Transmigrating with a Five Million Dollar Retirement Life

Chapter 240 Returning Home

The team was too large, and with frequent stops along the way, the journey, which should have taken half a month, was delayed until mid-February before they finally reached Tongan County.

Xu Yan, the magistrate of Tongan County, received the notice early and waited at the city gate in the morning.

Now that he's under Song Jiaojiao's management, he naturally has to be more proactive.

He knew Madam Song; after all, it was Madam Song who saved his son when he fell into the water and suffocated.

Now she's become Mrs. Hui De, and I'm her subordinate. Things have really changed!

Looking back now, I realize I didn't say anything offensive to him that day.

Just as Xu Yan was reminiscing, Song Jiaojiao and her entourage arrived at the city gate in their carriage.

Upon seeing this, Xu Yan quickly stepped forward.

"Your humble servant Xu Yan greets Lady Huide."

Song Jiaojiao got out of the car and happened to see Xu Yan.

"Magistrate Xu, there's no need for such formalities."

Song Jiaojiao looked at the man in front of her. In just two years, she, who had been unable to even see the magistrate before, was now being worshipped by him.

Xu Yan is a good official. If it weren't for her being promoted, she would have been promoted by the end of this year.

Unfortunately, he'll probably only be able to serve as the magistrate of this small Tong'an County for the rest of his life.

But on second thought, it's a good thing for her. An official who cares about the people will only make Tongan County better and better.

Song Jiaojiao needs to think about how to improve the living standards of the people.

"Madam Huide, I have prepared a small feast at Sifanglou. I hope you will do me the honor of joining me."

Song Jiaojiao thought the two of them should find a place to have a good talk, and the dinner table was just right.

"I'm tired from the long journey, so I'd be grateful if you could lead the way."

"This is what I should do."

The convoy arrived in front of Sifanglou. The second floor was not open to the public today and had been booked entirely by Xu Yan.

Song Jiaojiao helped Song Shi inside. Although they didn't walk quickly, Song Shi's health had been poor in recent years, and even such a slow pace was a bit too much for her.

Although he was much younger than Madam Cheng'en, he was not as healthy as her.

After a hearty meal, Song Jiaojiao went to the yamen with Xu Yan, while the rest of the group rested at Sifanglou.

"Magistrate Xu, what are the main products of Tong'an County?"

"My lady, if we're talking about local specialties, then it's silk. Here in Fu'an Town, situated in a hilly area, the people there thrive on mulberry trees, and the silkworms needed for silk production feed on them."

The most precious silk is that spun by golden silkworms. The silk produced from it is shimmering with gold and is pre-ordered by merchants well in advance of the silkworm spinning season.

Unfortunately, production is too low, and supply is always insufficient.

The people there are relatively wealthy, and almost everyone can afford to eat meat.

Silk has been a material for making clothes since ancient times, and it is also a relatively expensive fabric.

Silk is smooth, cool, and breathable, making it ideal for summer wear.

However, silk is easily damaged, and its price is not low, so it was mostly supplied to wealthy families.

Xu Yan continued, "And Xinhui Town, which is opposite Anfu Town, is the poorest town in Tongan County."

The area was mostly mountainous, with villages separated by high mountains. Even the nearest village required a half-day's walk to reach the town. Furthermore, the town received few merchants and wasn't located on a major transportation route, so over time, it remained economically underdeveloped.

Xu Yan has been in Tongan County for almost three years and has personally visited most of the towns and villages.

To know what the people need, one must go among them to truly understand.

"Doesn't Xinhui Town have any special features?" Song Jiaojiao asked.

Xu Yan thought for a moment and then said, "If we're talking about unique features, I wonder if having many fruit trees counts? It's just that the fruit trees in the mountains don't produce sweet fruit; most of them are quite sour."

Xu Yan recalled that when he went to a village in Xinhui Town, the journey was long and the water he brought had long been used up. He and the yamen runner picked some fruit to eat, but it was so sour that he couldn't even eat tofu.

Looking at the fruit trees covering the mountains and fields, each tree is laden with fruit. If they were edible, how much revenue would this bring to Xinhui Town!

"Sour? I wonder what kind of fruit it is?" There are quite a few very sour fruits, but I wonder which one Xu Yan is referring to?

"When this fruit is ripe, it is dark purple, has no peel, a large pit, and basically no flesh. It looks very tempting, but one bite will make your teeth ache from the sourness."

Xu Yan's mouth waters just thinking about it now.

Upon hearing this, Song Jiaojiao had a general idea in mind.

"Do the fruits ripen around June?"

“Yes, that’s right!” Xu Yan recalled that he went there in mid-June, when the weather was starting to get hot.

It looks like a bayberry. In the previous generation, bayberries were still eaten by many people, but they were mostly improved versions, and most people could accept their sweet and sour taste.

What Xu Yan was referring to was probably the original variety. This fruit is indeed difficult to eat, but it's quite good for making wine.

Bayberry wine has a tangy and sour taste and is said to stimulate the appetite and aid digestion. It is especially delicious when paired with barbecue.

“Now I know what it is. I’ll go there when the fruit is almost ripe.”

Xu Yan knew that Song Jiaojiao was very attentive. Just her few workshops alone brought a lot of revenue to Yunshui Town, making the originally inconspicuous Yunshui Town suddenly squeeze into the top few.

"Yes, madam. As for the other towns and villages, they are all pretty much the same. Now that there are sweet potato workshops, most people have started to grow sweet potatoes."

The townships under the jurisdiction of Tongan County are basically half mountains and half hills. With high mountains and little water, there are no particularly flat areas, so there is not much enthusiasm for rice cultivation.

In addition, the climate here only allows for one crop of rice, which is barely enough to pay taxes, so most people still choose crops like sweet potatoes and corn that provide a good feeling of fullness.

Song Jiaojiao gained a basic understanding of the area surrounding Tongan County.

In towns and villages without any special features, sweet potatoes and potatoes can be grown. There's a sweet potato workshop called Sifanglou that's open now, so we can also supply potato flour to them.

In another half month, potatoes can be planted. Song Jiaojiao needs to go back and count how many seeds she has saved, and whether they can be promoted.

"I do have something here that is both a vegetable and a staple food. The main thing is that, like sweet potatoes, it can be processed into flour."

"Really? What is it?" Xu Yan was shocked when he heard this. Like sweet potatoes, did this mean that someone would buy them in large quantities later?

"I suppose Magistrate Xu has eaten hot pot before?" Song Jiaojiao asked.

"I have indeed eaten it. It's spicy and numbing, which is very suitable for the climate in Tongan County."

"There are two kinds of noodles in the hot pot. The one that turns transparent after cooking is made from sweet potato, while the other one that is white is made from potato."

Xu Yan suddenly realized that he had been wondering why the two types of noodles were different colors and had slightly different textures. He preferred the potato noodles to the sweet potato noodles, as they were soft, chewy, and very springy.

"I see. But if that's all it's for, I doubt we'll need many of them!"

"Of course, potatoes can be used in many ways, not just this one. Magistrate Xu, you can go to the food stalls and try all the different ways of eating potatoes when you have time. I can teach these ways to the people for free."