Ch 48: The Regent’s Farmer Husband

The next day, Jiang Ji exchanged for some fruit tree seeds and began sprouting them.

He planned to find a more secluded plot of land to raise the seedlings first, then transplant them later to improve their chances of survival.

Some fruit trees couldn’t be planted together—for instance, peach trees couldn’t be mixed with apples or pears, or else pest infestations would become severe. There also needed to be space left between different types of trees, so realistically, not many could be planted.

Planting a dozen or so of each type would be enough—after all, these were for the family’s own consumption, not for profit.

After soaking all the seeds, Jiang Ji went into town, found some fishermen, and ordered a large quantity of fine nets. Then he went to the lumber shop and ordered many long wooden stakes, asking them to sharpen one end and deliver them to his home.

In a little while, it would be time to transplant the rice seedlings. By then, he planned to try raising ducks and fish in the rice fields to help solve the problem of fertilizer shortage. For that, he needed to build fences or nets around the fields.

He had already written these methods—raising ducks and fish in paddy fields—into his rice cultivation guide. During his own lectures, he had also explained them. It just wasn’t clear how many people would actually try it.

Either way, he was going to implement it himself.

The land began right at the front of Jiang Ji’s house, so when several flatbed carts arrived carrying loads of long wooden poles, many neighbors came over to look.

One aunt asked curiously, “Jiang Ji, what are you doing with so many stakes? Building trellises for winter melons? You don’t need that many, do you?”

Beans, loofahs, and cucumbers all needed bamboo poles to climb, and winter melons required trellises.

As the workers from the lumber shop carried the poles inside, Jiang Ji replied, “No, I’m using them to build fences.”

“What kind of fences?”

“Once the rice seedlings are transplanted, I’m going to raise ducks and fish in the fields. I need to enclose the area.”

“Oh, that’s right—you mentioned that before,” the aunt recalled. “But why not just go cut some in the mountains? Why spend money?”

Jiang Ji answered, “I need a lot, and I don’t have time to chop them. It’s too much work.”

At home, only he and Jiang Yan had the strength for heavy labor. Cutting down trees, trimming off branches, sharpening the ends—it would take several days. Jiang Ji didn’t want to waste that much time.

A few people working in nearby fields overheard and asked, “Jiang Ji, you’re really going to raise ducks? Won’t they mess up the crops?”

Jiang Ji shook his head. “They shouldn’t. Auntie, are you planning to raise some too?”

“We wouldn’t know how. Let’s see how yours turn out first.”

“That’s fine,” Jiang Ji said with a smile. “I’ll test it out for everyone first.”

Up ahead in the field, Zhao Ru was watering the sweet potatoes and other seedlings. One of the aunts said to her, “Jiang Ji’s mother, your son is really something now—so capable!”

Zhao Ru smiled. “He learned everything from others. He’s just experimenting now—we still don’t know if it’ll work.”

“Ah, you’re bold to let him try! If it doesn’t go well, all that rice could be ruined.”

Zhao Ru kept smiling. “He has to try, doesn’t he? You never know until you do. It’s just the first season—we’ll see how it goes. And who knows? It might work out, right?”

“I just think it’s a bit risky. Our family wouldn’t dare try something like that. But since your household never has to worry about food or money, you can afford to experiment.”

From another field, Xiufang laughed. “Jiang Ji is paving the way for the rest of us! If it works out, we’ll all benefit from his success.”

“That’s right. Let’s just wait and see how it goes.”

After chatting about that, one of the aunts suddenly asked, “Hey, Zhao Ru, what about Jiang Ji’s marriage? What kind of girl does he like? Tell us a little!”

At the mention of this, Zhao Ru looked troubled and sighed. “He says he doesn’t want to marry yet.”

“He says he doesn’t want to marry, and you just let him be? He’s nineteen already—it’s time to start planning.”

Zhao Ru shook her head. “He refused before he even looked at the portrait of the girl they proposed. He really doesn’t seem to have that mindset yet. I can’t force him into marriage if he’s unwilling. I’ll let him be and wait another couple of years.”

“If you wait two more years, he’ll be twenty-one! Come on, if you’re firm with him, he wouldn’t dare go against you.”

Zhao Ru shook her head again. “No, that wouldn’t work. If he doesn’t like the person, the marriage won’t be happy. They’ll just end up quarreling—it’s better not to push it.”

“You’re too soft-hearted. Once he’s got a warm wife in his arms, he won’t be quarreling with you anymore!”

The women all laughed, and Zhao Ru also smiled. “That might be true, but he wants to find someone he genuinely likes. We can wait. A year or two won’t make a difference.”

The chatter in the field was lively, and the women’s voices carried far enough for Jiang Ji and Jiang Yan, standing by the gate, to hear everything.

Jiang Yan glanced at Jiang Ji’s helpless expression and smiled faintly. “Looks like the whole village’s keeping an eye on your marriage prospects.”

Jiang Ji raised an eyebrow, tilted his chin up, and grinned. “Can’t help it. Who told me to be so handsome? I’m a hot commodity.”

Jiang Yan: “…”

He gave him an amused, half-smiling look. Jiang Ji raised a brow. “What? You’re saying I’m not handsome?”

“Handsome—like a little black wild horse,” Jiang Yan replied.

“…What’s that supposed to mean, ‘little black wild horse’?” Jiang Ji looked indignant. “You’re just jealous, you know that? My skin isn’t black—it’s wheat-colored, healthy! Look at it, this tone’s beautiful, people wish they had it. You got that? Do you?”

He rolled up his sleeves, flexing his arm in front of Jiang Yan. “Look at this muscle—solid and perfect. See? Good-looking, right?”

Jiang Yan’s eyes lingered on his arm. Jiang Ji’s years of physical labor had made his muscles compact and smooth. “Mm. Good-looking,” he said.

“Finally, someone who knows quality.” Jiang Ji patted his shoulder. “But I’ll tell you this—your skin’s way too pale. A man doesn’t need to be that white. Get some sun—it’s healthy.”

Jiang Yan smiled faintly and shook his head.

Meanwhile, in Jiang Ji’s livestream, the viewers were laughing so hard they could barely type.

【Hahaha, forcing him to say it’s good-looking】
【I still remember when he asked his little brother if he was too dark】
【He used to care so much about being dark—now he’s just pretending not to】
【Ah, Jiang Yan, you poked right at his sore spot】
【I can’t stop laughing. In Jiang Yan’s eyes, Jiang Ji’s just a wild horse—and a black one at that】
【Heh, wild horses are the best—untamed spirits are exciting】
【Girl above, I feel you】
【Why’s Jiang Yan smiling so dotingly though?】
【I swear, Jiang Yan definitely likes Jiang Ji. The way he looks at him is so gentle sometimes】
【Yeah, totally agree. He probably doesn’t even realize it himself—but we do】
【And Jiang Ji’s definitely into his type—he’s said more than once that Jiang Yan’s handsome. If it were me, I’d have made a move already】
【Problem is, Jiang Yan might already be married. That’s probably why the streamer’s holding back】
【Sigh, when will Jiang Yan get his memory back?】
【If he really is married, Jiang Ji definitely wouldn’t go after him】
【When Jiang Yan remembers, I wonder if it’ll be a happy ending or a tragic one… kind of worried】

*

Life at Jiang Ji’s home was busy as ever—there was always something to do.

At the county office, Lord Chen and Magistrate Xu had already reached an agreement about Jiang Ji’s blueprints. They had hired many master carpenters to start building them, producing one of each to test their effectiveness.

If the results were good, they planned to make all the blueprints public and distribute them across the county, the prefecture, and even the province.

The two officials even made a special trip to Jiang Ji’s home to tell him the news in person—and to check on how his crops were growing.

Jiang Ji led them around the fields and paddies.

The weather was growing warmer, and the crops were thriving.

The potato sprouts had already grown three inches tall; the rice seedlings in the paddy field had poked two inches above the water, with three or four leaves each. The corn and cotton had been sown not long ago, so their shoots hadn’t yet broken through the soil—but when the earth was gently turned, the seeds were already germinating.

The sweet potatoes were growing the best—lush and green, nearly a foot tall.

“In a little while, we’ll be ready to transplant the sweet potato cuttings,” Jiang Ji said with a smile.

“Excellent. They’re growing beautifully,” said Lord Chen, nodding repeatedly. He called someone over with paper and brush to record each crop’s sprouting stage.

Jiang Ji reminded him, “My lord, Jiang Yan has already drawn these. If you’d like, you can have them copied.”

“Really? That’s great. When I return, I’ll review them and add those drawings into your cultivation guide. That’ll make it even clearer for others to understand.”

Jiang Ji nodded. “That’s what we were thinking too.”

Lord Chen looked over at a nearby plot and asked curiously, “What crop is that? I don’t think I’ve seen it before.”

Jiang Ji replied, “That’s tomato—just sprouted.”

“Tomato? A new crop?” Magistrate Xu asked.

Jiang Ji nodded. “Yes. I only had a small amount of seeds, so only three families planted it this time.”

Lord Chen asked, “Is it a vegetable, or can it be used as a staple food?”

“It’s a vegetable, but it can also be eaten raw—like a fruit.”

Lord Chen nodded. “Oh, good. When it’s harvested, I’ll have to come and taste it.”

“You’re most welcome.”

Magistrate Xu pointed toward another patch of seedlings. “And what’s this one? Some kind of leafy green?”

“This is lettuce—a vegetable, yes. It grows quickly; in a little over two months, it’ll be ready for harvest.”

“What about that one?” Lord Chen asked, pointing to another part of the field.

“That’s watermelon—it’s a fruit,” Jiang Ji explained, then took the initiative to introduce the rest: chili peppers, bitter melons, and other crops.

The two officials walked around the fields, hearing the names of many vegetables and fruits they had never encountered before.

“Can all of these be promoted in the future?” Lord Chen asked with interest.

Jiang Ji nodded. “Of course, but it has to be gradual—first fill everyone’s stomachs, then work on enriching the table.”

Lord Chen looked at him, his eyes full of approval. “Well said, Brother Jiang.”

Magistrate Xu suddenly recalled something. “Jiang Ji, when the first rice crop is harvested—if the results are good—will you still be able to get new seeds for the second crop? If we wait until the first harvest before sowing, it’ll definitely affect yield. Or can we only use the old varieties for the second season?”

For the second rice crop, seedlings had to be prepared while harvesting the first. That way, once reaping was done, they could immediately transplant the new seedlings, ensuring enough sunlight and heat throughout the growing season to harvest by October.

Jiang Ji nodded. “I can get the second-season rice seeds too, my lord—no need to worry. I’ll get as many as I can, enough at least for our county.”

“Good.”

The two officials felt relieved. If the first season’s new rice strain proved successful, everyone would surely switch to it for the second crop—meaning demand for the new seeds would multiply.

Lord Chen and Magistrate Xu made another circuit around the fields, then returned without even stopping for lunch. Lord Chen also took with him Jiang Yan’s illustrations of the sowing process and seedling growth.

Back at the county office, Lord Chen wrote a report to the provincial inspector summarizing their progress.

In another room, Magistrate Xu received an official letter from Prefect Hu, asking about the current state of the fields—particularly whether Jiang Ji could supply rice seed for the second crop.

Magistrate Xu pondered for a moment, then brought the letter to Lord Chen.

After reading it, Lord Chen chuckled lightly. “It seems Prefect Hu is still very concerned about the new rice strain and these new crops.”

Magistrate Xu hesitated. “Should I report the truth, then?”

“Yes. I’m already reporting our progress to Lord Fan. Make sure Prefect Hu receives the same information.”

“Understood.”

…

At the prefectural office, a runner came in to announce, “My lord, a letter has arrived from Changping County.”

The clerk took it and handed it to Prefect Hu.

Prefect Hu read it briefly, giving a cold chuckle.

“My lord, what did Magistrate Xu say?” the clerk asked curiously.

Prefect Hu passed him the letter. The clerk read it over, quickly understanding.

Prefect Hu had never gotten over the resentment he felt toward Jiang Ji—first for hiding his merchant identity and refusing to collaborate in business, and then for outsmarting him.

The last time Jiang Ji and his group returned from Huawen County, they detoured through Pingnan and avoided the bandits at Skull Mountain. When Prefect Hu heard about it, he had been so furious he smashed the table in front of him.

After a moment of thought, the clerk said, “My lord, since Jiang Ji can still get rice seeds, this could be our opportunity.”

Prefect Hu shot him a glance. “Didn’t you read the letter? It says he may only have enough for Changping County.”

“Can we really take Jiang Ji’s words at face value? Last time, he claimed he was out of seeds, and then he sold rice seed to six counties. Just a few days ago, he sold corn seed again—enough for ten thousand mu, they say,” the clerk pointed out.

At that, Prefect Hu’s anger flared again. He slammed his palm on the table, spilling tea everywhere. “Send someone to investigate! Find that merchant for me! I want to see how long that brat surnamed Jiang can keep hiding!”

“Yes, my lord.” The clerk replaced the teacup and poured fresh tea, then added, “But doesn’t it seem strange to you?”

“What’s strange?”

“According to reports from the other counties,” the clerk said thoughtfully, “no one ever saw how Jiang Ji transported those seeds. That many seeds should take dozens of carts to move—but not one person saw such a merchant convoy pass through.”

Prefect Hu frowned, recalling the previous county reports. “Didn’t they say Jiang Ji had arranged for a manor outside the city and moved everything there at night?”

“Even if they went at night, wouldn’t they still have to travel the main roads by day?” the clerk reasoned. “Jiang Ji claimed the goods came from the south. If that’s true, to reach Changping, Pingnan, and Huawen Counties, they would’ve had to pass through Anhe County. Yet no one there saw a convoy that large. And considering he sold to seven counties in total—how many merchants would that require to haul all those goods? Every time Jiang Ji arrived somewhere, the seeds appeared the very next day. Isn’t that strange?”

Prefect Hu thought for a moment. “So what are you implying?”

The clerk replied, “My lord, think about it. If the seeds truly came from the south, it would take time. From the day he sold the seeds in Changping to the time they were available in other counties—it wasn’t many days at all. Even with urgent couriers, there’s no way they could’ve delivered seeds that fast.”

Prefect Hu’s expression shifted slightly as the clerk went on. “Our southern province borders Lin Prefecture. I checked—Lin Prefecture doesn’t even have sweet potatoes. The next one further south would be Li Prefecture, and traveling from there to us would take at least seven or eight days. And that’s without hauling heavy cargo. A round trip for communication alone would take half a month.”

“And besides,” the clerk continued, “even setting aside whether Li Prefecture has sweet potatoes or new rice strains—if it did, wouldn’t the court have already issued an edict to promote them across the empire?”

Prefect Hu nodded. “That makes sense. So where exactly did he get these new rice seeds and sweet potatoes?”

The clerk shook his head. “No idea. My guess is that either they were newly discovered somewhere in the south—or they aren’t from our Dasheng at all. But if they were a new discovery, the local county or prefectural offices would have already reported it to the court. Could it be that the news hasn’t reached the capital yet, and Jiang Ji somehow got them first?”

“Impossible,” Prefect Hu dismissed that thought immediately. “Any official who stumbled upon something that valuable would understand its importance to the empire. There’s no way they’d let some traveling merchant buy it up and haul it out first.”

“Yes, my lord. The source of these seeds is only one issue,” the clerk went on. “The other problem is what we mentioned before—how did this merchant supposedly transport so much seed unnoticed? A merchant convoy that large shouldn’t be invisible to everyone.”

Prefect Hu thought for a moment, then said, “I have some acquaintances among the prefects in Lin Prefecture and Li Prefecture. I’ll write to them and ask directly.”

“My lord,” the clerk hesitated, “what if these things aren’t from our Dasheng at all…?”

Prefect Hu’s eyes widened. “You mean from the Kingdom of Lai?”

“No, no,” he shook his head again, frowning. “The Kingdom of Lai lies south of our Dasheng, separated by a wide river and hundreds of li of rugged mountains. The terrain there is nearly impassable—it’s impossible these could’ve been brought from that side. And with the southern border guarded by the General of Zhen’nan, no one could possibly slip past his watch.”

“Quite right, my lord. The southern border seems unlikely,” the clerk said, falling into thought. “Then I really can’t imagine how these sweet potatoes came to be here.”

Prefect Hu was silent for a moment before saying, “In any case, he’ll have to transport seeds again in two months, won’t he? We’ll send people to investigate then.”

“Yes, my lord.”

*

The busy days passed quickly, and it was finally time to transplant the sweet potato cuttings.

In Jiang Ji’s village, everyone had started their seedlings on the same day as his family, so they had all grown to roughly the same stage.

Jiang Ji notified the village chief ahead of time to have everyone prepare their fields. Soon, the whole village was out working—turning the soil, building ridges, ready for planting. On the day of transplantation, everyone gathered at Jiang Ji’s home to watch how he did it.

Crouching on the ground with scissors in hand, Jiang Ji demonstrated. “Cut here with the scissors, remove the lower leaves—be careful to leave just a tiny bit here, don’t damage this node where the roots will sprout. Keep two or three leaves and the tip. Then, with the leaves facing upward, bury the vine diagonally into the soil—about one foot apart between each plant. Press the soil down firmly, then water it.”

“Pick the thicker, sturdier vines for planting. Leave the rest to grow a little longer—if you plant them a few days later, it’s fine. Once you’re all done, you can even sell the extra vines.”

It was simple, and everyone understood quickly. They hurried back to their own plots to start cutting.

The Jiang family had two mu of sweet potatoes to plant. It happened to be a rest day for the village school, so Jiang Nan and Jiang Bei stayed home to watch the house while the others went to work the fields.

Cutting vines, planting, watering—the four of them worked busily all morning and finished planting their two mu of land.

Their field bordered a water channel, so Jiang Ji simply dug an opening to divert the water directly into the plot—no need to haul buckets back and forth.

He also tied the ladle to a long bamboo pole, so he could scoop water while standing upright instead of bending over. It made things much easier.

He had actually wanted to exchange for some modern plastic ladles—they were lighter, tougher, and far more convenient than gourd scoops—but since plastic didn’t exist in this world, he couldn’t risk taking them out.

Jiang Ji took off his shoes and socks, stepping barefoot into the cool water. When he saw Xia’er and Zhao Ru about to wade in too, he quickly said, “Xia’er, Mother, let me do the watering. Don’t come in—it’s cold. You’ll catch a chill.”

The weather was still a bit cool, and Zhao Ru’s health was frail. Catching cold would not be worth it.

Zhao Ru frowned. “But there are two mu of land.”

“It’s fine. We don’t need to haul water—it’ll be done soon. You two go back and start lunch.”

Jiang Yan added, “Auntie, go ahead. The two of us can handle it—it’ll be quick.”

Zhao Ru looked at the flowing water and nodded—it really did save a lot of effort. “All right, we’ll go prepare the meal first.”

She took Xia’er and went home. Jiang Ji and Jiang Yan stayed behind, scooping and watering the field.

“Jiang Yan, pretty smart of me to buy this land, huh? We can flood it directly from the channel—saves so much work.”

He had picked this plot precisely because it bordered the irrigation ditch, unlike their old land, which required carrying water by hand.

Jiang Yan glanced at the villagers in the distance carrying water to their gardens and smiled. “Good foresight.”

“Of course.” Jiang Ji’s pride showed plainly on his face.

Not long after the sweet potatoes were planted, the tomatoes and watermelons were ready for transplanting. The Jiang family had two mu of tomatoes and four mu of watermelons, which took three full days to finish.

Soon after, it was time to transplant the rice seedlings as well, and every household became busy again.

The Jiang family owned over twenty mu of paddy fields—too much to handle alone. They managed to plant about four or five mu themselves.

Once the other families had finished their own fields, Jiang Ji hired some of the villagers to help and, after two more days, got the rest planted.

For the paddies designated for raising fish, they left the edges open and didn’t transplant rice there. The villagers helped dig channels and pile the mud onto the ridges. At the head of the field, they dug a small pond to prepare for fish farming.

“You’re going to raise ducks and fish in all twenty mu?” Uncle Tu Gen asked, sounding worried. “You’re not leaving even a few mu aside?”

Jiang Ji shook his head. “No need—I don’t have enough fertilizer anyway.”

Uncle Tu Gen sighed. He thought Jiang Ji was being a bit too bold. And besides, the fish fields had so many ditches dug along the edges that several rows of rice yield would be lost.

Once the rice seedlings were transplanted, Jiang Ji invited Uncle Tu Gen and the others to help him set up the fish nets. They divided the paddy field into two sections—one for fish and one for ducks—then drove wooden stakes into the four sides and secured the nets in place.

He also built two duck sheds at the edge of the duck field so the ducks could rest and stay cool.

With all the preparations finished, they just had to wait about a week after the seedlings took root before releasing the fish and ducks.

During that time, as the other counties finished planting their rice and sweet potatoes, Jiang Ji’s sweet potato promotion mission also reached fifty thousand mu, unlocking a new reward.

Beginner, intermediate, and advanced culinary skills.

The next day at noon, Jiang Ji showcased his new cooking talent. Using ingredients exchanged from the system, he made beer-braised duck, spicy poached pork slices, grilled fish, and twice-cooked pork, plus a plate of stir-fried greens.

Everyone was stunned.

Jiang Ji set down the vegetables on the table. “All done! Come on, try it. I just learned these cooking skills—see if it tastes good.”

“Wow, brother, it smells amazing!” Jiang Nan sniffed eagerly. “Just smelling it makes my mouth water.”

“It’s the food that smells good, not big brother,” Jiang Bei corrected him, pointing curiously. “Brother, these red bits—are they chili peppers?”

“Yes. I figured you couldn’t handle spicy food, so I only used a little.” Jiang Ji pointed to a few bowls at the side. “Those don’t have chili in them. Jiang Nan, Jiang Bei, if you can’t take spicy, eat those.”

“Then what’s this green thing?” Jiang Nan asked, pointing at the green peppers in the twice-cooked pork.

“That’s green pepper—it’s just chili before it turns red. It’s edible too,” Jiang Ji said. “Come on, dig in.”

Everyone picked up their chopsticks.

Zhao Ru picked a piece of beer-braised duck. The meat was golden, tender, and free of any gamey smell, carrying a faint aroma of alcohol. There was a touch of numbing from Sichuan peppercorns and a stimulating flavor—must be the spice Jiang Ji mentioned.

“How is it?” Jiang Ji asked eagerly.

“Delicious—very flavorful.” Zhao Ru nodded, then picked up a piece of red chili. “Let me try what the chili tastes like.”

Before Jiang Ji could stop her, Zhao Ru had already eaten it.

“Mm—!” Zhao Ru furrowed her brows, fanning her mouth as she exhaled sharply. Jiang Ji hurriedly poured her a cup of water.

After drinking half the cup, Zhao Ru asked, “So this is what spicy means?”

“Yup.”

Jiang Yan also picked a piece, though his was from the twice-cooked pork. “This one isn’t as spicy. If you want to taste it, try this kind.”

“Brother Yan, you’ve had it before?” Jiang Xia asked, then curiously took a bite of green pepper herself. “Wow, this flavor—it’s so intense…”

“Mm. Back at the manor, your brother had me try spicy food once,” Jiang Yan said, glancing at Jiang Ji. “But it wasn’t this kind of green pepper.”

“I wanna try too!” Jiang Nan said excitedly, grabbing a piece of pepper.

“Just bite a tiny bit first,” Jiang Ji warned.

Jiang Nan ignored him and took a huge bite. After two chews, he spat it out, gasping and fanning his mouth, eyes watering.

“Quick, eat some rice!” Jiang Ji said, handing him water.

Jiang Bei, the more cautious one, only bit a tiny piece, tasted it, and then stuck to eating the meat.

Once Zhao Ru and Jiang Xia recovered, they stayed away from peppers altogether, leaving only Jiang Yan still eating calmly—he didn’t seem very afraid of the heat and ate quite a lot.

“Even though the chili’s spicy, the meat tastes better with that little bit of kick,” Jiang Xia said as she ate the twice-cooked pork. “It’s really flavorful—goes perfectly with rice.”

“This meat’s so good too,” Jiang Nan said, happily eating from the spicy poached pork dish. The meat slices were tender, and both twins loved them.

“Try the fish—it’s delicious too!” Jiang Xia pointed, then turned to Jiang Ji with a big thumbs-up. “Brother, you’re amazing—you cook even better than Mother now!”

Jiang Ji grinned. “Of course. The immortals taught me, after all.”

Jiang Yan: “…”

He tried every dish. Each one was superb—the duck tender and savory, the twice-cooked pork fragrant but not greasy, the poached pork silky soft, the fish richly seasoned, and even the stir-fried greens were crisp and fresh.

He glanced at Jiang Ji, and for a moment, he almost believed his story about being taught by immortals.

After all, just a month ago, when they were at the manor, Jiang Ji could barely cook. According to him, those were his first attempts—his stewed potatoes with meat were trial and error, and his stir-fried greens were merely passable.

Yet now, after not cooking once since returning home, he suddenly displayed such refined culinary skill. Unless he really had divine help, it was hard to explain.

Jiang Nan exclaimed excitedly, “Brother, the immortals are awesome—they even taught you how to cook!”

“Yeah. I’ll cook for you guys whenever I have time,” Jiang Ji said, smiling. “In a while, I’ll make roast duck for you—it’s delicious.”

“Yes! Yes!” Jiang Nan cheered. “I’ve never eaten roasted duck before!”

Jiang Bei got even more excited. “Let’s have it tonight!”

Jiang Ji knocked him lightly on the head. “The oven isn’t even built yet. I have to make it first before we can roast duck.”

Jiang Yan looked at him and asked, “You’re planning to sell it, aren’t you?”

If it was just for the family, he wouldn’t need to go to the trouble of building an oven.

“Smart,” Jiang Ji said with a grin. “If our duck-raising experiment in the rice fields succeeds, others will follow. That means there’ll be lots of ducks. Someone has to buy them, right? Otherwise, what—everyone eats duck every day? So we’ll create new recipes. Once they get popular in town, people will start buying ducks to cook themselves, and the villagers won’t have trouble selling them.”

“Not just ducks—fish too,” Jiang Ji continued, eyes bright with ideas. “We can open a shop that specializes in duck and fish dishes. I know lots of new ways to cook them. We’ll attract plenty of customers and help sell all those ducks and fish.”

Jiang Yan paused for a moment, then his eyes slowly lit up.

He hadn’t expected Jiang Ji to think so far ahead—not only spreading the rice field duck and fish method to others, but also anticipating the surplus problem that would follow. And he had already found a solution—one that would both help the villagers and bring him profit.

Jiang Yan looked at Jiang Ji deeply, his eyes warm and shining with admiration.

🌾🌾🌾🌾🌾