In ancient times, I just wanted to be a salted fish

After the spring plowing was over, Chen Ruotong asked Zhang Yishun to find craftsmen to build a workshop and hired more than 30 tenant farmers to start construction on a large open space behind the Xinzhuangzi house.

Chen Erjiang was in charge of supervising the construction of the house. Holding the workshop plan drawn by Chen Ruotong, he directed the craftsmen and tenant farmers to start building the house.

The Chen family paid a high wage, sixty cents a day, and provided one meal at noon. The food was also very good, with eggs and meat, so the tenant farmers were particularly motivated to work.

After more than ten days of work, a large and imposing workshop with blue brick and tile structure was completed.

Chen Ruotong also put tables, benches, and three large iron pots in the workshop. Two large wells were dug outside the workshop, waiting for the autumn harvest to make chili sauce and hot pot base.

The weather is getting warmer, and the rainfall this year is moderate, so the crops are growing fast. Potato seedlings, pepper seedlings, persimmon seedlings, and watermelon seedlings are growing rapidly and have already bloomed.

Chen Jianshu led the tenant farmers to prune the persimmon and watermelon seedlings. The hardworking little bees also swarmed to help with pollination.

The persimmon seedlings have to be supported by tree branches. The height of the frames for the four acres of persimmon seedlings is the same. The rows of frames are very orderly, and they look beautiful from a distance.

Chen Ruotong felt indescribable joy watching the four crops thrive. She seemed to see the yellow tomatoes dotted on the persimmon racks; the red chili peppers, singing in bunches; and the big round watermelons, shining green in the sun.

Chen Ruotong would come to the farm for a walk every morning. The tenant farmers also paid special attention to these three crops and took good care of the seedlings as if they were their own children.

There is no need to worry about the potato field, just weed it. The potato seedlings will grow lush and it is very worry-free.

In the afternoon, Chen Ruotong went to work at Zhenpin Pavilion and Huicui Building. Zhenpin Pavilion launched new products - cosmetics and laundry detergent. Sales were also good, mostly relying on dealers and individual customers who came here to buy. This boosted the economy of Pingyang Prefecture, and the catering industry and inn business were also extremely hot.

Prefect Zhang was naturally happy to see the more prosperous Pingyang City, and the government's tax revenue was 50% higher than in previous years. Prefect Zhang had been in office for a year and had been recognized and rewarded by his superiors, and was expected to be promoted in two years. He felt that it was Chen Guchuan who brought him the blessing, and he had to protect his little in-laws, who were counting on him to prepare a delicious dish!

In the blink of an eye, in June, all three crops had produced green fruits. When Prefect Zhang heard that Chen Ruotong had tried to grow four new crops on the farm, he brought Zhang Ruixi to inspect the farm in person.

The Chen family received them warmly. Zhang also liked Zhang Ruixi very much and pulled her into the house to talk in private.

Chen Ruotong introduced the yields and eating methods of these crops to Prefect Zhang. "Uncle Zhang, the five acres of land here are planted with potatoes. Potatoes are high-yield crops, and one acre of land can produce more than 2,000 kilograms. Its fruits grow in the ground and are the size of a fist when ripe. They can be steamed, stewed, stir-fried, or deep-fried. They are very delicious."

Prefect Zhang was very surprised, "There is such a high-yield grain? I've never heard of it! Then this will solve the food problems of so many people! The people will be blessed!" Prefect Zhang's eyes turned into crescents with smile.

Chen Ruotong took Magistrate Zhang to the persimmon field and pointed at the persimmon vines and said, "Uncle Zhang, these are tomatoes. Look, they are all bearing fruit. They are green now and will turn yellow and red when they ripen in autumn. They can be eaten as fruit or cooked. They taste sweet and sour and are very delicious. Especially fried persimmons with eggs, which are very nutritious and delicious."

Prefect Zhang listened attentively and nodded in praise, "Good, good, the people are in for a treat! Hahahaha..."

Chen Ruotong also introduced peppers and watermelons to Magistrate Zhang.

"Uncle Zhang, I grow two kinds of peppers. One is the pointed pepper, which is not very spicy and can be fried with eggs and pork. The other is the chili pepper, a small red pepper that can make your tongue numb. It can be used to make chili sauce and hot pot base. It is much spicier than the dogwood."

Watermelon already existed in the Daliang Dynasty and was called cold melon. However, it tasted sour and a little bitter and was mainly used as a medicinal material, and no one ate it.

The watermelons in Chen Ruotong's space are modern improvements that are resistant to pests and diseases, have high yields, and are very sweet. A watermelon weighs more than 20 kilograms, but I don't know how big it would have grown in the land in ancient times, and whether it would have been sweet enough.

Prefect Zhang plans to promote these crops next year to enrich the people's dining tables. At the same time, he has also made achievements and is expected to get an excellent grade in the assessment.

After Chen Ruotong introduced all this to Magistrate Zhang, she invited him to go into the main hall to rest.

It was hot, so Chen Ruotong went to the kitchen and entered the space. She opened a bottle of canned iced peaches and poured them into a large glass bowl. She then took out a few small glass bowls and small silver spoons, placed them on a tray, called Chunhua, and brought them to the main hall.

Then he poured another portion and asked Xia He to take it to the back house for Old Lady Chen, Zhang and Zhang Ruixi to eat.

Old man Chen, Chen Jianshu was talking with Magistrate Zhang about farming.

When everyone eats the cold canned peaches, they feel refreshed. The cool and sweet canned peaches bring everyone a new taste experience.

Magistrate Zhang squinted his eyes and chewed the tender peach flesh. "Guchuan, could this be another new food you made? This is a peach, right? This is the first time I've eaten such a sweet peach, hahahaha..."

It was not the first time that Old Man Chen had eaten it. He smiled and praised: "Our little Si loves to think about things. Peaches, pears, and oranges can all be made into this kind of sweet soup. It's delicious and can relieve summer heat. Yes, there's also the hawthorn sweet soup, which is sour and sweet, very refreshing and appetizing, hahaha..."

Chen Jianshu drank a mouthful of the sweet soup and said, "The second brother saw a business opportunity in this sweet soup and asked the fourth brother to do the food business, but the child is lazy and doesn't like to do it. Also, the fourth brother is very busy every day and has no time to do other business, hehe..."

Prefect Zhang's eyes lit up immediately and he said, "Guchuan, Uncle Zhang supports you in doing this food business to increase the income of our Pingyang Prefecture. This is a good thing that benefits both you and others!"

Chen Erjiang had mentioned this before, but Chen Ruotong was lazy and didn't like to worry so much. Besides, she wasn't short of money, so she didn't plan to do it. Since everyone said she should do this business and Prefect Zhang strongly supported it, she would just do it in her spare time.

She also thought of the peaches on the four rows of peach trees on the farm. They were not as big and sweet as modern peaches. If she only sold peaches, she would not make much money. If she canned them and kept them for winter, she would definitely sell them at a high price. Then she could buy hawthorns and pears and make various canned fruits, which would also be a long-term business.

Or she could buy a large orchard, but she decided not to. The business was already big enough, and if it got bigger, she would be too busy to handle it. Even if she handed it over to her brothers, she would still have to worry about it.

Forget it, don’t even think about lying down like in ancient times. You still have to work. Life is about struggle!

When Zhang Zhifu and Zhang Ruixi left, Chen Ruotong gave Zhang Zhifu two canned peaches and two canned hawthorns. Of course, Chen Ruotong peeled off the labels on the glass bottles and replaced the can lids with oil paper, tying the oil paper tightly with a rope so that the sugar water would not leak.

You can see the flesh inside through the glass bottle, which is very beautiful and appetizing. It is really a good gift! The key is that the glass bottle is also very valuable. If it is placed in Zhenpin Pavilion, such a glass bottle would be worth five or six hundred taels.

It was a gift from his in-laws. Magistrate Zhang liked it very much and without any hesitation, he asked the servant to carry it to the carriage and left the farm.

Chen Ruotong instructed the servant to keep it chilled so that it could be kept for a few more days. If not, it must be eaten as soon as possible, as it might go bad if left for too long.

Chen Ruotong did not can food in the kitchen because it was hot. She entered the space and found ready-made yellow peaches in the freezer in the frozen area, ready to can yellow peaches; she also went to the fruit area and picked up a few oranges, ready to can oranges.