Super System in the Early Tang Dynasty

By the time the "Ode to Longmen" became widely known, Li Xingzhi was already in Wangjia Village.

It was the off-season for farming. Although it was only the beginning of summer, the sun was already high in the sky. At midday, people were feeling quite sluggish in the sun. The grass and trees along the roadside were gradually turning darker in color and were all drooping their heads.

The cicadas in the tree were still chirping "zhi-liao," "zhi-liao," I wonder what they knew!

Only a few children, seemingly tireless, darted up the tree and caught the screeching, triumphant cicada nymphs. Below, several even younger children watched longingly.

They glanced curiously at Li Xingzhi and the others, then continued on to the next place where someone was singing loudly.

When Li Xingzhi led Erlang to his farmhouse courtyard, he did not see Wu Laoliu. The thatched hut next to him was closed, and it was unclear whether he was taking a nap or had gone out.

He ignored it, opened the door to his house, and went inside.

As soon as they entered the house, a cool, earthy scent seemed to wash over them, instantly energizing Erlang, who had been listless.

Li Xingzhi tidied the bedding inside the room and then started preparing lunch in the outer room.

The rice wasn't cooked yet when Wu Laoliu returned. Seeing that he was a little out of breath, I figured he must have rushed back because he saw the rising smoke from the chimney.

"Please sit down, your food will be ready in a moment."

Logically speaking, as a servant, Wu Laoliu wouldn't be sitting alone while his master cooked.

However, the servants of the Li family had been with Li Xingzhi for a long time and knew his temperament, so they didn't say anything more.

Of course, if it were Sun Er, Zhou Da, or Zhao Laowu, even if Li Xingzhi said that, they would still come up to add firewood and fuel. Even if they sometimes made things worse, they would still do something. Only Wu Laoliu, the biggest blockhead in the Li family, dared to watch his master cook for him!

Li Xingzhi didn't mind these things and soon it was time to eat.

The dishes were simple, but for ordinary families, it was a meal that could only be enjoyed on holidays and festivals—the rice was white rice, and the dish was just a piece of cured pork with a good balance of lean and fat.

The rice was bought from Tanzhou City; it was definitely fragrant rice grown from pure, natural, low-yield rice varieties. The meat was even simpler: just a few slices were taken from the pieces hanging from the rafters, sliced, and stir-fried with green peppers.

In the countryside, any family with a little surplus grain would get a couple of pieces of meat, marinate them, and hang them on the beam above the stove to smoke. They'd wait a year or two, until the cured meat was as black as charcoal, and that's when it was at its most delicious!

However, no one in Wangjia Village would dare to hang dozens of large pieces of meat on the beam like Li Xingzhi, who was so nouveau riche. If the people of Wangjia Village found out that all of Li's meat was salt-cured, they would be outraged and rush over to smash Li Xingzhi's head open with hoes to see what was inside!

After the three of them put down their bowls, not a single drop of soup remained! Since arriving in this world, Li Xingzhi had picked up many of the bad habits of the feudal landlord class, but the only good thing he had learned was that he no longer left any food uneaten.

After each meal, everyone's bowls, including Erlang's, were completely empty, except for him, who always had a small half-bowl of white rice left. How could Li Xingzhi, this fine young man of the new century, bear this?

After the group finished lunch, Wu Laoliu did not leave. He just stared at the few pieces of meat left in the pot, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back.

"What, you want to take it with you after you eat it?" Li Xingzhi looked at Wu Laoliu's wooden expression, which was a rare sight for him, and couldn't help but tease him with a wicked sense of humor.

Wu Laoliu, however, was clueless about romance. Upon hearing Li Xingzhi's question, he no longer felt embarrassed and instead looked at Li Xingzhi with hopeful eyes.

Once this wooden figure developed feelings, it became far more lethal than Fatty Luo's resentful gaze, forcing Li Xingzhi to retreat on the spot!

“Fine, take your bowl with you!” Li Xingzhi said decisively.

Wu Laoliu ran to the cupboard, took a large bowl, and scooped all the meat and broth from the pot into the bowl. As he left, he didn't forget to give Li Xingzhi a deep bow, as if he wished he could be a girl in his next life and marry his husband as a concubine. This made Li Xingzhi's skin crawl!

"Go, go, go! Go meet your old flame." Li Xingzhi chased Wu Laoliu, who was transforming from a "blockhead" into a "love saint," out with a look of disgust.

Wu Laoliu, carrying a bowl of meat, happily ran to the west end of the village to please his old lover.

Li Xingzhi rested in the house for a while, and when the sun was setting, he took Erlang and Dahuang and headed towards his own plot of land.

By this time, the villagers had all come out. Many sat in front of their courtyards to cool off, while others wandered around the vegetable gardens and field ridges. For these farmers, not seeing their crops for a day made them uneasy.

After greeting everyone, Li Xingzhi headed towards his own vegetable garden.

Upon arriving at the valley, the old clan chief and Wang Ermazi led the able-bodied young men of his family around the vegetable garden a few times. They also planned to visit Li Xing's family's land. These new sights piqued their curiosity!

The strangest thing is that nothing in the Li family's field has ever been infested with insects. Only Wu Laoliu comes to visit occasionally, but he doesn't seem to take care of it at all!

The sweet potatoes and potatoes in the field weren't particularly attractive; apart from growing neatly, they were no different from the roadside weeds. What was eye-catching were the corn stalks that had grown to more than half a meter tall. Up close, the reddening chili peppers were also quite striking.

Li Xingzhi found a potato sprout, pulled it upwards with a little force, and brought out everything underground. Under the roots hung irregular spheres of various sizes, which were quite cute.

Looking at the potatoes of all sizes, a sense of joy welled up from the bottom of his heart! He gently shook off some soil, tossed the potato aside, and continued to pull up the next one. Erlang followed behind, playing the "pulling radishes" game in a very professional manner. Even Dahuang, who had been pretending to be a statue, seemed to want to share in the joy of the harvest. He bit a seedling with his mouth and pulled it up.

The old clan chief and Wang Ermazi and the others also looked over curiously.

"Li family elder, what is this?" The old clan chief asked, looking at the round object.

“This is called a potato, and it should be ready to eat now!” Li Xingzhi said, pulling up another potato sprout.

Seeing Li Xingzhi's actions, the old clan chief had an idea and called out, "Baosheng, Baolin, Baozhong, come and help!"

The old man spoke, and everyone followed behind Li Xingzhi, getting to work enthusiastically! Not long after, Wu Laoliu, who had gone out at noon, also came over and, seeing what the group was doing, quickly joined in.

Although there was a lot of stuff, the soil was soft and it wasn't too much trouble. Before the moon was high in the sky, all the potatoes were cleared out, and most of the peppers were picked, leaving only a few of the strongest ones that Li Xingzhi planted and ignored.

At this moment, the old clan chief washed his feet with cool water by the pool, and then looked back. He saw that the potatoes were piled up together, as high as a small mountain!

Wang Ermazi and several strong men who turned around were startled! This—could it be over a hundred bushels? You must know, the land Li Xingzhi used to grow potatoes was only a little over two mu!

Li Xingzhi didn't find it strange at all. After all, he had irrigated it with spiritual spring water. If it were one of those improved potato varieties from later generations, five or six thousand kilograms per acre wouldn't be much!

"This, this—Li family eldest son, is this grain? Is it all edible?" The old clan chief's voice trembled!

"Of course, but we usually eat it as a side dish. I'm more used to eating it with rice!" Li Xingzhi was looking at the huge pile of things in front of him, wondering how to transport them back or where to put them, so he answered casually.

The people nearby were also dumbfounded. You have to understand, the current yield of rice per mu is only two or three shi! And this is still wet rice that hasn't been pounded into rice!

At that moment, the old clan chief disregarded everything else. Like a guy who had been locked up in prison for decades and hadn't seen a woman, he grabbed Li Xing's hand tightly and said with bloodshot eyes, "Li family elder brother, can we grow this in our village?" His voice became hoarse as he finished speaking, as if he was trying his best to suppress something.

Looking at the people in front of him, Li Xingzhi dared not say no. If things went wrong, several lives might be lost.

"Of course! But—" The group was initially overjoyed, but their hearts tightened when they heard the twist in Li Xing's story.

"But I'm afraid we'll have to wait until next spring." Li Xingzhi wasn't sure if these things could be planted twice, since he had already planted them a bit late.

Hearing Li Xingzhi's words, the group's expressions relaxed. The old clan chief, holding several potatoes, had tears streaming down his face, leaving Li Xingzhi somewhat at a loss...

Li Xingzhi carried a hoe and experienced the scene of "returning home with a hoe under the moon". Looking at the two baskets of chili peppers beside him and thinking about the many more potatoes piled up in the field, a sense of satisfaction arose spontaneously!

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That's all for today! To be continued tomorrow!

Thank you all for your continued support!