Exiled to Lingnan, the Crown Prince's wife raises children, cultivates the land, and leads the

"Yanzhi, were you bullied?"

Lin Huilan had just sat down to prepare to embroider the screen when she saw Jin Yanzhi return carrying a bundle of firewood, his whole body already soaked!

Lin Huilan glanced at Heitu and Chongshan beside her; they were both people of Prince Jin Mozhi!

Who knows if he might harbor resentment towards Yanzhi behind her back?

"no."

Jin Yanzhi was so tired that he didn't even want to move a finger. Practicing martial arts was really too hard!

Standing in this stance is no job for a human being!

"impossible!"

Seeing that he looked as wilted as a frostbitten eggplant, Lin Huilan immediately began to secretly complain when the Marquis of Zhongyong entered: "Yanzhi's father, please help Yanzhi! He went out with Heitu and the others, and came back... looking like this!"

Lin Huilan didn't say she was beaten, but that's the gist of it.

"Young lady, don't talk nonsense!"

Jin Yanzhi had originally planned to sit down and rest before going to sell the pickled cabbage porridge, but upon hearing Lin Huilan's words, he immediately retorted, "Father, don't say Mother is talking nonsense. I'm in this state because I'm exhausted!"

"Heitu taught me kung fu. I stood in a stance for an hour, and my legs started to tremble."

Jin Yanzhi blushed, feeling somewhat embarrassed.

"Practicing martial arts is good!"

Marquis Zhongyong looked at Jin Yanzhi with admiration and said, "You complained when you were a child and didn't want to practice. It's not too late now."

"real?"

Jin Yanzhi was about to give up. Actually, he didn't necessarily need to practice martial arts. At worst, he could earn more money in the future and hire guards.

But his father's praise made Jin Yanzhi's eyes light up. He had never been praised before!

"You should learn well from... Heitu!"

Marquis Zhongyong paused for a moment, then said, "Heitu is a few years older than you, so from now on, you can call him brother!"

"Father, this isn't quite right. How about we call him Master?"

As Jin Yanzhi spoke, he immediately looked at Hei Tu and said, "Master, please accept my bow!"

Compared to Chongshan, Jin Yanzhi felt much more at ease learning martial arts from Heitu!

Chongshan was Jin Mozhi's right-hand man. Just looking at him reminded him of his older brother, who always seemed to be the one who was always right over him.

Black soil is different; he had never seen it before.

Jin Mozhi looked up at the Marquis of Zhongyong.

"Heitu, you'll have to put in a lot more effort from now on."

Marquis Zhongyong thought it was a good thing; his eldest son was willing to teach his youngest son, which was a blessing for the latter. He patted his son on the shoulder and said, "Your master is very capable. You must study hard and diligently!"

"Dad, don't worry, I'll definitely study hard!"

Jin Yanzhi was excited, his mind filled with thoughts of: Dad just praised him!

"..."

Lin Huilan watched this scene speechlessly. She had just complained, not asked a guard to be her son's master.

Lin Huilan looked at Heitu with a critical eye. With that big beard, he was incredibly ugly. Was he worthy of being her son's master?

"Huilan, Heitu's strength is no less than Mo'er's!"

As if he knew what she was thinking, Marquis Zhongyong spoke directly: "Heitu is Mo'er, so naturally she is the same as Mo'er!"

Not even half as good as Jin Mo?

Lin Huilan's initial disdain instantly turned into admiration, and she asked, "So, will Yanzhi be as amazing as Mozhi in the future?"

Jin Mozhi: "..."

Jin Yanzhi only studied for a year or two, yet he thinks he can compare his achievements over more than ten years?

"Do you think practicing martial arts is like pulling up seedlings or planting crops? That they'll grow in no time?"

Marquis Zhongyong frowned and said, "You can't get fat in one bite. Take your time. If you don't understand, don't speak."

Lin Huilan: "..."

Her eyes were filled with sorrow, precisely because she knew nothing, that was why she wanted to ask.

Marquis Zhongyong didn't even glance at them. Watching the two brothers get along, he was overjoyed. In the past, the two brothers never gave each other a kind look!

now……

I've finally grown up.

At the sugar shop, Cheng Qiqi took out the specially made rope given to her by Jin Mozhi, and only then did she realize that this specially made rope and the knotting method were really as useful as could be!

The rope is strong, so you no longer have to worry about it breaking!

The sugar mill made money on the first batch of goods, and everyone was even more diligent on the second batch. Whether it was the juicer or the sugar maker, they were all extremely serious!

So, Cheng Qiqi stayed at the sugar shop for most of the day and then prepared to go back early.

"Lord Zhuang, is it time to start preparing for spring planting?"

Cheng Qiqi saw that rice was about to be planted in the field.

Compared to the plains of the north, there are not many fields in Lingnan suitable for growing rice, and most of them are not very good!

Sugarcane is actually the most commonly grown crop here, with sugarcane fields visible everywhere.

"right."

Zhuang Li saw Cheng Qiqi and said with a smile, "Madam Cheng, don't underestimate our Guihua Village just because it's small. We're just as good at growing sugarcane and farming as anyone else!"

Cheng Qiqi smiled and thought: The villagers are hardworking, they're practically farming even the mountaintops!

"How many kilograms does your yield per mu (unit of land area)? My parents used to have a pretty good harvest when they farmed here."

Cheng Qiqi spoke as if unintentionally.

"Two bushels, both are considered a bumper harvest."

Zhuang Li was thinking: They are noble people from the capital, how could her parents know how to farm?

Two shi? That's about three hundred jin.

Cheng Qiqi did the mental calculations and smiled before asking, "Then, where is our Jin family's land?"

Exiled prisoners also needed to farm and pay grain taxes.

"Perfect timing, that's exactly what I wanted to tell you!"

Zhuang Li was leading the Jin family to see the land, saying, "It's 12 mu per person, and your Jin family's land is on the southern slope."

"Jin Yi, it's not that I don't want to help you, it's just that the government has designated that area for exiled prisoners!"

Zhuang Lizheng sighed and said, "There is very little land in Lingnan. Every year, the grain we grow is not enough to eat. You should be prepared that your sloping land is supposed to be 12 mu, but in reality, you may only be able to cultivate about 7 or 8 mu."

"Don't worry, if we villagers finish our work in the fields as soon as possible, we can help you clear some wasteland and get through this."

Zhuang Lizheng added, "The Jin family is like the god of wealth in our village, so we have to treat them well."

"We still have to pay land tax for this land, right?"

Marquis Zhongyong had already inquired about the land matter, but the government had not yet made any arrangements, so Marquis Zhongyong was waiting!

Who knew that when they saw this field today, they felt like the sky had fallen. With such barren land, even after paying the land tax, they wouldn't have enough to eat!

Buying grain?

That's not a long-term solution!

"Father, we will plant grains on the best land, and the rest on sugarcane."

Cheng Qiqi suggested.

"This... isn't enough to pay the land tax," said Marquis Zhongyong tactfully. The Jin family had many members and a lot of land, about a hundred acres, but truly good land was scarce.

If two-thirds of the land were used to grow sugarcane, the land tax alone wouldn't be enough to cover the costs!

"Father, one mu of sugarcane field can produce four or five thousand jin, which is enough to buy three shi of grain after boiling into sugar."

Cheng Qiqi countered, "Or does Father think those barren fields can grow three bushels of grain?"

They might be able to improve it, but they lack the manpower and time. Improving the fertility of the land is simply impossible for them!