Linxia

Chapter 181, Sweet Potato

The heavy rain had just stopped, the clouds had cleared, the sky was clear, and the golden sunlight was splashing down. In the West Lane Hutong, the orange tree in front of the Fang family's house had leaves swaying with water droplets and stretching out.

"It didn't rain a few days ago and it was very hot. These days, it has been raining and it's wet and humid, which is not good either," said Fang's mother.

"Yeah, I've been stuck in the house for the past month and a half, and I'm almost going moldy." Fang Lin stretched lazily in the sunlight.

"I wonder what's going on in the village?" Father Fang looked towards the direction of the village and said worriedly.

"Dad, didn't my uncle and the others write to us last time and tell us that the village has reinforced the levee, so nothing should happen? Even if a disaster strikes in the city, we can just help out." Tian Xuan comforted him.

There was stagnant water and dirt in the alley, so the men from each family went to clean it up, while the women went out to buy groceries or something. Tian Xuan didn't go because she was pregnant, but Fang's mother and a group of middle-aged women in the alley went.

……

In the middle of the morning, Fang's mother came back with a basket of vegetables. Before she could even take a sip of water, she eagerly gossiped with them, "I heard from outside that Andong County, Taoyuan County, Qinghe County... in our prefecture have all suffered disasters, and people are snatching food from outside!"

"We have food at home, so while they were snatching it, I went to buy vegetables. Look, I bought a lot! When I came back, they also started to snatch the vegetables and other things!" She opened the basket and said proudly.

"Mom is so amazing."

Fang Lin and Tian Xuan were both praising her, which made Fang's mother smile. Encouraged, she rolled up her sleeves as if she wanted to go out and do something big.

"Hey, mother, it's not necessary, it's not necessary." Fang Lin quickly held her back and advised, "Mother, think about it, with so many people fighting over it, if something gets bumped into or falls, it's not worth it. These are enough for our family to eat for two days. I'll think of a way later."

For him, some dishes are not really a problem, he just needs to mention it to Xu Kuo. For niche luxury and scarce resources such as ice, the other party also has limited channels, but for rice and vegetables, these daily necessities, the other party has a wide range of channels.

——Let’s not talk about anything else, just say that in the past year, the Fang family has never been short of beef.

"Too."

After hearing this, Fang's mother gave up the idea. After sitting down and getting over the excitement of grabbing the food, she started to worry about Xiao Hecun again.

"Well, I'll go ask Prefect Pu!" It just so happened that Fang Lin also wanted to find out some specific first-hand information about the disaster in Huai'an so that he could make a more accurate plan for the subsequent opening of factories.

Go out, because it has rained for half a month, many places in the streets and alleys are flooded, and the government organized yamen runners to clean up.

Also, it was true that the county below was hit by a disaster, and many people went out of their homes to grab food. Passing by a grain store, I saw that people were crowded outside. The grain store clerk crossed out the morning grain price and changed it to a new price, but this did not stop people from going away, but instead attracted more people to grab food.

Many people even pushed and shoved each other and fought over the order in which to buy grain. The situation was so chaotic that the yamen runners responsible for dealing with the accumulated water were urgently transferred to maintain order.

……

Government office.

Fang Lin came over and waited for a long time before he saw Prefect Pu.

"Fang Lin, are you here? Sorry to have kept you waiting for a long time. Various places have been hit by disasters, and I have been very worried these past two days."

Prefect Pu came over, exhausted, and asked Fang Lin to sit down. He said, "Are you here to inquire about the disaster news? What is said outside is true. This time, a large area of ​​the Jianghuai area was affected by the disaster. Yingtian, Fengyang, Lin'an... In comparison, our Lin'an is slightly better. To say it is slightly better, in fact, it is the tallest among the short ones. The counties under its jurisdiction... News has also come from Haining County. Many villages have been affected by the disaster, but Xiaohe Village is not among them..."

Fang Lin listened carefully, nodded, and told about what he saw and heard on the way to the government office.

"I am planning to use the Changping Warehouse to stabilize grain prices, but if this crazy momentum does not subside, the grain in the Changping Warehouse may not be enough, especially when the victims arrive one after another. The suppressed grain prices will probably continue to rise wildly." Prefect Pu did not know the word "bad news", but he understood its meaning and knew that the current grain prices in the city were far from reaching their peak.

"Sir, this is a question of confidence. It is best to combine the Changping Warehouse with other measures to stabilize prices. Allocate and purchase grain from the less affected prefectures and cities and spread the news. Talk to grain merchants in the city. Limit the purchase of grain based on household registration... It is best not to release these measures all at once. Take it slowly to neutralize the bad news."

Fang Lin talked about his thoughts in his previous life: "Of course, what I said may not be in line with reality, please refer to it as appropriate.

"It's very good. It provides me with a lot of ideas." Prefect Pu listened, thought about the feasibility, and after pondering it, he found that many of them had great potential.

"In fact, with such public opinion, the best way is to cover it up with a bigger incident to divert people's attention."

As Fang Lin spoke, he thought of what he was going to do, which was a perfect way to kill three birds with one stone. He said, "Sir, the third and fourth volumes of my Romance of the Three Kingdoms have been finalized and are scheduled to be released soon. This will create a new focus and divert the people's attention away from the food grabbing. I also plan to use 10% of the profits from the book sales for disaster relief to build confidence among the people."

Yes, during this half month of heavy rain, he had already completed the third and fourth parts of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" while rushing to finish the manuscript.

"This is a great plan!"

After hearing this, Prefect Pu immediately thought of the benefits: "People in the city are panicking right now. If we pay attention to other things separately, things will be much better. When the third and fourth volumes of Romance of the Three Kingdoms are selling well and people are rushing to buy the books, many people will be relieved and think that since so many people are buying books that cannot be eaten or drunk, it means that nothing serious is happening. So is there any need for me to rob food?"

"But Fang Lin, you're going to suffer a loss. It's obviously not the best time to launch the third and fourth parts of Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Sales will definitely be affected, and you'll make much less money... Compared to those profiteers in the city who took advantage of the situation, it's true that the strong grass is revealed by the strong wind. Fang Lin, you've been a great help. I thank you on behalf of the people in the city."

"You are too kind, sir. My family fled here and I know the suffering of the victims. Now that Huai'an is flooded, I want to do something."

"It's a true pure heart."

Prefect Pu listened to Fang Lin's words, exclaimed, and said: "This year's floods are much more serious than the year before. Stabilizing the price of grain in the city is only one of the things we need to do. When the victims arrive one after another, we will use the reserve warehouse to provide relief... Afterwards, we must also guard against the big families encroaching on the farmland and creating 'strange farmland'. Then, there will be open and covert fighting!"

"Forget it, that's for the future. Right now, the most important thing is disaster relief. There are quite a few victims this time, and the reserve warehouse may not be enough. We may even have to ask the big families for donations. The big families in the city spend money in luxury, but when it comes to disaster relief donations, they are always stingy and would rather not give a penny. There is also a lot of intrigue..."

"Sir, if you want the big families to donate, you can do this and that..." Fang Lin proposed an idea, to erect a monument of merit and to engrave the amount of donations on the stone.

"Haha, Fang Lin, you! If so, those stingy families are no different from being executed in front of the people of the city."

Prefect Pu laughed out loud, looked at Fang Lin and said regretfully: "What a pity, I wanted to ask you to be my staff earlier, but now you are a fifth-rank Jinyiwei pacification officer, and the temple is too small to accommodate a big Buddha! Besides, compared to the court, the people may be more suitable for you..."

"Your Excellency is right. Besides, I am only offering a few suggestions. If you really ask me to do it, the effect will be discounted." Fang Lin is self-aware. Facts have proved many times that the elites of this era are only limited by their vision and thinking, and their execution ability is not necessarily bad.

He shook his head and said, "Sir, I am also planning to open a factory to absorb the disaster victims..."

"This is a good thing! The disaster victims gather together and have nothing to do, which is indeed easy to cause trouble. Besides, even if there are reserve warehouses this time, even if the big families raise funds, it may still not be enough. You can relieve the pressure, which is what I wish for."

Prefect Pu agreed and found a piece of land outside the city and gave it to Fang Lin.

That's how it was settled.

Fang Lin was naturally happy that he had achieved his goal.

Prefect Pu stroked his long beard and looked at Fang Lin. He became more and more satisfied. He originally thought that Fang Lin came here just to inquire about the news and took time out to meet him, but he didn't expect that he came here to solve his troubles.

"With all your clever ideas, Fang Lin, I have gained confidence in this disaster relief. To be honest with you, Fang Lin, this flood has attracted great attention from both the government and the public. If I do well in Huai'an, it will surely be known to the officials in the court. With such achievements, when my term of office expires next year, I will most likely be evaluated as excellent and be promoted."

Prefect Pu looked at Fang Lin and sighed, "It's the same old story. It's a pity that I can't have you as my advisor and offer advice and suggestions. Otherwise, I would have less worries!"

As it was almost noon and he had helped so much, Fang Lin was invited to stay for dinner.

Prefect Pu did not treat Fang Lin as an outsider because he did not have to worry about disaster relief in Huai'an. During the meal, he lamented about Daxia: "National affairs are difficult. This year, the Jianghuai area suffered from disasters, and the court mostly reduced taxes. But the north also suffered from disasters and the drought was severe. Your Majesty and the officials in the court originally planned to allocate food from us for emergency relief, but now it is impossible. I don't know how those places will cope this time..."

"It is indeed difficult. There was drought in the north last year, and this year there is a severe drought. I heard that there have been large-scale escapes from famine."

When Fang Lin said this, the scene of "bones exposed in the wild, no rooster crowing for a thousand miles" emerged in his mind.

Prefect Pu was also knowledgeable, and naturally could imagine that kind of tragic scene. He sighed deeply: "Alas, I only regret that I am of low position and power, and I can't do anything. Well, it's the position and the politics that the officials in the court need to consider. As the parent official of Huai'an, I can only take care of my own rule first..."

……

After dinner, after saying goodbye to Prefect Pu, Fang Lin took out the manuscripts of the third and fourth parts of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, intending to send them to Emperor Hongtai through official channels. However, looking at another manuscript next to it, he hesitated whether to upload them together.

This manuscript is not a novel, but a description and recommendation of sweet potatoes, which are called yam in this era.

There are sweet potatoes in Daxia, and Fang Lin even asked Mr. Ou about the origin of sweet potatoes.

The most widely circulated story is that in the 21st year of Shuncheng, a scholar named Chen brought the sweet potato vines smuggled from Luzon. It was said that it took quite a lot of effort because Luzon was invaded by the Western countries at that time. The bandits were extremely tyrannical and prohibited the export of any crops from Luzon. Once caught, it would be a felony. The scholar named Chen took great risks and weaved the sweet potato vines into ropes and brought them out with great difficulty. After sailing for seven days and seven nights, he brought them to Daxia.

This experience was also recorded by the descendants of the scholar named Chen in "Jinshu Chuanxilu".

However, Master Ou scoffed at this statement, thinking that it was just a work written by a scholar named Chen to seek fame.

First, sweet potatoes are not precious things as they can be planted at any time. Why did the Westerners prohibit them from leaving the country? Second, there are many sweet potatoes in Luzon. It is not difficult to bring them back to Daxia. If even the sale of sweet potatoes is prohibited, what business can be done in Luzon? Third, there was a Fuzhou official named Lu who recorded sweet potatoes in the 12th year of Shuncheng.

"Let's not talk about the origin of sweet potatoes and how they were introduced to Daxia. Let's just say that the promotion and spread of sweet potatoes in Daxia is indeed a wonder."

'According to records, during the Shuncheng period of the Xia Dynasty, sweet potatoes were introduced to Fuzhou, but it was not until thirty years later, during the Hongde period, that sweet potatoes were introduced to Songhu, and later gradually spread to Huai'an... Now it is the fourteenth year of Hongtai, and there are still large areas in the Jianghuai area that have not been planted, and there is even a blank in the north. '

This is incredible! Such high-yield crops are beneficial to the country and the people. They are not unavailable in Daxia. You have to go to Australia to find them. They are definitely available, but they have not been widely spread.

Fang Lin was puzzled at first, but later, he gradually figured it out: "In this era, the promotion of many things is too dependent on the court and local officials. Many officials who are selected for the imperial examination talk about Confucius and Mencius but do not know the five grains. They say that food is the first necessity of the people, but they have never put any thought into researching agricultural technology."

This manuscript introduces the high yield of sweet potatoes. Even with the limitations of current seeds and planting conditions, it is conservatively estimated that the yield per mu is several times that of wheat and rice. As for the fact that they are afraid of moisture and frost, the author proposes to preserve them by storing them in cellars according to the memory of the previous life.

"If I send this manuscript out together, it will most likely attract the attention of Emperor Hongtai, and then it will affect the interests of some people, such as those officials who did not report the sweet potatoes and neglected their duties, and those big families in the north who took advantage of the natural disasters and were eager to seize the farmland. When the sweet potatoes are promoted, how can those poor people hold on to it and be happy?" Fang Lin thought secretly.

At this time, Tian Xuan came over and saw Fang Lin standing in front of the window with a frown on his face. She gently pulled his hand and said, "Brother Lin, is there anything bothering you?"

"Yes." Fang Lin hesitated and said, "There is a good thing that will benefit the country and the people, but it may bring some trouble. I am hesitating whether to do it."

"Speaking from my own heart, our family is in a very difficult situation right now. What does benefiting the country and the people have to do with us? However, it depends on your opinion, brother Lin. If such a good thing can eliminate trouble or reduce trouble, it would be the best."

Tian Xuan paused for a moment, and then suddenly said, "Brother Lin, have you noticed that you have changed a lot? When we were fleeing from Xiaohe Village, you didn't care about anyone other than our family, but now you care about and consider more and more."

When Fang Lin heard this, he looked back and realized that he seemed to have changed a lot.

It's not just him. After all the things that happened, Fang's father changed and put aside his pride. Fang's mother also changed her attitude towards Tian Xuan and was no longer harsh.

That is Tian Xuan, who regards him as her heaven, and her life and existence are completely centered around him, and it seems that not much has changed.

As Fang Lin thought about this, his heart softened. He also knew that he did have some feelings for many of his friends, and even for Da Xia, besides his family. Otherwise, why would he have hesitated just now?
‘That’s all. ’

Fang Lin made up his mind and decided to submit the manuscript, but not by himself through the manuscript delivery channel. Instead, he gave it to Prefect Pu and Dong Zugao.

This is not to pit Pu Zhifu and Dong Zugao against each other. Unlike Fang Lin, they are in officialdom and the benefits of delivering this manuscript far outweigh the disadvantages.

'Even though there is such a barrier, even those with ulterior motives cannot hide it, but the matter is done, sweet potatoes have entered your majesty's sight, who would care about me, a person who is not in the court, famous all over the world, has a certain background, and has entered the eyes of the emperor?'

In this respect, the danger has been minimized and it can be done.

……

(End of this chapter)