After being reborn as a man, the woman improved her family's fortunes through education.

Due to the limitations of the growth cycle, crops with long growth cycles were not planted.

Instead, they chose a vegetable that locals like to eat, which can be harvested in less than a month.

This also saves too much time on verification; this was decided after discussions between the county government and the landlords.

Nobody's stupid or idle; why would anyone bother with something that's destined to have no outcome?

Being able to spare a few acres of land and squeeze out a month's worth of time is already a great favor to the county government.

This was also in return for the fact that the county magistrate hadn't made them bring out real gold, silver, or grain.

If Chunyi County, where Jiang Xiaoqi lives, is like spring all year round, then Linhai County is more like summer all year round.

According to the four seasons in northern China, spring, autumn and summer in Linhai County are not significantly different.

It's winter, but it feels a bit like springtime in northern regions.

However, its unique geographical location and barren soil have caused this place to lose its advantage of being able to produce two or even three crops a year.

Who wouldn't envy a land of fish and rice? But here? Fish are plentiful, but rice is a rare sight.

After all, rice plants absorb water, and where would they get so much fresh water to irrigate their fields? They couldn't retain water or fertilizer in their fields.

If you put in several times the effort but only reap a fraction of the rewards elsewhere, who can accept that?

If it weren't for the strong attachment to their homeland, or the inability to afford large tracts of land elsewhere, who would stay in Linhai County to make a living?

The new fertilizer that the newly appointed magistrate has come up with is probably just a last resort, a desperate measure.

After all, local officials have to achieve some political achievements to get promoted, right?

Sigh, it's only been a month. After a month, let the magistrate face reality.

A month passed in the blink of an eye, and everyone gathered at the edge of the experimental field.

Dong Jin also brought Jiang Xiwen with him, since his wife had also contributed a great deal.

If the experimental field project is successful, the lady deserves more than half the credit.

On several experimental plots, the bok choy has grown lush and green, with full and vibrant leaves, and is much taller than the bok choy planted by colleagues next to it.

The leaves are noticeably healthier and thicker, and are no longer the yellowish-green or light green that were common before, but rather emerald green or even dark green.

The local gentry were more surprised than delighted, and the landlords and estate managers crowded around to examine the property closely.

"How is this possible?" Everyone exclaimed in amazement.

"The amount of fertilizer used is extremely small. It should have been used up by now, after a month."

Master Yang said, "Gentlemen, this proves that our Linhai County is not without hope."

Improving soil quality and increasing yields is not difficult if the right methods are used.

He had to speak on behalf of the adults; these people hadn't read any classical texts, and reasoning with them wouldn't work.

Seeing is believing, and this vegetable garden is the best proof that the adults were right!

Upon hearing this, some of the farmers who were watching had a glimmer of hope in their eyes.

The landlords and estate managers were also making calculations in their minds. If this were to happen, the land prices in Linhai County would likely rise.

The land they own was previously worthless and barren. If they could all be transformed like this, why would they need to go to other places?

Wouldn't their own assets multiply several times over?

Merchants pursue profit; shouldn't farmers also pursue more profit when their businesses grow larger?

More fertile land, larger estates, and greater yields are what they pursue.

So as soon as Master Yang finished speaking, the eyes of all the gentry, landlords, and estate managers lit up with an alarming light.

Their eyes were fixed intently on Dong Jin and Master Yang, which made the two of them mentally give a "thumbs up".

With the support of these people, the comprehensive improvement of soil quality in Linhai County can proceed smoothly.

After all, most of the land in Linhai County is in the hands of these people. The government owns a small amount of land, and the people own even less.

Some of the people became tenant farmers on the landlords' estates, while others completely lost faith in farming and went to make a living at sea.

Of course, there are also those who don't want to go out to sea and can make a living by collecting seafood on the beach.

The saying "those who live near the mountains live off the mountains, and those who live near the sea live off the sea" is vividly demonstrated in Linhai County.

After all, this place has both mountains and sea. If you want to eat wild vegetables, you can dig them up from the mountains; if you want to eat seafood, you can catch it from the sea.

This is why, even though the land is so barren, tens of thousands of people still live in this small Linhai County.

The comfortable but not starving lifestyle gradually eroded people's fighting spirit and their desire to change their circumstances.

But Dong Jin did not want the people under his rule to just drift through life. He hoped that the wild vegetable and clam soup and the mountain vegetable and shrimp soup in everyone's bowls would become "side dishes" rather than "staple foods".

He hoped that more families in his jurisdiction would send their children to school, instead of the entire county failing to find a single scholar.

Oh, it's not that I can't find one. My second sister's husband came from Linhai and was even a top scholar.

However, the second brother-in-law was an exceptional case, and Mr. Ouyang would not accept apprentices casually.

What Dong Jin wanted was to improve people's livelihoods and educate the people.

Just as his brother-in-law said, "One must eat well in the granary to know etiquette." He must first ensure that the people are well-fed before letting them think.