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Chapter 576 Military Rations (I)

It was a night of passionate love, no need to go into details.

The next morning, after having breakfast, Cui Du rode his horse to the farm.

Jiang Shaohua personally escorted Cui Du out of the city.

Cui Du walked a long way and couldn't help looking back, only to see his newlywed wife still there. His eyes suddenly felt sore, and he immediately turned his horse's head and rushed over with the sound of horse hooves. He dismounted in the surprised eyes of the guards and rushed forward to hug Jiang Shaohua.

Jiang Shaohua also felt a little sour in his heart and snuggled in Cui Du's arms.

"Shaohua, I can't bear to leave you. Am I too useless?" Cui Du's voice was a little nasal.

Over the years, the two have been apart more than together, each busy, and only occasionally get together. Even after they made their feelings clear and decided to get married, they didn't have much time to stick together.

He thought he could just wave goodbye and leave like before, but he didn't expect that he would find it so hard to let go in his heart.

Jiang Shaohua whispered: "I can't bear to leave you either."

Cui Du let out a long sigh and hugged his wife tightly in his arms.

If he was really a useless son-in-law, it would be fine, he could stay with her all day. But he was still an important and capable official in the Nanyang Palace, and the cultivation of grain seeds and fruit and vegetable seeds in the farm were all inseparable from him. This was not only his favorite career, but also a major event concerning the people of Nanyang County and all the people of Daliang.

"The farm is not too far away. I will be back in three to five days." Cui Du whispered in her ear.

Jiang Shaohua hummed.

After a while of whispering in each other's ears, Cui Du finally made up his mind, let go of his wife, got on his horse and left again. This time he finally didn't look back.

Jiang Shaohua stood there, watching Cui Du's figure go away until he disappeared, then returned to Nanyang Palace.

The palace was still the same palace, the officials were doing their jobs, and the rooms were busy. Jiang Shaohua, the Princess of Nanyang, was the most free.

She first went to the clerk's office. Chen Changshi was busy dealing with official documents and had no time to chat. She sat there for a while, drank a cup of tea, and then got up and went to the household office.

The household office was even busier. Feng Changshi was ordering his clerks to calculate accounts and prepare for the relief of the Nanyang Army and the Imperial Guards. As he got busy, Feng Changshi's temper escalated exponentially. Even when the princess came, Feng Changshi did not restrain himself and glared at everyone who came to report accounts and ask for money.

Jiang Shaohua touched her conscience for a rare moment, wondering if she had put too much pressure on Feng Changshi. Raising an army was not an easy task. As soon as she gave a few orders, Feng Changshi would be so busy that the whole household had to work hard to raise money and food.

Next, Jiang Shaohua went to the workshop again.

The workshop was even busier. Shen Mu had gathered several skilled craftsmen to study how to make sharper weapons and stronger armor.

Jiang Shaohua had a lot of experience with weapons and couldn't help but join in the discussion. In this way, half a day was finally spent.

After lunch, I took a nap alone, feeling lonely.

Chen Jinyu couldn't help but laugh softly and said, "Now that the Lord Changning has left, is the princess feeling uncomfortable?" For most of the day, the princess tried to stay awake, but she was actually distracted and uneasy.

Jiang Shaohua knew that he couldn't hide it from the people closest to him, so he smiled self-deprecatingly: "Yes, I am really not used to it. During the first month of my marriage, Cui Du was by my side every day, and we were inseparable. Now that he's gone suddenly, it feels like something is missing from my side."

Chen Jinyu spoke with a tone of someone who had experienced it: "At first, I was not used to the separation. But I got used to it after some time."

Jiang Shaohua nodded.

Three days passed like this, and when it was getting dark, a familiar figure appeared before him. Jiang Shaohua was a little surprised, but more of a delight: "You're back so soon?"

Cui Du strode over and held Jiang Shaohua's hand tightly: "I will leave in the afternoon, just in time to get to the palace before dark. If we leave early tomorrow morning, we will arrive at the farm at noon, so we won't be late for business."

The farm is neither far nor near, it is dozens of miles away, and it takes two or three hours to ride a fast horse. If a martial artist is skilled, such as Qin Hu and Meng Sanbao, it is no problem to travel so much every day. However, Cui Du has never practiced martial arts, so traveling so much is quite tiring.

However, the newlyweds were passionate and they missed each other so much that he wanted to fly back with wings. He didn't feel any pain at all.

Jiang Shaohua felt sweet in her heart. She held his hand and went into the dormitory.

Dinner will naturally be delayed.

It was almost midnight when Jiang Shaohua asked someone to serve the meal. The young couple were tired and hungry, and they had the energy to chat only after they had filled their stomachs.

"Can the hybrid rice you mentioned really be cultivated?" Jiang Shaohua asked with a low laugh.

Cui Du raised his eyebrows and smiled: "That's natural."

"Hybrid rice doesn't taste as good as southern rice, but it can be grown without paddy fields. Moreover, the yield is several times higher. If hybrid rice can be grown in the north, all the people in the north will be able to eat rice."

Jiang Shaohua smiled and said, "This way, the people will have one more staple food on their tables. This is a major event that will benefit all the people, so you must pay special attention to it."

Cui Du smiled and hummed, then added: "By the way, I also plan to develop some delicious and nutritious military rations that can be stored for a long time and are convenient to carry."

Jiang Shaohua suddenly became alert: "What kind of military rations?"

The soldiers ate well in the barracks, but when they traveled long distances, they could only bring some dry biscuits and cold water. When the weather was hot, the dry biscuits could only be kept for three or four days. The kitchen had a headache in order to prepare the military rations. If there really was such military rations as Cui Du said, it would be a happy event for all the soldiers in the barracks.

Cui Du rarely kept the secret: "I can't tell you now. Once it's developed, you'll know when you try it yourself."

……

Half a month later, Jiang Shaohua rode to the farm and saw the new military rations that Cui Du had mentioned.

A large, sturdy wooden bowl was filled with a powdery substance.

"Is this the new type of military ration?" Jiang Shaohua became very curious.

Cui Du smiled and said, "That's right. It's made by frying wheat, corn, millet and other grains, then grinding them into powder with a stone mill, and adding salt. You can eat it directly, or add some hot water to make it more delicious."

Jiang Shaohua immediately reached out, pinched some and put it into his mouth.

It really tastes like roasted grains, with a salty and fragrant taste, very delicious. It's just a little dry, so you can't eat it too fast, or you'll choke.

"Drink a sip of warm water." Cui Du carefully held a bowl of warm water. Jiang Shaohua lowered his head slightly and took a sip. Then he nodded and praised: "Eat a few mouthfuls of military rations and drink a sip of warm water, just right."

Cui Du grinned and said, "Let's try another way to eat it."

Pour hot water into the wooden bowl and stir vigorously with wooden chopsticks. Before you even take a sip, the strong aroma hits your nose.

Jiang Shaohua took a bite and without saying a word, he cleaned up the rest in the bowl.