Chapter 73: Sweet Potato Harvest

"Alright, what do you want?" Chen Xie looked quite displeased. Qian Buduo, who had no money, smiled apologetically and said, "Divine Doctor..."

Chen Xie raised his hand, "Stop, call me Si Hua. We are partners now."

"Alright, Si Hua. The craftsmen, all skilled in kiln work, number 133 households, with over 500 people, young and old. I just received the news; they've been out for about a week," Qian Buduo said, his expression becoming even more fawning. Now he was earning private money to support his family, so he naturally had to please Chen Xie.

"Alright, I understand. Wait, what did you say? All kiln workers?" Chen Xie was angry, his eyebrows rising as he said, "Old Qian, this isn't right. What I need most are blacksmiths, not kiln workers."

"Si Hua, don't get upset. There are many blacksmiths, over 200 households, with about 700 to 800 people in total. That's why it's a bit slower," Qian Buduo explained, though he still had his own selfish motives. Chen Xie pretended not to hear.

"Old Qian, bringing so many craftsmen, won't there be any trouble?" Chen Xie was still a bit worried. He had taken care of everything in Dengzhou, from Sun Guozhen, Wang Tingshi, and Yang Guodong down to the lower officials. Some were taken care of by the joint merchant guild, others by other merchants. The agents of the joint merchant guild had a vast network of connections, covering the entire jurisdiction of the Denglai Inspectorate, including people like Qian Buduo, who spoke for the nobility, and Li Heng, who even had connections with pirates.

If anyone were to act rashly against Chen Xie, the public outrage would be severe. Not to mention, the Zhangjia Village Hospital now served the nobility. You needed to be wealthy and powerful to be admitted for treatment. In this era, many diseases couldn't be treated without Chen Xie's medicine.

"Who would cause trouble? The heads of various departments in the Nanzhili Ministry of Works have been taken care of, as well as the Military Equipment Supervision and the Military Equipment Bureau, all with silver," Qian Buduo assured, and Chen Xie felt somewhat relieved.

"Alright, I understand. When do we sign the agreement? Now or after they arrive?" Chen Xie suddenly asked. Qian Buduo replied casually, "Of course, after they arrive, one hand delivers the people, the other signs the contract."

Chen Xie was finally somewhat reassured. Just as they were talking, Mengzi came in, rolling and crawling.

"Master, Master!" Mengzi was panting heavily. Chen Xie was startled and stood up, "Don't be so flustered, speak calmly."

After a few deep breaths, Mengzi said, "Old Ge's family is harvesting their sweet potatoes. One mu of land, it looks like a small mountain. He came to report it. You said to report this matter immediately, so I rushed here."

Chen Xie then remembered that Old Ge's family was harvesting sweet potatoes today. He had sent someone early in the morning to invite him. Chen Xie knew the yield of this crop and wasn't worried at all. So he sent Mengzi to follow and report back with news.

As a loyal supporter of Chen Xie, Old Ge had some resistance and reluctantly led the way in planting 10 mu of sweet potatoes. Chen Xie had brought limited seeds, initially to show the results of one season. The next time, he would have more convincing power. Farming was too important for farmers; no one would believe empty words. Even Chen Xie couldn't avoid some people who paid lip service but acted differently. So he specifically chose some less fertile land to plant sweet potatoes, corn, and potatoes. They were almost ripe.

Because the land chosen was all dry land, where even sorghum wouldn't yield much, the total area was only about 300 mu, which didn't cause much of a stir. Farmers valued immediate benefits, a reality forced upon them. Especially in the Ming Dynasty, if the crops didn't come in, they would go hungry.

"Old Qian, let's go and take a look, give you some insight," Chen Xie said, smiling and standing up, feeling quite good. Mainly, he was craving sweet potatoes. The sweet potatoes he brought were Su Shu No. 8, which matured early and grew rapidly. After 95 to 100 days, the average weight of fresh sweet potatoes per plant was 0.8 kilograms. The key was the taste, known as yellow heart mountain yam. The highest yield per mu could reach 5,000 kilograms. Chen Xie estimated that in the Ming Dynasty, a yield of 3,000 kilograms per mu would be quite good.

Old Ge's family had stopped working and was patiently waiting for the master to arrive. Old Ge, sitting on the field ridge, was trembling, his pipe trembling, and tears streaming down his face, not caring about losing face. The piles of harvested sweet potatoes, estimated by eye, must have weighed 4,000 to 5,000 pounds.

Chen Xie brought scales and enough burlap bags. Speaking of burlap bags, Chen Xie planned to set up a workshop. This item required no special skills; a group of women could do it. Burlap bags were a small matter, but Chen Xie had a big use for them. What big use? It would be clear in battle.

"Master!" Old Ge's family all knelt on the ground, grateful for the sweet potatoes the master had brought. This time, Chen Xie didn't help him up but walked straight to the pile of sweet potatoes, picked up seven or eight sweet potatoes the size of a child's fist, and said to Qian Buduo, "See? Pick these half-grown ones; they taste good."

Looking back, he saw that Old Ge's family hadn't gotten up yet and said, "Get up, don't worry. The master won't collect rent for this year's sweet potatoes, as promised."

Old Ge sat on the ground and burst into tears, "I'm a sinner, I'm a sinner, I've wronged the master. This year, we'll pay half the rent for the sweet potatoes." He then got up, hugged Chen Xie's leg, and begged him to collect the rent.

If Master Chen had kicked him and said, "Old man, get lost! If you can't pay the rent, use Xier to pay the debt," it would have fit the plot. Unfortunately, this didn't happen. Instead, Chen Xie, exasperated, shouted, "Nonsense, does the master care about your rent? The merchant guild earns mountains of gold and silver every year; I wouldn't look at your sweet potatoes. Let go, don't delay the master from eating roasted sweet potatoes."

"Flunky" Gu Mengzi rushed over and forcefully pulled Old Ge away, saying, "Old Ge, you've dirtied the master's pants; he's worried you'll have to pay for them." Old Ge was startled and paused, realizing that the master's pants were made of fine material, which he couldn't afford to pay for.

Just as he was about to beg for mercy, Chen Xie and Qian Buduo were already squatting on a patch of empty ground, playing with mud. What was Chen Xie doing? He was building a kiln with mud blocks, carefully as if making a craft. Qian Buduo was curious and played along enthusiastically. Gu Mengzi wanted to help but was kicked away by Chen Xie, "Get lost, don't disturb the master. Go collect some dry wood."

Gu Mengzi walked away pitifully, followed by Old Ge's grandchildren. They hadn't gone to the new school's literacy class today because they were harvesting sweet potatoes.

After half an hour, Chen Xie finally completed his masterpiece, looking at the small mud kiln with satisfaction and patting his hands, "I haven't played with this for a long time; my skills have declined." Qian Buduo was speechless, but he wanted to understand the situation with the sweet potatoes.

At this moment, Old Ge came again, followed by Changsheng, who held a notebook and reported, "Master, we've weighed them; it's 6,630 pounds in total." Chen Xie, without turning his head, said, "The yield is too low. This type of sweet potato can yield 8,000 pounds and still be considered low. Old Ge, you need to put more effort next year. It's too late this year, but quickly prepare the land, plow deeply, and fertilize it. Plant winter wheat, and I'll provide the seeds." Chen Xie, hands on his hips, was still admiring his work. Old Ge and his family bowed three times again.

After standing up and turning around, Old Ge shouted, "Work! After harvesting the sweet potatoes, plow the land and take advantage of the good weather to dry it for a few days."

While the whole family was busy harvesting sweet potatoes, Chen Xie lit the fire and told Mengzi to watch it, "Pay attention. When the mud blocks turn red, call the master."

When no one was around, Chen Xie said to Qian Buduo, "Old Qian, see this thing? This is a sweet potato. Actually, you can't eat too much; it makes your stomach acidic and causes flatulence. The best way is to set up a workshop and make vermicelli from it."

Qian Buduo, who couldn't stand the mention of workshops, immediately said impulsively, "I'll do it. I don't need much, just a 30% share." Chen Xie laughed, "I'm letting you do it yourself; I don't plan to do it myself. Find some locals and discuss it with them, to do it together. It's simple; anyone can learn it with a glance. Also, the residue left from making vermicelli is best for feeding pigs. This year, it's too late, but plant more next year, and we'll discuss it then."

Qian Buduo was anxious and quickly said, "Divine Doctor, you can't do this. Last time, you tricked us three into opening a silver house. When we thought about it, we realized it wasn't simple. It's not as easy as opening a money shop. How to set up branches in different places, how to ensure everyone's interests, we thought about it for half a month and couldn't come up with a plan."

Chen Xie chuckled, his look of disdain clear. Qian Buduo lowered his head, realizing he had spoken out of turn.

"Regarding the silver house, it's not difficult to set up, but the hard part is that you people can't be of one mind. Wait a bit, wait until I sort out some things, and then we'll discuss how to set up a silver house that connects the world based on the joint merchant guild." Chen Xie finished, and Qian Buduo was stunned. The phrase "connect the world" had a profound meaning that he understood well.

The mud blocks turned red, and Master Chen led the way to continue playing, lifting the top mud blocks, adjusting the firewood, and putting the sweet potatoes inside. Then he used a stick to knock down the mud kiln, breaking the mud blocks and sprinkling fine soil to cover the gaps.

After a few minutes, a rich aroma filled the air. Qian Buduo's nose twitched, and he inhaled deeply, drooling. "What smell? So fragrant, it must be delicious."

Chen Xie didn't have time to chat, patiently waiting a few more minutes. When it was almost done, he used a stick to dig out the mud blocks, revealing the roasted sweet potatoes inside, and said to himself, "Truly a delicacy!" It had been months since he had returned to the modern world, and as he peeled a sweet potato, this thought crossed his mind.

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End of Chapter 73