The journey of the only child of a peasant family to take the imperial examination

When they arrived at the inn, Green Bean Eyes took Zhang Pingan to his room.

At this time, the servant who went out to sea with Green Bean Eyes was guarding the room.

When he saw Green Bean Eyes coming in, he bowed and left, closing the door considerately.

"Look, this is Annan rice," said Green Bean Eyes, walking over and opening a few black earthenware jars against the wall.

The rice grains in the clay pot are relatively small and slender, which may be related to its drought resistance and resistance to poor soil.

Zhang Ping'an picked out a few grains and twisted them with his fingers. Compared with local rice, the shell felt less bumpy.

"According to what you said, this batch of rice seeds can be directly sown after this autumn harvest, right?" Zhang Pingan asked.

"Yes, in Dai Viet, after this crop is harvested and the fields are plowed, we can then plant the next crop," nodded Green Bean Eyes.

"If it is really possible to harvest two or even three crops a year, and it can grow anywhere, then these seeds will be worth a fortune, and it will be a great thing for the benefit of the people." Thinking of this scene, Zhang Pingan couldn't help but get excited.

"You can try planting it after the autumn harvest. Just like I just told you, oranges grown in the south of the Huai River are oranges, while those grown in the north of the Huai River are trifoliate oranges. Just because it works well in Daiyue doesn't mean the same result can be achieved in Jiangsu and Zhejiang. I can only say that you should give it a try first," said Green Bean Eyes, spreading his hands.

He didn't mention that when he was in Ryukyu, he gave up the seemingly more precious spices for these jars of seeds, and only then did he rescue the seeds from the Ryukyu people.

He is a worldly man who longs for fame, wealth and fortune, but at the same time, he also hopes to do his best to do something for the people and the country.

Especially now that the imperial court is in tatters and facing constant internal and external troubles, he still has this bit of vision.

Zhang Pingan closed the jar and nodded, saying, "I understand. It all depends on whether these seeds can adapt to the climate and soil here. These seeds are extremely precious. I'll plant them separately in the upper, middle, and lower plots, and compare them. Based on the results of soil fertility and farming methods, I'll choose the most suitable method to promote planting."

"You arrange everything yourself. You know more about this than I do," said Green Eyes as he sat down.

"Oh, by the way, I brought back a lot of gemstones this time. They're rare here, but they're produced in abundance in Pagan. Pick out a few and make them into jewelry for your uncle, aunt, and sister-in-law. Hua Wanli also has some. I didn't even go back for his wedding, so I'm going to apologize to him!"

"These are all brought back from a small country overseas with great difficulty. I will pick a piece for myself as a souvenir, and you can sell the others. You know I don't like these. You have already brought me the most precious gift," Zhang Pingan shook his head firmly.

Seeing Zhang Ping'an so decisive, Green Bean Eyes didn't force it and said, "Okay then!"

These gems were all made of high-quality materials selected locally by Green Bean Eyes. They looked bright and eye-catching, and they were very precious. In the end, Zhang Ping'an picked a pigeon blood ruby ​​with a pure and elegant color.

"I'm going to inspect the experimental field tomorrow, and I'll bring the seeds over then," Zhang Ping'an said after putting his things away.

Then he invited me again: "Come back to the back hall with me tonight for dinner. I will ask the chef to make more of your favorite food so that you can have a good rest!"

"Of course I have to. I've been waiting for you to say that," said the man with green eyes with a smile.

The two of them then returned to the rear court together.

Everyone in my family is familiar with Green Bean Eyes, so I didn’t hesitate to share it with everyone. I also brought some overseas specialties for everyone.

At first, no one recognized him, and it was only after Zhang Ping'an introduced him that they were able to identify him.

"This is really the Ge family kid," Xu exclaimed. "You kid, you must have suffered a lot on this trip to the sea. How come you've lost so much weight? Look at you, you have no worries about food and drink at home, why did you go out and suffer like this?"

After saying this, he made people sit down and eat quickly, feeling a little distressed. "You must be starving!"

Green Bean Eyes couldn't stand this excessive enthusiasm and quickly explained, "Well, Auntie, I'm the boss. Actually, I didn't suffer much. The heavy work was done by the servants and boatmen. It's just that the food is not good. I can't get used to the food in those small overseas countries. I will be fine after a few days!"

Zhang Laoer had worked far away when he was young, so he didn't believe this. "You didn't eat well, and you lost dozens of pounds in a short time. That's too much. You're really suffering! Alas, it's good to be at home for a thousand days, but it's hard to go out for a day!"

Zhang agreed with this and nodded, "Things are more valuable away from home, but people are worth less away from home. The old saying is true!"

After everyone sat down, they all kept urging Green Bean Eyes to eat more, and helped to serve the food with serving chopsticks. In the end, Green Bean Eyes had to hold on to the wall when he walked out, he was so full!

Zhang Pingan handed the packed hawthorn water to the Ge family servant who had followed him, and instructed: "Drive slowly on the road. When we get to the inn, let your young master drink the hawthorn water to help digest the food."

"Well, I will do as you say," the servant replied.

"I'm sorry, the old man and the old lady at home were too enthusiastic and made you eat too much. Remember to digest the food before going to bed when you go back, otherwise you will feel uncomfortable," Zhang Ping'an said to Green Bean Eyes with some apology.

"Oh, it's okay, it's okay. I'm just really craving for food. I've been drifting on the sea for several months and my appetite is almost dry." Green Eyes waved his hand, then got on the carriage and burped.

Only after the carriage had gone away did Zhang Ping'an turn around and return home.

In a blink of an eye, it was the second day, and Zhang Pingan had arranged to inspect the experimental fields today.

Zhang Laoer was going to the experimental field to help with work, and the two of them happened to be together.

This was a private inspection, so no other people from the yamen were arranged to accompany him.

The golden rice fields along the road look like an endless golden ocean, and the heavy rice ears bring the joy of a good harvest.

Most of the farmers wore straw hats and bent over in the fields, carefully checking each rice plant in preparation for the autumn harvest.

After arriving at the experimental field, Zhang Ping'an walked around several fields and found that the rice in the fields planted by Su Erleng was very different from that in other fields. The rice ears were thicker and had fewer shrunken husks.

He originally divided the fields into four plots. In the first plot, an experienced farmer was assigned to plant seedlings with ordinary seeds, and he also adopted intensive farming methods.

The second and third fields used the seedlings from Su Erlang's family, and were carefully cultivated by the farmer of the first field and Su Erlang respectively.

Although the fourth field also used seedlings from Su Erlang's family, Zhang Ping'an had already told him in advance that he could plant it however he wanted and he would not interfere.

Zhang Ping'an had come to see it once before during the grain filling period, and the grains in the fields tended by Su Erlang were fuller.

Now that it has matured, the difference is even more obvious.

Among the four fields, the rice in the second field grows better than that in the first, and the rice in the third and fourth fields is better than that in the second, but the harvest from the fourth field will obviously be the best.

The most crucial point is that Su Erleng later planted mung beans among the rice.

The method of mixed planting of rice and mung beans was adopted.

Zhang Ping'an vaguely remembered that this was because legumes have the function of nitrogen-fixing and can absorb nitrogen from the air and fix it in the soil, providing nitrogen fertilizer for rice.

At the same time, these green manure crops can also cover the bare soil in the rice fields, prevent soil erosion, and play a role in conserving water and fertilizer.

He knew the theoretical knowledge, but he had no idea how to do it specifically, including the timing, climate, spacing, etc. He needed to figure out all of these.

But now Su Erlang obviously has his own way of growing rice, and the effect is obvious.