Chapter 536: Chapter 276: Spring Plowing_2
Steward Zhong was a busy man; once he had finished discussing the corn matter, he bade farewell and was ready to leave. Lian Shouxin, of course, tried his best to make him stay. In the end, Lian Manman ordered a table of top-notch food from the town and set it up in the breakfast shop, where Lian Shouxin shared a meal with Steward Zhong.
While Steward Zhong was eating, Lian Manman also wrote a letter. The letter was addressed to Shen Qian, first to thank him for sending the corn. Then it moved on to everyday family matters, like how Little Yellow Ox had gained more strength, the little pig’s appetite had increased, the little hens had turned into roosters, they had picked a basketful of Locust Blossoms yesterday, which made the pancakes especially fragrant and sweet, etc. Of course, she also mentioned Wu Lang and Xiao Qi’s studies.
"Mr. Loo said that if my brother continues to study well, he can participate in the Tongsheng exam next year. Xiao Qi is still young, and needs to wait another year. Fatty, didn’t you say you’ve been studying for several years? When are you planning to take the exam?"
"Mr. Loo also praised me, saying if I were a boy, I could take the exam with my brother too," Lian Manman added after some thought.
In this way, she wrote a full two pages of homely details and tidbits.
After Lian Manman had finished writing, she read over it again and, feeling quite satisfied, folded the paper neatly and sealed it in an envelope. When she saw Steward Zhong off, she handed him the letter, asking him to pass it to Shen Qian.
As for sending regards to Shen Liu, she asked Steward Zhong to express them on her behalf. For one thing, Lian Manman did not think Shen Liu would have time to read her letter. Additionally, she did not feel like she could write to Shen Liu as she could to Shen Qian, and she always felt closer to Shen Qian.
Shen Qian was still young, and writing letters was not an issue; once he grew up, though, it would probably be necessary to avoid any impropriety.
Steward Zhong carefully tucked away Lian Manman’s letter, assuring her that he would certainly deliver it.
Lian Manman also prepared red envelopes separately, one for each coachman and attendant who had accompanied Steward Zhong, with Steward Zhong’s being naturally more generous.
This time, Steward Zhong hesitated slightly but accepted it with a smile.
...
The corn kernels that were germinating on the kang had sprouted shoots half a finger long. Lian Manman had dedicated a small plot for them, applying manure, tilling the soil, cultivating diligently and carefully, and sowing the corn sprouts.
With good care, she would be able to enjoy deliciously fragrant boiled tender corn during the dog days of summer, she thought to herself.
In the blink of an eye, it was the season of Grain Rain. As the verses describe, "During Qingming it rains nonstop," and as the term "Grain Rain" itself implies, it rained steadily for two days. The spring plowing of Thirty Mile Camp had begun.
The Lian Manman family was busier than most. While managing their breakfast shop, they hurried to plant their fields during this most ideal season.
Before starting the planting, the family sat down to plan carefully.
This year, their family had fifty-one acres to plant. The six acres at the base of Nanshan, which was their share of the divided family property, were all intended for growing peanuts. Peanuts are a valuable cash crop; tenant farmers rarely grow them for their own consumption but rather for selling.
The peanuts from these six acres could sell for roughly twenty taels of silver at the autumn harvest. This was only an approximate income, and after deducting the cost of the seeds, the net profit would be about fifteen taels.
Then there was the land on the north side, which they had acquired after the family division—twenty-five acres in one plot and twenty acres in another, not adjacent but separated by another field. A few days before, Lian Shouxin had negotiated with the owners of the intervening land and had swapped plots. As they all lay within the same area and the soil quality was the same, it had not been difficult to reach an agreement.
Lian Manman’s family’s forty-five acres now formed a contiguous plot, which made farming even more convenient.
"We can’t plant less of sorghum and millet," Lian Shouxin said. Sorghum rice was a staple food for farmstead families, and millet, ground into dough for sticky bean buns, was indispensable as a winter staple. For this reason, they needed to plant enough of both. "For our family of six, I think we need to plant at least ten acres of sorghum, and five or six acres of millet will suffice... That should be enough for our family’s yearly food, and there should be enough for the tax grain as well."
"Yes, that sounds good," Lady Zhang agreed.
After determining the acreage for the family and tax grain, they turned to discuss the corn and sweet potatoes, which Lian Manman valued the most.
"We have about forty catties of corn seeds now. Remember we planted a patch the other day? According to my father’s calculations, we need about two catties per acre, so this year we can plant twenty acres of corn," said Lian Manman. "The sweet potato cuttings aren’t ready yet, so let’s reserve one acre for them, to be on the safe side. If we don’t have enough cuttings later, we can supplement with some beans or something; that won’t cause any problems."
After planting the twenty-one acres, the earnings were not yet estimable, but it was certain that the number would be pleasantly surprising.
"That plan sounds good to me. Our fields are enough to plant this year. Besides the fields for our food, let’s focus on corn and sweet potatoes first, and then we can plant other crops in the remaining land," said Lian Shouxin.
"If we plant six acres of millet, that brings us to thirty-seven acres. So there are another eight acres left," Xiao Qi said. He was learning arithmetic from Mr. Loo and had become faster at it, not even needing an abacus for simple calculations.
"If we’re planting six acres of millet, then we can’t forget about adzuki beans. Otherwise, when we make buns, we’ll have to buy adzuki beans separately," said Lady Zhang.
"And soybeans," Wu Lang chimed in, forgoing his usual pastime of holding a book because they were discussing important planting matters. "We need quite a bit of soybeans throughout the year for sprouting, for oil, for tofu, and such."
"Yes, we should plant more soybeans," said Lady Zhang.
After half a day of discussion, they decided to allot five acres for soybeans, one and a half acres for adzuki beans, and the remaining one and a half acres for various grains like mung beans and sesame.
"Let’s start with the six acres to the south tomorrow," Lian Shouxin declared.
"Husband, do we need to hire help for planting?" Lady Zhang inquired.
"...The Old Master said he plans... to farm a few acres himself this year," Lian Shouxin suddenly announced.
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