill.

"Wait until we finish planting the garlic in a couple of days, and I'll show you how to press it. You'll see."

Li Yi didn't mind, as long as it could extend his lifespan, he was willing to promote it.

Thinking about promotion, he remembered soy sauce, which could make money.

So he invited them: "Why don't we have dinner together tonight? We can have garlic sprout, egg, and shrimp dumplings, which are very fresh, served in a broth."

Li Chengqi was intrigued, as he had never eaten boiled dumplings, only steamed ones.

So in the afternoon, a group of silent, farmer-dressed people arrived to help.

They helped to quickly finish planting the garlic, so Li Chengqi could see how the bean oil was pressed.

He felt he should help his brother, as if beans could produce oil, many people could eat more oil and less grain.

He understood the importance of oil.

Over a hundred new people, working hard, finished planting the garlic on the hundred-acre field before it got dark.

Seeing the sun still high, Li Yi quickly instructed the female servants to prepare the meal, as everyone needed to eat.

The male slaves, after a short rest, also helped.

Tonight, everyone ate dumplings, but the garlic sprouts were insufficient, so wild vegetables and more eggs were added.

A tofu soup was also made to ensure that those who helped were well-fed.

If not for the need to plow after harvesting the wheat, Li Yi would have slaughtered a cow.

Slaughtering a cow required only a small fine, and the authorities wouldn't pursue it.

This was quite unreasonable, as the cow was his own, so why should killing it be illegal? Even accidental death required a fine?

The people Li Chengqi brought watched, seeing the people on Li Yi's manor still so happy after extra labor.

They couldn't understand; as tenant farmers, they only rented land to farm, why should they do other work for the manor owner?

The key was that even with the extra work, the ten tenant farmers were not angry.

Then, when they saw a group of children, all dressed in the same clothes, singing unfamiliar songs as they marched in, they were even more puzzled.

"What's going on?"

"The sun shines in the sky, flowers smile at me, little birds say, 'early, early, early,' why do you carry a small schoolbag?"

"I go to school, never late, love learning, love working, and when I grow up, I will serve the Tang Dynasty."

The children sang, their faces rosy, showing no signs of malnutrition.

"Father, Mother..." The children came, running to their parents.

The people who were ordered to help finally understood.

The manor owner provided the children of the tenant farmers with the same clothes and schoolbags, free education.

The schoolbags contained pens, ink, paper, and inkstones.

Looking at the children's faces, it was clear they were well-fed.

Seeing the children's cleanliness, they looked like the children of wealthy families.

Then, after greeting their parents, the children ran to Li Yi and lined up.

"Brother Manor Owner, thank you!" The children bowed in unison.

Li Yi smiled warmly: "Did you learn well today?"

"We did!" The children shouted in unison.

"Then tonight, each of you will get a dried fish to take home and eat."

"Great!" "We get to eat dried fish again!" "Brother Manor Owner is the best!"

The children cheered.

They scattered, putting away their schoolbags and changing into farming clothes.

They continued to hum songs as they went.

"Little children, carrying schoolbags to school, not afraid of the sun, not afraid of the rain, only afraid of being lazy, without knowledge, ashamed to face father and mother..."

Li Chengqi watched and listened, trembling all over.

He felt a powerful force, a mighty force that made his heart surge.

He took a deep breath, trying to adjust his mindset, and asked Li Yi: "What is a dried fish?"

"Dried fish, with the bones, organs, and head removed, first steamed, then dried. When eating, use a small wooden hammer to crush it, making it soft and crispy, like a snack."

Li Yi explained, and he himself was getting hungry just thinking about it.

Li Chengqi was puzzled: "Wouldn't it be better to give them meat directly?"

Li Yi smiled and shook his head: "The children don't lack meat. They enjoy crushing the fish themselves. Things obtained without effort don't taste as good."

Li Chengqi's heart trembled again. Things obtained without effort don't taste as good?

Indeed, that's why he always felt restless and sought entertainment.