Chapter 24: Return of the Splendid

Chapter 24

Lu almost fainted. Her palm raised high in the air but she couldn't bear to slap down. She tapped Lu's forehead helplessly, "naughty girl, how can you eat anything. Aren't you afraid of getting sick from it!"

In fact, when the family was in dire straits before, they had also caught bean bugs and pea aphids as vegetables. Therefore, Lu didn't take it seriously. She just took her daughter back to the room, rinsed her mouth carefully, washed her face and hands, and told her family to forbid her from eating things randomly, especially when going to the vegetable garden.

Jiang Wenyuan was the top scholar in the provincial examination from high school. As the news spread, Xijin ferry was boiling again, not only that, the entire Qingzhou County was boiling.

This was the best result achieved by a candidate from Qingzhou since the founding of the dynasty. For a time, the name of the top scholar was known to everyone in Qingzhou. The Jiang family also rose with the tide.

However, even happier news followed. In less than two days, Jiang's uncle sent back news that Jiang Wenyuan was on his way back to Qingzhou, and would arrive home in about ten days.

He was awarded a 6th grade official position, and was about to take over as the magistrate of Qin County, becoming the next magistrate of Qingzhou County. While the term of the current magistrate of Qin County was about to expire and he would be transferred back to the capital.

Of course, Jiang's uncle told the Jiang family to keep this news to themselves for the time being, in case anything happened and unnecessary trouble was stirred up.

The Jiang family knew the severity of the matter and naturally kept it to themselves, only secretly rejoicing in private.

Jiang Wenyuan was the top scholar from high school. This was not only a big event for the Jiang family, but also for the entire Jiang clan, and even the entire Xijin ferry.

According to the regulations, Xijin ferry could erect an "Examination Pass" plaque at the village entrance. This plaque had a uniform format nationwide, funded by the government.

It was the highest honor to commend the village that nurtured the successful candidate in the examination, and also encouraged commoners to study.

In addition, when someone outstanding emerged from the clan, memorial ceremonies to report to the ancestors should be held.

Old Jiang said that when his son returned to the village, he would treat the whole village to a banquet. All these things were being prepared in full swing.

Although it was the Dragon Boat Festival, the Jiang family only celebrated it casually, waiting for the top scholar son to return home for the grand celebration.

Jiang Wenyuan went smoothly all the way, and arrived in Lingzhou Prefecture on the fourth day of the fifth month.

He stayed in the prefecture for two days, paying visits to his future superiors, such as the prefect and magistrate.

He set off for Qingzhou early in the morning on the seventh, and arrived in Qingzhou in the afternoon.

Master and servant randomly found an inn to stay in. Jiang Wenyuan sent A Ping back to Xijin ferry to spread the news, while he himself rushed to the county government office immediately...

On the morning of May 20, escorted by two teams of yamen runners with sabers, wearing a gauze hat, dressed in bright red official robes, the gallant Jiang Wenyuan, welcomed by the cheers of elders and villagers, rode a tall horse. He entered Xijin in the deafening gongs and drums and bursting firecrackers, returning to his hometown after being away for three months.

It was a true triumphant return in splendor.

Arriving at the door, he first paid respects to his parents and elder brother, then was led by the clan chief to pay respects to his ancestors at the Jiang ancestral hall.

The nearly sixty-year-old clan chief was so happy that tears streamed down his face. Under his leadership, not only were girls born in the clan, but also a top scholar. When he met the ancestors after death, he would be the one with the straightest backbone.

After paying respects to the ancestors, the Jiang family banquet officially began, with feasts for three consecutive days.

No matter whether you were from this village or not, no matter what your status or surname was, you could sit down and eat as long as you sincerely congratulated during these three days.

Back home. The Jiang family gathered and marveled at Jiang Wenyuan again...

That night. After the couple washed up.

Jiang Wenyuan hugged his wife from behind, resting his chin on Lu's shoulder. "Wanniang, I've been away from home for so long, have you missed me?"

Lu coquettishly tapped him lightly, shyly hmm-ed.

Jiang Wenyuan kissed his wife's hair: "I missed you too, and the children every day in the capital."

Lu glanced sideways: "I heard that noble husbands in the capital like to marry scholar-husbands the most, how come they didn't marry you?"

Jiang Wenyuan chuckled and pinched Lu: "I had A Ping check the lists for me."

Lu humphed satisfiedly: "What about parading on beating the horse, did any young ladies throw purses?"

What she treasured most was the thing she planted called sweet potato. According to her, this stuff was not only delicious, but also very productive.

The more time he spent with his daughter, the more extraordinary Jiang Wenyuan felt his beloved daughter was.

For example, when she fed the birds, she would direct the birds to catch insects for the vegetables. The birds would miraculously only eat the bugs, without damaging the vegetable leaves at all.

Whether it was the poultry raised at home, the cats and dogs in the village, or even the village bully's geese, they seemed particularly intimate with his daughter.

According to her grandmother, for two days the little one took the initiative to volunteer to feed the chickens. During those two days, the family collected twice as many eggs as usual.

Not only that, since she was born, even in the hottest of summers when mosquitoes swarmed, she had never been bitten by mosquitoes or bugs even once.

Although in the same environment, the little boys in the family including the adults were full of big and small swellings.

For example, when she waters the vegetables, as long as she puts her hands at the roots of the vegetables, a stream of water flows out from between her fingers. Also, no matter what was planted in the fields she waters, they grow like crazy.

Just like the cucumbers in front of her. Although they were from the same batch of seedlings, those in other families had just started climbing the trellises, while the cucumbers in her family had already been picked twice.

Not to mention the size, the taste was also exceptionally good. He thought that if he couldn't make it in the officialdom one day and returned home, he could make a fortune just by relying on his daughter to grow and sell vegetables.

Fortunately this was their backyard. Since the family intentionally protected her, even the children were repeatedly told not to let outsiders come in easily. Therefore, no one knew about the girl's extraordinary abilities.

Therefore, for the sweet potato that he especially treasured his daughter for, he had a few more expectations.

When the sweet potatoes were first planted, Jiang Wenyuan was afraid it would be too late in the season, so he poured more spiritual spring water to stimulate germination.

He even used his abilities, although only a tiny bit, but in just six or seven days, the seedlings had grown tall and strong enough.

Jiang Wenyuan then directed the adults in the family to peel the potato seedlings for planting, and then poured spiritual spring water over them.

Now more than ten days had passed, these vines had grown long enough to cover the ground. It was time to transplant them to the fields.

Jiang Wenyuan estimated that after cutting these vines, they could plant at least one acre.

She pulled her dad's arm and pointed to the sweet potato vines, "Vines, grow, plant."

Jiang Wenyuan was startled, and gently patted his daughter's little head, "They have already been planted well, look how nice they have grown."

Jiang Yuqing only wished she could grow up immediately. It was so difficult to communicate something that could be expressed clearly in a few words.

"Cut! Cut!"

"Good baby, do you want scissors?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, you stay there and don't move. Dad will go back and get them for you. Jiang the father of the daughter's slave will of course get his daughter what she wants." Soon he came back with a pair of large scissors.

Jiang Yuqing selected a thick and long sweet potato vine, and motioned for him to cut it off.

She personally hugged the vine from the base, plucked off three leaves, leaving two leaves behind, and motioned for him to cut it there.

Then she dug a small mound of soft mud and made a small pit to bury the cut sweet potato vine, patted it and said, "Joints, plant, leave leaves."

Jiang Wenyuan was knowledgeable about agriculture, and immediately understood that sweet potatoes could be propagated by cuttings.

This way, they could be mass propagated. Thinking of this, his eyes lit up immediately. He asked his daughter again about the approximate planting distance, then ran back to discuss it with his father.

They had never grown this crop before, and didn't know how much area they could plant with the cuttings from the back.

Fortunately, there were still two acres of fields left that were not used because the terrain was too high to irrigate easily. It was just right to use it to plant sweet potatoes.

They would plant as much as possible, and for the rest they could plant some soybeans, peas and the like, so the land would not be wasted.