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Although Sasa looked fierce and gave off an adult-like aura, it had a special fondness for children, and its gaze softened considerably when interacting with them. Gradually, the children weren’t afraid of it anymore. Particularly, Chu Hanyan liked it a lot because of its beautiful, soft, and white fur. She would often hug its plump body and rub her face against its back.
By the end of July, the Golden Swallow still flew outside daily to play in the woods. However, it returned almost every day to play with Dabao and Chu Hanyan, as they were reluctant to let it go.
Since it had to return every day, it only took Qiqi and Gray with it and didn’t take Zhui Feng and Sasa. Although the dogs ran fast, the long distance was still too tiring for them.
During these days, Chu Lingxuan hadn’t even returned for a break, he was on official business elsewhere.
Chen Ming also became busy as the rice was ready for harvesting. He and Old Zeng were going to the Lao Huai Village in Zhongning County. The two hundred acres of fields there were sown with excellent seeds from the space, but the local farmers hadn’t followed Chen Feng’s advice to soak the seeds. Nevertheless, the rice there was flourishing, with very few empty grains and low chaff rate. The full grains even bent the stalks, bringing smiles to the tenants’ faces.
Before Chen Ming left, Chen Feng reminded him that Chen Shiying was the local magistrate, and the rice in that area was much better than in other fields. He and the county governor, along with the officials in charge of agriculture, would definitely inspect it.
Upon hearing that he might meet Chen Shiying and perhaps even the county governor and other officials, Chen Ming became somewhat apprehensive. Chen Feng reassured him and told Old Zeng to mainly respond to them.
On the 2nd of August, the Lin family, from Wangshan Village, arrived, bringing a basket of tender corn cobs. The old man was beaming with delight, “Young miss, this is the corn from the plot you chose. The cobs are big and some even have two kernels. I estimate that each acre of that hundred-acre land can yield over four hundred catties.”
In this area, a good yield for corn was often around two hundred catties per acre, and in the mountainous areas, it was even less. If they could indeed yield over four hundred catties per acre, it would be a great boon for the people.
Chen Feng was thrilled and had Old Zeng take the corn to cook, eager to taste it.
However, after cooking, the corn didn’t taste as good as Chen Feng had expected. It wasn’t very sweet, and the kernels weren’t as juicy. She felt somewhat disappointed, wondering if she should have let the seeds soak a bit longer. Insufficient soaking might have affected the taste.
After some contemplation, Chen Feng came to terms with it. In an age where many struggled to get enough food, the focus was on filling one’s stomach rather than savoring flavors. As long as the corn had a high yield, it met the expected goal.
Once at ease, she felt elated. She invites Mrs. Wang and Lu to join her for lunch and sent some to Steward Luo’s home.
In ancient times, tender corn was considered a rare delicacy. Except for wealthy households, it was rarely eaten to avoid wasting food. Farmers waited for the corn to mature before harvesting it, and the grain shops sold cornmeal made from mature corn.
Chen Feng saved a few corn cobs, thinking that the Golden Swallow, Qiqi, Gray, and other birds would surely enjoy them.
On the 5th of August, it was time for the Golden Swallow to enter the space again. It didn’t play in the woods that day, during the day, it stayed on Chu Hanyan’s clothes, and in the evening, when Dabao returned, it hung around him.
Chu Hanyan was ecstatic and proud, telling Chen Feng, “Auntie, Golden Treasure was so well-behaved today. It played with me the entire time and didn’t go to the woods.”
Dabao was more discerning. Seeing the Golden Swallow looking listless, his eyes held a hint of sadness, making him worried. He asked Chen Feng, “Mom, is Golden Treasure going to the south soon? It must be, look, it doesn’t want to leave me.”
Chen Feng sighed but remained silent. Whether the Golden Swallow wanted to leave was secondary, she felt more at ease when it was outside, and a bit anxious when it was inside, especially after learning about Dabao’s true identity.
Late at night, as fast as lightning, the Golden Swallow entered the space, and Chen Feng accompanied it. Initially, it seemed a bit melancholic, but as soon as it was in Chen Feng’s arms, its face lit up.
Suddenly, it said to Chen Feng, “Mommy, look, does the amber bird-like seem different? I feel its color isn’t as transparent as before.”
“Really?” Chen Feng leaned in to inspect it. Indeed, the color seemed a bit darker, less translucent, showing signs of transforming into old amber. In disbelief, she said, “Indeed.”
The Golden Swallow beamed and continued to play with the amber. Chen Feng then left the space.
The next morning, Dabao got up and hastily walked out, barely bothering to put on his clothes, only wearing an undershirt and shorts, leaving Autumn to chase after him with his clothes.
He first went to the ear room and saw only Qiqi and Gray in the basket. Then, he checked the birdcages in the corridor, but the Golden Swallow was not there. He looked up at the tree, still no sign of the Golden Swallow. He knew the Golden Swallow had gone south.
He returned to the upper room with a drooping head and told Chen Feng, “Mom, Golden Treasure left, it has flown back south.”
Chen Feng, surprised, asked, “Really? It left today?” She then hugged Dabao and said, “Son, don’t be sad, it’ll fly back here next spring.”
Dabao’s biggest concern was, “Our place is thousands of miles away from the south, unlike the mountains, so what if it can’t find its way back?”
Chen Feng reassured him, “No, Golden Treasure is very clever. It found its way back this spring, didn’t it?”
After lunch, she saw Dabao off, who was feeling down.
Chu Hanyan was much slower to react. She waited for a long time but didn’t see Golden Swallow, feeling very disappointed. When Dabao came for lunch, he mentioned that Golden Swallow might have already gone south, which made her burst into tears.
The little girl sobbed and Chen Feng comforted her until she felt better in the evening.
In mid-August, after the rice harvest, Chen Ming and Old Zeng returned from Lao Huai Village. Their radiant and satisfied expressions indicated a bountiful rice harvest. They reported that this time, the rice yield reached over five hundred catties per acre. The rice grains were slender, oily, and had a better taste than regular rice, slightly inferior only to the superior Bijing rice.
The Prefect, the agricultural officials from the prefecture, as well as the magistrate and the deputy magistrate, all visited, were delighted to see such excellent rice, and praised Chen Ming and the tenant farmers who grew it. They instructed them to preserve the seeds well, intending to promote this rice variety extensively in the area. If successful, it would be promoted nationwide.
Due to the direct involvement of the Prefect and with the strong backing of the Chu family, the news was not known to the major rice and grain merchants, and the rice, including the seeds, was directly sold by Fengyunlai and Chen’s Grain Shop.