Chapter 448: This Daughter-in-law Is Quite Good
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
The sucker was actually him. The Emperor went to look for Rong Yan unhappily.
He could not tell that his son, who did not show off, was actually a romantic. He had not asked about Rong Yan’s life for many years, so it was really difficult for him to ask now. He only asked after a long time.
“What happened to the book that Xiao Ning bought?”
Rong Yan replied unhurriedly, “I took it to Official Shen.”
He said, “I was just about to report to Father that I plan to customize some ironware.”
“It has nothing to do with weapons. I just want to make more new farm tools.”
The Emperor raised his eyebrows. Firstly, it was because Rong Yan mentioned the word “weapon” so bluntly, and secondly, it was because he really wanted to make new farm tools.
The ironware was strictly controlled by the Imperial Court, but it was not a big deal to use it a little. He would specially mention it to him, so he had to make a lot of it.
For a moment, the Emperor felt that he should have a good chat with his son about love and heroism.
However, Rong Yan said, “I tried making a batch previously. Xiaoxiao gave it to her adoptive father to use. She said that it can at least double the efficiency of his labor.”
The Emperor doubted his ears. “How much did you say?”
Rong Yan repeated affirmatively, “Double.”
It was double, not 10%.
The Emperor felt that he had to take this matter seriously, so he decisively and happily decided to leave the palace incognito.
The place was not far away. It was farmland in the suburbs of the capital that Xiaoxiao had bought and handed over to Ning Fengnian.
Most of the things planted in the fields were pragmatic. Large fields of rice fields, sweet potatoes, and soybeans were planted. Some seedlings were everywhere, while others swayed their rods in the wind. They were all different and had their own characteristics.
The man who looked like a farmer was explaining the use of the new agricultural tools to the long-term workers. The Emperor tidied his clothes and went forward to talk to him.
“Brother, what is this?”
Ning Fengnian, who had just arrived, did not know the identity of the person in front of him. He replied happily, “Brother, you’ve asked the right person. I’m the only one in the entire Imperial Capital who knows.”
“This is called a zigzag plow. It’s more energy-saving, flexible, and efficient than the straight plow we used in the past!”
“This is an animal-drawn seed plough. We use it to sow seeds. One ox to pull the plough, and one person to guide the seed plough. The seed is placed in the pot. The pot is connected to the hollow feet, and it can move and shake. The seed is planted on its own. The seed plough can complete the three processes of opening ditches, planting, and restoring the soil at the same time. It can sow seeds three lines at a time. The distance is the same, and the seeds are even. It’s much less time and effort than if we do it ourselves.”
“In addition, this is…”
Because he was too excited, Ning Fengnian didn’t care that the person opposite him was a stranger whom he had just met. He talked non-stop about farming tools. “Brother, have you seen what’s being built by the river?”
“That’s called a water wheel. In the future, we’ll rely on it to scoop water for irrigation. Brother, do you want to go over and take a look? That waterwheel can move by itself!”
The worker at the side couldn’t help but laugh. “Uncle Ning, are you planning to bring everyone in the Imperial Capital to see the waterwheel? How many are there already?”
Ning Fengnian scratched his head, his honest face filled with pride.
“It’s good stuff. Naturally, we should let everyone see it!”
The Emperor asked with interest, “Brother, aren’t you afraid that others will secretly learn it?”
Ning Fengnian waved his hand generously and said, “We’re not afraid. Go ahead and learn it. We’re just afraid that everyone won’t want to learn.”
“Xiaoxiao said that she would be overjoyed if all the farmers in Great Xia could use these new farming tools!”
“Did Princess Xiao Ning say that?”
“Back then, when I heard that the princess spent 500 taels of silver to buy an old book, I thought that she must have been deceived. I didn’t expect that this 500 taels of silver would benefit all of us in the end. It’s really worth it!”
That’s right. The Emperor was also in a good mood. He felt that it was not a big deal for his son to take a fancy to Xiao Ning.
She knew how to cook, write poetry, and was a good person. This daughter-in-law was quite good.
The Emperor, who had returned to the palace, was very satisfied with what he saw on this trip. He immediately approved the iron Rong Yan wanted and took the initiative to urge it to be implemented quickly. He also wanted to see the scene of new farming tools being distributed to more farmers as soon as possible.
In the end, Xiaoxiao successfully tricked Ning Fengnian and Madam Song into coming to the Imperial Capital.
Thinking about it, it made sense. Both Ning Ansheng and Ning Anhui needed to stay in the Imperial Capital for a long time. It was indeed a little boring for the two of them to stay in Fortune Village with their youngest sons, who were only a few months old.
Ning Fengnian brought glory to his ancestors as a farmer. He also felt that he shouldn’t be limited to Fortune Village or Xijiang County for the rest of his life. He wanted to see a bigger world. Or rather, like his daughter said, he wanted to farm on more lands and collect more food to become a better him.
Before they came to the Imperial Capital, Ning Ansheng and Ning Anhui had already prepared their parents’ and younger brothers’ residence. Of course, Xiaoxiao and Rong Yan’s help was needed.
Both parties were not pretentious people. One side sincerely helped, while the other accepted the good intentions in peace. The Ning Family’s residence was not far from the General’s Residence. Although the couple felt that this residence must be very expensive, they had seen the shop bill that Ning Ansheng showed them. Thinking about the convenience of being close to Xiaoxiao, they felt that it was not unacceptable.
Thinking back to the past, it was really like a dream. Back then, he had to tighten his belt even when he was eating chaff and vegetables. Now, no one in the family felt that it was inappropriate to buy a courtyard in a place like the capital where every inch of land was worth money.
The Emperor was a very pragmatic person. He tried his best to reward the Ning Family with practical things for Ning Fengnian’s contribution to the new rice. Hence, although they could not compare to the rich families that had accumulated for generations, they would not be restrained when they needed to spend money.
There were many people in the Imperial Capital who were used to flattering the mighty and trampling on the low. Hence, there were also people who came with dark thoughts in the name of visiting. They were prepared to laugh at these country bumpkins to satisfy their ridiculous vanity.
In their opinion, even if the Ning Family was lucky enough to obtain the favor of the emperor, they would at most have some stinky money. The Imperial Capital did not lack rich people. To put it bluntly, his family was just an upstart with a mediocre family background.
They did not have much money and did not have any family background at all. Their taste was even more…
The uninvited guests with such thoughts had just stepped through the threshold when they saw pots of suspicious flowers and plants in the courtyard.
The first thing the Ning Family did after moving into their new house was to plant flowers and grass.
Xiaoxiao specially reminded them to bring the flowers and plants planted in the courtyard of their house in Fortune Village to the Imperial Capital. With the space soil that Xiaoxiao had specially changed into to protect them, they did not show any signs of dispirition even after many days of bumpy journey.
Xiaoxiao did not specially tell the Ning Family their value, so in their eyes, these priceless precious varieties were no different from the vegetables and radishes in the courtyard.
In any case, the people who came saw them throwing magical chrysanthemums that were bigger than a child’s palm to the ground. There were also many dried chrysanthemums that looked very similar to them in the courtyard.
They swallowed their saliva and asked, “May I ask what these flowers are?”
Madam Song, who had become much plumper after giving birth, replied with a smile, “We got them by coincidence. Our child said that it looked good in the courtyard and made good tea, so she kept planting it.”
“Mother, what should we do with this?”
As they spoke, Ning Anhui, who couldn’t sit still in the room, held up two radishes. “Sister said that we can’t plant these ourselves. We have to deal with them quickly..”
This 𝓬ontent is taken from fre𝒆webnove(l).𝐜𝐨𝗺