The remaining half-mu of land was soon dug up.
The old lords put down their hoes and personally watched the county office clerks weigh and register the sweet potatoes.
After the clerks had meticulously calculated twice and reported an accurate figure, the old lords’ hearty laughter could be heard from afar.
The old farmers also cheered. They had tended to them like treasures for over four months and knew that trusting Lord Xu was the right decision!
Then, without waiting for any instructions, they continued digging up sweet potatoes.
Guang Bai had already led people to fence off another two mu of land.
No one knew what Xu Hengyan had said to the old lords, but they stopped digging sweet potatoes and walked towards the shade of the trees, chatting and laughing.
“Look at how happy you all are. How is it? More than five thousand jin?” asked the Old Duke of Qin.
“Five thousand four hundred and fifty jin!” Duke Zhao couldn’t contain his excitement and repeated in a loud voice, “Five thousand four hundred and fifty jin!”
Marquis Yongxin called out as soon as he arrived, “Have you roasted some sweet potatoes? Hurry and give me one to try.”
Luo Tie and Nie Tong were there doing nothing else but tending the fire to roast sweet potatoes. Knowing that the old lords would definitely want to try them, they threw many into the fire.
The two of them dug out the cooked ones and placed them in baskets, then carried the bamboo baskets to the old lords.
The old lords were not particular at all. If there weren’t enough stools, they simply sat on the ground, each taking a sweet potato and biting into it.
“Hey, hey, hey, peel it… eat it after peeling!”
Old Duke of Qin couldn’t even remind them in time before the old lords had already taken a bite.
The sweet potatoes, just dug out from the fire, were covered in dirt on the skin, but no one paid any mind.
They were truly unpretentious.
Duke Qian spat out the sweet potato skin. “It smells so good! I never expected sweet potatoes to not only have a high yield but also be so delicious.”
Marquis Yongchang nodded. “Very sweet.”
Marquis Yongxin ate the skin along with the flesh. “Just now, I heard people from the county office say that they also planted some sweet potatoes in the county office courtyard. A few days ago, they dug them up and made two banquets of sweet potatoes. Those two scoundrels were talking while smacking their lips, I don’t know if they were deliberately teasing me or if it was truly that delicious.”
Marquis Yongxin looked at Xie Jiang and said, “I heard that the sweet potato banquet was made by the cooks from your estate. Make one for us too.”
Duke Zhao said, “The taste of these sweet potatoes is excellent. It’s probably true.”
Xie Jiang was picked up by Duke Qian and thrown aside. Duke Qian stood on the stool, leaving her no choice but to stand.
“If the esteemed dukes and marquises want to eat, how could I refuse? However, when I left this morning, I said I would bring the cooks. Who was it that stopped me from bringing them? Saying I live a life of extravagance and indulgence.”
Duke Qian glared at her fiercely. “We are not in a hurry to return to the capital. Have your family’s cooks prepare and make a sweet potato banquet for us tonight.”
Xie Jiang said, “My cooks are not only good at making sweet potato banquets, but they are equally good at other dishes. Don’t the esteemed dukes and marquises want to eat anything else? Eating too many sweet potatoes at your age isn’t good for you.”
Duke Qian felt that her words were a bit sharp. “Don’t look at our age, our bodies are still good. You are as thin as a monkey, you might not be as good as us old folks.”
The servants and young attendants accompanying the old lords busied themselves pouring water for their masters.
Marquis Yongxin stopped after eating three, patting his stomach, he said, “These sweet potatoes are truly a good thing. Not only are they delicious, but they are also filling.”
Old Duke of Qin saw Duke Zhao, who was sitting cross-legged on the ground, with a raw sweet potato he had brought from the field on his lap. He gestured towards the burning fire and asked, “Why are you holding it in your arms instead of throwing it into the fire to roast and eat?”
After finishing his second roasted sweet potato, Duke Zhao stuffed the last piece of skin into his mouth, chewing and swallowing slowly with great cherish. His aged hand caressed the raw sweet potato. “It would have been great if this thing existed years ago.”
Old Duke of Qin sighed inwardly and said, “Years ago, that Xie Jiang kid wasn’t even born yet.”
The second mu of land that had been fenced off was also dug up. The old lords, without waiting for the county office clerks to calculate the yield and report back, eagerly rushed over.
Fearing any errors from the county office clerks, they watched them calculate.
With so many esteemed dukes, marquises, and a minister watching, the clerks felt immense pressure and calculated with extreme care.
Six thousand two hundred and thirty jin!
It broke six thousand!
The excited cheers and laughter were so loud they could pierce through the clouds.
Yi Yanguan, who had been sitting under the shade of the tree with Xie Jiang, looked at the people bustling about in the field. “It looks like it should have exceeded the previous five thousand and forty jin?”
Xie Jiang said, “It’s not surprising if it exceeded it.”
The onlookers outside the cordon also became excited by the activity in the field.
Some of them said to the guards from the Duke of Wei’s estate who were holding the cordon, “Tell Lord Xu to have the county office keep more for seeds, so that our land can also be planted with these sweet potatoes next year!”
What a good grain!
The old marquises and dukes from the capital had just sat at the edge of the field and eaten a hearty meal.
At one point, they smelled the aroma carried by the wind. It was truly fragrant. These sweet potatoes were not only high-yielding but also delicious!
Who wouldn’t like such a grain!
Even if it wasn’t delicious, they would still plant it!
Filling their stomachs was more important than anything else.
They had all heard the county office people shout earlier. The first mu dug out had yielded over five thousand jin! The next mu dug out had yielded over six thousand jin!
Some of the older ones had already started crying, begging the county office to let them plant sweet potatoes too, no matter what.
Stimulated by the yield of over six thousand two hundred jin per mu, the old lords rolled up their sleeves again and personally went to dig up sweet potatoes.
The third mu yielded five thousand eight hundred jin, and the fourth mu yielded six thousand three hundred jin.
Just when the old lords thought that the average yield was between five thousand and six thousand jin, Xu Hengyan informed them that these thirty mu were ordinary land, and there were another thirty mu of superior land, and thirty mu of mountain land.
Xun Geng told everyone to stop digging these ordinary lands and to first fence off a few mu from the superior lands and mountain lands to see what the yields would be in different types of soil.
A portion of the manpower was left to clear the sweet potatoes and vines from these few mu of land. The group, carrying their tools, went with Xu Hengyan to dig sweet potatoes in the superior lands.
Xie Jiang and Yi Yanguan followed behind, walking slowly.
“Where is Yi’an? Did she not come back with you?”
“Doctor Lou returned directly to the Xie residence.”
“How is your injury? Let me feel your pulse.”
Yi Yanguan thought she was really going to feel his pulse, and just as he was about to offer his arm to her, her hand had already slipped in through his sleeve.
Yi Yanguan’s Adam’s apple bobbed.
Thinking she was going to do something else along his sleeve…
Xie Jiang, however, simply grasped his wrist.
Yi Yanguan waited nervously for a moment, but seeing that she made no further moves, he wanted to hold her hand in return. After thinking about it, he let her hold it.
The two walked slowly, and the main group digging sweet potatoes was already far ahead.
“After we finish harvesting the sweet potatoes in a few days, you will accompany me back to the capital. His Majesty wants to see you.”