Where There's Love, There's Money

How much production can this generate?

No one was confident.

Xu Weibei had people divide the land into plots by mu (a Chinese unit of area, approximately 0.165 acres). He first set aside five mu of land and had people harvest the Corn there. Then, other people waited nearby to husk the Corn, thresh it, and weigh it.

Although the Corn still contained moisture, everyone was eager to verify the yield.

Gu Wanning was extremely excited.

Because she saw that the land on this Estate was fertile and the estate manager was working diligently, the Corn was fuller than the corn in the backyard, and the yield should be higher.

She will have many, many seeds, and next year she can plant Corn on a large scale, which will solve the food problem for many people.

If there's a surplus in a few years, it can be used to feed livestock.

She didn't invent Corn, but she was the one who popularized it in the Central Plains, and that sense of accomplishment is enough to make her proud.

Sister, women should definitely pursue their careers!

Unlike others, she had no doubt about the Corn yield.

So when the five acres of land finally yielded an average of over 1,500 jin of Corn, everyone was pleasantly surprised, except for Gu Wanning.

"My Marquis," she said, her euphoria having subsided, "Have someone carefully collect everything, and bring all the grains into the granary."

She had already made up her mind to save the ripe and plump seeds and give them to her father and brothers.

She kept the ones that weren't plump enough to be used as seeds, and used them to make some novel foods, which made her quite a fortune.

Xu Weibei looked at her and said, "Not excited?"

He was excited, but he didn't know how to eat it or if it would taste good.

"As expected." Gu Wanning said smugly, "I'll give the Marquis an even bigger surprise next year."

"Let's wait and see."

Xu Weibei liked Gu Wanning's radiant appearance; her eyes were bright, full of hope and vitality.

Gu Anqi, who never showed his emotions, couldn't help but ask, "Gu Wanning, what kind of food do you think we can make with this Corn? Can we use it as food to stave off hunger?"

"Okay, I'll go prepare it right away."

Gu Wanning was prepared; she brought some Corn kernels and Corn from the manor, and also selected some tender Corn from the field. She then led her concubines to prepare the meal.

At noon, Gu Wanning made Corn pancakes, Corn porridge, Corn rib soup, Corn, popcorn... and put them all on the table.

Gu Anqi was even more excited after tasting it. This time, he couldn't even hide his smile. After only a few bites, he stood up and said, "Get me some. I'll go find Father now and bring it to him to try."

Xu Weibei snorted coldly, "Now you know your sister is useful?"

Why didn't you mention when it was from the front of my chest to my armpit?

He looked down on the Gu family and their people.

Previously, it was mostly due to opposing stances within the imperial court; now, it's mostly due to the Gu family's neglect of Gu Wanning.

"They sold you out, and you're helping them count the money," he couldn't help but say.

With Gu Anqi present, the Fourth Concubine stood by, serving him without daring to act presumptuously.

As soon as Gu Anqi left, she immediately grabbed a handful of popcorn, eating as she said, "Who is the Marquis talking about? Why does he sound so sour?"

Xu Weibei: "Get out!"

Fourth Concubine left, but before she did, she grabbed a handful of popcorn.

Honestly, does he think he wants to be here looking at his face?!

She went to the kitchen and ate more.

Gu Wanning laughed so hard she told the concubines to go downstairs for dinner.

Chapter 121 Where is Love, Where is Money?

"Are you planning to give your dad credit for the Corn?"

"Yes. My dad's worried; he's afraid I'll get into trouble."

"He dares to say it, and you actually believe him? He's clearly trying to steal your credit, are you stupid?" Xu Weibei said with exasperation, "And you still keep talking about divorce every day. If you leave the Marquis's Residence, these people will devour you until there's not even a bone left."

"I know they wronged me; I appreciate their kindness, but let's keep things separate." Gu Wanning slowly munched on her Corn.

She remained clear-headed throughout. Whether it was Gu family Jia or Xu Weibei, no matter how good they were to her now, it wouldn't last a lifetime.

You can only rely on yourself.

But that doesn't really matter; they're all helping her right now.

Being demanding of yourself in your career is never a bad thing.

Lowering your expectations of others is also for your own good.

Having lived two lives, Gu Wanning had long since figured out these principles.

"My Marquis," Gu Wanning suddenly laughed, "I used your land, and it seems you ended up with nothing..."

"I didn't expect to gain anything," Xu Weibei said, "But in the end I gained a lot. Isn't this mess that was the Ministry of Revenue now mine? A bumper Corn harvest next year will relieve my burden."

"If that's the case, then I won't stand on ceremony with you, Marquis," Gu Wanning joked. "Next year, we can intercrop Corn. Peanuts are excellent; they can be used to make oil or eaten as a snack."

What is intercropping?

"They're planted together. Corn, being a tall crop, can provide shade for peanuts and keep the soil moist. The growing seasons and space utilization of Corn and peanuts complement each other. Corn needs more sunlight, while peanuts are relatively shade-tolerant. Intercropping doesn't interfere with anything and can even increase yield."

Unfortunately, she doesn't have many peanut seeds left.

If peanuts are to be widely promoted, we'll have to wait until next year when we harvest a batch, and it won't be possible to promote them like Corn until the year after next or even the year after that.

But it's okay, life is long.

Those who study agriculture know that the cultivation of many crops is not measured in years, but in generations. It takes the efforts of one or even several generations to cultivate superior varieties.

She's now completely standing on the shoulders of giants, reaping countless benefits.

"Why do you know so much?" Xu Weibei asked.

It wasn't doubt, just pure curiosity.

Gu Wanning had already come up with a plan. "Back when we were on the Estate, my father, the one Estate there, took in a beggar, provided him with food and clothing, and he worked for the Estate... Everyone said he was mute, but he wasn't. He told me a lot about the outside world and taught me many things..."