CHAPTER 31: CHAPTER 31: A REAL-LIFE SECRET INSPECTION

EDITOR: ENDLESSFANTASY TRANSLATION

On a certain day in early November, Lin Wanwan sat in a pavilion she built by the field, holding little Qingyu, watching the busy people in the farmlands, feeling quite like a wealthy landlord.

The autumn wind blew gently; this was indeed the season of harvest!

Today was a big day for Lin Wanwan! She wanted to personally witness how much yield the seeds she had sown in the Great Tang would produce.

Time passed minute by minute, and the harvested rice plants piled up more and more.

The people in the field, barefoot, with sleeves rolled up, using sickles to harvest the rice were working diligently, not only because Lin Wanwan paid them well, but mainly because they were part of the Lin clan. Seeing those heavy rice stalks, their hearts burned with excitement!

Even though it hadn’t been measured yet, just from visual estimation, it had far exceeded their expectations.

It turned out that scholars could indeed merely use words to command others to cultivate such fruitful lands!

Kun Lun, leaning against the edge of the pavilion, was dozing off, and little Qingyu, after her initial excitement, had also fallen asleep. Lin Wanwan placed her aside and covered her little belly with a small blanket, as the afternoon autumn wind made people drowsy.

Lin Wanwan had one foot resting on the wooden board of the pavilion, the other dangling, revealing a section of her fair leg, everything felt very pleasant.

Out of breath, Xiao Chong climbed up the slope, and looking down, he saw scenes of bustling harvest activity, but discordant with it was the leisurely beauty swinging her legs in the pavilion beside—next to her lay a small child.

"Sir, why did you stop?" His attendant, Shuqi, curiously asked as he followed, looking towards the fields and exclaimed, "Oh my, how could there be such excellent rice fields here?"

Having observed all the way here, crops grown this well were truly unprecedented.

Xiao Chong, naturally curious, decided to steady his breath and walked straight forward. As he approached the pavilion, the dozing Kun Lun suddenly opened his eyes, sprang up, and glared fiercely and warily at Xiao Chong and his attendant, as if ready to pounce and bite them if they took another step.

Shuqi exclaimed, "Ah! There’s even a Kunlun slave here!"

Hearing the commotion, Lin Wanwan turned her head and was immediately captivated by Xiao Chong’s appearance; it wasn’t because she was shallow, but because this person was exceedingly handsome.

Growing up, she had never seen any male celebrity as handsome as this; perhaps the Hanfu and long hair were particularly flattering? But even the male actors in costume dramas, with filters and Photoshop aid, weren’t like this.

Su Shi, the great master, wrote in a poem: "The gentleman only sees the painting, here I alone know the ferry. Write till the edges of water and sky, certainly no man of dust and earth."

Previously, Lin Wanwan had no image in mind reading this poem, but now, there was a concrete picture.

This was definitely not someone who should appear in this remote place, yet even in plain peasant dress, he couldn’t hide his aura.

Lin Wanwan was very surprised looking at Xiao Chong, but he was equally surprised looking at her.

Such a captivating and elegant lady appearing in the countryside was truly unexpected.

Xiao Chong stepped forward, stood to Lin Wanwan’s left front, crossed his hands at his chest, made a gesture of respect, and smilingly asked, "I am Xiao Chong passing through here, may I ask if this land belongs to you, ma’am?"

Passing through? Ahead is the seaside; it’s the end of the road, where could he possibly be passing through to? He was clearly lying without any preparation!

Lin Wanwan didn’t get up, she merely withdrew her dangling leg, slightly nodded, and said, "Yes, these are my fields. What do you seek, sir?"

Xiao Chong turned to look at the rice fields ahead and softly said, "I’ve never seen rice growing so well before and wish to have a look."

Lin Wanwan shrugged, "Feel free to look."

The clansmen in the fields saw two young men approaching to talk with Lin Wanwan and kept turning back to look, feeling quite uncomfortable, like seeing their precious cabbage being spoilt by wild boars.

Harvesting twenty acres of rice fields isn’t an easy task; the sun was about to set, and the people were still busy and fervent. Seeing bundles of rice stalks, they couldn’t help but tear up with joy. They didn’t even need to thresh and weigh; just by eye alone, it was clear that the yield far exceeded the past.

Shuqi was utterly stunned by what he saw; how could the yield be so high? Was it a dream? Even though he followed the young lord from a young age without farm experience, he still had the basic knowledge.

Xiao Chong’s expression was also moved though he usually kept his emotions hidden, he merely asked, "I heard a rice field typically yields only two石 of grains at most, but what I see here is far from that. Madam, who planted these fields? Where did you get the seeds?"

Lin Wanwan casually said, "This rice seed is hybrid, left by my master, requiring careful selection and cultivation, yielding very high, 17 to 18石 per acre, disease-resistant, of good quality, and easy to grow."

"Seventeen, eighteen石?" Shuqi’s heart thumped wildly, looking at Lin Wanwan with excitement.

This was it? This would be their lord’s political achievement!

He hadn’t been in Mao County for a few months and encountered such good fortune. Heaven indeed favored the Xiao Family!

"Truly wonderful." Even Xiao Chong was quite excited, though he didn’t show it. He wasn’t purely in it for political gains, but being a County Magistrate meant he had to ensure his people were well-fed and clothed.

For a farmer, such high-yield seeds spoke volumes.

No exaggeration to say, if the Emperor himself witnessed such a grand harvest scene, he would surely be astounded, as the impact it could bring would be unprecedented.

Xiao Chong said no more, directly leaping into the field, walking over to the piled-up rice, to examine personally.

His attendant Shuqi also closely followed, exclaiming non-stop in excitement, "My lord! My lord! Look at how full the rice grains are! How delightful! Oh, how could such high-yield rice exist, if everyone sowed such seeds, there would be no famine in Mao County!"

Xiao Chong pinched a few rice grains, his face also showing joy.

Lin Wanwan watched the two’s demeanor—especially the burly muscular one’s excitement, thoughtful.

Why did this look like officials secretly visiting in disguise? Both were tall, one slender, one robust, much like a refined gentleman inspecting his domain with his bodyguard!

Family name Xiao... were there any famous people with the surname Xiao during the Tang Dynasty Zhen Guan Period?

Lin Wanwan only knew of one, the Southern Dynasty Liang Crown Prince Xiao Tong, who compiled a significant work, the "Zhaoming Wenxuan," noble yet humble, a true gentleman, but she didn’t know if he somehow related to the person before her, inexplicably feeling he wouldn’t be an ordinary person.