CHAPTER 138: CHAPTER 138: I LET MY GUARD DOWN

After quite a while, Jiang Hu was pulled into the inner courtyard by the Shopkeeper Liu, with Master Zhang standing nearby, still clutching the large jar of syrup and refusing to let go.

On the other side of Shopkeeper Liu, a middle-aged man who kept glancing at the syrup and then at the old turtle, while expressing surprise and admiration, stubbornly inquired about the sorghum.

And Jiang Hu only had one feeling: My god, how can a man talk so much!

"Brother Jiang Hu..."

"Brother Jiang Hu..."

"Shopkeeper..."

Jiang Hu finally couldn’t hold it in: "Everyone, stop talking!"

Jiang Hu, who always seemed honest and naive, suddenly shouted loudly, which indeed startled everyone present. They all fell silent instantly and stared at him, looking bewildered.

Only then did Jiang Hu feel belatedly embarrassed, but he still braced himself and continued to speak: "Everyone, calm down first, there’s no rush, we can talk slowly, okay?"

Shopkeeper Liu, who was used to receiving people all day, was the first to calm down.

With a smile, he forcefully pulled his sleeve out of the hand of the middle-aged man beside him.

"Brother Jiang Hu is right, let’s sit down and talk slowly. Everyone’s here anyway. Xiao Ding, go tell someone to lead the ox cart to the back alley, and then make a pot of tea to bring over."

Master Zhang quickly interjected: "Don’t make tea, just fetch white water, today we’ll drink sugar water."

Xiao Ding looked at Shopkeeper Liu since he was the one who paid the monthly silver, after all.

Shopkeeper Liu nodded slightly, then gestured to the middle-aged man who was anxiously holding back from speaking, to sit at the table in the courtyard.

"Xiao Ding, later bring over the food this guest hasn’t finished yet."

Don’t disturb someone during a meal; no matter what happens, eating is the priority.

The man indeed hadn’t eaten his fill, so he didn’t refuse. He just followed Shopkeeper Liu closely, as if afraid he would run away.

Shopkeeper Liu sighed helplessly, wondering if the man was hard of hearing. He had clearly said the sorghum was from Brother Jiang Hu’s place, yet the man only heard sorghum.

Nevertheless, Shopkeeper Liu still led him to the table, explaining along the way.

"Guest, I understand you want to ask about the sorghum, but I’m not a farmer. The sorghum I mentioned is also from this brother’s place. You should ask him if sorghum can grow in winter."

He then pointed strongly at Jiang Hu, full of helplessness.

The middle-aged man looked up at him, his face still a bit confused.

Jiang Hu smiled slightly: "Brother, let’s sit down and talk first, no rush."

Still holding a bucket in his arms, he smiled kindly, which looked a bit incongruent.

No choice, the previous situation was indeed a little scary.

Although Liu Yang was a chatterbox too, he was only one person, and very straightforward in talking and doing things. If something were up, he would get straight to the point.

But just now, several people were whispering in his ear; he didn’t even know who to listen to!

The four of them finally managed to sit down at the stone table under the gazebo. This time, the middle-aged man sat next to Jiang Hu instead of following Shopkeeper Liu.

Jiang Hu distinctly saw Shopkeeper Liu secretly let out a breath.

As if he had finally shaken off a burden.

Xiao Ding brought over the man’s porridge and steamed buns and went to pour water.

At this point, neither Shopkeeper Liu nor Master Zhang was in a hurry anymore. They both realized that eventually, Jiang Hu had brought the syrup and old turtle with the intention of selling them, so there was no reason to rush.

So, Jiang Hu looked around and finally turned to that middle-aged man, who had glanced at the porridge and steamed buns but was in no mood to eat.

"Brother, what Shopkeeper Liu said is true. The sorghum from our village grows in a short time and is also hardy to cold weather."

"Of course, it doesn’t mind the cold here. I discovered it unintentionally after winter set in. Seeing it thriving, not dying from the winter, I purposely saved some seeds."

They say that places further north are much colder in winter than here, so he didn’t know if it could survive elsewhere.

"But there’s one thing I’m very sure of: this sorghum can be harvested in about four months, and its yield is also very high!"

Last year, he planted it around April, and it was harvested in August.

It’s the same this year!

Jiang Hu had just finished speaking when the middle-aged man jumped up, grabbing Jiang Hu’s hand with great excitement: "Really? Is everything you said true? How much per acre? How’s the sorghum quality?"

Even Jiang Hu felt a bit of pain from the man’s grip, but seeing him with his dark, thin figure, he probably hadn’t been eating enough.

Thinking of hunger, Jiang Hu felt some empathy.

Not caring about the pain, he seriously nodded: "Yes, it’s true. I discovered the seeds two years ago; there were only a few dozen stalks, and last year I planted about half an acre, and distributed the seeds to my fellow villagers."

"This year almost everyone in our village planted it. Rough estimates show that the yield per acre is about seven to eight hundred pounds!"

Even though Jiang Hu had been amazed during the harvest, saying it now still felt incredible.

Eight hundred pounds, what a concept? His family planted three acres and harvested at least over two thousand pounds!

Of course, the exact amount hadn’t been weighed, but it shouldn’t be far off.

Of course, Jiang Hu knew that because his family’s crops were all fertilized differently, the yield was slightly higher.

But his fellow villagers’ sorghum yields weren’t much lower. Seven hundred per acre was very reliable!

What about the old sorghum? It not only took seven to eight months to grow, but the yield was only four to five hundred pounds per acre, and only with good weather could it reach five hundred!

If the heavens played tricks, the yield would be reduced by half.

After Jiang Hu finished speaking, even Shopkeeper Liu and Master Zhang, who weren’t farmers, widened their eyes in surprise, not to mention that middle-aged man.

His eyes bulged, his breath quickened, and his chest heaved violently.

Jiang Hu hurriedly supported him: "Brother, are you okay? Calm down, do you want seeds too? I’ll sell you a few pounds, and you can plant them next year."

Jiang Hu was a bit anxious, fearing this brother might work himself into a state and pass out.

If he fainted, that would be one thing, but if...

The man suddenly closed his eyes, tried to calm his breathing, took a deep breath, and finally managed to calm down.

Rationality finally returned.

Although he continued to grip Jiang Hu’s arm tightly, it wasn’t with the same force and excitement as before.

"I heard them call you Brother Jiang Hu just now, so I’ll call you that too. Brother Jiang Hu, where do you live? I’ll come by with some people tomorrow to buy the sorghum."

"Right, do other villagers sell theirs too? I can buy all of it! I’ll offer ten percent more than the grain merchants!"

Jiang Hu was a bit surprised; he had initially thought this brother was poor and starving, which was why he was so excited about the sorghum. How did he just say he would buy all of it?

But the next second, Jiang Hu realized his mistake.

This fellow, though wearing old clothes, wasn’t dressed like a peasant but more like someone wealthy, in long robes.

With a leather belt at his waist and a pouch hanging from it, the fabric peeking out from beneath was pure cotton, which ordinary peasants found too precious to wear.

A careless oversight.

"Brother, the grain tax hasn’t been paid, so it can’t be sold..."