The refugees who had been waiting outside the city for assistance gradually began to register for residency, build houses, and cultivate land.

Especially after Shen Qingwan officially announced that the porridge shelter would be withdrawn after the spring of the following year, the refugees became even more anxious.

Shen Qingwan had promised to distribute a portion of sweet potatoes to aid the disaster victims, and she had fulfilled that promise.

Now, the shop also started selling sweet potatoes.

However, due to the inconvenience of weighing and packaging, they decided to sell them individually instead.

They selected sweet potatoes of similar sizes and priced them at three wen per piece.

When this price was announced, the common people were overjoyed—it was incredibly cheap.

Nowadays, three wen couldn’t even buy a coarse cornbread bun, let alone such a large sweet potato.

With over 400 acres of sweet potatoes to harvest, the entire village, along with about a hundred refugees, worked together. It took ten full days to dig them all up.

The ones of uniform size were set aside to be sold in the shop.

Smaller ones were reserved for seeds, while the largest ones were stored for the villagers to survive the winter.

Altogether, there were more than two million jin (about a million kilograms) of sweet potatoes.

Shen Qingwan planned to send 500,000 jin to the Beidaying military camp, sell 300,000 jin in the shop, donate 200,000 jin to the porridge shelter, and keep the rest for the villagers’ winter provisions and next year’s planting.

The issue of granting her a noble title was still unresolved. Shen Qingwan felt it was necessary to visit again.

She was determined that if she delivered her supplies, Beichen Yuan wouldn’t have the audacity to accept them for free.

Besides the title issue, she had also heard that the war had intensified recently.

The Zhenbei Army had launched a fierce attack, seemingly on the verge of repelling the Beirong forces. She wanted to contribute to the border soldiers.

If not for the disparity in military strength, this battle might have already ended.

No matter how brave the Zhenbei Army was or how formidable the War King was, it was difficult to fight against Beirong’s 200,000 troops with just 100,000 soldiers.

The fact that they had held out despite the numerical disadvantage was already an impressive feat—Beichen Yuan had truly proven his capabilities.

During this time, Shen Qingwan had mostly stayed in the village. Not only was it harvest season for all the crops, but her chickens, ducks, and geese had also hatched.

She had hired Wang Xiue’s couple, Chen Zhaodi’s couple, and Li Shuanzi’s couple to handle the poultry, each taking charge of one type and raising them separately.

The three families chosen by Shen Qingwan were so thrilled that they could hardly sleep at night.

A monthly wage of one tael of silver per person meant two taels per couple, totaling 24 taels a year.

This was a significant income! With the combined earnings from other family members, they could afford to build new houses in less than two years.

How could they not be excited?

Shen Qingwan was generous with the villagers, and thankfully, Daqi Village had an honest and simple folk.

Ever since Zhang Qiao’er’s death, there had been no more troublemakers.

She stored some pumpkins, squash, winter melons, cabbage, and radishes in the cellar while keeping the bulk in her special space.

The cellar could preserve freshness, but it was nothing compared to her space.

She especially reserved tomatoes and cucumbers for when she opened her restaurant.

The tomatoes and cucumbers had been harvested for a while, and now it was time to uproot the plants. The rest of the crops were almost fully harvested.

By November, the northern climate was too cold to grow anything else until spring.

After handling affairs in the village, Shen Qingwan traveled to Yanzhou again.

She transported the sweet potatoes and vegetables intended for Beidaying to the estate she had rented previously before heading to the military camp.

By now, she was familiar with the camp.

However, Murong Wushuang was not present, so she had to meet Beichen Yuan instead.

She had brought a basket of steamed sweet potatoes, originally intended for Murong Wushuang and Chu Fengchun to try.

But as soon as she stepped into the tent, the sweet aroma wafted through the air.

Beichen Yuan immediately fixed his gaze on her basket, his intent clear.

Shen Qingwan had no choice but to open the basket and offer him one.

“Your Highness, please try this.”

Beichen Yuan cast her a cool glance but still accepted the sweet potato. “You came all this way just to bring this?”

He broke the sweet potato apart, and the rich fragrance hit him instantly.

He hadn’t felt particularly hungry before, but now, smelling it, he suddenly was.

“Of course not. I came to report on my mission. The grain you entrusted me to deliver to the northwest has been successfully transported. The sweet potatoes are just a small gift for Your Highness and the soldiers. These were cultivated on my land—newly developed high-yield crops. Since it’s a good harvest, I brought some for Your Highness and the army to taste.”

Shen Qingwan spoke calmly, showing no particular emotion.

Beichen Yuan already knew the grain transport mission had been completed—he had received a letter of gratitude from Gu Tingyi.

So this woman wasn’t here to report but to claim credit.

He deliberately ignored the topic, but as he chewed the sweet potato, he was amazed by its taste.

“This crop has high yields?” He couldn’t believe that something so delicious could also be abundant.

Shen Qingwan raised an eyebrow, her expression unreadable. “So-so. Just about… four to five thousand jin per mu.”

“How much?” Beichen Yuan stopped eating mid-bite and looked at her.

Shen Qingwan didn’t repeat herself, letting him process the number.

A crop yielding four to five thousand jin per mu, and it tasted this good?

Beichen Yuan could hardly believe it.

Seeing her so nonchalant, he pressed further. “How much of this… sweet potato did you bring this time?”

“Not much. Just about 500,000 jin. Enough for the soldiers to have a taste.”

Her casual tone made Beichen Yuan want to hit something.

Could this woman not speak properly?

“Besides sweet potatoes, I also brought several other high-yield crops, each capable of yielding thousands of jin per mu. However, I didn’t plant too much this year, so I only brought a small portion. The supplies are at the estate. Your Highness can send someone to retrieve them.”

Hearing this, Beichen Yuan immediately ordered Xuantian to bring a team to collect the goods.

After setting down the half-eaten sweet potato, Beichen Yuan looked at Shen Qingwan seriously.

“The request for your noble title has been written. However, the court is currently unstable, and the emperor is gravely ill. Your title as a county lord may take some time to process. Once I return to the capital, I will personally ensure it is granted.”

Since he had promised her the title, he intended to follow through.

Besides, she had managed to recover the stolen grain and secretly transported it to the northwest army.

That alone proved her exceptional abilities—she was someone worth drawing in.

Not to mention, she had now cultivated high-yield crops.

This was a massive contribution to the nation.

A mere county lord title wasn’t too much to ask.

Unfortunately, she was a woman; otherwise, he would have kept her by his side as an official.

Shen Qingwan trusted Beichen Yuan.

Though the process was slow, as long as she eventually received her title, that was enough. With a county lord title, she could firmly establish herself in this region.

“Then I thank Your Highness,” she said, cupping her hands in salute.

This time, their interaction was relatively harmonious. At least, Beichen Yuan no longer looked at her with murderous intent.