Xu Yuan's Bountiful Harvest

When they were still dozens of miles from Chang'an City, Zhang Xuezhou had already acquired the black and white twin horses.

"My precious baby!"

Upon seeing his enormous mount transform into a palm-sized bone horse treasure, Zhang Qian couldn't help but marvel once again.

"If you have nothing else to do, could we head to the Xiong State right away?" Zhang Qian asked, looking at Wu Chao.

"I'm sorry, I have something to attend to right now," Wu Chao said calmly. "I need to go into seclusion for at least seven days. I can only travel with you after seven days!"

"Seven days is just around the corner!" Zhang Qian exclaimed happily.

He was all smiles, thinking that Wu Chao was a convenient person, as even if there were things to do, it would only take a few days.

Let alone the seven-day seclusion at Wu Chao, even Zhang Qian's "immediate departure" had to go through several official procedures. In terms of time, it wasn't something he could just do on a whim; it required approval from several departments.

This involves many things, such as caravans, horse caravans, provisions, money, and the composition of the mission members.

For Zhang Qian, he had already solved the most important problem of finding a guide, but there were still many other things to do.

If all goes well, he is expected to depart in about two weeks.

"You guys go ahead with your work, let's take a walk and catch our breath!"

Having taken possession of the black and white horses, Zhang Xuezhou waved to Zhang Qian and Wu Chao, indicating that he would no longer accompany them.

On one hand, the black and white twin horses were not suitable for ostentation; on the other hand, he and Rong Tianding were concerned about Xu Yuan, a cultivator from the Agricultural Sect.

He and Rong Tianding had been away from Chang'an City for nearly two months. Zhang Xuezhou hoped that Xu Yuan was healthy and would not be unable to survive due to the lack of their support.

As you approach Chang'an City along the official road, you pass through fields and then enter the commoner district Chang'an City.

The shed that Xu Yuan built wasn't far from Wei Shao'er's thatched house; the latter also cultivated two plots of land Chang'an City.

This working-class district was not only inhabited by people, but also interspersed with fields, and in some places it could even extend to more than a hundred miles away from Chang'an City.

The better-off commoners' fields and houses were closer to Chang'an City Chang'an City, while the worse-off ones were farther away. The quality of their cultivated land was generally poor, and they had to go into the mountains and forests from time to time to hunt for food to fill their stomachs.

But now that we've entered the golden autumn season, there's a bountiful harvest in many places, and many people are busy preparing food for the winter.

"This millet must be dried thoroughly. Don't worry about it being lighter and fetching a lower price after drying. If it sprouts while stored, it will be worthless. Even pigs will find it bitter after a couple of bites. If we want to store grain for the winter and seeds for next year, we must be fully prepared. There can be no sloppiness in drying it!"

Xu Yuan was weak among cultivators, but undoubtedly strong and powerful among ordinary people.

Moreover, Xu Yuan is not pedantic, and he doesn't hesitate to fight when necessary.

This ensured that Xu Yuan's fields were not too far from Chang'an City, and no one dared to steal the food he grew. The water source for irrigating his fields was also quite adequate.

When Zhang Xuezhou and Rong Tianding arrived at the scene, they saw Xu Yuan harvesting millet.

The millet in his field was undoubtedly growing exceptionally well, with rows of golden ears attracting the attention of many who looked on with envy. Two gang leaders were also there to help maintain order.

"Brother Xu is living a comfortable life!"

Zhang Xuezhou waved from afar, which made Xu Yuan raise his head.

When he finally saw Zhang Xuezhou through the crowd, he couldn't help but wave in response.

"These two plots of land can yield eight bushels of grain. After handing over two bushels, we should have enough to last through the winter. If everyone plants like I do, we'll all have a bumper harvest next year!"

One shi is equal to four jun, and one jun is equal to thirty jin. Xu Yuan's three mu of land yielded nearly a thousand jin.

Compared to modern agriculture, this yield is undoubtedly extremely low, but compared to millet grown by other farmers, Xu Yuan's fields are undoubtedly a bumper harvest.

No amount of talking can compare to doing it yourself.

The last time Zhang Xuezhou saw Xu Yuan here was when Xu Yuan advised everyone not to fight over water, saying that plants are drought-resistant and wouldn't die of thirst so easily.

At that time, Xu Yuan's prestige was far from sufficient, and people constantly criticized and berated him, with few listening to him.

When Xu Yuan's crops ripened, it became obvious that more people were willing to listen to him, and even the local leaders were eagerly watching him.

In this era, food is of paramount importance.

There are rich people in Chang'an City, but ninety percent of the world's population are poor, and many even live below the poverty line.

Correspondingly, those with genuine farming skills are respected and even regarded as mentors.

It just so happens that the agricultural sect's greatest skill is planting, not to mention planting valuable things like medicinal herbs, but even millet, which is essential for making a living.

Xu Yuan had been busy for several months and had achieved a fruitful result.

However, being new to the place and lacking stored ingredients, he had clearly endured a difficult few months, becoming noticeably thinner and darker.

Xu Yuancai ran out from the crowd after accepting two jin of millet from several farmers who were harvesting millet.

"If only we could have met you sooner," Zhang Xuezhou said. "You don't know that when we were kids, if the harvest was bad, we could only endure the hunger. We would even boil the animal hides we used as bedding to make soup!"

"You've never experienced this kind of hunger before?"

Xu Yuan was slightly surprised; he hadn't expected that Zhang Xuezhou, who seemed so carefree, had such a miserable time.

When people are reduced to eating animal hides, they truly have nothing left to eat, a situation that would be considered a dead end for most.

"So how did you get through it back then?" Xu Yuan asked, puzzled.

"Oh, we also have parents. They went out hunting some birds and beasts, and later they stuffed a piece of meat into my mouth. That's how many of us kids survived," Zhang Xuezhou said, spreading his hands.

"It's so good to have parents!"

Xu Yuan pursed his lips.

His parents were clearly not a pleasant memory for him; his eyes held a gloomy look, mixed with a hint of resentment and a desperate struggle.

If he didn't have a heavy burden on his shoulders, why would he travel thousands of miles to pursue spiritual cultivation?

"I haven't seen my parents for years, and I don't know where they went!"

Xu Yuan was slightly taken aback when Zhang Xuezhou's melancholy voice came through.

"Are your parents missing?" Xu Yuan asked curiously.

"Everyone in our village has disappeared!" Zhang Xuezhou waved his hand and said, "My parents went to investigate, but they haven't found anything yet. They've lost all contact with us!"

"They've probably been conscripted for forced labor, right?" Xu Yuan said uncertainly. "In some places, when there's a major construction project, entire villages are conscripted to do the work, and you don't see anyone for years!"

"You're right, you're right about our remote mountain village. I'll look into that area later!"

Zhang Xuezhou sought help from cultivators, such as Dong Zhongshu and Wu Chao, but all to no avail.

Neither Lady Yourong nor Zhang Zhong returned to Hibiscus City.

After pondering for a while, and considering that the Prince of Liang was a man who engaged in large-scale construction projects, Zhang Xuezhou felt that what Xu Yuan mentioned was not impossible.

There are no relevant records in Hibiscus City, but many people can bypass the Hibiscus City County Government to get things done.

This matter is very difficult to verify. Even if Zhang Xuezhou rode around on his black and white horses, it would be a waste of time. However, as long as one has the right official rank, the investigation will be much simpler.

He wasn't in too much of a hurry or anxious at this point.

On the one hand, Zhang Xuezhou's irregular work schedule made it inconvenient for him to do things.

On the other hand, so much time has passed that if something were going to happen, it would have happened long ago. If nothing has happened, everything is fine. Given the survival skills of the many people in Zhang Household Village, they will surely be able to survive.

Although suffering is inevitable, as long as you can survive, nothing else matters.

"The entire village has disappeared? Are they being forced into corvée labor? Or are they engaged in massive construction projects?"

Zhang Xuezhou and Xu Yuan chatted warmly upon their reunion, while some people in the crowd frowned.