Unlimited estates for rural beauty-Chapter 643: Predicament (3)
Lou Qianyu suddenly had an epiphany and looked at her admiringly, "Sister-in-law is truly exceptionally wise."
Seeing that they were almost at their destination, the two of them ended their conversation. Fan Yi returned to his master’s side, and Jiazhen and the others also followed, with Yingsu shooting him a fierce glare.
Xiao Jiazhen curiously tugged at Feng Xuxu’s sleeve, "Cousin-in-law, what was he telling you just now?"
The maids behind her also looked at their mistress expectantly. Since they had gotten out of the carriage, Fan Yi had intercepted them, coolly stating that the master had something to discuss with the Empress about a matter of confidentiality, and that they were not allowed to overhear, hence they must keep a distance. Only after the two finished their conversation did they hurry to catch up.
Feng Xuxu smiled and shook her head, "It’s nothing, let’s go, we’re almost there."
After she said this, the group’s pace quickened. When they reached the edge of the field, they saw a strong man standing there trembling like a leaf, his whole body shaking like a sieve, with his eyes darting around restlessly.
Feng Xuxu glanced at him and then slightly curled up the large cloak she was wearing, squatted down on the ground, and carefully observed the yellow soil interspersed with some fine white powder. Lou Qianyu also squatted down to look at the field’s soil. Seeing Feng Xuxu furrowing her brow, he asked softly, "Sister-in-law, what’s with the soil...?"
"Find someone to dig up this patch of land for me, the deeper the better," Feng Xuxu stood up, stepping aside.
Fan Yi held an iron pick at the spot the masters had been observing, gently shoveling down. Not much soil was brought up initially, but after applying more force, the soil began to move. Before long, a pit half the height of a man was dug. Feng Xuxu then waved her hand, squatted down, and observed the layers of soil that were turned up. She picked up a large clump of soil and crushed it in her hand, finding it slightly sticky, indicating that it wasn’t as hard as she had imagined.
"Your Majesty, did you see that layer of white powder above?" Feng Xuxu pointed to the white froth on the newly dug-up field.
Lou Qianyu lightly collected some of the white powder in his hand and presented it to Feng Xuxu, "Is it this?"
"Exactly," she paused and then added, "This stuff is called mirabilite, it’s only found in saline-alkali soil."
Lou Qianyu did not understand what she meant by saline-alkali soil or what mirabilite was, but he knew that it was this substance causing the crops in the field to fail, "Sister-in-law, is there a way to remove this stuff so that the land can produce grain again?"
Feng Xuxu looked at him and then turned to gaze at the trembling old man, "Call him over." 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶
Lou Qianyu followed his sister-in-law’s line of sight, saw the man, and shot a glance at Fan Yi beside him, who then walked over, dragged the trembling old man over.
The old man knelt on the ground, bewildered and shivering. Feng Xuxu, seeing how nervous he was, spoke gently, "Don’t be nervous, I just want to ask you a few questions."
"Ask... a-ask... go ahead," the old man lifted his head, his teeth chattering, as he stammered out the words.
"Do you desire a good life?"
"Yes."
"Do you want to be well-fed?"
Upon hearing this, the old man’s spiritless voice replied, "Yes." It was not just a matter of wanting, even in his dreams, he yearned for it.
Feng Xuxu nodded. "Come here, look at this."
The old man, confused, leaned in to look at the white substance in her hand and nodded to Feng Xuxu.
"Is it only in the past two years that you’ve started seeing this substance when farming?"
The old man thought back and nodded, "Yes, it’s been two years. Ever since this white froth appeared in the fields, the crops have been decreasing day by day, and the sprouts that emerge are all withered and dead."
"Is it the same situation in the nearby villages as in yours?"
"Exactly the same. In the past, when we farmed, during the busy planting and harvest seasons, we were overwhelmed with work. My cousins would come back to help, and once we finished here, I would go help them. But starting from the year before last, the fields hardly yield any crops. I thought it was just the seeds that were bad, but then I found out the whole village was the same. When I went to my cousin’s place, it was the same situation. Only then did we realize it was not the seeds. We thought it was a bad year, but even after planting last year, it was the same as the year before. At least we had harvested a little grain the year before, but last year, after a year of hard work, there was no grain at all; everything died in the field. Now my family can only go up the mountain to dig wild vegetables to fill our stomachs," the old man recounted with a trace of sorrow, his nervousness forgotten.
Lou Qianyu felt a pang of sadness in his heart. These were his people, unable to eat their fill, forced to forage in the mountains to feed their hunger.
Feng Xuxu was also deeply moved and gently patted his shoulder, comforting him, "As long as you do as I say, you’ll have food next summer, and you’ll be able to eat your fill every day."
The old man’s eyes suddenly widened, staring unblinkingly at her in astonishment. After the excitement faded, he returned to his usual listlessness, "You’re so young and well-dressed, do you know how to farm? Don’t make fun of this old man."
"Hehehehe, why would I make fun of you! I’m serious, I have a way to deal with these white substances."
"Really?"
"That’s wonderful."
The old man and Lou Qianyu exchanged a look, both genuinely astonished.
