The sun is blazing.

Lao Maike's heart lit up even more, and he looked at Li Xiao expectantly, hoping to hear Li Xiao agree to Lao Qian's words to sell wheat seeds. With such a high yield of wheat, even if it is smashed and sold for iron, seeds should be bought.

"In the second half of the year, we only have about 100 acres of wheat, and the rest is all corn." Li Xiao also had his own plan for this.

After the summer harvest, another crop can be planted.

The farming technology of the Tang Dynasty was limited, and it was impossible to cultivate intensively, and the common people mostly cultivated extensively. If the fertility of the field is insufficient, it is often necessary to practice rotational fallowing.

Generally speaking, it is two ploughing in three years, dividing the land into three plots, taking turns to plough, ploughing two plots and resting one, and constantly rotating. Basically, it is a year of ploughing and a year off, and the year of ploughing is generally one season. Although it is sometimes harvested and then planted for another crop, it is usually planted with other crops, which can be called intercropping, rather than the actual two crops.

After planting spring millet, you may need to plant a season of winter wheat, or after spring wheat, you may need to plant soybeans. It is rare to grow the same crop twice a year on the same plot.

First, there is often not enough time for planting two seasons in Guanzhong climate, and it must be two rotations so that there can be enough growth time. Secondly, it is also related to rainwater and irrigation, and then there is fertility.

The more common planting method in Guanzhong is spring millet and winter wheat.

The spring wheat has just been harvested, and the autumn sowing is imminent, Li Xiao does not plan to plant wheat again, he plans to plant corn in the autumn. First, this summer has generally been harvested, and this autumn and winter have a large grain shortfall, and the high yield of corn can fill the grain gap. Second, this year's drought is not as severe as before, but it is also drier than in previous years.

Growing wheat requires water, and growing corn is much better.

"But we don't have that much corn seed." Of course, Lao Qian also knows the preciousness of corn nowadays, but the court has not long been in the hands of corn planting.

Li Xiao has a batch of corn in his hand that is not in the hands of the imperial court, but he can also plant about 100 acres.

"Plant 100 acres of wheat, 100 acres of corn, and we will plant the rest for the tenants, and they can plant whatever they want."

Lao Qian nodded, "If we can harvest fifty stone of wheat, then at least we can select about thirty stone wheat seeds." If you only plant 100 acres, it is enough to have more than 8 stones, and it will cost you up to 10 stones to keep more, and you can sell 20 stones of wheat seeds. ”

Twenty stone wheat seeds can also be planted more than 200 acres, and they are sold to their own tenants first.

"Can I sell something?" Old McKe asked excitedly.

"Of course, if you want to buy it, of course, you can say it to the money housekeeper. Because only 10 acres were planted this year, only 2,000 catties of wheat seeds could be sold, and each household was limited to one bucket of wheat seeds, so that more people could have the opportunity to try planting. ”

A bucket of wheat seeds can be planted in one acre and two acres.

Lao Maike was already very satisfied, after all, the Li family could have left all the seeds for themselves, but they only left 100 acres of seeds, and it was not easy to sell the remaining 200 acres of seeds.

However, in addition to being happy, Lao Maike was a little embarrassed to bring up a situation, he has no money now.

"It doesn't matter, we can lend you the wheat seeds, and you will return the wheat to us after the autumn. Borrow a bucket of wheat seeds, and return six buckets after autumn, and the ordinary wheat harvested in the six buckets does not need selected wheat seeds. Li Xiao gave a more generous condition.

Although it sounds high, borrow one to pay six. But this is not an ordinary borrowed grain, this is a borrowed grain seed, and it is a high-quality grain seed, and ordinary grain is supposed to sell three or five times the price of grain, not to mention the high-quality grain seed of the Li family.

Sell it three or five times, and you have to pay it back with interest.

Li Xiao now borrows one bucket of wheat seeds, and only collects six buckets after the autumn harvest, which is already very kind, after all, what he lent was high-quality grain, and what he recovered was only wheat from the ground, not selected grain.

Originally, Li Xiao felt that this was still a bit high, but Liudou was indeed very low relative to the market, and he couldn't charge lower, otherwise it would be a bad rule, and it would be hostile to the majority of landlords.

In the past, Li Xiao changed the rent collection model to his tenants at the beginning, and changed it to a fixed rent, but this method also took half a year, and after his fields became more and more, he still had to follow the old practice, but he only wanted to be right, he only divided it into four or six, and he collected forty percent of the rent, in addition, he no longer charged additional rent and fees, unlike many landlords, in addition to rent, but also to charge all kinds of rents and fees, and the tenants who celebrate the New Year have to send some filial piety, and even rent cattle to borrow seeds, and the fees are also high.

"Okay, yes, yes, I'm willing." Old McKe was excited. It is already very good to use it first and then pay it back, which is almost equivalent to Li Xiao only charging him for wheat seeds, and not asking for seed interest.

I heard that Li Sanlang was kind and kind, but today I saw it as expected.

After thanking Lao Maike for his kindness, he worked harder.

Li Xiao finally survived in the field for a long time, waiting left and right, and finally waited for the person who delivered the food.

During the wheat harvest season, it is necessary to rush to harvest and grab the time, so the scorching sun is in the sky at noon, and there is no rest. When the day is slightly bright, I get up and go to the field, and when it is time for breakfast, the family also brings the food to the field, and when I have finished eating, I continue to work.

At lunchtime, they are also sent to the field, and after eating and drinking water under the tree, they will continue to work after a short rest at most. I didn't finish until it was dark.

Harvesting wheat is a very hard job, and ordinary people really can't bear it, so it has to be those strong men. After finishing work and eating at night, I took a bath in the wild river, and then slept on the wheat field.

The meals prepared by the Li family for the wheat customers are still very rich, not to mention the dry rice three times a day, and there is even pasta. In particular, there are vegetables and soups.

The dish is fried pork slices, and the soup is stewed pork bone soup, and the Li family killed a big pig.

Li Xiao was tired like a dog, his whole body was like climbing up in the water, he was wet, and his whole body was full of a sour smell.

Finally waiting for the food to be delivered, he hurriedly ran to the Lanxi River in front of the village, stripped naked, and jumped into the river to swim happily a few times.

When my body finally cooled down, I was willing to climb up.

On the shore, Lao Qian had already sent Li Xiao a set of clean clothes.

Changing into clothes, under the shade of the trees by the wheat field over there, a group of wheat customers were eating fragrant food in large bowls.

A large bowl of millet porridge for one person, the porridge is very thick, and the chopsticks inserted on it will not be poured. Each person also has two white-flour steamed buns, which are much more delicious than the wheat rice offered by many people.

The white-flour steamed buns are loose and soft, chewing without getting stuck in the throat, and eating them is full. Although many wheat customers are a little strange for the Li family to call this steamed cake a steamed bun, the Li family's steamed bread is indeed much more delicious than ordinary steamed cakes. I didn't see any stuffing in it, but it tasted good.

Not to mention, there are also large vats of bone broth and large pots of fried pork slices.

The fatty slices are thick and thick, big and fat, and the fried oil is bright and thorough, and you will have a great appetite when you look at it, and some seasonal vegetables are added to it to stir-fry, making this dish look extremely attractive.

There are buckets of soup over there, but there are large pieces of pork bones, there are barrel bones, pork ribs, backbones, and there are many meat on the bones that have not been deliberately removed, and some meat skins are put in the bones and meat to cook, and the cooking time is long enough, and some taro and soybeans are added, which is fragrant.

"Everyone eats, if you don't have enough, add more, the only point, don't waste it."

Li Xiao, who changed into clean clothes, felt much more comfortable.

He also took a rice bowl, and he was not pretentious, he made a bowl of porridge in the porridge bucket, and then fished a few ribs in the soup bucket, and sandwiched a few chopsticks of chopped peppers and garlic, and squatted under the tree to eat.

After a morning of work and a shower, I really had a great appetite.

Originally, he didn't have much appetite in this hot weather, let alone eat large slices of meat and bone broth, but now Li Xiao didn't feel greasy at all, he only felt very comfortable to chew.

Where have those wheat customers usually eaten such delicious meals, it's just like the New Year.

Many people have even been wheat customers for more than ten or twenty years, and have collected wheat for most of their lives, but they have never eaten white pasta.

The wheat is milled into flour, sifted, fine and white, kneaded and steamed, and becomes a fluffy and soft, good-looking and delicious white flour steamed bun.

Ordinary people have planted wheat, but more of them are directly steamed wheat rice, steamed wheat rice does not need to be milled to save money, not to mention that it can reduce loss after a few less processes, but the taste of wheat rice is indeed very poor.

As for eating meat, even if it is pork that the aristocratic officials look down on, how many times a year can the people eat it?

The way they gnawed bones made Li Xiao remember deeply.

A bone not only gnaws the meat on the outside cleanly, but also sucks the bone many times, and even the bone marrow inside must be sucked out, and finally the bone is gnawed and sucked white, and there is no longer a little bit of oil on it, and then it will be put down. And they won't throw away such bones, these people have a tacit understanding to put all the bones in empty buckets.

"Go back and boil it again, it's another good pot of soup!" Old Maike said to Li Xiao with a smile.

Li Xiao looked at the bones that were all white, and thought to himself that he couldn't get anything out of it no matter how hard he boiled.

"There are still bones in the house, and killing a big pig is enough for three hundred pounds. Just cook it again next time! Li Xiao said.

But the old McKee felt that it was too wasteful.

"This is a big bone, where to eat it cleanly at a time, you have to cook it at least three times to boil all the bone marrow oil and water in it, and throw it away after eating it once, it's too wasteful. Don't dare to waste it like this, it's not easy to eat meat once. ”

What he said made Li Xiao sigh in his heart.

The life of the common people is indeed hard, and they are the most industrious, but also the most simple, the most contented group of people. Even if they bear a heavy burden, they are not as easy to complain as later generations.

They carried a mountain on their backs and carried a heavy load.

Their sweat and their diligence and thrift have truly created the glory of the Tang Empire.

Regardless of the rise and fall of the dynasty, the people are bitter, and they are already the most satisfied if there is no military disaster in the peaceful years. However, in the event of drought and flood locust plagues, it is still difficult for the people to even have a full stomach.

The harvest in the field is too low, and the land in Guanzhong is increasingly being annexed and occupied by the magnates.

In the past, when the Tang Dynasty was first established, each middle man and Ding man could get dozens of acres of land, but now, the younger generation of middle men and Ding men can no longer share much land.

The fields are getting smaller and smaller, but the rent is fixed and has never become less.

With no savings, no storage, and a drought, these people are faced with the dilemma of having no food to eat, so they have to drag their families out to beg for food!

I hope that corn can be implemented as soon as possible, and the yield per mu will be increased, so that the people can have more food. I don't want everyone to be rich under the Tang Dynasty, but at least the people of the powerful Tang Empire can't often starve and starve, right?