Crackle bang......
In the front yard, Li Yao let Da Zhuang light some firecrackers.
These were the first firecrackers in this world, which she had made a few days ago when she was bored.
Firstly to celebrate Wang Er passing the imperial examination as a juren, or even higher ranked jieyuan. Secondly to celebrate Song Zhe also passing the imperial examination as a juren.
Of course it was also to celebrate her taking in a godson.
According to Yi Prefecture customs, Song Zhe paid his respects to Li Yao, and gave gifts to acknowledge her as godmother. Li Yao returned the courtesy, and they became family.
Song the prefect stroked his short beard, feeling greatly comforted, and kept glancing proudly at Liu Yun.
Liu Yun was focused on observing Wang Xiao Si and Liu Yao.
His little sister was too young and ignorant. The few lines she had said at Zhao Yan's home today were taught to her after much effort on his part.
The happiest person at home today was none other than Wang Xiao Si.
He had always been the youngest, but with the arrival of his niece Little Yanran, he was no longer the youngest. But Little Yanran still would not obey him.
Now things were good. He finally had a little sister.
"Listen up," Wang Xiao Si assumed the air of a big brother, and said very seriously, "In our family, my mother has the final say on everything."
"Mm."
"If my mother is not around, then I have the final say!" said Wang Xiao Si. "In the future if you want to play with me, you must obey me."
"Mm!" Liu Yao nodded heavily.
In the palace, there were rules upon rules every day that did not allow her to go out and play, and no children her age to play with.
Now that she had come to Yi Prefecture, although it did not seem as nice as the palace, at least there was this older brother!
"Big brother Xiao Si, can you bring me to catch cicadas?"
"As long as you obey me, I won't only bring you to catch cicadas, but also to catch butterflies, locusts, crickets, fish, loaches!"
"Wonderful!" Liu Yao's eyes shone with excitement. "When can we go?"
"Now...we'll have to wait till we get home," said Wang Xiao Si. "None of these things can be found in the city of Yi Prefecture."
"Home? Isn't this your home?"
"Yes," said Wang Xiao Si proudly. "But we have another home in He Wan village that is even better and bigger. You'll definitely like it when we get there."
"Okay, I'll ask big sister Chun Ning to pack my things!"
Chun Ning was originally supposed to return to the capital after Little Yanran's one month celebration. But with Liu Yao's arrival, Liu Yun asked her to stay on. Chun Ning felt very fortunate that this was more comfortable than being in the capital with the young miss.
"Princess, your things have long been packed."
"Then let's go now!" Liu Yao pulled at Wang Xiao Si's sleeve impatiently. "Big brother Xiao Si, hurry hurry, I can't wait any longer!"
"Not today. We can only go back when my mother decides. Don't be so impatient. I'll bring you to play hide and seek today."
"Okay, let's play now!"
Seeing the two get along so quickly put Liu Yun's concerned heart at ease.
Now he just hoped time would pass quickly so he could see the two children grow up soon.
...
With matters in the city of Yi Prefecture basically settled,
Wang Er and Du Xiaohui would remain here. Wang Er had to continue studying, while Xiaohui had to run the academy. The house purchased by Li Yao would be for them to live in.
Anna and Alice also stayed to help Xiaohui. There was no need for lady's maids back in He Wan village.
After being away for so long, Da Zhuang also started missing his fields back home.
Naturally, Song the prefect and Liu Yun would follow Li Yao back to He Wan village.
Not for anything else, but because after returning they could dig up sweet potatoes.
From the day the sweet potato seedlings were planted, Song the prefect had been thinking of nothing else, and could finally verify just how high the yield of these sweet potatoes were.
And Liu Yun as the lord of Yi Prefecture was even more concerned, because this directly impacted whether all the commoners in the prefecture would have food.
A few carriages set off from the city gates, heading towards Baichuan County. After half a day of bumpy ride, they finally entered Baichuan County, instantly feeling the difference.
Not only was the carriage ride smooth, but the speed was more than double that of before. Compared to the jolting earlier, this was incomparably comfortable.
This caused Liu Yun to firmly decide to immediately start raising funds to build roads upon returning.
These roads had to be built as soon as possible.
After being away for more than ten days, they finally returned to familiar ground.
Under the meticulous care of Wang Xueshi, the home remained exactly like when they left it. The only difference was the groups of chickens, ducks, and geese seemed to have grown much bigger.
Naturally, Da Zhuang was happiest.
He had barely entered the door and sat down before rushing out to the hills at the back to dig up a huge load of sweet potatoes.
Looking at the sweet potatoes bigger than a fist, Liu Yun and Song the prefect also cheered up and gathered around the potatoes, scrutinizing them.
"Da Zhuang, so many sweet potatoes, how big was the plot you dug them from?"
"Ten plants."
"What? Just ten plants managed to produce so much?" Song the prefect was distrustful. "Are you saying just ten plants yielded so many potatoes?"
Da Zhuang nodded, his face full of blissful smile.
He had not realized that after careful cultivation, fertilization, vine turning, that the sweet potatoes planted in the field would yield several times more than wild sweet potatoes in the mountains!
It seemed his mother's claim of yielding thousands of catties per mu was not impossible.
"If ten plants can yield so much, how much would your family's total yield be this year?"
Li Yao did not want to calculate. She had returned this time to dig up sweet potatoes. They would know once it was weighed.
Early next morning, Li Yao stopped all workshop operations for the time being and hired every villager to help dig up sweet potatoes.
Song the prefect couple and Liu Yun also arrived at the field early, feeling even more nervous than Da Zhuang because they would soon witness the yield of these sweet potatoes.
Li Yao picked a medium sized plot for them to measure out one mu. Tens of villagers swarmed in.
More than ten women in front wielded sickles to cut down the somewhat yellowing vines, bundling them neatly. These vines could be used as pig feed. Even if there was excess for the time being, they could be dried and stored.
The small machine for slicing sweet potato vines and the large concrete pools for storage had long been fabricated by the blacksmith Xia Xian per her instructions.
More than twenty brawny men swung hoes, preparing to dig.
Da Zhuang spat in his palms and rubbed them before forcefully digging down. A huge pile of sweet potatoes along with mud was overturned.
This clump had six to seven potatoes. The three to four largest were as big as a fist, while the smallest were still fist sized. At minimum each was ten catties.
The rest could not wait and began digging as well. The overturned sweet potatoes were piled at the side as more than ten women and children sorted through them basket by basket to the field's edge.
After half a shichen, the entire mu was finally dug up. Looking at the huge pile of promising sweet potatoes, everyone felt wonderful inside.
Because everyone knew no one would starve this year, not in the future either.
"Quick," Liu Yun was already too anxious to wait, "bring the scales and weigh them."
Da Zhuang and Wang Yuen brought over beam scales. Basket by basket was weighed as Wang Xiao Si led Liu Yao to record with brush and paper at the side.
After tallying at the end, this single mu had yielded over three thousand and five hundred catties!
If they had not witnessed it themselves, Liu Yun and Song the prefect would never have believed it possible, because it was too enormous, shockingly enormous!
For mountainous land like this, yielding one hundred catties per mu of wheat would be considered very good.
Yet for sweet potatoes, the yield was dozens of times more!
Song the prefect sighed deeply. Daling, there would never be grain shortage again!