It just snowed not long ago, but fortunately it was very cold in winter, the snow had not completely melted, the ground was hard, and it was not difficult to walk.

Zhu Xu and his friends walked a few steps. Zhu Xu looked across the river and canal and saw a few leaves. He felt a little moved and said, "Are you sweet potatoes grown in these open spaces?"

Liu Shimin didn't know, but Cao Bianjiao went to Shaanxi and Xi before, and saw a lot of experience. Hearing this, "When I returned to the emperor, due to the forced request of the Ministry of Revenue, many people refused. The compromise was to plant half of sweet potatoes, half of wheat or rice."

Zhu Xu nodded, although this was unexpected, it was reasonable.

Just as he was about to leave, Zhu Xu's stomach suddenly started to growl. His expression was slightly stiff. Then he remembered that he had drunk some porridge in the morning and had no meal at all.

Cao Huachun was a little stunned and hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, there is something to worry about in the car..."

Zhu Xu waved his hand before he could finish his words and said, "Go ahead and take a look."

Zhu Xu had already seen a group of people not far ahead, as if they were having a meal.

Liu Shimin, Cao Bianjiao and others hurriedly followed.

When Zhu Xu came close, it was indeed a group of people. It looked like a family, and five or six people gathered together to have a meal.

The group of people looked at Zhu Xu and others from afar. As soon as they approached, the elderly man in his fifties was wearing a coarse cloth dress and wrinkles on his face. He raised his hand to smile at Zhu Xu and said, "Is this young man also lost?"

Zhu Xu looked at it and found that he had some porridge, rice, steamed buns, and vegetables all home-cooked dishes. He raised his hand and smiled, "My father-in-law laughed, I originally wanted to go out to the city to have fun and see the scenery, but I don't want to leave any longer."

The old man's family also stood up, and a young man who looked in his early twenties smiled and said, "Where are you going to? I am quite familiar with this area."

Zhu Xu was just a casual excuse. He was not familiar with the surrounding area. He wanted to make up a name for a while and couldn't think of it. He said with a clever inspiration: "I heard that there is a barracks nearby, and we want to go and take a look."

The old man's family suddenly changed his face slightly. He looked at Zhu Xu and his group seriously, as if he suspected that they were 'bad people'. Then he seemed to think that it was not. The old man said with a slightly solemn expression: "Young Master, if you are just curious, I advise you not to go. It is a major place in the court. If you break through randomly, it will cause great trouble."

This was an excuse, Zhu Xu laughed and said, "Don't worry, my father-in-law, we just said it casually, and we don't have to go." As soon as he finished speaking, his stomach gushes twice.

When the old man saw that Zhu Xu was quite polite, he didn't look like a 'fine work'. He heard his stomach screaming and said with a smile: "That's good. If you don't dislike me, use it together."

Zhu Xu was not polite and said, "Then I would like to thank my father."

The young man could see Zhu Xu's carriage from afar, and then look at the clothes of their group of people. He knew that they were either rich or noble. After sitting down, he asked directly: "Young master... is also a wealthy family in the capital, right? Do you know how the imperial court bought sweet potatoes and wheat this year? How much is the price?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the old man snorted coldly and said, "Eat!"

The other women looked at Zhu Xu and others carefully, and ate quickly without saying a word.

Zhu Xu sat cross-legged on a stone, looked around, smiled, and said, "Don't worry, my father-in-law, although Xiaoke is young, he knows the importance of it. However, if I want to talk about the purchase price, I really know a little."

The young man's eyes lit up and he said, "Do you really know?"

Even the old man who scolded the young man before looked at Zhu Xu, his eyes full of anticipation.

Zhu Xu reached out and grabbed a steamed bun, tore it apart, put it in it, and smiled and said, "The family has some relationship with Huitong Trading Bank. When they called merchants to discuss it before, I was there. I heard that the price this year is half a percent higher than last year and one percent higher than the market price. However, it is also tentative, and it is still early to close next summer."

As he said that, he bit the steamed buns with big mouthfuls. I don’t know if he was tired of eating the exquisite dishes in the palace or was really hungry. Zhu Xu ate this rough steamed buns with great flavor.

The young man was particularly excited when he listened to Zhu Xu's words and looked at the old man and said, "Dad, if this is true, the eldest brother will have a bride price..."

The old man took a sip of the soup, nodded slightly when he heard this, and looked at Zhu Xu and said, "What the young master said is reasonable. It will be not until next year to know. The disaster situation across the country is serious now, and grain prices are rising everywhere."

Zhu Xu felt that the old man had some insight, and asked indifferently while eating: "Brother-in-law, are you all like this here? Half of them grow sweet potatoes, half of them grow wheat or rice?"

Maybe Zhu Xu's words just now gave the old man trust. Just as he was about to speak, his son, the young man smiled and said, "No, this sweet potato is a good thing. Half acre is comparable to nearly two acres of rice. It can be eaten raw and cooked, and cooked vegetables and steamed buns. The price collected by the court is the same as other ones. I plan to grow sweet potatoes next year, but my father just won't let..."

The old man frowned and said nothing.

Zhu Xu knew the old man’s thoughts, just to be safe. Zhu Xu also felt that sweet potatoes could not be used as staple food, so he laughed and said, “I agree with my father-in-law, be safe. If the imperial court suddenly stops collecting sweet potatoes, then it will be a big loss.”

The young man was stunned and couldn't speak for a moment.

The old man looked at Zhu Xu and smiled, "It's still the young master who is knowledgeable, and that's the truth."

The steamed buns are relatively large now, but after all, there are few dishes. Zhu Xu was a little dry after eating a few bites, and he was not used to drinking soup with others. He had to take the steamed buns and look at the old man casually, "Brother-in-law, how much harvest can you get this year, but can you still have enough food?"

The old man leaned on the tree and was surprised at first, then said: "Young master comes from a wealthy family, so it is normal for us to not understand."

He paused, looked at the land not far away, and said proudly: "Our family has twenty-two acres of land, one of which is enough to pay taxes. The rest are our own. We don't have to worry about food and drink a year, and we can have a lot of surplus. However, if this was five years ago, that is, the Apocalypse or the Wanli period, it would be difficult. Not only do we have to pay various taxes, but also powerful bullies. At least more than half of them belong to others, and there are various other exchanges. After a year, it would be nice to be able to eat enough."

Liu Shimin, not far behind Zhu Xu, nodded slightly when he heard this. This was the direct result of political clarity. However, this was near the capital, under the feet of the emperor and the noses of various yamen. If it was a little further away, it would be hard to say.

Zhu Xu knew that the next step he wanted to rectify was the officials at the lower level. He clapped his hands and took out a Huitong Trading Bank bank note from his arms, five cents of silver. Just as he was about to speak, a smug laugh came from behind the tree.

"Uncle Wang, Uncle Wang, did you eat it?"

The voice fell, a fat man was covered in brocade silk and satin, and his face was full of cunning, and he ran over with a smile.

The old man was the Uncle Wang in the fat man's mouth. When he heard the sound, he frowned and looked displeased.

The young man and several women were the same, but they both endured it and didn't say anything.

Zhu Xu was quite curious and looked up.

The fat man didn't expect that there were outsiders. He looked at Zhu Xu and the others without caring. He looked directly at the old man named Wang, and said respectfully and complained: "Uncle Wang, you said, you will not suffer any loss in this matter. As long as I sell the sweet potatoes and wheat to me, I will give 10% more than the court gave me. What else do you want to be dissatisfied with?"

The old man reached out and picked up a steamed bun, dipped it in the vegetable soup, and said in a cold tone: "We are all law-abiding ordinary people, and we are not as good as you are the shopkeeper. We just want to live a peaceful life. Wang San, you should find someone else."

Wang San's eyes rolled and he smiled more and more: "Uncle Wang, you just slapped me in the face. You said, "You are my third uncle and don't sell me, how dare anyone sell me?"

The old man surnamed Wang glanced at Zhu Xu, perhaps thinking of the identity he had just reported, and said with a cold expression: "I know, if you buy our food and then transport it to another place, the price of grain collected by the court will be much higher. You are cheating the court's silver, and I will not follow you!"

Zhu Xu raised his eyebrows, glanced at the old man, and turned to Wang San again.
Chapter completed!