Adoption brings disaster

You asked how to solve this problem without causing conflict. Of course, science and technology are the primary productive forces.

But unfortunately, I am just an ordinary math teacher, and what little knowledge I have about agronomy mostly comes from a certain audio video. If you want me to engage in scientific farming, that is naturally impossible.

But it doesn't matter. I firmly believe that as long as they are given the right path, necessary material support and certain theories, these farmers who make a living from the land will definitely be able to accomplish something great.

After leaving Shengren Temple, Ada and the others followed me and walked slowly along the ridge of the field, chatting casually as we walked.

A Da, A Er and others were already used to seeing people starving to death, and in their minds, there was no other solution, so they didn't really care about what I said about finding a solution.

It's just that they have been servants for a long time, and deep down they dare not offend their master, so they follow me diligently and say nice things to coax me.

Everyone was chatting and strolling around, so we didn't feel tired at all. Besides, the village wasn't very big, and except for Li Er, we all had some experience, so we finished the tour in no time.

After walking around, he found a shady spot under a tree and stood there. Looking at the farmers working hard in the fields, he asked, "You are also educated and have come from such a poor family. Why do you think these farmers are starving to death?"

Ada and the others had never thought about this question before, and for a moment they didn't know how to answer it, so they could only look at each other.

But since the master asked, he couldn't refuse to answer. Finally, with no other choice, Ah Da had to stand up and said flatteringly: "It's just a natural disaster or a man-made disaster. Without food to eat, people will starve to death."

"Is there no food or nothing to eat?" I chuckled and asked after hearing what Ada said.

"Your Highness, every word you say is so insightful. I am dull and cannot grasp the profound meaning. Please tell me the difference between the two. Isn't food meant to be eaten?" Ah Er said doubtfully.

"Of course there is a difference. Food is what we see growing in front of us, while food is everything that will not kill you if you eat it."

Ah Da and the others seemed to understand, but still didn't quite grasp what I meant. I saw that I understood, so I explained, "If we want them to avoid starvation, there are only two ways: one is to increase income, and the other is to reduce expenditure. Let's talk about increasing income first. If it's just food, then we have to find a way to get more food for everyone. For example, the fight for land in the Shengren Temple just now was to grow more and get more."

This principle is simple and anyone can understand it, so there is naturally no need to explain it to Ada and the others.

I looked at them and continued, "But if there's a shortage of food, we can find a way to make something edible that's originally inedible or bad for the body."

I pointed to the frogs in the field and continued, "Take this one for example. Can we find a way to make it not only edible but also delicious? Of course, frogs are good for the growth of crops, but eating them would be counterproductive. I'm just giving an example."

"I understand what Your Highness means. Finding some substitutes as a supplement to food is a good idea, but," Li Er said.

I understood Li Er's concerns, but I also had a plan in mind. Therefore, I ignored the "but" in Li Er's words and said in agreement, "Yes, that's what I meant. To accomplish this, we need to solve two problems. The first is what kind of supplement we should look for, and the second is how to make it edible."

Li Er was considered a relatively intelligent person of that era, but he had not received any scientific education and his thinking was still very rigid.

As for Ada and Aer, they had no idea at all. They just stared at me with clear eyes like stupid geese.

I found it a bit amusing to see the three of them racking their brains but finding nothing, so I continued, "We're looking for something that has a high yield, resists starvation, and doesn't take up farmland. All three conditions must be met. If any one is missing, we don't want it."

These words were said clearly and understandably, and after hearing them, the knowledgeable Ada immediately came up with a suitable choice.

"I thought of one. When we were fighting against the Hu people outside the Great Wall, we would carry a few snake fruits with us. If we ran out of food, we could eat them for half a day without feeling hungry and would feel very strong. Moreover, these fruits could grow anywhere. One tree could bear hundreds of them. However, if you ate them, you wouldn't be able to straighten your tongue, and if you ate too much, you wouldn't be able to speak." Ah Da said.

I nodded after hearing this and continued, "This snake fruit meets our first requirement: high yield, resistance to hunger, and doesn't take up fertile farmland. As for the second requirement, how can we make the snake fruit non-toxic? As long as this problem is solved, the snake fruit will be an excellent substitute."

"I heard a doctor friend of mine say before that poisonous things are not poisonous all over the body, but only in specific parts of the body. Some are leaves, some are roots, and some are skins. So it should be enough to remove the poisonous parts." Li Er said.

This answer made me very satisfied. I nodded in appreciation and looked at Li Er, then said, "This is one direction. In fact, some foods are poisonous when raw, but non-toxic when cooked. You can consider this direction. Some foods are poisonous when eaten alone, but non-toxic when eaten with something. Some foods are non-toxic when cooked, but poisonous when grilled. As long as the direction is right, solving this problem is not difficult."

Seeing that there was hope of solving the farmers' food problem, Li Er was naturally very happy. He danced with joy and said, "I understand what Your Highness means. My doctor friend is very skilled and will definitely be able to solve this problem."

Seeing Li Er's pride, Ah Da was afraid that I would think he was incompetent, so he hurriedly said, "There is a cook in the Zhenbei Palace. He used to be a military doctor in the Zhenbei Army. He is not only proficient in cooking, but also in medicine. Why not let him do this as well?"

"If the military doctors in the Zhenbei Army are naturally more capable, why not let the chefs in the palace do this?" Li Er also suggested after hearing what A Da said.

"Let's ask our friend Li Er to come; he's more suitable."

After hearing what I said, they were very confused. It was obvious that a cook would be more suitable to be placed in the palace, so why did I say that Li Er's friend was more suitable?

Seeing everyone's confusion, I explained, "There are two reasons. First, military doctors treat healthy soldiers year-round, unlike ordinary farmers, so their methods may not be suitable for these farmers. Second, if this person wasn't of my status, there's no way I could have hired him. This matter is too complex, and it's not a long-term solution for these farmers. If I hadn't asked about it that day or something else had happened, the project might have been abandoned. For a long-term solution, Li Er's friend is more suitable."

In fact, Ada and the others did not agree with what I said, but this was just a small matter, so they naturally followed the master's wishes.

When Li Er heard me say this, he immediately assured me, "Your Highness has thought it through. When I return, I will discuss this with my good friend and try to resolve this matter as soon as possible so that more people can be saved from starvation."

After this matter was arranged, I was a little tired of standing, so I wanted to sit on a stone under the shade of a tree. When Ah Da saw me, he quickly took out a piece of cloth from his sleeve and was about to spread it on the stone.

I stopped him and said, "Don't bother. You can sit on the ground, the farmers can sit, and I can sit here too."

We were sitting in the shade when farmers brought us tea and some fruits that I didn't know what they were. After Ada and Aer tested them to make sure they were non-toxic, we sat on the ground, leisurely eating the fruits and watching the farmers busy in the fields. We felt quite relaxed.

As I watched them busy working, I remembered that I had also grown crops. Although I had never studied it, I still had some understanding of it.

I looked at the lush green crops in the fields and said, "How many people are there in this village?"

"Less than four hundred people." Li Er answered immediately after hearing the question.

I asked again, "What if there are 4,000 people in this village?"

"They will definitely starve to death. Such a small piece of land can't support 4,000 people." Ah Da said bluntly.

"Yes, since there is less land and it can't feed so many people, then the nutrients in the land are limited. Shouldn't we also control the number of crops in the fields?"

After hearing what I said, they all fell into deep thought. Finally, Li Er said, "People and crops are different after all, and we have been growing them this way for so many years."

"We have been planting like this for so many years, does that mean it is right? So we should think of a way to verify whether there is any difference between humans and crops. How should we verify it?" I was like a teacher, slowly guiding them to think.

Ah Er ate the fruit and said without thinking, "This thing has to be planted before it can be verified. Otherwise, how can it be verified?"

For students' active thinking, we must encourage them in a timely manner and guide them to explore in depth.

I patted Er's shoulder to show my approval and then asked, "Er is right. We need to plant it. What should we do after we plant it?"

Ah Er was so proud and excited to have received my approval that he quickly replied when I asked again, "It depends on which kind of crops are more abundant during the autumn harvest."

I was very satisfied and motioned for Er to continue. Er thought for a moment and said, "Whoever gains more in the end will do it that way."

"A'er is awesome, he's such a smart kid." I looked at the burly A'er, and I couldn't bring myself to say the words I used to praise the child.

But Ah Er looked at me expectantly. I thought about it and could only bite the bullet and say, "What a clever slave."

After hearing this, Ah Er was very happy and kept thanking His Highness for the compliment.

Ah Er was as happy as a child, and there was something inexplicably funny about him. I looked at him and continued, "But I have a question. When we compare the yields, don't we need to have a premise? If one is planted in a dry field and the other in a paddy field, can they be the same? Can three paddy fields be the same as one paddy field?"

"So, Your Highness means that the conditions of the two should be made the same so that the comparison can be meaningful."

Li Er was much smarter than Ah Da and Ah Er, and his words were more profound.

When I looked at the clever Li Er, I felt like I was looking at a good student who was obedient, serious and had good grades. I was really filled with joy.

I explained the single variable principle to Li Er again and discussed with him how to verify it.

Li Er is really smart. Although he has not received any professional scientific thinking training, as long as you point him in, he can quickly draw inferences from one example and consider everything comprehensively. After a brief chat, a specific and feasible plan will come out.

On the way back, I kept guiding him to improve his scientific worldview using language he could understand. Although I feel that this world may be metaphysical, scientific research methods still have their merits when it comes to solving problems.

Li Er did not disappoint me. Through his studies, he acquired basic scientific research skills.

Regarding the unreasonable practices of farmers in farming that we see today, I believe that Li Er can verify the correct results through experiments in a short period of time.

The crop yield will definitely increase next year, and farmers will be able to live a more comfortable year.

The affairs of the farmers were extremely important to me. I was so busy dealing with them that I didn't pay attention to the time. When I arrived at the palace gate, it was already dark, and I missed the time to return to the palace.

The palace rules are very strict, what should I do? Just when I was feeling very frustrated, I saw Ah Da come forward and chat with the leader of the guards, and the guards actually let us in respectfully.

After entering the palace, the carriage sped all the way. When it returned to the pavilion, it was already midnight and the third watch drum had already struck.

The pavilion was brightly lit and crowded with people. No one was asleep and no one knew what they were doing.

How could I not be angry when I saw this? I was just about to go in and teach everyone a lesson when the Seventh Prince suddenly rushed to my side.

With a resentful look, she said, "You still remember to come back. It's already so late. What did you teach me every day? Health is the capital. Early to bed and early to rise is good for health. In the end, it was that vixen outside who hooked my good Yuan Qing. I don't even want to go back to the palace."

Seeing that the Seventh Prince liked me so much, I was naturally very happy and lost the intention to teach him a lesson. It was dark and I couldn't see clearly, and I was very tired, so I didn't even notice his drooping face.

This had already made the Seventh Prince unhappy, but I actually did something wrong. I kept talking about how smart, kind, and quick-witted Li Er was, just like I used to talk to the smart Xiaotao about the capable kids in the class.

"Since Yuan Qing likes him so much, why don't I have someone bring him into the palace tomorrow to keep Yuan Qing company?"

I didn't understand the Seventh Prince's subtext, and simply said happily, "He was born to be a mountain, not a stream. He should be out there doing what he's supposed to do, instead of being trapped in this deep palace."

These words completely upset the Seventh Prince. He shook off my hand and ran into the house.

I didn't know what the Seventh Prince was doing, but I quickly chased after him and grabbed his hand.

I held the Seventh Prince's hand, thinking silently in my heart, this Seventh Prince must be sleepy, how could he be held by me so easily?

But none of this mattered anymore. I continued happily, "When the spring rain gets heavier, I'll matchmake her and have her marry Li Er. These spring rain and Li Er are truly a match made in heaven; they're both so capable."

After I finished speaking, I still felt unsatisfied, so I looked at the Seventh Prince and said, "You must prepare a dowry for Chunyu. After all, he has served you for so many years."

After hearing this, the Seventh Prince was no longer angry. He just agreed and his mood was much better than before. However, he was very sleepy and pulled me to bed, not caring whether I had been hanging out outside all day and smelled bad.

Predict what will happen in the future, and listen to the next decomposition.