Through the troubled times and famine, I just want to farm peacefully

The most important reason for the civil unrest in the Central Plains was natural disasters, coupled with the wrong decisions made by those in power, which led to endless wars.

Agriculture is the key to national prosperity, and all dynasties in China have attached great importance to agricultural cultivation.

If agriculture wants to develop, it must rely on some labor tools to operate.

Deng Kang walked back and forth in the room full of rice threshers, trying to figure out how to use them.

Seeing how interested he was, Wu Xingwang said, "Master Deng, this is called a pedal rice thresher. Just put the ripe rice stalks in and stomp on them a few times to get the rice grains out. This machine is much more labor-saving than the manual threshing method."

"Is it really as magical as you say?"

"You'll know once you try it."

Wu Xingwang immediately ordered his servants to fetch a bundle of dry straw.

"Master Wu, you can try this dry straw and know its power."

Deng Kang took the straw half-believingly and half-doubtingly, and put it into the thresher under Wu Xingwang's instructions. As there were no grains on the straw, Deng Kang was careless and did not hold it tightly. With his foot stepped on it, the straw in his hand was instantly rolled into the grain bin at the back.

He wanted to reach out and pull it, but Wu Peng next to him was quick to grab his hand and thus avoided an accident.

When Wu Xingwang reacted, a thin layer of sweat had already appeared on his back.

He hurried forward to pull Deng Kang away, looked him over, and seeing that he was fine, he said, "Master Deng, you scared me to death. The gears in this thing can crush my arm."

"It's so powerful!" Deng Kang said with lingering fear.

Deng Kang did not give up and wanted to try again to see what was so powerful.

Wu Xingwang had no choice but to let Wu Peng hold his hand so that he could feel it, fearing that he didn't have enough strength.

As he exerted force with his feet, the gears turned rapidly, and Deng Kang felt the gears in the machine constantly swallowing up the dry straw.

At last, Deng Kang laughed and said, "Great! This machine is really easy to use and saves a lot of effort compared to manual labor."

"This was made by the craftsmen at the request of our city lord."

"Do you also sell this rice thresher?"

After trying its benefits, Deng Kang couldn't wait to bring it back to Cangwu County.

"Sell it. Our city lord said that this thing will benefit the people. If it can be promoted, it will be the best for the farmers and the common people."

Deng Kang nodded, agreeing with what he said. They were located in the mountainous Nanling Mountains. In addition to the sultry summer, there were also a lot of rain and monsoons. If the crops were not harvested in time, they would rot in the fields.

“How to sell it?”

"Longtan will provide the patent drawings, and you will be responsible for production and sales. You can give Longtan 30% of the profits."

"Oh." Deng Kang understood. It meant that they had the final say on how much the product would sell for, and there was a lot of room for maneuver.

However, since it is for the benefit of the people, he would not sell it at a high price against his conscience. After all, only a very small number of wealthy landlords can afford it.

Then, Wu Xingwang recommended the improved curved plow to him, and Wu Kang was also very happy to take it.

At noon, Lin Yinan entertained Chen Xianming, the head of the Zhong family, Deng Kang and others at the Longtan Hotel.

She taught the dishes of Longtan Hotel to her second aunt Zhang, and they were finalized after several taste tests.

The restaurant is run by Zhang, who has been managing the canteen for nearly a year and has rich experience.

In addition, two men from Linjia Village who were good at cooking were hired as chefs. After a month of training, the two were able to cook the store's specialty dishes to perfection.

The appetizer was pickled radish. The radishes were harvested in large quantities before the New Year and were made into pickled sauerkraut and stored in a jar.

"In spring, the liver qi is strong, so it is best to eat sour foods to restrain the liver qi and nourish yin and blood." Zhang said with a smile.

Chen Xianming was surprised and asked, "This lady also knows pharmacology?"

"Hey, I'm just a woman, how could I know anything? I was taught by a doctor in the city."

The peeled radish is as crystal clear as jade, pickled to make it sour, crispy, refreshing and tasty, with a slight spicy taste. It has a unique flavor and is very appetizing.

Everyone at the table praised it highly after tasting it.

After everyone tasted the appetizers, Zhang led the waiter to serve the dishes to the table one by one.

Every time a dish was served, Zhang would announce the name of it to everyone.

The heads of the families present here are all from the south, and the dishes on today's banquet were all selected by Lin Yinan according to their tastes. There are salt-baked chicken, steamed pork with rice flour, stuffed tofu, braised pork with preserved vegetables, steamed spare ribs with fermented black beans, chopped pepper fish head, pickled fish, hot pancakes... and more than a dozen other dishes.

Deng Kang picked up a piece of chicken, and as soon as he put it in his mouth, his eyes suddenly lit up.

"This chicken is golden in color, savory and fragrant, and tender in texture. It's great!"

"Master Deng, this is called salt-baked chicken."

The others were very satisfied with today's dishes and started discussing them.

"City Lord Lin, why don't you open a branch in Yongqing City as well, so that I can go there from time to time to satisfy my cravings." Chen Xianming suggested.

Looking at Chen Gu who was eating heartily as if he had not eaten in eight lifetimes, Chen Xianming felt a little embarrassed.

Chen Gu didn't bother to swallow the food in his mouth for his father's proposal, and said vaguely, "Go! With my protection in Yongqing City, I will definitely make you a lot of money."

"In that case, I would like to thank Young Master Chen first!" Lin Yinan said with a smile on his face.

"City Lord Lin, I see these black beans on several dishes. They taste salty and mellow, leaving a long-lasting aftertaste." Patriarch Zhong picked up a black bean and put it in his mouth, chewing it slowly.

As the two sides got to know each other better, the Zhong family gradually became less reserved.

Lin Yinan said, "This is a condiment made from fermented beans. It can be paired with any dish and has a wide range of uses. Most importantly, it is cheap and ordinary people can afford it."

Patriarch Zhong said, "Your Longtan is really an eye-opener. There are so many good things here."

"That's not true. City Lord Lin and his companions are from the prosperous Central Plains after all." Chen Gu's appetite was satisfied and he smiled with a flattering look.

Patriarch Zhong swallowed the food in his mouth and smacked his lips, saying, "The food is good, but I still feel like something is missing!"

After all, Wu Xingwang had been in the business world for many years and was very shrewd. He glanced at the crowd and saw that most of them had tasted their Longtan specialty dishes, so he nodded slightly to Lin Yicun calmly.

Then he raised his hands and clapped a few times, "Waiter, serve the wine to the heads of the families!"

"Hey! I told you, how can we have a meal without wine?" Chen Gu muttered.

The waiter who was waiting outside quickly came in with a jar of wine. He opened the seal and the aroma of wine immediately filled the air.

Even the calm and mature Deng Kang turned his head to look at the waiter, his nose twitching slightly as he sniffed the fragrance in the air.

“Fragrant! With a hint of fruitiness.”

"What kind of wine? It smells so good!"

Wu Xingwang smiled and said, "This is brewed lychee wine!"

Chen Xianming's eyes widened in surprise, "Lychees can be used to make wine?"

They have countless lychees that rot on the trees every year. It’s not that they haven’t thought about making wine, but they have never succeeded.

Used to make dried fruits, due to lack of technical conditions, less than 30% can be produced.

Lychee trees require little care, and their branches are filled with fruit every year, making them a love-hate relationship.