It's March weather, the wheat has already bolted, and the green farmland stretches as far as the eye can see, which makes people feel happy.
Wang Xiaolie walked in the wheat field, grabbed a wheat straw, looked at the field, and said nothing for a long time.
Gao Ying on the side said: "The weather is good this year, and it is another bumper year! Xuanfu looks at the wheat, it is growing so full, it seems that one acre can harvest more than three stones!"
Wang Xiaolie nodded and said nothing, but sighed secretly in his heart.
Three stones per acre is just over three hundred kilograms. You can imagine how poorly such wheat will grow. In his previous life, Wang Xiaolie was not ignorant of the fireworks of the world. He knew what the wheat looked like at that time. In March, when the wheat was in bloom, the fields were so densely packed that there was no place to set foot. On the other hand, in this land, the wheat grows sparsely and lacks energy.
But this kind of land is the best land in this era, and there is a rare bumper harvest of wheat.
After watching for a while, Wang Xiaolie walked out of the wheat field.
At the end of the wheat field is a courtyard with a circle of tangerine trees planted as a fence. There is a well at the door, and a willow tree is planted next to the well. The shade of the tree cannot cover the windlass on the well. The main house is a three-room thatched cottage, and there are three wing rooms on the west side. A corridor made of thatched bamboos leads from the door to the main room.
A man in his thirties stood at the door, looking longingly at Wang Xiaolie and others. On the table next to him, there was a pot and several large bowls.
Gao Ying said: "This man's name is Wang Guan, a native of Caizhou. Last winter, he was selected to come here. Since there are no taxes in Taoyuan Fairyland and there are few levies, I am very grateful to Xuanfu. Today I heard that Xuanfu was coming, so I came early. I started preparing and even cut a few pounds of meat.”
Wang Xiaolie said: "The people are all good. Their requirements are actually very simple. A good harvest of food, not many taxes, and plenty of food and clothing."
While talking, the two people came to the crown.
Wang Guan hurriedly saluted Wang Xiaolie. He said: "Young people have seen great officials. Please sit down quickly and drink two cups of tea."
Wang Xiaolie nodded to Wang Guan and sat down with Gao Ying.
Wang Guan held a large porcelain bowl, opened the lid of a small jar next to it, and carefully scooped out a spoonful of sugar with a spoon. Put the sugar into the bowl, lift the teapot next to it, and pour a large bowl of tea.
He said to Wang Xiaolie: "I see that people here drink tea with a small tea bowl. Now that the food has been confiscated, the family is short of money, so the officials will take care of it."
Wang Xiaolie said: "It doesn't matter." He and Gao Ying picked up the tea bowl and drank tea.
Wang Xiaoxue once planted sugar cane to make sugar in several counties south of Xiangyang. Later, sugar from Sichuan came in and brown sugar was used to make white sugar, which became much more efficient. Although sugar is still a luxury product now, ordinary farmers can also use it to entertain guests.
Putting a spoonful of sugar in the tea bowl is a very high courtesy.
The tea that farmers drink is the cheapest tea bought from outside, and it doesn’t matter whether it tastes good or bad. When you say Hui Gan Hui Yun, they have no idea what you mean. The sweetness brought by white sugar is a more direct taste to them.
Putting down the tea bowl, Wang Xiaolian said: "We were in the wheat field just now and saw that your wheat field is growing very vigorously. This year should be a good harvest year."
Wang Guan slapped his leg fiercely and said: "To tell you the truth, I have lived for nearly forty years and I have never seen wheat grow so well! There is no shortage of water here, and watering is very convenient. It is rare that the weather is good this year. We only watered it once in the beginning of spring, and we have never been short of water again. Could it be that God is merciful and gives us a full year this year?"
Wang Xiaolie smiled and picked up the bowl to drink water.
Wheat cannot be short of water, so it cannot be grown everywhere in the north. Generally speaking, in this era, corn was still the main food in the north, with wheat as the supplement. Wheat is only grown in irrigated areas where watering can be facilitated.
Although it can be watered and the land is good, the yield per mu of wheat is not high due to limitations of soil fertility and poor varieties. Generally speaking, if it is ordinary land, the average yield is more than one stone per mu, which is less than 150 kilograms. High-yield fields can only cost more than three stones, less than four hundred acres.
This area is Luohetan, and the land is fertile. The weather has been good this year, and Wang Guan's family can harvest more than three stones per acre of wheat, which is considered a good harvest year.
Wang Xiaolie raised his head and looked around. I saw a birdcage hanging on the willow tree, covered with cloth, and I didn't know what kind of bird it was.
Carrying the birdcage, Wang Xiaolie asked, "I wonder if you have a bird in your cage? What kind of bird?"
Wang Guandao: "During spring plowing today, I picked up a little myna in the field and raised it."
With that said, Wang Guan went over and lifted half of the covering cloth, revealing the appearance of the myna inside.
Wang Xiaolie knew nothing about flowers, birds, insects, and fish, but he only saw the myna's handsome appearance and bright eyes. Praise: "What a magical bird! It seems that big brother is here and living a satisfactory life?"
Wang Guan smiled and said: "This is good land. With fifty acres for a family, there is no need to worry about cold or hunger. Moreover, there are no taxes or labor here. If the village needs people to do odd jobs in their spare time, they will be paid." You can't live like this even in ten lifetimes!"
Wang Xiaolie said: "It seems that your family is not well-off?"
Wang Guandao: "The state said they want to move here, but no one is willing to do it. They have a background away from home and don't know what it's like here. Who is willing to come? My family is too poor. I share twenty acres of land and barely make a living. I see no one. If I wish to come, I will come as soon as my heart changes."
Wang Xiaolie said: "Are you satisfied after coming here?"
Wang Guandao: "Satisfied, 120% satisfied! When we arrived, the house was already built, and farm tools and cattle were provided to us. It seems that I only have two sons, and I have fifty acres of land at home, which is good enough."
Having said this, Wang Guan stood up and took out a plow from under the shed in the yard. He said to Wang Xiaolie: "The road was being built in the village a few days ago. I saved some money and bought this plow. This plow can not only plow the land, but also cultivate it! The officials saw that the plow on it is better than ordinary plows. It’s small enough to plow between soybeans. With this plow, there’s less need for hoeing. For farmers, it saves so much effort!”
Wang Xiaolie looked at the plow and saw that Wang Guan was in high spirits and couldn't help but nod.
The Xuanfu Division has a specialized agricultural machinery factory, and is currently planning to build an agricultural machinery school and research institute. Of course, it knows these things.
Now every county has an agricultural division responsible for the promotion of new agricultural technologies and new agricultural machinery. The agricultural machinery that has been promoted in the past two years is cultivating plows, harvesters, columbuses and threshing machines. The use of these agricultural machinery can greatly reduce the manpower for farming, facilitate the reclamation of wasteland, and facilitate their transition to industry.
Taoyuan Xianxiang is one of the promotion bases for new agricultural machinery. Whenever there is a new agricultural machinery, they are the first to use it.
Looking at the appearance of the crown, Wang Xiaolie sighed. For these ordinary farmers, they are eager for new tools and hope to plant more land with less effort. For the country, it is hoped that the population will shift from agriculture to industry, and the same land will bear more people.
Now just beginning, new agricultural technologies and new agricultural machinery are concentrated around Luoyang and Xiangyang. Over time, it will spread to more areas and start a revolution in Song Dynasty agriculture.
How could there be an industrial revolution without a revolution in agricultural technology? People need to eat, dress, and walk. Only when they are satisfied can they do anything else. Without the revolution in agricultural technology, industrial development will be deformed.
This is the first year that Wang Guan's family has come to Taoyuan Fairyland. They have no accumulation and no funds to buy new agricultural machinery. It has to wait a year or two before we can really see these agricultural machinery shine.
After returning to the table and sitting down, Wang Guan said sheepishly: "I made the officials laugh."
Wang Xiaolie said: "Farmers who farm, of course care about these agricultural machinery and tools. These are the ones you eat. Don't worry, the government is also well aware of this and encourages the development of new agricultural machinery and tools. In a month or two, I think It will be more convenient for you if you have a farmer in Taoyuan Fairy Township."
The crown was handed over again and again: "It is a blessing for everyone that the officials pay so much attention to us."
At this moment, Wang Guan's son ran out and said he wanted to eat.
Wang Guan led Wang Xiaolie and Gao Ying into the yard and set up a table next to the pomegranate tree. He went into the room and took out a bottle of wine, and said to Wang Xiaolie: "This bottle is the best wine in the neighborhood, Jinshaquan. Two officials came today, and I bought a bottle specially!?
Wang Xiaolie said, "Thank you so much for your hard work."
Wang Guan's wife and eldest son put the dishes on the table together.
I cooked a pot of mutton today as the main dish. There was also a fat chicken cooked, along with the mutton. Wang Guanhun's family didn't know how to cook herring caught in a nearby river, so they simply stewed it. The rest are just common vegetables such as lettuce and eggplant, cooked indiscriminately.
After pouring wine for Wang Xiaolie, Wang Guan said: "Officials, please don't blame me for being a scumbag. My wife is used to living in poverty, and she can't even cook any food, so don't be surprised."
Wang Xiaolie said: "That's good enough. You're welcome."
After drinking several bowls of wine, Wang Xiaolie looked around. Not far away is a pond with mulberry trees planted beside it. Closer to home is a small orchard with pears, cherries and a few persimmon trees. Near the orchard, there are poultry, just a bunch of chickens and a few ducks.
There is a big willow tree outside the house, and there are several pomegranates, crabapples and other flowering trees planted in the yard. In the corner is a cowshed. The cows have been let out, and the shed is empty. A shed was built next to the door with farm tools inside.
Such a farmhouse is an ideal life for many farmers.
