They've all separated, so what does it matter to me if they get poorer and poorer?

Chapter 224 is way too much!
Magistrate Lu, suppressing his excitement and eagerness, nodded hastily: "Let's do it that way. Master Shao, have the yamen runners come and help harvest the sweet potatoes."

Liang Lizheng hurriedly smiled and said, "Sir, the people in our village can do it, so we wouldn't dare trouble the officers. Please wait a moment, it will be ready soon."

Magistrate Lu nodded and watched from the side.

Liang, the village head, didn't dare tell him to rest, so he had to speed things up and told the young and strong men in the village to dig and dig and dig.

One by one, the sweet potatoes were dug up, and the soil was removed from each one before they were put into baskets. As the large baskets were already full, and not even a small plot of land was finished, Magistrate Lu's eyes grew brighter and brighter. Even Assistant Magistrate Zhao, who had initially been somewhat skeptical and thought that the first sweet potato plant might have been specially cared for, gradually became more and more convinced.

This, this, this—

Is this too much?

If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he would never have believed that it was dug out from a single plot of land.

If one-tenth of a plot of land is this much, then how much is one acre?
This big basket must weigh over 100 pounds, right?

It's not finished digging yet.
This matter has been confirmed, it's a great achievement, it's definitely a great achievement!

When Lord Lu eats meat, he, the county magistrate, inevitably gets to drink the soup too!

This is definitely a great thing!
County Magistrate Zhao couldn't help but feel a burning desire within him; he seemed to understand why Lord Lu had come in person.

I can't feel at ease unless I see it with my own eyes.

Many hands make light work, and in no time, the sweet potatoes on the plot of land were finally dug up.

The men digging sweet potatoes all breathed a sigh of relief.

Even though they weren't tired, they all wiped the sweat from their foreheads and faces without prior arrangement.

Nervous and excited.

Seeing so many sweet potatoes dug out, to be honest, their hands were trembling uncontrollably, and their hearts were about to jump out of their throats with excitement.

So many! There are so many!
"Quick, quick, where's the scale? Bring the scale and let's weigh it to see how much it is!"

County Magistrate Zhao was even more anxious than County Magistrate Lu, and he immediately gave instructions.

"I'm coming!"

Liang, the village head, was also excited. He had already asked people to prepare, and they quickly carried it over.

Countless eyes stared intently as the two baskets of sweet potatoes were weighed, totaling 316 jin (approximately 180 catties).

Even excluding the weight of the basket, it still weighs over 300 pounds.

"How much? How much was it again?"

"Three, three hundred."

Everyone is excited!

"Three hundred? Three hundred!"

"Hahaha, three hundred!"

"It's three hundred, it's three hundred, right? Are you sure you're not mistaken?"

"Oh God, oh God!"

Everyone was overjoyed.

Granny Ji was overjoyed and whispered to Lu Xiaoyue with a smile, "This is wonderful! Our master has really made a name for himself this time. Let's see what those people in the family have to say now! Let's see who dares to mock him behind his back. Master's achievement is greater than that of all those people in the family!"

No dynasty is indifferent to food, and such a high-yield crop is great news. To exaggerate, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say it's a blessing from heaven, a stroke of good fortune. Lu Xiaoyue didn't quite understand these things, but blinked and smiled happily, "Father and Mother must be very happy, right?"

"of course!"

"That's good! Sister Xu is really amazing!"

Xu Zhichun was also very happy. He had worked hard for half a year, and this was the moment he had been waiting for.

While pleased, she tactfully reminded everyone that every plot of land is different. She had put extra care into fertilizing and watering her land, so the results might be better. She needed to compare the yields of barren land for a more comprehensive assessment.

Magistrate Lu agreed wholeheartedly, “What Madam Xu said is absolutely right, that’s how it should be. Village Head Liang, I don’t have that much time, so I’ll leave this matter to you. Madam Xu is meticulous, so please help me come up with some ideas. Go to the county office the day after tomorrow and tell me the results.”

"Yes, my lord."

After harvesting sweet potatoes, they then harvested potatoes, much to the surprise, delight, and excitement of Magistrate Lu and his entourage.

"Great stuff! All of it is great stuff!"

Magistrate Lu immediately instructed: "After you each take these sweet potatoes and potatoes home, don't touch them for now. The imperial court will purchase them all at once. Don't worry, with me in charge, I will definitely give everyone a reasonable price."

Liang Lizheng quickly agreed.

Magistrate Lu thought the matter would end quickly, but he was so happy that he dug a little too much, looked around and talked a little too much. He hadn't planned to have lunch, but now he was starving. Liang Lizheng invited them to lunch, and after a little thought, he went.

Master Shao understood and secretly gave five taels of silver to Liang, the village head.

Liang, the village head, was startled and was about to decline when Shao, the clerk, smiled and said, "Liang, please accept it. There will be many trivial matters that will require your help. Consider this a small token of your appreciation."

Liang, the village head, was extremely grateful and had no choice but to accept it.

He was very happy to run errands for the county magistrate, so he didn't ask for any service fee. The five taels of silver naturally went into the public coffers.

They were saying they'd treat the magistrate to dinner, but now they've ended up making money off the magistrate's meal instead.

The profits are quite substantial!
When Granny Ji and Lu Xiaoyue ate at Xu Zhichun's house, the whole village was in an uproar. Countless people tried to curry favor with relatives and friends, hoping to get some sweet potatoes or potatoes to take back as seeds. Of course, the more the better, and it would be best if they could get as much as possible.

At times like these, unless it's a blood relative, a life-or-death friendship, or an extraordinary favor, what use are ordinary kinship relationships?

Who would turn down money?
In addition, Liang Lizheng had anticipated that so many people from other villages would be there. Upon learning of the astonishingly high yields of sweet potatoes and potatoes, wouldn't they go crazy? They were all farmers; everyone knew each other well. Which farmer wouldn't want to plant such good things in their own fields? So, he immediately sent someone to spread the word about Magistrate Lu's words.

The villagers of Liangjia Village were all very proud. With Liang, the village head, speaking up, and with Magistrate Lu also involved, they no longer needed to feel embarrassed if relatives or friends asked. They could even politely and smilingly refuse.

The heart is full of joy.

They were incredibly proud when they politely declined, feeling quite pleased with themselves.

The gate to Xu Zhichun's courtyard was almost smashed by the pounding.

Everyone knows that she gave these sweet potatoes and potatoes to the villagers. Her family's land might have the highest yield. Plus, she's a young widow, so maybe she's shy and soft-hearted and wouldn't be able to refuse?

Therefore, a lot of cunning thieves would knock on her door.

Xu Zhichun was certain she had no relatives or friends, so she simply pretended not to hear and didn't argue.

For lunch, I made a simple dish of steamed egg, hot and sour shredded potatoes, sweet and sour pork ribs, and fried shrimp, with Granny Ji helping out.

Granny Ji was both attentive and excited, her smile never fading as she kept praising Xu Zhichun.

Xu Zhichun suddenly realized that Xiaoyue was just a tool today. Granny Ji was probably ordered by Madam Lu to come and take a look. But as a nanny, she had no reason to come along. If Lu Xiaoyue wanted to come and play, it would be natural for her to come and take care of her.

Although Xu Zhichun was somewhat puzzled as to why Madam Lu was so concerned about this matter, she didn't ask any further questions, since it wouldn't do her any harm anyway.

(End of this chapter)