Chapter 268: Willing

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation       Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Yuan Jiaqi finished dealing with his business and finally took a sigh of relief, allowing himself to go home.

Upon arriving home, he learned about the twins joining the army. He was stunned on the spot, not knowing what to say.

“Wife, for such a major matter, why didn’t you inform me? I’m such an unfit father.’

“What’s the use of saying anything? Whether I tell you or not, they were still going. You’re busy and don’t have time to manage the family.”

“I’m a lousy husband and deserve to be punished.”

“How are things at the workshops?”

“They’ve started production. I’ve also arranged sales channels, so you don’t need to worry.”

“Alright, you can keep the profits from the workshops in the future. Let them handle the tax payments. I won’t provide you with any more silver.”

“What?”

“With the growth of the trees, the oil production will increase each year. When the pine nuts start producing, it will be another source of income. Ten years from now, the workshops, land, and employees will no longer be a problem.

I’ve calculated it all.”

“Wife, thanks to you, my career has been smooth.”

“It’s not necessarily. As long as you’re willing to marry concubines, you can be equally successful.”

Yuan Jiaqi’s face immediately darkened. “Wife, I’m not ungrateful. Besides, I love you, not them.”

“Oh, you’re giving me the cold shoulder.”

“No, it’s not that I’m ignoring you, but your words make me unhappy. I’ll only have you for the rest of my life. You know it, yet you keep making me uneasy with your words.”

“Tsk.”

Qiao Mai pursed her lips. Yuan Jiaqi looked at her seriously. “In my eyes, you’re the most beautiful, the best, and most capable!”

“You’re making me happy. Is this your way of confessing?”

Yuan Jiaqi blushed. “Wife, everything I said is true. In my eyes, no one can compare to you. I have you for the rest of my life, and I won’t mention any other women. ”

“Got it.”

“Do you want me to arrange things for Feng’er and Yun’er?”

“No need. My sons will rely on their abilities. There’s no need to arrange anything. ”

“But isn’t it good for me, their father, to help them in some way?”

“In that case, take care of the workshops. Our two sons will be getting married soon, and we need to prepare the dowry. We’ll become in-laws at a young age!

Haha!”

“Uh, that’s fine. We can be grandparents early.”

Qiao Mai imagined a granddaughter in her left hand and a grandson in her right, and she shivered.

She was only in her twenties and would become a grandmother; it felt strange.

The two sat down and sighed. “Our eldest daughter-in-law is a county princess. We can’t provide anything less than ten thousand taels for the betrothal gifts.’

“Yes, our second son is also proud. The dowry will be substantial. And there’s Chuan’er. With his sweet talk at such a young age, he’s sure to win over some young ladies.”

“And we’ll need a hefty dowry for Ling’er. We can’t let anyone look down on her.”

“Speaking of it, they’re all costly goods.”

“Haha. When they all get married and establish their lives, I resign from my position. We can travel around, see the beautiful landscapes, and experience the different customs of the Ming Dynasty.”

“We’ll have to see when they all get married. When they do, they’ll face the challenges of having children. Being first-time parents, they’ll need us around.”

“I can’t help them much. Only someone as capable as you can help them.”

“You never know. We might not be needed by then. Besides, are you willing to resign?”

“I am. I want to travel around the world and see the beautiful landscapes of the Ming Dynasty. With you by my side, it’s all I’ve ever wanted.”

Qiao Mai looked at the man speaking passionately and slowly nodded. “Alright, as long as you need it, I’ll accompany you.”

July arrived, and the rain was pouring without stopping. In the capital city, the old emperor read Yuan Jiaqi’s memorial excitedly, his hands trembling.

“Excellent, excellent! If we have such wheat varieties, the northern citizens won’t suffer anymore. The national treasury will soon be full. Wonderful!”

The Emperor was overwhelmed. He grabbed a handful of the wheat that came with the memorial, examining it closely.

“This is miraculous! Heaven blesses our Ming Dynasty.”

He immediately summoned the head of the Agriculture Bureau. He handed over a small bag of wheat seeds and a thick booklet of farming techniques.

“Hurry and find the most fertile land to test the cultivation. When it’s time to harvest, come and report to me. I will personally oversee it.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Don’t think the emperor would easily believe reports from lower officials. He wanted to put these ideas into practice, and if they matched what was written, the rewards would follow.

So they still had to wait. Yuan Jiaqi wasn’t in a hurry. They had already implemented the plan, and his people were willing to follow it.

He started promoting the new wheat varieties within County She. County Governor Zhu and Magistrate Wang had known about the matter. As soon as they received reliable information, they begged Qiao Mai for the wheat seeds.

In any case, the memorial requesting merits had already been submitted. Therefore, Qiao Mai generously provided them with 5,000 catties of wheat seeds, allowing them to oversee its promotion.

As the government vouched for it, and the wheat seeds were provided for free, many farmers were tempted to try it out.

The promotion of the new wheat varieties was not that smooth in other areas, but it was successful in the north of County She. There were even long queues at the government offices.

Qiao Mai wasn’t in a hurry. Promoting the new wheat varieties needed time to do so.

She still had many new seed varieties, which she provided for the Ming Dynasty, such as drought-resistant rice and high-yield cotton, which were urgently needed.

When ordinary folks could have enough food and clothing without worrying about their daily needs, the Ming Dynasty would be prosperous.

Although she didn’t provide County Governor Zhu with tree saplings, this fellow encouraged the people to plant more trees. He wrote down the benefits of planting trees on notices and sent officials to publicize them in various villages and towns.

He also persuaded wealthy households to donate money and materials and started planting cold-resistant trees along the official road. However, this was limited to his county.

This fellow was selfish; he didn’t want to benefit other counties and only played around within his territory.

When other county governors heard about this, they finally persuaded their residents to follow suit and start planting trees after careful consideration.

All nine counties of City Wei began planting trees.

Farmers were already skilled at raising seedlings, and some trees could be easily grown by planting a branch in the ground.

Therefore, many villages began planting trees in their courtyards.

People chose to plant different kinds of trees, each with their intentions. Regardless, the direction of tree planting was correct. At the very least, the pruned branches of the trees could be used as firewood.

In the harsh northern winters, firewood was essential. In this regard, the benefits of planting trees were obvious. Not to mention, after the trees grew into mature timber, they could be used for personal use. If they bore fruit, they could be harvested and sold, which would be another source of income.

It was a long-term plan. County She began to see results within a few years because of their early tree planting.

Many families who planted pine trees began learning how to extract and sell pine oil. Regardless of whether they made much profit, it was an income as long as they sold to the workshops.

For the poor residents of County She, this was undoubtedly a great benefit.

Yuan Jiaqi showed the profits from the first month of the workshop to Qiao Mai. “Wife, look. This is only the first month. The safflower oil workshop earned five hundred taels of silver after deducting all expenses. This is only from the first forest’s pine oil. The shampoo made six hundred taels of silver, and the pine oil made over one hundred taels. It’s over a thousand taels.”

“Good, it’s more than ten thousand taels in a year. When those other forests grow, we’ll get even more oil.”

“Yes, I believe it won’t be long before our workshop’s products are sold throughout the Ming Dynasty..”

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