Shao Xuan and Guang Yi's swords were with Heng. Heng would fix Shao Xuan's sword. However, Heng looked at the sword with disdain. Perhaps it was due to his experience and understanding of advanced techniques that he no longer liked the original sword. He would probably make bigger changes.
As for Guang Yi's sword, it was a useless sword. Heng did not even look at it.
When they came out, Shao Xuan and Guang Yi had brought two temporary swords from Heng. They were not very good but much better than Guang Yi's previous swords.
Black Bear wanted to leave his sword there for Heng to fix but today was not the right day. He would wait, there was no rush. Since he was able to come in and Shao Xuan had mentioned the sword test, Heng knew that the next time he came would be a good time. It would be best if he could get an axe.
When they came out, the hole at the entrance was being filled up. There were Black Bears and Linlu tribesmen. They split into two groups to fill up the hole, not interfering with each other. As the saying goes, the first spurt of energy, the second spurt of energy, the second spurt of energy, and the third spurt of exhaustion. They didn't fight when they were most impulsive, but now that they had calmed down, they each had their own thoughts and no longer had any thoughts of standing up. Of course, that was only because they didn't fight here and now. Perhaps not long after, they would fight to the death in other places.
Both sides had sent gifts to the Gongjia family. The Linlu tribe wanted to send gifts tomorrow but when they saw Maoda rushing back with so many gifts, they did not want to be left behind. After all, they might need the Gongjia family's help in the future in the Royal City. This was especially true for Master Heng, who had just emerged this year. Even if they were not on good terms with him, they could not afford to offend him.
However, Black Bear was not so worried. When he saw how familiar Heng was with Shao Xuan, he was relieved. At the same time, he was glad. They had helped the Yanjiao people because of Anba City. They did not expect to encounter something like this in the Royal City. Who would have thought that the Yanjiao tribe, which had not set foot in the Royal City for decades, would actually know Ji Ju and Heng Hengda?
Even if the other people in the Royal City forgot about the Yanjiao tribe, after today, there would be more people who would remember the tribe that had caused several sensations in the Royal City. The ability of the people of the Royal City to gossip should not be underestimated.
After visiting Gongjia Heng, Shao Xuan prepared a change of clothes. He also sold two bags of the grains he got from Ji Ju to the Black Bears. He still had some gold leaves with him.
The next morning, Shao Xuan, Guang Yi and Black Bear went to Golden Grain fields again.
Last time, it was mentioned that Shao Xuan should stay at the fields for a while so he would not attract attention if he ran around every day. This time, Shao Xuan brought his equipment and prepared to stay at the fields for three to five days. He wanted to see how Ji Ju's fields worked, learn more about the crops and the customs here.
Black Bear was here to make himself known. At the same time, he wanted to borrow Shao Xuan's reputation to get some newly harvested grains from the steward. He could not stay at the fields for too long. Ji Ju did not invite him and he knew that. That was why after he followed Shao Xuan to the fields and made a deal with the steward, Black Bear left happily.
Ji Ju did not usually manage the trade. If he had to do everything himself, why would he need so many stewards? That was why he was only in charge of the farming and left the trading to the stewards. Outsiders wanted to get their hands on Golden Grain? Sure, go find the steward, flatter him and bribe him. That was why the steward of the Golden Grain fields had such a high status.
In the field, the harvest in autumn was the most abundant. Although there were crops harvested in other seasons, they were relatively less. At this time, the field had already harvested a batch of millets. The immature ones had matured one after another. During this time, the slaves in the field were very busy. They had to harvest, plant, and prepare the crops in the field for winter.
"Every tribulation of the Thousand Grain Gold is very important. Once it passes the first tribulation, it will reach the peak of growth. Don't look at how small they are now. After the second tribulation, they will grow faster. By the third tribulation, they will have ears. Too bad you won't be able to see it, "Ji Ju said regretfully. He wanted to show off but Shao Xuan and the rest had to go back before winter. That was the tribe's custom. When the Thousand Grain Gold ripened, the Yanjiao tribe would have just finished their ceremony. Shao Xuan would not be able to make it.
As Ji Ju spoke, he stared at the slaves who were in charge of the Thousand Grain Gold. The raw materials for the fertilizer were divided into several large vats. They were all prepared by Ji Ju before being mixed and diluted a second time. Then, they were poured into the ground.
Just like some medicines produced by factories, the original solution would be mixed before use, labeled as Solution A, Solution B, etc. When it was time to use, they would mix Solution A and Solution B according to the ratio in the manual. This was the same principle.
Ji Ju would not reveal the secret to anyone. Even if the slaves and stewards in charge of the Thousand Grain Gold knew the ratio and method of the second mixing, they did not know what the initial fertilizer was. How would they mix it?
"As for the ones in your tribe," Ji Ju thought for a moment, then suggested, "If you plant them next year, you can try letting the meat rot. You can also add some animal bones, especially those that like to eat grass, shoots and moss. If animal bones are not enough, you can try adding bone marrow."
"You can do that?" Shao Xuan was shocked.
"Hmm," Ji Ju mumbled but did not explain further.
Knowing that it might involve some secrets, Shao Xuan did not ask further. He noted down all of Ji Ju's suggestions and would try again next year.
Ji Ju gave a few more suggestions and Shao Xuan noted them down one by one.
Ji Ju felt that Shao Xuan had already told him how to plant the Thousand Grain Gold. It was not nice of him to hide everything from him. That was why even though Ji Ju did not reveal the secret of the Thousand Grain Gold, other than giving some suggestions, he also told Shao Xuan many other ways to plant other grains. What kind of crops were suited to what kind of environment, what kind of crops needed to be grown, and the key points to pay attention to were all explained.
The Ji family claimed to have a hundred types of grains but no one knew if that was true but Shao Xuan had seen at least twenty to thirty types in the few days he had spent with Ji Ju. Ji Ju had also given some excellent seeds according to Shao Xuan's description of the Yanjiao tribe's geographical and weather conditions.
The seeds produced by Ji Ju's fields were things that the tribes far away could not buy even if they had large amounts of gold leaves. Shao Xuan thanked him and put them away carefully. Even though the Yanjiao tribe mainly hunted for a living now, no one could say for sure if they would change their way of life in the future. If there was a chance to go back to the other side of the sea, he could also bring back the seeds here. Many fields had been reclaimed at the old haunt.
When Ji Ju introduced the grains to Shao Xuan, the steward would often pick out the best of the newly harvested grains and put them in a few pots for Ji Ju to see. When Ji Ju picked one, someone would take the pot with the new grain.
"What are the grains for?" Shao Xuan asked.
"They will be made into grave goods," Ji Ju answered.
"Grave goods? For whom? "
"For me, of course." Ji Ju did not think there was anything wrong with saying this. "Our Ji family is buried with grains. When the Ji family was in its most difficult times, with countless natural disasters and no harvest, we went to our ancestors' tombs to retrieve the grains that had been sealed away for emergency use. Ever since I obtained my own fief, every year when I harvest new grains, I will choose the best ones and store them away. On the day I leave, I will bring the jars with the grains sealed in them into the tomb. That way, I will be able to answer to my ancestors. In the future, if the descendants of the Ji family meet with any natural disasters, I would be able to help them. "
Shao Xuan: "…" You're still alive and well but you're already thinking about your death.
However, what Ji Ju said was something that many Ji family members would do. The Ji family had stopped cremation a long time ago. Even some of the younger generation would carefully store the grains after getting them. This was a tradition passed down from generation to generation.
As for why they used earthen jars instead of bronze, it was because many bronze wares would rust over time unless they were specially treated. However, not everyone had the skills and confidence to do so. Thus, the Ji family had a habit of using earthen jars to store grain. The bronze wares were just one of the funerary objects. Perhaps to others, the exquisite bronze wares were the most important funerary objects. However, in reality, the Ji family's tombs were filled with various jars and urns filled with grains. That was the most important thing. Some would be sealed with the Ji family's secret technique to preserve them for a long time. Some would remain intact even after thousands of years. Some would be left unsealed in alms bowls for their dead selves. The symbolism was that after death, they would still have grains to eat and would not starve.
If the later generations entered the tombs of their ancestors and saw that the unsealed urns or jars were filled with decayed grain husks or even decayed grayish-white grain powder, they would put some new grains in them as a sign of respect.
Some dared to think about the Ji family's tombs but unfortunately, no one knew where it was. The people who went to look for him, searched and searched, but they never saw him again.
Ji Ju brought Shao Xuan to see the different types of grains in the Golden Grain fields. When he saw that the Thousand Grain Gold had successfully passed the second calamity, he felt a huge weight lifted off his chest and was in the mood to bring Shao Xuan out for a walk.
Recently, it was the peak harvest season for the slave owners' fields. To avoid trouble, they sealed off the roads so Shao Xuan did not see anyone loitering outside the fields.
Walking out of the fields, Shao Xuan saw some new crops in other fields. One of them looked like an upside-down corn cob. It was as tall as a person and there was only one stalk. It was similar to some of the plants he had seen in the wild but the ones in the fields were domesticated and could be eaten.
"Whose land is that?" asked Shao Xuan as he walked on the dirt path, pointing at a busy farm not far away.
They were on high ground so they could see part of the fields.
"That's the Yi family's land. I don't remember who owns it." Ji Ju didn't mind. It was just a small farm and the things he grew were all very ordinary.
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