Chapter 74: All Treasures, All Silver

Just as he picked up a roasted sweet potato, Old Ge's several grandchildren, who knew no fear, snatched it away without minding the heat. The divine doctor didn't get angry at the time; when he left, he had people pack half a sack of sweet potatoes, which two servants carried away.

Pay? I don't even pay when I eat at a restaurant in the city, uh, that's impossible! In reality, Old Ge packed a whole sack, but it was too heavy to carry, so Chen Xie only took about ten pounds.

The next morning, Chen Xie, who was planning to have a good lazy sleep with a soft girl, was woken up by the maid Yuxuan.

"Master, get up quickly." Chen Xie looked at the sky, which was just beginning to brighten, and grumbled in dissatisfaction, "What's the matter? Has the sky fallen?"

Yuxuan glanced at Yuzhu, who was wearing only a belly band, her chest bulging, and felt a bit inferior. They were both touched by the same person, but why did hers grow faster than mine?

"You'll see when you go out, it's right at the door." The nimble Yuxuan quickly dressed Chen Xie, making Yuzhu glare at her, but she pretended not to see.

Chen Xie, confused, came out and peeked through the side door. The ground was full of people kneeling, and he quickly pulled his head back. He hurriedly asked the night watchman, "What's going on?" The watchman was scared stiff and whispered, "Master, when we opened the door this morning, we saw this. I asked, but no one spoke; they just want to see the master."

What's going on? Chen Xie thought through it, but he hadn't done anything to harm others, right? As a black-hearted capitalist, he had always been like this, and no one had caused trouble. Three pounds of sorghum per day as wages, making bricks in the kiln for a whole day, was a bit harsh! Wasn't he thinking of building a mud wall during the off-season?

After calming down, Chen Xie came out and stood on the steps. The people on the ground bowed their heads to the ground, not minding the dirt. Old Ge led the way and shouted in unison, "We have come to apologize to the master!"

"Get up and speak. What are you apologizing for so early in the morning? Speak clearly and then scram. The master went to bed late last night and needs to go back to sleep." Chen Xie was truly confused. What was this all about?

Old Ge and the others got up, and Chen Xie saw clearly that almost every household's head of the family had come, about a hundred people.

"Master, every household received new grain yesterday—corn, potatoes, and sweet potatoes—all in abundance. On average, potatoes yielded 5,000 pounds per acre, and corn 2,000 pounds per acre. This winter, no household will fear hunger. Last night, everyone gathered and discussed this, feeling guilty and wanting to apologize. When you first suggested planting more, everyone was reluctant and only planted a little, and you even promised not to collect rent."

"Stop!" Chen Xie understood and then angrily shouted, "Old Ge, just for this trivial matter, you come to disturb the master's sleep so early in the morning, almost giving me a heart attack. If people knew, the master brought high-yield crops from America to help everyone eat, but if they didn't, they might think the master kidnapped someone's daughter. Get lost, all of you!"

While scolding, Chen Xie turned and angrily called to the servants, "Come, get brooms and chase them away. What's going on?"

The prepared servants rushed out, swinging brooms like wolves, and chased everyone away in a flurry. Chen Xie, still angry, stood at the door and shouted, "Listen up, if anyone dares to disturb the master's sleep again, I'll kidnap your daughters."

The villagers, in a panic, ran far away. Several dim-witted men gathered to chat. "I say, if the master kidnaps a daughter, wouldn't that be a good thing? My family has three daughters, the oldest is thirteen and can get married."

"Forget it, your daughters can't even read, and they look like reed sticks, with no breasts or hips. Do you really think the master would want to kidnap them? Dream on!"

"Can't I even think about it? Really! I say, the master's temper in the morning is really bad, what time is it?"

"I say, he probably didn't see Miss Yuzhu and was doing something else." The men laughed lewdly.

The news of the bountiful harvest in Zhangjia Village spread like a plague throughout Dengzhou. Zhang Yao also heard about it. Just as he was unsure and preparing to ask Chen Xie, Chen Xie's carriage entered Dengzhou and stopped at the Zhang residence.

"Shuigen, is Uncle Zhang at home?" Chen Xie's voice was loud. Zhang Yao, who had risen early and was exercising in the courtyard, heard clearly and walked to the door. He then heard Chen Xie say, "It's almost the festival, and the American crops in the fields have had a good harvest. I've brought some for Uncle and Aunt to try."

The great divine doctor didn't ask for help and carried two large bags himself, the weight bending the pole. Shuigen wanted to help but saw the iron pole and gave up, shouting, "Move, everyone move."

Actually, there was no one around that early in the morning, just servants sweeping and watering the ground, so it wasn't a problem.

The only problem was Zhang Yao, who stood in the road. Chen Xie quickly put down the load. "Uncle Zhang, I've brought some fresh things."

He opened the sack and poured out a sack of sweet potatoes and a sack of fresh corn. Zhang Yao smiled and squatted down to examine them closely, then asked, "Sihua, I heard these American grains are high-yield. You can't be lying to me."

Chen Xie smiled and said, "I wouldn't lie to you. These grains are indeed high-yield, the seeds are from America. These are sweet potatoes. If well-cared for and with good fertilizer, they can yield up to 10,000 pounds per acre. This is corn, which yields a bit less, about 1,000 pounds per acre when dried. There are also potatoes, which can yield 5,000 pounds per acre, but they don't taste good, so I didn't bring them. Shuigen, this corn is picked when it's young, so cook it quickly for breakfast."

Chen Xie kept talking, and Zhang Yao's face changed. As a scholar and former official, how could he not understand the importance of these grains?

"Sihua, you can't hide this from me." Zhang Yao's voice trembled. This year, the drought was severe, and the harvest was poor. Many families would struggle through the winter, and by next March, many would not survive, leading to unrest. Zhang Yao's concerns were not unfounded. In the second year of Chongzhen, the White Lotus Sect would rise up, with tens of thousands besieging Laizhou.

Now, the event hadn't happened, but Zhang Yao was already preparing for it.

"Really, Uncle Zhang. These are high-yield crops." Chen Xie answered seriously, and Zhang Yao was so excited that he started pacing. "This is a good omen, it should be reported to the government and promoted."

Chen Xie said, "Uncle Zhang, don't get too excited. This isn't urgent. It's too late for this year; let's wait until next year."

Zhang Yao, being impatient, said, "No, this must be reported to the governor's office immediately."

Chen Xie, hearing this, didn't stop him, as he couldn't anyway. Besides, the Ming Dynasty was vast, and how big were Dengzhou and Laizhou? Promoting these crops wouldn't be easy. Even if they were promoted in the Jiaodong Peninsula, it might not solve many problems.

Soon, Zhang Yao returned and said to Chen Xie, "This can't be rushed! I just thought about it and realized it's not right."

Chen Xie was puzzled, "Why not?"

Zhang Yao said, "Currently, only a small amount is planted. If we report it, the court will demand seeds, which might not solve the problem. It's better to start privately and report it next year when more is planted."

Chen Xie understood. There were two reasons: one was personal and local interests. Zhang Yao was a local and wanted to prioritize his own people. The second was to protect Chen Xie. Everyone would want these high-yield seeds, and Chen Xie wouldn't have enough. Some might even have evil intentions, causing trouble for Chen Xie. It was better to wait until next year when more was planted to avoid unnecessary trouble.

After the Mid-Autumn Festival, a light rain fell, but not much. Despite the dry conditions, winter wheat had to be planted, or there would be nothing to eat next year.

On the official road, a group of ragged travelers, carrying simple luggage, moved slowly toward Dengzhou, with old and young in tow.

A group of soldiers, dressed in tattered armor, carrying weapons, watched these people with disdain. If not for the silver, who would want to watch these lowly craftsmen and fear they might run away?

Dust rose on the road ahead, indicating a large group was coming. Lu Cheng, the leader, looked and saw about a hundred people. A strange-looking carriage led the group, followed by people pushing wheelbarrows.

Chen Xie's face was stern on the carriage, while Qian Buduo smiled nervously.

"How can I explain to you? These five or six hundred people, old and young, walking such a long distance, and you didn't even arrange for animals to pull carts? You couldn't spare a few coins? Do you know that on this journey of over a thousand miles, a third might die? What good are dead people to me?" Chen Xie shouted, and Qian Buduo laughed nervously without arguing. Were craftsmen even considered people? If the old and weak died, so be it.

Qian Buduo didn't argue, but Chen Xie still didn't let him off, continuing, "Do you know? In the craft industry, the older the more experienced. The elderly are treasures, they are silver."

This surprised Qian Buduo, who slapped his thigh and said, "Oh no, how could I forget that?"

Chen Xie looked at him speechlessly, and Qian Buduo laughed nervously, "Sihua, I repeatedly instructed to treat these craftsmen well on the journey. I also sent a squad leader with a hundred soldiers to escort them. Each craftsman was given half a month's worth of food."

Human life was cheap in the Ming Dynasty, and Chen Xie had long realized this. However, when it came to craftsmen, he couldn't remain calm.

Who led the technological advancements during the first industrial revolution in Europe? Craftsmen! The craftsmen of the Ming Dynasty were no less capable. Given the opportunity, their intelligence and skills could be harnessed, and with proper guidance, they might even establish an industrial base in Dengzhou.

In Chen Xie's eyes, craftsmen were treasures, they were silver.

Qian Buduo's decision to make these craftsmen walk over a thousand miles infuriated Chen Xie. Why not use carts? It was just a few coins. If you couldn't afford it, why not say so, and I would cover the cost?

"Never mind, it's my fault for not reminding you at the time." In the end, Chen Xie blamed himself.