The fool has become a spirit, and she can speak

Chapter 1899 Mixed Grains

It's quite rare to hear an old farmer say he doesn't know what to plant.

Shang tide said, "Uncle, you can't hesitate when it comes to farming. It's best to make plans early. If it's a regular field, the best choices are rice and wheat."

The old man said, "What the princess says is true. That's what I was planning to do too. My land is dry, not paddy, so planting wheat is just right."

Shang tide said, "Then plant wheat. Anyway, we have exempted you from the exorbitant taxes and levies. No matter how much you plant, it's yours. Even if the year is like last year, you won't starve to death by farming."

The old man nodded repeatedly, a satisfied smile on his face. The people around him nodded in agreement. "With the tax exemption, our lives are so much better. During the busy farming season, we farm, and when it's not so busy, we go to the factories to find work. We can easily earn thirty copper coins a day. It's just a pity that the land is hard to cultivate this year!"

The old man sighed at the end.

Shang tide asked, "What's the difficulty?"

Shang tide wasn't one to meddle, but she knew the old man wasn't there to chat. He looked troubled, clearly facing difficulties in farming. Since the conversation had reached this point, Shang Xi knew that refusing to ask further would seem cold. Farming was the lifeblood of farmers; it couldn't be taken lightly.

The old farmer sighed, "We don't have enough seeds left over from our own plots to plant."

At this moment, another farmer said, "My family is also worried about not having enough seeds! Planting wheat is definitely better than planting millet. It's a pity about my field; it's a good piece of land, very fertile."

One person said, "If all else fails, we can plant beans or millet. We can take the beans to the tofu shop in the city and sell a load of soybeans for more than two hundred coins."

Planting beans is a last resort, and although the words are meant to comfort people, everyone clearly doesn't want to give it up.

It wasn't surprising that one or two people didn't have their own seeds. The families around her all lacked seeds, which was understandable upon reflection. After all, last year's harvest was bad, so it made sense that no one had wheat seeds.

Shang tide looked at the cart of seeds in front of her and said to the old farmers, "Our Prince Pang's Mansion has some leftover seeds, but they were collected from Wulu County. The wheat grown from these seeds doesn't taste good when ground into flour. If you really want to grow wheat and don't mind, I can sell the seeds to you at the price we bought them at the time."

The group of farmers who had just been sighing and looking worried were now all smiles. "That's great! We'll go home and get our silver and sacks. Even the worst wheat is still fine grain! How bad can it be? These seeds are all plump, and the seedlings that grow in the ground will definitely be thick and strong."

Everyone said similar things, then turned around and hurriedly ran home to look for money and bags, while also spreading the word at the village entrance.

In less than half an hour, a large group of people came to buy wheat seeds in a flurry, each carrying a burlap sack under their armpits.

What's going on? Are they all short of seeds?

But it looks more like they're here to steal food! Luckily, everyone had smiles on their faces, otherwise Shang tide would have to worry about her safety at this point.

Big Eyes silently worried and muttered, "Are there enough wheat seeds to go around?"

There were more people than wheat seeds; Shang tide hadn't expected so many people to come! She patted Big Eyes on the shoulder: "Big Eyes, go and call the manager, Ma Sui, back."

"Oh!" Big Eyes searched the field and locked onto its target, then ran off quickly.

In the blink of an eye, the excited farmers arrived in front of Shang Xi, bowing and scraping as they greeted her in various ways.

Shang tide maintained her smile and subtly observed the large group in front of her. There were quite a few people, men, women, and children, all with the same purpose: to buy seeds. "Don't any of you have wheat seeds?"

An investigation revealed that most people had some seeds, some said they had half a bag of their own saved seeds, some said they had a winnowing basket full, and some even had only a handful.

Shang tide asked, "How many seeds do you need?"

Some wanted half a bag, some wanted a whole bag; no matter how much they wanted, there was definitely not enough wheat seed in front of them.

At this moment, Ma Sui also rushed back, followed by Da Yan, who was panting heavily. Her sallow face was flushed after running around, and her little face was covered in sweat.

Upon seeing Shang Xi, Ma Sui said, "Your Highness, these seeds cannot be sold. Even if we don't plant them this time, we can save them for the next planting. These seeds are still useful!"

In front of so many people, Shang tide couldn't possibly go back on her word, especially since she had no intention of backing down. She instructed Ma Sui, "I promised them I'd sell them some seeds, otherwise they'd have to plant millet, sorghum, and beans on their land. We don't need these seeds, and besides, this wheat doesn't taste good. If we're going to plant anything, we'll plant the best quality. This cartload of seeds isn't enough to go around, so have someone find all the wheat seeds they don't need in the warehouse and distribute them to everyone. By the way, the price for the seeds will be based on the purchase price, without any markup."

The people were instantly excited upon hearing this, praising Shang Xi and fearing that the princess might change her mind and refuse to sell them the seeds.

Ma Sui looked worried. "Your Highness, I think we should ask the Prince for his opinion on this matter again! The seeds have already been distributed, and I can't bear the responsibility if the Prince holds me accountable!"

"If Your Highness holds me accountable, come to me. I am his wife, and he will distribute the seeds to everyone here today." Shang tide believed she could make this decision, which is why she nodded in agreement.

At this moment, an old farmer said, "Manager Ma, we are all farmers who rely on farming for a living. The princess promised to give us some wheat seeds, so please do us a favor! The princess doesn't understand, but don't you? Wheat seeds are afraid of aging. If they are older than a year, they will sprout less, and if they are older than two years, they can't be planted."

Everyone chimed in with their own opinions, all aiming to get Ma Sui to go to Kuli to fetch the seeds. In the end, Ma Sui couldn't withstand the pressure, sighed, and led a few people to bring over the remaining wheat seeds.

There was a scale right there in the field, and everyone recognized it. So a few people organized themselves and started weighing.

Shang tide had said beforehand that she would only buy what she needed, leaving some opportunities for those who came later.

Those who received the wheat seeds were overjoyed and expressed their deepest gratitude to Shang tide. With these seeds, they no longer needed to plant millet, sorghum, or other coarse grains. These seeds were their hope for this crop, and they carried the sacks back home in groups of three or five, chatting and laughing noisily, as if they had found a treasure.

Some people who received the news later rushed over in a panic, but there were only so many wheat seeds available, and whether they could buy any depended entirely on luck.

In just two hours, all the wheat seeds piled up at the edge of the field were sold out, not a single grain was left.

Those who arrive late naturally miss out, and many leave disappointed.