Ch 71: The Regent’s Farmer Husband

At dawn the next day, just as the sky was beginning to lighten, Jiang Ji and the others went out to the fields.

The lettuce from the previous mu of land had already been completely sold, with only a little left for their own meals. They turned over the empty soil again and planted chili peppers. Now they needed to harvest watermelons, as well as chilies, tomatoes, bitter melon, and other crops. The chilies and bitter melon were supplied to the restaurant.

With many hands working, everyone divided the tasks and cooperated.

Lu Jiu took Lu Shun to the watermelon field. Lu Shun had grown up in the city, and seeing such a vast stretch of watermelon vines left him deeply amazed.

He did not know how to pick them, so he helped carry instead. When he saw his young master working alongside everyone else, he found it almost unbelievable.

He tried to go help, but Lu Jiu stopped him.

Lu Shun glared at his older brother. “You’re just going to watch the young master work?”

Lu Jiu replied helplessly, “The young master won’t let anyone help. He likes doing it himself.”

Lu Shun fell silent.

Looking again, he saw his young master skillfully selecting watermelons with scissors, neatly cutting off the stems, while Chen Feng lifted the melons and placed them into baskets beside him.

Lu Shun sighed. Lu Jiu said, “There are plenty more things you haven’t seen yet. Don’t make such a fuss. It’s embarrassing.”

Lu Shun said nothing.

Physician Yang had also come to the fields with them. Seeing the ground covered with abundant produce, much of which he did not recognize, and everyone busy working, he simply walked around looking so as not to get in their way.

After harvesting three cartloads of watermelons, Jiang Yan went to help in the tomato field, where Jiang Ji and Zhao Ru were already working.

Tomatoes required more care when picking. The stems could not be left too long, and they had to be placed gently into baskets; otherwise, the stems could easily puncture other tomatoes.

“Finished picking the watermelons?” Jiang Ji casually asked when he saw Jiang Yan arrive.

“Mm, three carts.” Jiang Yan picked up a basket and moved to the next row. “How many should we pick here?”

“Two carts,” Jiang Ji said after a glance. “Each cart holds four baskets. I’ll head into the city later to check how sales are going.”

“Alright.” Jiang Yan needed to stay home to copy maps, so he could not go along.

Jiang Ji reminded him, “When I get back, let Physician Yang check your pulse again, alright? I want to be there.”

“Okay.”

After all the fruits and vegetables were harvested, Jiang Ji helped Uncle Tugen and the village head’s family finish their picking as well, and then they all headed into the city together.

Once in the city, Uncle Tugen and the village head and his wife took the watermelons to the marketplace for retail sale. Translated on Hololo novels. Jiang Ji had them bring a basket of tomatoes too, instructing them that if anyone wanted to buy, they should explain what dishes could be made with them and invite customers to visit the restaurant, where they could even be taught how to cook the dishes.

Aunt Xiufang brought Tao’er along, and the village head’s two sons hauled the tomatoes as they followed Jiang Ji and the others to the restaurant.

It was still early, so Jiang Ji and the group went to eat breakfast. Han Qingshan and the others carried a basket of tomatoes into the kitchen and began preparing sample dishes for tasting.

By the time Jiang Ji returned from breakfast, two large tables had been set up outside the restaurant entrance. The manager and the servers were already prepared.

Foot traffic gradually increased. The restaurant had not opened yet, so the servers were free to help promote the event.

Xiao Shan stood on a chair and struck a gong to draw attention.

Once a crowd gathered, Xiao Shan began speaking.

“Fellow townsfolk, Jiang Ji Dining Hall is launching new dishes today! Tomatoes, the bright red fruit I’m holding here, and many more in the cart beside me, are grown by our owner’s family. They’re delicious and versatile. They can be cooked into dishes, made into soup, or even eaten raw.”

As he spoke, Xiao Shan took a bite and showed everyone the inside of the tomato. “It looks like this inside. The taste is sweet and slightly sour.”

“Since today is the first day they’re available, our chefs have prepared dishes for everyone to taste for free. If you like them, you’re welcome to buy some, and our chefs will also teach you how to cook them. The recipes are very simple, easy to make at home.”

Hearing there was free food to taste, everyone’s eyes lit up. Jiang Ji’s dishes were famous for being delicious but somewhat expensive, so many families could not afford to dine there often. Now that there were new dishes and even cooking lessons, of course they wanted to try.

“Jiang Ji has new dishes again!”

“I’ve got to taste them. If they’re easy to cook, I’ll buy some and have my wife make them at home.”

Xiao Shan struck the gong again with a loud clang. “Alright, dishes are coming up! All made with tomatoes! First dish, tomato scrambled eggs!”

Xiao An carried out a large platter of tomato scrambled eggs and placed it on the table.

Xiao Shan continued, “Next we have tomato pork stew, tomato egg soup, tomato egg fried rice, tomato pork rib soup, and braised eggplant with tomato. Adding a tomato when cooking eggplant makes it especially delicious. You can even add one when cooking noodles for a refreshing, appetizing flavor. All of these are easy to learn and can be made at home.”

The servers stretched a rope in front of the tables, keeping the crowd about three feet away.

Finally, Xiao Shan announced, “Alright, everyone line up in four rows. Each person may taste one dish. Tasting begins now!”

The moment he finished speaking, people rushed forward to line up.

The scene resembled the restaurant’s grand opening, except this time everyone was competing for a place near the front.

Servers maintained order nearby. “Line up, line up properly! Don’t rush!”

“How can we not rush? There won’t be any left!”

“Exactly!”

“I really want to try the one with meat.”

“Anything from Jiang Ji is bound to be delicious.”

Before long, four long lines formed, and the people at the front began tasting.

Xiao Shan reminded them from the side, “One dish per person, just one bite each. Leave some for those behind you.”

Among the first four tasters, two chose the tomato pork stew, one chose tomato scrambled eggs, and one chose tomato egg fried rice.

The moment the food touched their mouths, the people waiting behind them anxiously asked,

“Well? How is it? Is it good?”

“What does it taste like?”

“Is it delicious?”

The four diners chewed with satisfied expressions and raised their thumbs in approval.

“This scrambled egg dish is delicious, sweet and tangy, really appetizing. My wife would probably like it.”

“The fried rice is good too.”

“At first the flavor felt a little unfamiliar, but after a few more bites it really whets the appetite. And this meat, not bad at all.”

“I want another bite.” One man reached for his chopsticks again, only to be stopped by a server. “You can buy some tomatoes and cook them at home to share with your family.”

People behind him began urging him on. “Move, move, it’s my turn!”

“One bite per person, no extra! There won’t be any left for those behind!”

“Server, hurry and pull him away!”

The man reluctantly stepped aside and went to the cart selling tomatoes. “How much are these?”

“Eight wen per jin,” Jiang Ji said with a smile.

“That’s not expensive. I’ll buy a few.” The man began picking some out, then looked up and asked, “Will you really teach us how to cook them?”

“We will.”

Hearing this, several others gathered around the cart and started selecting tomatoes as well.

“Eight wen isn’t bad. I’ll buy some for my wife to try.”

“Not bad. I want to make that fried rice. My daughter will definitely like it.”

“I’m telling you, the scrambled eggs are the best. Kids will love that one.”

“Really? Then these two might not be enough. I’ll buy a couple more.”

By the time the tasting ended, nearly half of the roughly four cartloads of tomatoes brought by Jiang Ji, Uncle Tugen, and the village head’s three households had already been sold.

Those who bought tomatoes did not leave. Instead, they gathered around the cooking demonstration area.

Xiao Shan called out, “We’re starting the cooking lesson now! Anyone who wants to learn, come take a look!”

Two stoves had been set beside the carts, along with a table covered in pre-cut ingredients. Xiao Jun and Yu Yang demonstrated the cooking on the spot, explaining as they cooked, and then letting everyone taste the finished dishes.

Across the road at an angle, a carriage stood parked by the roadside. A curtain at the window lifted slightly, and Master Tian silently watched the lively scene in front of Jiang Ji Dining Hall for a long while.

Inside the carriage, the manager of Xiangman Lou said to him, “Master, they’ve not only introduced new dishes, they’re also teaching people how to cook them. These dishes look a bit simpler than their usual offerings, but inside the restaurant there’s another dish called tomato-braised beef brisket. The sign is already up, though they didn’t bring it outside for tasting.”

Master Tian lowered the curtain. “That should be their main promotion. Everything outside is meant to sell tomatoes. Arrange for someone to buy some tomatoes and bring them back for Chef Luo and the others.”

“Yes, sir.”

Standing at the entrance of the dining hall, Jiang Ji watched the bustling scene with satisfaction.

Manager Lü said to him, “Boss, the manager from Xiangman Lou is over there buying tomatoes.”

Jiang Ji glanced over and indeed spotted the plump figure among the crowd. “How is their restaurant doing lately?”

“They released a new menu and added four dishes. We have sticky rice pork ribs steamed on lotus leaves, right? They made a dish with chicken wrapped inside sticky rice, then wrapped again in lotus leaves and steamed. It smells quite good.”

“Oh, lotus leaf sticky rice chicken,” Jiang Ji nodded. “That’s actually quite good.”

“You’ve had it before, Boss?” Manager Lü asked in surprise.

Jiang Ji nodded. “Yes. I know that dish. It’s more suitable as a snack rather than a main course. It works better as breakfast food or takeaway, which is why I didn’t add it to our menu.”

Manager Lü nodded as well. “We thought the same. I had someone buy some back for Old Han and the others to taste. The flavor is decent, but nothing to worry about.”

With knowledge of several major culinary traditions in mind, Jiang Ji was not concerned. “No other trouble lately, right? None of those messy incidents?”

Manager Lü thought for a moment. “No. Ever since that disturbance last time, nothing has happened. Though someone did try to poach our chefs. I overheard them talking about it, but no one paid them any attention.”

“Good. I trust Old Han and the others.” Jiang Ji considered for a moment, then said, “Let’s add a reward system to the dining hall. Each quarter, if the restaurant turns a profit, we’ll set aside five percent of the profits as bonuses for everyone. Distribution will be based on work performance.”

Manager Lü froze in surprise. “Every quarter?”

“Yes. Five percent. Half of one tenth.”

“I understand,” Manager Lü said, then added carefully, “Boss, with our current profits, that would be a very large sum.”

“I know,” Jiang Ji replied. “The money the dining hall earns is inseparable from everyone’s hard work. This is to encourage them to keep working hard.”

Manager Lü grew visibly excited. Translated on Hololo novels. The dining hall had not been open long, but after reviewing the accounts last month, he knew just how profitable it was. Even five percent of the profits would be substantial. With only a little over twenty employees, even an equal split would give each person several taels of silver.

Jiang Ji had been thinking about this for some time. “When things are quieter, you and Old Han should discuss performance evaluation standards and write them up for me to review. We’ll go over them together before announcing it to everyone.”

“Understood. I’ll speak with Old Han as soon as possible.”

Jiang Ji nodded. “Also, notify the merchants who’ve been waiting that they can come buy watermelons starting tomorrow. Anyone who wants tomatoes can purchase those as well.”

“Yes, Boss. I’ll arrange for someone to inform them right away.”

After finishing their discussion, Manager Lü left to handle arrangements. Jiang Ji glanced down the street and noticed a carriage passing by, seemingly one belonging to the Tian residence.

He watched it disappear before withdrawing his gaze. Then, carrying a sack of tomatoes while Chen Feng followed behind with two watermelons, Jiang Ji headed to the county yamen to find Magistrate Xu.

“You came here yourself?” Magistrate Xu had no cases to hear that day and was handling official documents. Seeing Jiang Ji, he looked pleasantly surprised. “Are you fully recovered now?”

“Mm, I’m fully recovered.” Jiang Ji lifted the bag of tomatoes in his hand and set it on the tea table. “I brought some tomatoes for you and Lord Chen. They’ve just come onto the market.”

Chen Feng placed the watermelons beside them.

Magistrate Xu looked at the tomatoes and watermelons and smiled. “Well then, I won’t stand on ceremony.”

“No need to be polite.”

It was Magistrate Xu’s first time seeing Chen Feng, and he asked curiously, “And this gentleman is?”

“His name is Chen Feng. Jiang Yan was worried about my safety and asked him to protect me,” Jiang Ji said, deliberately glossing over Chen Feng’s true identity. He then introduced him, “Chen Feng, this is our county magistrate, Lord Xu.”

Chen Feng clasped his fists in greeting. “Lord Xu.”

“Brother Chen Feng,” Magistrate Xu replied. Though Chen Feng wore the clothes of an ordinary villager, it was obvious at a glance that he was a trained martial artist. He nodded to Jiang Ji. “You really do need someone accompanying you now. Even I’m worried.”

Jiang Ji smiled slightly. “The bandits have already been captured. There’s nothing to fear.”

Magistrate Xu glared at him. “The bandits of Skull Mountain are gone, but there are still other robbers around. In any case, be careful when you travel.”

“Alright, I understand. I’ve brought someone with me now, haven’t I?” Jiang Ji said. “My lord, I came to inform you that in another four or five days, we can begin harvesting the rice.”

“Good. I’ll send out notice.”

After thinking for a moment, Jiang Ji asked, “My lord, after the double harvest, what will be done with the new grain seeds? Does the provincial government plan to promote them to other prefectures now, or wait until next year?”

Originally, Jiang Ji had intended to leave matters like distributing the new rice seeds to other counties entirely to Lord Chen and the officials. But circumstances were different now. Jiang Yan was the Regent, and Jiang Ji felt he should help keep an eye on important affairs like these.

“Wait a moment,” Magistrate Xu said. Since it concerned official matters, he had someone summon Lord Chen.

Lord Chen was delighted to see Jiang Ji there as well. “You’ve recovered?”

“I have. Thank you for your concern, my lord,” Jiang Ji replied with a smile.

Magistrate Xu explained Jiang Ji’s question.

Lord Chen said, “I already reported this to Lord Fan. He was very pleased to hear that the new rice variety will yield a good harvest. As for the seeds, he said they will be distributed only after he reports upward and the court makes unified arrangements.”

“I see.” Jiang Ji nodded, thinking he should tell Jiang Yan when he returned. Then he asked, “Will Lord Fan come down to inspect again?”

“He said he would come when the rice harvest begins, if he can spare the time. I’ll write to inform him that harvesting will start in a few days.”

Magistrate Xu then asked, “Across Da Sheng, how much paddy land do you think there is in total?”

Lord Chen smiled. “Quite extensive. Rice isn’t grown only in the south. Some northern regions grow it as well. Between single-season and double-season rice, the total output is considerable. If used as seed grain, the southern rice-growing regions alone should be enough to expand cultivation widely.”

Magistrate Xu laughed. “That would be wonderful. Next year everyone could plant the new rice.”

Jiang Ji reminded them, “Villagers still need to keep grain for their own households. They won’t be able to sell everything.”

“That’s true, we must account for that,” Magistrate Xu said. “But if it were me, with seed grain priced so high, I’d rather buy rice to eat and sell all my harvested grain.”

Jiang Ji laughed. “You’re right, my lord. The villagers will likely think the same way. That means counties planting the new variety won’t have much old grain left and will need to import supplies from elsewhere.”

Lord Chen took a sip of tea. “No need to worry. The court will consider everything carefully.”

“That’s true, it’s not something we need to trouble ourselves over,” Magistrate Xu agreed, then asked Jiang Ji, “Can corn be sold now as well?”

“Yes, about time. Though people will probably keep some for seed.”

Lord Chen smiled. “Keeping seed is good. That way more people can grow it.”

After chatting a while longer with the two officials, Jiang Ji and Chen Feng returned to the dining hall, where all the tomatoes had already been sold out.

Jiang Ji returned home in high spirits.

Hearing him come back, Jiang Yan stepped out of the study. “You’re back. Tired?”

“Not really.” Jiang Ji entered smiling. Jiang Yan poured him a cup of tea, which he finished in one go.

Jiang Yan poured another. “How were the sales?”

“Very good. Everything sold out.” Jiang Ji drank another cup. “How is the copying going?”

“Not bad.”

Seeing how hard they were working at copying the maps, Jiang Ji said, “I could just exchange for two more copies for you.”

“No need. It only takes effort, not skill. Save them for later use.” The items obtained from the immortals all required Jiang Ji to complete tasks in exchange, and Jiang Yan was reluctant to waste them.

Jiang Ji shrugged and let it go.

Most of the copying work was being done by Lu Wen and Lu Jiu. For now, Jiang Yan mainly listened to Chen Feng report on court affairs, studied maps and the political situation, formulated future plans, and waited for news from the capital. There was nothing urgently pressing at the moment.

By the time they returned home, it was already noon. They quickly finished lunch, rested briefly, and then Physician Yang came to examine Jiang Yan.

In the small sitting room of the east wing, Jiang Yan sat with his wrist resting on the pulse cushion while Physician Yang sat opposite him, eyes closed as he took his pulse.

Nearby stood Jiang Ji, Zhao Ru, Chen Feng, Lu Jiu, and the others, all waiting quietly.

Chen Feng and the others watched nervously, their faces filled with expectation and worry.

After a while, Physician Yang finished checking the pulse. He asked Jiang Yan many questions and examined his head, eyes, and tongue coating before falling into deep thought.

Lu Shun anxiously asked, “Physician Yang, how is our young master?”

Everyone looked toward the physician. Jiang Ji watched him with curiosity as well.

After a moment of contemplation, Physician Yang said, “Young Master Lu’s body is very healthy, and there is nothing wrong with his head. He has simply been overburdened with worries recently, sleeping poorly, and has a bit of internal heat. It’s nothing serious.”

Chen Feng and the others all let out a sigh of relief upon hearing this. Chen Feng then asked, “Physician, will the young master’s memories recover?”

“That is precisely the problem.” Physician Yang’s expression grew somewhat grave. “I have previously seen patients lose their memory after striking their heads. In that case, there was stagnant blood inside the skull. Once it dissipated, the memory returned. But Young Master Lu’s head shows no signs of stagnant blood. He appears completely healthy. When, or even whether, his memory will recover is difficult to say.”

“Can’t acupuncture be used to stimulate it somehow?” Lu Jiu asked.

Physician Yang shook his head. “You cannot casually perform acupuncture on a healthy person’s head. It could cause serious problems.”

Hearing this, Jiang Ji felt relieved instead. He feared reckless treatment might turn a harmless situation into a dangerous one.

Ancient physicians had no way to examine the inside of the brain. The limits of medical knowledge lay precisely there.

Jiang Ji looked at Jiang Yan, recalling the physician’s words that he had been overly worried lately, sleeping poorly, with signs of internal heat.

Overthinking, of course, must have come from suddenly learning his true identity.

Being abruptly told he was the Regent, while having no memories at all, would trouble anyone.

Jiang Ji felt a pang of self-reproach. He slept too deeply at night and had not even noticed Jiang Yan’s poor sleep.

And deep down, Jiang Ji selfishly did not really want Jiang Yan to regain his memories. It felt as though once he did, he would quickly leave and return to the capital.

Yet seeing Jiang Yan weighed down by worry every day, he could not bear it either.

The contradiction left him conflicted.

After watching Jiang Yan for a long moment, Jiang Ji sighed and secretly asked in his mind, “2977, can you cure Jiang Yan’s amnesia?”

[Reminder to host: we are a Farming System, not a medical system.]

Jiang Ji’s eyes widened, and he blurted out, “But before you…”

Everyone turned to look at him. Jiang Ji froze, blinked, and said, “Nothing. Carry on. I need to step out for a moment.”

He turned and went to the study across the courtyard used by Jiang Bei and the others.

Jiang Yan watched his departing figure, brows faintly knitting together.

Inside the study, Jiang Ji closed the door. Still unused to speaking only in his thoughts, he spoke aloud instead. “2977, didn’t you previously provide medicine for me and Jiang Yan?”

[When the host or people nearby face life-threatening danger, special missions may be issued. Completing them grants medicinal rewards.]

“Then give me a special mission for this too. I’ll complete it.”

[According to detection results, Jiang Yan is not in life-threatening danger.]

Jiang Ji: “…Can’t you be a little flexible?”

[This system operates according to programmed procedures and has no authority to modify them.]

Jiang Ji fell silent.

After thinking for a moment, he asked, “Then can you at least determine what caused his amnesia?”

[…]

“Why aren’t you answering? I’m not asking for medicine. That should be allowed, right?”

[After analysis, Jiang Yan’s amnesia resulted from severe brain trauma combined with intense psychological shock when he fell from the cliff. It was a self-protective response by the body.]

“So his brain isn’t actually injured now?”

[Correct.]

Jiang Ji thought it over. Psychological shock… was it the assassination attempt? No, Jiang Yan had fought on battlefields before. Being chased alone would not be enough.

Then…

Jiang Ji suddenly looked up. Right, Chen Feng had mentioned that two brothers had protected Jiang Yan while fighting their way out. When they were later found, one was dead and the other gravely injured and unconscious. But at the time, Jiang Yan may have believed both had died.

They had grown up together and shared deep bonds. Witnessing two brothers die before his eyes, sacrificing themselves to protect him, would indeed be an enormous shock.

“Then how can his memory be restored?”

[…]

“You don’t need to provide medicine. Just tell me a possible method.” Seeing that 2977 remained silent, Jiang Ji guessed it might not be able to answer directly. So he proposed his own idea instead. “Would another strong stimulus work? For example, recreating events from before the amnesia. Could that trigger his brain to remember?”

[The host may try.]

Jiang Ji tested further. “Any other methods?”

[…]

“…Would placing him in a familiar environment help?”

[The host may try.]

“Oh. So that means it’s feasible.”

Jiang Ji immediately opened the door and returned to the east wing. The others were still discussing ways to restore Jiang Yan’s memory. Chen Feng insisted that bringing Jiang Yan back to the capital might help.

In truth, everyone’s thoughts were similar: return him to familiar surroundings and have him do familiar things.

Now certain that Jiang Yan’s brain was not physically damaged, Jiang Ji looked at the group and said, “He can’t go back right now. Let’s use the most direct method instead.”

Everyone looked at him. Chen Feng asked, “What do you mean by the most direct method?”

Jiang Ji spoke plainly. “Recreate what happened the night he was hunted.”

Lu Jiu’s eyes widened. “W-wouldn’t that be too much stimulation?”

“There’s nothing wrong with his brain. His amnesia came from the shock of witnessing his brothers die and then falling from the cliff,” Jiang Ji said, looking at Jiang Yan. “When he went to save me that night and fought the bandits, he recalled fragments of memory. That shows this method might work.”

Chen Feng turned to Physician Yang. “What do you think, Doctor?”

After some thought, Physician Yang said, “In principle, that reasoning is sound. It is worth trying.”

Jiang Yan nodded. “Then let’s try it.”

🌾🌾🌾🌾🌾

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