Traveling through time with a house, I teach people all over the country how to farm

Chapter 408 Let’s go dig sweet potatoes

The next day, after the morning court session, Emperor Yongshun came to the county lord's mansion with a group of ministers. The streets outside were blocked again. Everyone had experienced this once before, so they were not surprised.

The preparations for today in the County Princess's Mansion must also be more thorough. Zheng Sisi arranged the dishes early. In addition to sweet potatoes, there were several new vegetables harvested yesterday. She also took a bag of corn for the cooks to make popcorn at the end.

Zheng Sisi and Sheng Zhen brought Emperor Yongshun and a group of ministers to the back garden, and saw a different scene after a large area of ​​land was harvested. The last time they came, it was still green, but now most of it has turned yellow.

When Emperor Yongshun saw that the other side was still green, he asked, "Sisi, what are you planting over there? It's still green."

Zheng Sisi looked at the green and said, "That's the second batch of corn and watermelons."

"What, you also planted a second crop of corn and watermelons, why didn't you tell me to plant some too."

Zheng Sisi had no choice but to lie. She said, "Your Majesty, the main reason is that there are not many seeds. I only planted a little."

Emperor Yongshun walked quickly towards the area and said, "I'll go see what it looks like."

Everyone could only follow behind. When they arrived at the field, the corn was already shoulder-high, and some of them had small corn buds, which would take some time to mature. The watermelon vines were growing lushly, and a few small yellow flowers could be seen here and there.

Emperor Yongshun nodded in satisfaction after seeing them. He said, "Sisi, these corns and watermelons are ripe. You must save some for your uncle, otherwise you will have to wait until next year to eat them."

Hearing that they only wanted some corn and watermelon, Zheng Sisi readily agreed: "Don't worry, Your Majesty, I will definitely keep them for you."

Emperor Yongshun got a satisfactory answer and laughed happily: "Let's go and dig sweet potatoes."

The ministers who followed behind squeezed in front of Zheng Sisi and said, "Princess Anping, when the corn and watermelon are ripe, you have to leave some for me as well. Do you want me to pay the deposit first?"

Everyone was talking at once, and Zheng Sisi said, "Don't worry, I will send someone to inform you when it's ready."

"Okay, okay, okay, I'll wait for news from the Lord of Anping County."

When he arrived at the sweet potato field, Emperor Yongshun saw that the corn field was also bare. He asked, "Sisi, the first batch of corn has also been harvested."

Zheng Sisi said embarrassedly, "We harvested it yesterday afternoon. You can harvest it after you go back. You can break off the corn and dry it with the leaves, or tie the leaves together and hang them under the beams. After they are dried, you can thresh them. The corn stalks and corn cobs can be used for firewood. Don't waste them."

Those who planted corn at home nodded and thanked Zheng Sisi, while those who didn’t plant corn were full of envy.

Sheng Zhen pointed at the cut sweet potato vines and said, "My Lords, let's first listen to what Princess Anping has to say about how to dig sweet potatoes." He was afraid that if he delayed any further, he could go directly to have lunch.

Zheng Sisi cleared her throat and said, "Before digging sweet potatoes, you need to cut the vines first, otherwise the sweet potatoes will rot because of the vines. Don't throw away the cut vines. In the countryside, people use them to feed pigs and cows. We can use them to feed horses. If there are too many, we can dry them and keep them for feeding horses in winter. In short, don't waste them."

Everyone nodded and praised: "The Anping County Lady is very thoughtful. We will definitely learn from her."

Zheng Sisi ignored everyone's flattery and said, "Digging sweet potatoes is the same as digging potatoes, but the distance is a little farther, because sweet potatoes are larger than potatoes, and they will easily rot if you dig too close. And for the storage of sweet potatoes, it is best to store them in a cellar, where the temperature and humidity are just right, so they won't spoil easily."

When Emperor Yongshun saw Zheng Sisi had finished speaking, he said, "Now let's let you all witness what our grain yield of more than 3,000 kilograms per mu looks like. Let's start digging!"

Following the order of Emperor Yongshun, several ministers went to the fields with shovels in hand. Zheng Sisi saw that they were the people who should have dug sweet potatoes at home yesterday. With the emperor and two ministers taking the lead, everyone else joined in.

Zheng Sisi saw that Master He had come today as well. He also took a shovel and was about to go to the fields. Zheng Sisi hurriedly pulled Sheng Zhen to stop him: "Master He, please don't go digging sweet potatoes. What if you sprain your waist later?"

Master He said, "Don't worry, girl. My old bones are still strong."

Sheng Zhen stopped him and said, "Master, we all know you want to participate. So, we need someone to weigh and count. How about you help us count?"

Master He looked at the shovel in his hand, then at the two men, and reluctantly agreed: "Okay, I'll count. Don't worry, I won't make a mistake in the number."

The two of them breathed a sigh of relief, and Zheng Sisi said, "We are absolutely relieved that you can help us."