It took two full days to thresh all the rice ears, and then came the moment everyone had been eagerly waiting for.
Qin Ke understood that there were no standardized weighing tools at present, nor was it possible to manufacture large-scale weighing devices. As a result, grain was generally measured by volume rather than weight, using tools such as rice dippers or hu (a traditional volume unit).
Rice dippers were usually wooden, square-shaped, wider at the top and narrower at the bottom. A horizontal bar was set across the middle, level with the rim, making them easier to carry. The wood used was typically nanmu, camphor, elm, or similar varieties—dense and resilient, resistant to moisture and insects.
Because of this, rice dippers were usually only found in government offices or the homes of large landowners. Ordinary households mostly estimated their harvest by sight.
Gu Lanxi, however, clearly took this matter very seriously and had sent rice dippers over early on.
At this moment, Qin Ke's courtyard was packed with people. Among them, only Li Nanqiao had grown up farming. She did not know exactly how much rice Qin Ke's ten mu of land had produced, but in her memory, even during past autumn harvests at home, their yield had never reached even half of this pile.
The rice was poured into the dipper until full, and then a wooden ruler was used to sweep away the excess grains on top, leveling the surface.
Qin Ke sat in the pavilion watching them measure, while Pei Xiu stood nearby with paper and brush, recording everything. It took most of the day to finish measuring all the rice.
Ten dou made one shi. Qin Ke's ten mu of land produced a total of 102 shi, averaging ten shi per mu. When Pei Xiu finally recorded the number, she involuntarily sucked in a sharp breath. (716.8 kg per 666.7 sqm) (Total = 7311.36 kg)
Such an output was simply unheard of.
Qin Ke quietly did the conversion in his mind. One shi was roughly equivalent to 140 modern jin, meaning the yield per mu was about 700 kilograms—exactly as the system had stated.
Unfortunately, this kind of rice could not be saved for replanting. The system's manual had already explained in detail that these high-yield rice varieties were hybrids. If the harvested rice grains were used as seeds, trait segregation would occur—in simpler terms, the yield would decrease.
The rice traditionally grown by ordinary farmers, which they saved and replanted themselves, was purebred rice. The biggest problem with purebred rice was that it could not combine excellent traits through hybridization; yield and disease resistance could not be optimized together.
Although the Eldest Princess and Gu Lanxi never said it outright, Qin Ke could tell that they placed great importance on crop yield. He could not discern the deeper reason behind it, but he had given the matter serious thought.
If this were the past, he would have only wanted to live a comfortable life with Lu Youqing. The system marketplace alone would have been enough to meet their needs. Whether rice seeds or watermelon seeds, he could simply purchase them from the system every year.
But things were different now.
They had stepped onto a much larger ship—and perhaps, in the future, it would not be just one ship. What he needed to consider was no longer limited to his own subsistence.
Although Qin Ke had not understood agriculture in his previous life, he knew that the highest-yield crops were sweet potatoes and potatoes. They were high in starch, filling, and most importantly, easy to propagate and cultivate.
So after receiving the rice harvest points, Qin Ke exchanged them in the system marketplace for potato cultivation.
Qin Ke had never seen a map of this world, but judging from the original body's memories of winter, Yong'an Town was probably located slightly north of what would have been southern China in his previous life—just the right climate for planting autumn potatoes.
Coincidentally, his watermelon deal with Caiyue Pavilion/Tower had already ended. Aside from the watermelons he secretly kept in his storage space, there were none left on the market.
However, early the next morning, Qin Ke looked at the half-emptied granary and the missing pedal-powered threshing machine, then silently turned his gaze to Pei Xiu, who remained perfectly composed.
Pei Xiu nodded to him without changing her expression and then drifted away as lightly as a breeze.
"…"
Qin Ke suddenly felt a pang in his chest.
"Wife, you have to stand up for me!"
Lu Youqing looked at Qin Ke as he pushed the door open and rushed in, clutching his chest in exaggerated grief as he accused Pei Xiu of her "crimes."
She quietly watched him wipe away tears that did not exist. When his performance was nearly over, she calmly slid the silver notes on the table toward him.
"…" The moment Qin Ke saw the amount written on them, he stopped talking.
"Pei Xiu delivered these just now," Lu Youqing said evenly, continuing to write in the ledger. "She said that although the rice cannot be saved for seed, she wanted to examine it out of curiosity, so she purchased half of it at the highest market price. The rest is payment for the harvester and threshing machine."
Qin Ke awkwardly raised a fist to his mouth and coughed lightly.
Gu Lanxi had given them a total of ten thousand taels. It seemed that their new patron was not only powerful but also extremely generous. With his purse suddenly much heavier, Qin Ke's chest no longer hurt. Smiling, he pinched his fingers together and calculated their household savings.
The summer sales of watermelons and ice had brought in around 3,600 taels. Adding the money Gu Lanxi gave him, even if Qin Ke did nothing else, it would be enough for him to live lavishly for quite some time.
After discussing it with Lu Youqing, Qin Ke decided to give Li Nanqiao and the others bonuses. During the autumn harvest, they had worked themselves dizzy every day, and Qin Ke was not the kind of person who treated subordinates harshly.
That evening, he bought a whole slab of pork to reward them.
After bringing the pork home, Qin Ke led everyone into the kitchen, where things became lively and bustling. Fortunately, the kitchen in the newly built house was spacious enough; otherwise, it would not have fit so many people.
Qin Ke deliberately separated the ribs from the pork, planning to make braised spare ribs. In fact, when ancient people bought pork, they preferred fatty cuts. Parts like ribs, with more bone and less meat, were not particularly popular.
With nothing else to do, Pei Xiu followed Li Nanqiao into the kitchen to help. Watching Qin Ke skillfully stir-fry and toss the pan, she asked in surprise, "Has Young Master Qin always been like this?"
Li Nanqiao, who had long since grown accustomed to it, replied without lifting her head, "When he has time, he cooks. His food is very good—you'll know once you taste it, Sister Pei."
Seeing that everyone else seemed used to it, Pei Xiu suppressed her surprise and lowered her head to help prepare vegetables.
Qin Ke stewed the remaining pork, adding eggplant and cabbage, making something like a rustic mixed stew. Cabbage here was called sōng; because it could be grown year-round, it was the most common vegetable in ordinary households.
In addition to the meat dishes, Qin Ke also prepared several refreshing cold dishes. After instructing Han Qi to carry the last dish to the table, Qin Ke washed his hands and went to the study to call Lu Youqing for the meal.
When Pei Xiu had first arrived, she had firmly refused to eat at the same table as Qin Ke and the others. Although she had been sent by Gu Lanxi to supervise them, Qin Ke was, in a sense, her superior.
How could she dine at the same table as her superior?
In the end, Li Nanqiao practically dragged her to sit beside her, and Qin Ke explained that they were just ordinary people here, with no such rigid rules. Only then did Pei Xiu agree to sit.
Once everyone was seated, Lu Youqing finally came out holding a tray of money pouches.
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Currently at chapter 204 for advance chapters
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