Chapter 145

Fan Jin finally understood why Bai Manshan had been stunned for a while before speaking.

Upon hearing the news, he felt the same way.

He didn’t know what to say.

Shuiqing closed her eyes.

Although she had mentally prepared herself earlier, hearing the actual events was still incredibly shocking.

Things were indeed becoming chaotic.

And Bai Manshan’s information was clearly much earlier than what ordinary people knew!

“Let’s close the doors and speak frankly among ourselves,” Bai Manshan said with a serious expression. “Regardless of who becomes emperor, as long as he can maintain stability and peace in the country, that’s a good emperor in my book.”

Shuiqing: … Who wouldn’t agree?

All this arguing among the royals, all for the sake of power and wealth, it’s the common people who suffer.

We’ve only had peaceful times for just over thirty years.

“I’m a businessman. Normally, those officials occasionally take advantage of me, finding excuses to extort money. I take it as a loss to avoid disaster. But once chaos erupts, the Bai family, being prominent, will inevitably become the target of various factions. Everyone will want a piece, and no one will be satisfied—they’ll only want more and more, never being satisfied. That won’t be enough to feed them.”

“So I have to act beforehand, transferring some silver, consolidating family assets, land, and shops, and waiting for the right moment to move.” Bai Manshan felt that these were words he couldn’t even tell his mother, but it was easier to say them to Fan Jin and Shuiqing than he had imagined.

It was because he had a premonition that his decision wouldn’t be criticized by them like it would by his mother.

Shuiqing had been in business before. Her business wasn’t as big as Bai Manshan’s, but whether it was a big business or a small one, the challenges they faced were basically the same.

Everyone had their difficulties.

Regarding Bai Manshan’s approach, from a modern perspective, ensuring cash flow was the hard truth.

When the market was good, he sold his assets at high prices, holding a large amount of cash. When the market was bad, he bought back at low prices.

Between buying and selling, his assets not only didn’t lose value but expanded significantly.

And by selling off visible family assets such as land and shops, Bai Manshan could also avoid being targeted by various people, ensuring the safety of the Bai family and themselves.

Shuiqing sincerely praised, “No wonder you sent all your family away. You had a plan early on. I have to admire you. You’ve considered everything comprehensively.”

The only thing he didn’t consider was himself.

Fan Jin was thinking about how Bai Manshan would face the financial wolves and tigers alone, his eyes showing reluctance. “Brother Bai, you—”

Bai Manshan signaled to them with his eyes.

Fan Jin and Shuiqing immediately understood. Bai Manshan was worried about Li Huyu’s concerns.

Bai Manshan resumed his usual gentle demeanor, smiling, “I’m fine. I have servants, family members, and guards. I’m safe. Nothing will happen to me. By the way, how’s the potato yield? You’ve been collecting for several days now, right?”

The topic successfully shifted.

Fan Jin continued, “Today is the first day. We’ve hired people—some are responsible for digging potatoes, some for picking them, and what you saw earlier are the ones transporting them.”

Bai Manshan’s naturally round eyes widened gradually, his mouth following suit, almost big enough to fit an egg.

The Bai family alone had thousands of acres of good farmland, not to mention forests and fields. Bai Manshan understood more about crop yields in the fields than most farmers did!

He asked incredulously, “So, what I just saw earlier, there must be over ten thousand catties?”

Shuiqing nodded confidently, “Today’s total harvest is about twenty thousand catties.”

Bai Manshan hurriedly asked, “Then, how many acres were harvested today?”

If the number of acres was large, twenty thousand catties would be ordinary…

After talking for a while, Bai Manshan felt a bit parched. He picked up the tea cup beside him, skimmed off the tea foam floating on top with the lid, and took a sip, prepared to calmly listen whether it was dozens or hundreds of mu.

“Uh, there should be a little over ten mu?” Shuiqing wasn’t very certain and estimated a number.

According to books on high-yield potato cultivation techniques, the yield per mu could generally reach over two thousand catties. But their land still had many newly reclaimed areas, although they had been enriched with chicken manure, sheep manure, pig manure, and other farm compost, the fertility was still somewhat inferior compared to their previous fields.

Bai Manshan sprayed all the tea out in one gulp!

Cough, cough, cough!

Li Huyu had been practicing martial arts with her father since childhood, and after marrying into the Bai family, she had never had a chance to demonstrate her skills until today—where she effectively blocked in front of her husband.

This prevented the tea from splashing onto Fan Jin and Shuiqing’s faces.

While Bai Manshan coughed until his face turned red, he also felt fortunate that his wife had saved his dignity.

Ah, it was really embarrassing.

After coughing for a while, he finally recovered and patted Li Huyu’s back. Turning to the two, he asked, “A little over ten mu? Are you sure it’s just over ten mu?”

Even if this “little over ten mu” was nineteen mu, the yield per mu could still reach over a thousand catties.

Fan Jin nodded, “Yes, a few households in the village also planted potatoes, and the estimated yield per mu is about…”

“How much?”

“The lower end is around thirteen hundred catties, while the better ones should reach around eighteen hundred catties.”

Bai Manshan stared, his mouth wide open, no longer daring to drink the tea.

After pursing his lips, he muttered to himself, “This is truly a treasure.”

It could cause a sensation throughout the Ming Dynasty.

No, wait, wait.

“I remember when I came last time, was it in the winter or late winter? Weren’t potatoes also planted in the vegetable fields?” It’s only been half a year, and they’re harvesting potatoes again?

Are these potatoes planted in the first half of the year or the second half?

Fan Jin gently explained, “Those were planted in ** month. These were planted in January and February because they can be harvested in about four months. We’re trying to plant two seasons in a year. Unexpectedly, it worked.”

Bai Manshan swallowed hard.

His usually sharp mind was now somewhat chaotic and noisy.

Crops yielding over a thousand catties per mu, and being able to plant two seasons in a year—this would have shocked and received accolades throughout the dynasties!

He looked into Fan Jin and Shuiqing’s eyes with a sense of regret.

In prosperous times, of course, it would be a major cause for celebration.

In chaotic times, however, it could be the root of conflict among various factions and could attract trouble…

Thinking that they hadn’t monopolized this, but rather distributed it, he agreed and said, “It’s a good thing for the villagers to plant as well.”

The more spread out, the better.

“Brother Bai, you mentioned wanting to plant before. Do you still need it?” Fan Jin asked.

Without hesitation, Bai Manshan nodded, “Yes, and I’ll purchase the seeds at the market price. Our summers here are rainy and humid. Potatoes avoid the rainy season, making them perfect for our southern capital!”

Regardless, high-yield crops are always beneficial.

“Alright, I’ll leave it all to you.” Considering the quantity, Fan Jin asked again, “By the way, is it too much for us to plant about five hundred mu this harvest?”