Chapter 72

Chapter 72

“What brings you here? And why didn’t you bring little Yuanbao along?” Liang Boqing walked with his hands clasped behind his back as he spoke.

“I came to deliver a letter to you and check on the crops. I’ll definitely bring Yuanbao to see you next time.”

Liang Boqing grunted, took the letter, and upon recognizing the handwriting, his eyebrows shot up instantly. He hurried to his study to read it.

Wang Ying leaned against the window and peered inside. Seeing Qing Yan and his two younger brothers writing busily, he decided not to disturb them and instead took a stroll around the courtyard.

The people inside had long heard Wang Ying’s voice but hadn’t dared to make a sound, focusing intently on their exam papers.

Ever since their return after the New Year, Old Liang had set a rule for the three of them: a monthly exam would be held, following the format and duration of the county exam, with three sessions held over half a day each. Today happened to be the monthly exam day.

The little yellow dog in the courtyard had grown into a big yellow one. At first sight of Wang Ying, it barked a few times but immediately quieted down after being scolded by Uncle Chen, tilting its head to look at him.

Wang Ying said, “Don’t you recognize me?”

The dog sniffed him and seemed to suddenly remember, wagging its tail rapidly and circling around Wang Ying’s legs.

“Remembered now? All those bones I fed you weren’t in vain.”

“Meow~” A cat’s cry came from the roof. Wang Ying looked up and saw the little orange cat they had taken in earlier sunbathing on the eaves of the storeroom.

Indeed, Big Orange lived up to its name—it had gained a lot of weight in the six months since he last saw it.

“Little Orange, come here.”

The cat lazily stood up, yawned, stretched its legs and arched its back, glanced at Wang Ying in the courtyard, flicked its tail, and lay back down in a different position.

“Tsk, such a lazy cat.”

Wang Ying then went to check the kitchen. It was tidy and clean. Last time, in the experimental field, Qing Yan had mentioned that Dun Zi’s wife helped cook for them without asking for payment.

There was no other option, so they had to let her cook extra each time. Whatever was left uneaten, Dun Zi would take home to improve the meals for his children.

Wang Ying felt this wasn’t appropriate—how could they always accept free help? This time, he planned to clarify with her that from now on, she would be paid a hundred wen a month for cooking.

After tidying up the kitchen and cleaning the pot, he picked some fresh vegetables from the backyard, kneaded some dough, and cooked a pot of fine noodles.

Shortly after, Old Liang finished reading the letter and came out. Smelling the aroma, he strolled into the kitchen. “Is there any noodle soup left?”

“Yes,” Wang Ying quickly stood up to serve him a bowl. Fortunately, he had cooked plenty.

The two sat on the steps, slurping their noodles. The noodles were thin and chewy, topped with scallions, leafy greens, and two poached eggs. Simple as it was, the bowl of noodles whetted the appetite.

After finishing, the old man wiped the soup from his beard and asked, “Did someone from the county town come a few days ago?”

“You’re clairvoyant! Yes, someone came!”

“None of your flattery. Did they give you a reward?”

“They awarded a hundred taels of silver.”

“Tsk, how stingy. Did they say anything else?”

Wang Ying lowered his voice. “They said they would help Qing Yan thoroughly investigate the imperial exam cheating incident.”

“Good. It seems that old fellow still has some influence. I didn’t waste my breath.”

“Does this mean Qing Yan has a chance to take the imperial exams again? I didn’t dare tell him, afraid it might lead to false hope.”

“No need to tell him yet. Wait until the official document arrives.”

“Alright!” From his words, Wang Ying knew it was almost certain! Excited, he picked up the old man’s bowl and went to wash it in the stream behind the house.

Liang Boqing stood up, sighed as he watched Wang Ying’s retreating figure, and thought to himself, “What a pity Wang Ying is a *ge’er* (male commoner). Otherwise, I could have helped him secure an official position.”

His old friend’s letter mentioned that the method to prevent late spring cold spells had been a great help to him.

The Minister of Agriculture was not only in charge of the nation’s agriculture, animal husbandry, and aquaculture but also responsible for the royal tribute fields within a hundred *li* around the capital.

The annual grain output from the royal tribute fields had a quota. Failure to meet it would result in punishment, possibly even demotion. Though the Minister of Agriculture held only a fourth-rank position, he attended court daily, and many were eager to replace him.

Last winter had been warm. Based on past records, a late spring cold spell was highly likely.

Whenever a late spring cold spell occurred, grain yields would drop significantly. Harvests might be reduced from two to one, and if replanting wasn’t done in time, total crop failure was possible.

Just as he was at a loss, Liang Boqing’s letter arrived, detailing methods to prevent late spring cold spells. As a last resort, he immediately ordered his subordinates to follow the instructions and roll the hundreds of hectares of tribute fields with stone rollers, then irrigate them.

Unexpectedly, the late spring cold spell this year did not affect the winter wheat’s growth at all. Moreover, the bag of wheat seeds sent from Jizhou last year grew much better than the crops in neighboring fields. The wheat ears were large, plump, and highly drought-resistant—clearly an excellent variety!

Not long after, reports of reduced yields due to the late spring cold spell arrived from various prefectures. As the Minister of Agriculture, Wen Yanping was inevitably summoned to the palace for questioning.

Upon entering the palace, he presented the methods for preventing late spring cold spells.

“Since it was the first time using these methods, I did not dare to promote them widely. I only tested them on the tribute fields near the capital, and the results were quite promising!”

The Emperor’s expression softened slightly. “Who came up with this method?”

“Your Majesty, it was thought up by the husband of a student of an old classmate of mine. Your Majesty also knows this friend.”

The Emperor grew interested. “Oh? Tell me about it.”

“The talented scholar Liang Liufang from Yangzhou.”

The Emperor straightened up. “The late Emperor often mentioned this man, regretting that his talent could not be utilized due to his arrogance. But he’s a scholar—how did he start studying agriculture?”

“The method wasn’t taught by him but was developed by his student’s husband. This husband is skilled in agriculture. Not only did he devise the method to prevent late spring cold spells, but he also cultivated high-yield, drought-resistant wheat. The seeds he sent have shown excellent growth this year. I plan to send someone to collect more after the spring harvest and plant the entire tribute field with the new winter wheat, gradually expanding it to other regions.”

“The people depend on food for survival, and grain is the foundation of the nation. Ensure this matter is properly implemented. If done well, I will reward you handsomely.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty!”

“There is one more matter, Your Majesty…”

The Emperor, in a good mood, waved his hand. “Speak.”

“Liang Liufang’s disciple shares a similar fate—he was also falsely accused of cheating in the imperial exams. Liang Liufang, valuing his talent, took him as a disciple, but he remains unable to take the exams or serve the court…”

The Emperor understood his implication. “Go see the Vice Minister of Rites and explain the situation to him.”

Wen Yanping quickly kowtowed in gratitude.

When he left the hall, his back was soaked with sweat. Fortunately, his classmate had sent him this letter, sparing him from reprimand. In return, he felt obliged to help his friend.

It was a pity the Emperor did not inquire about Mr. Wang, who cultivated the seeds. Such a talented individual, if promoted to the Ministry of Agriculture, could achieve great things.

After returning, he went to the Ministry of Rites and reported the matter. With the emperor's oral decree, the Ministry of Rites did not dare to delay and immediately sent a message to Jizhou Prefecture.

Upon receiving the news, the Prefect of Jizhou dispatched officials to Longquan County, after which the county magistrate personally came to handle the matter. It turned out that the monetary reward was actually paid by the county office, so the amount given was not substantial.

Wang Ying was unaware of all this. In recent days, he had been busy recruiting people to produce popsicles.

As the weather warmed, vegetables in the shop were no longer selling well. Many people had been asking him when he would start selling popsicles again, so he took the opportunity to make arrangements upon his return.

In addition to the few acquaintances he had hired the previous year, he recruited several deft-handed women to help. The recipe remained the same—malt sugar and goat's milk.

Wang Ying also planned to make fruit-flavored popsicles. The experimental field had ripe cherries, raspberries, and a trellis of grapes that had grown quickly. Since they couldn't finish eating all the fruit, it was the perfect opportunity to turn them into popsicles.

Fruit-flavored popsicles were priced slightly higher than regular ones, at five wen each. While this price was relatively high for ordinary people, it was not considered expensive for wealthy families in the town. Moreover, the fruit popsicles were limited in quantity, with a maximum of one hundred made per day—once sold out, there were no more.

Unexpectedly, they were very well-received upon release, sparking a sudden craze for popsicles in the town. Among affluent families, eating fruit popsicles quickly became a trend.

The young man who had previously purchased popsicles in bulk from Wang Ying also returned. Learning that the boss had resumed selling popsicles, he arrived early with two baskets of eggs.

Wang Ying still remembered him, "Ma Qianzi, right? Here to restock again? Oh, and you’ve bought a mule cart too."

Ma Qianzi smiled broadly, "Thanks to you last year, I managed to earn a bit of money."

"Not bad at all. Keep up the good work this year."

"Will do!"

Although the profit margin on popsicles was low, selling large quantities could still bring in considerable earnings. Last year, Ma Qianzi sold popsicles for three months and earned over three strings of cash—an amount an ordinary family might not make in a year.

He didn’t squander the money. Instead, he borrowed some from relatives and friends, pooled together ten strings of cash, and bought a mule and a wooden cart in town. On market days, he would transport people to town, charging five wen per person for the ride. A round trip could earn him over a hundred wen, and by the end of the year, he had saved up quite a sum.

This year, with the mule cart, selling popsicles became even more convenient—no more carrying bamboo baskets back and forth.

Knowing that the boss sold popsicles in town, he avoided competing there and instead covered the surrounding villages, hiring four fellow villagers to work with him.

At peak times, they could sell four to five hundred popsicles a day, nearly matching the sales volume in town.

After arranging the popsicle production, Wang Ying stayed for two days before returning home, missing Yuanbao terribly.

During the day, he was busy and had no time to dwell on it, but at night, lying in bed with Chen Qingyan and talking about their child, he couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed. The two of them were nearly moved to tears.

"Do you think he’s so young, not seeing his A-fu or dad every day—does he cry from missing us?"

Wang Ying felt a lump in his throat. The thought of their child crying uncontrollably while searching for him was heart-wrenching.

Chen Qingyan’s eyes also reddened, "Let’s go back... Let’s endure one more year. Once Yuanbao can walk, we’ll bring him to the estate."

"Okay."

However, upon returning to town the next day, Wang Ying learned from his mother-in-law that the little rascal had been eating and sleeping well—not only had he not cried, but he had even plumped up.

Back in the rear courtyard, looking at the baby sleeping in his swaddle, Wang Ying gently tapped his little nose and said, "You little heartless one. Your A-fu and dad missed you so much we cried, but you didn’t miss us at all."

The nanny caring for the child nearby interjected, "Young master, you’ve wronged the little one. These past few days, although he didn’t cry, he kept searching for you while asleep. When he couldn’t find you, his eyes turned red with anxiety. In the end, he had to hold your shirt and smell your scent to fall asleep."

Wang Ying lifted the little blanket and saw the plump little hand clutching one of his garments, the fabric wrinkled from being tightly held. His heart softened instantly, and he leaned down to kiss the baby’s cheek.

"Your A-fu was wrong to blame you."