freenovelworld Chapter 116: Homemade Meals, Immeasurable Merits
Chapter 116: Homemade Meals, Immeasurable Merits
At lunch time, six or seven men gathered in a farmyard, talking and laughing.
In the corner of the yard, four or five domestic chickens were rolling on the wet ground, looking for their lunch.
At this time, the sister-in-law came out of the kitchen with a kitchen knife and ran straight to the chicken coop, intending to kill a chicken for the Marshal to eat with his wine.
There's nothing fun to do in the countryside. Since the Marshal has come here with great difficulty, he has to prepare some decent food.
"Hey, hey, hey, sister-in-law, please don't kill the chicken!"
Zhang Ye, who was chatting and laughing with the male host, turned around and saw the woman's actions, and immediately called Lu Shan to step forward to stop her.
My goodness, a bunch of people come here to eat and drink for free, and then ask them to kill a chicken. How embarrassing.
Besides, it is not easy to raise these things in the countryside. We rely on them to lay eggs for our children all year round. If we kill them today, what will the children eat in the future?
"Master, don't worry about it. It's just killing a chicken. It's not a big deal. We have simple meals here. We should eat our fill when we come here."
The male owner was a man in his thirties. Due to years of working in the fields, his skin was tanned and his face was covered with several layers of wrinkles.
Judging from his facial features alone, people would believe he was in his forties or fifties.
"Brother, just a home-cooked meal is fine. Why kill a chicken? We are not guests."
Zhang Ye patted his shoulder, looked at the dilapidated courtyard wall and house, and sighed with guilt.
"Your life isn't easy either. I'm sorry I couldn't make it better for you all."
"Marshal, what are you talking about?"
The man held the pipe and spoke anxiously.
"Since ancient times, whether one's life is good or bad depends entirely on oneself. What does it have to do with the government?"
"Since you came, our lives have been getting better and better. Not to mention the long-term benefits, last winter you gave us a lot of relief food just for the porridge shed."
"As far as I can remember, last winter was the only time no one starved to death. You're accumulating virtue and doing good deeds, and your merits are immeasurable!"
"Come on, brother, stop giving me these nice compliments."
Zhang Ye sat on a small stool, looking at the little girl doing homework under a tree in the yard. His mood improved a little and he continued to ask.
"We still have to work hard. Do you see any difficulties right now that need our help and improvement?"
"What difficulty is there? These days, I can even wake up smiling in my dreams."
The man sucked on his pipe, his eyes narrowed with laughter, and he leaned against the wall comfortably.
"When the grain is stored in the warehouse, there will be a lot left after paying the tax. In the second half of this year, we can eat a few meals of white flour from time to time. Life will be so comfortable!"
"Haha, eating only two meals a day is not enough. My goal is to ensure that everyone can eat white flour every day."
Zhang Ye also got down from the small stool, leaned against the wall and made a promise.
"After this season, the government will distribute new grain seeds, pesticides, and fertilizers. Just wait and see by the autumn harvest time, we'll have over a thousand kilograms per acre. There's absolutely no problem!"
"Over a thousand pounds!?"
The man who was still smiling a second ago almost dropped his jaw in shock when he heard this, and his pipe almost poked his teeth.
An acre of land can produce more than a thousand kilograms of grain. He has lived for more than thirty years and has never seen or even heard of such a thing.
You have to know that these people have been digging for food in the fields all their lives, and they regard crops and grains as more precious than their own lives. They often weed and water the crops, and they wish they could live in the fields every day. The annual yield per mu is only two or three hundred kilograms.
This is when the situation is good. If there is a drought or flood, the crops often end up with nothing, and a whole season's work is wasted.
But now, the Marshal dares to promise a yield of more than 1,000 kilograms. I really don’t know whether his seeds are good or he doesn’t understand the actual situation and is just bragging.
Of course, even if it was just bragging, he didn't dare to break it, so the man just smiled awkwardly and didn't say anything.
Zhang Ye was aware of this, so he didn't dwell on it.
People nowadays don’t know what pesticides and fertilizers are. They are still in the most primitive farming era, and occasionally adding some manure to the land is considered a "snack".
Just wait and see, when next season's output comes out, they will be able to truly experience the power of technology.
……
An hour later, lunch was over.
Zhang Ye loosened his belt and burped because of the stretch.
I have to say that my sister-in-law's cooking skills are really good. A simple bowl of hand-rolled noodles is so delicious that it is unforgettable. Even Zhang Ye, who has eaten a lot of good food, couldn't help but be dazzled when he tasted the first bite. He drank two big bowls before he felt satisfied.
"General, I'm sorry for the poor hospitality today. With so many leaders here, it's really embarrassing to only have a bowl of noodles."
The man's face flushed slightly, feeling a little aggrieved.
They let their children go to school for free, gave them land and tax cuts, but when they finally came to their home, they just ate a bowl of noodles.
If this gets out, others will probably point at my spine and scold me!
"Brother, it's just a simple meal."
Zhang Ye said with a gentle smile.
"Besides, you don't eat noodles every day, so how can you say it's shabby?"
"When life gets better, I'll come back. Then we can kill chickens and sheep, drink wine, and eat meat in big bowls, okay?"
"Okay, Marshal, it's settled."
The man nodded heavily when he heard this, and a wave of warmth surged in his heart.
In his entire life, this was the first time he had met such an easy-going leader who loved his people like his own children.
If this had happened in the past, he would never have believed it. The top leaders of three provinces were given a bowl of noodles for lunch and were reluctant to let their fellow villagers kill a chicken.
"It's settled. I will definitely come again. We will definitely meet again, brothers!"
Zhang Ye looked at his excited expression and agreed with a smile.
Afterwards, the group stood up and said goodbye, preparing to go home.
Seeing that the crowd was getting farther and farther away, the man stared at their backs and shouted loudly.
"Marshal, my name is Shuanzhu, I'm waiting for you to come over for dinner!"
"Let's go, bro!"
Zhang Ye didn't even turn his head, waved his hand, and slowly left with everyone.
Only when the figure disappeared from his sight did Shuanzhu look back reluctantly.
At this moment, his wife was cleaning up. When she picked up the bowl that Zhang Ye had used, she found two silver dollars underneath.
This scene happened to fall into Shuanzhu's eyes, and his already depressed mood could no longer be held back. His eyes suddenly turned red and he murmured softly.
"Good man, you are truly a living Bodhisattva that even hundreds of years of cultivation cannot bring. Finally someone has taken pity on us poor people."