The Qin family's dinner did not last long. Apart from the table legs that had drunk too much, everyone else stopped after a few sips.
Those soldiers carrying pigs were lucky to get even a sip, thanks to Zhao Liangcai's generosity.
After cleaning up the dishes and sending off the guests, the Qin family's dinner concluded.
In her room, Qin Junyao took off Qin Xiaoyu's little dress to make her sleep more comfortably.
The child was tired from playing and full from eating, having fallen asleep before the guests had even left.
Qin Junyao tidied up the gifts in the room; these would be recorded in the ledger tomorrow morning.
She looked around and, finding nothing else to tidy, blew out the oil lamp and entered the space with two pots of flowers sent by Ling Manshuang.
The two pots of flowers were set aside first. Qin Junyao took the medicinal herbs she had gathered in the mountains that morning to the area where the ginseng was growing.
There were now ten ginseng plants growing on the ground, all of them aged.
Qin Junyao had a feeling that medicinal herbs like ginseng and He Shou Wu, whose value increased with age, should not be grown in excessive quantities.
She already had several ginseng plants of various ages stored, enough for any emergency situation.
She planted the medicinal herbs gathered from the mountains near the ginseng plants. Watching the mist almost completely dissipate, Qin Junyao knew that with about ten more types of plants, the spatial dimension could expand again.
There was still corn in the space's warehouse. Qin Junyao had never expected to grow so much corn by herself.
She decided to rest for a while. With the wheat harvest approaching, it was important to conserve energy.
She walked around and felt a little unaccustomed to the large expanse of empty land in the space. After a moment's thought, she decided to rest for today.
Back in the small courtyard of the space, Qin Junyao found a place to plant the two withered, branch-like peony plants she had grown in pots. After watering them with space water, Qin Junyao went out to sleep.
The next day was equally lively at the Qin household, with people coming to exchange their potatoes. Some wanted to save them for seed, while others were curious to taste the difference of these large potatoes.
Father Qin happily agreed to exchanges but stipulated that they could not trade too much.
Firstly, the Qin family's potato harvest was a bit early, making them less suitable for long-term storage. Secondly, it was a way to win people over.
After the news of the bitter well reached the village, many rumors circulated. Qin Grandma had kept the information about Elder Hao, the village chief, being the one who caused the bitter well to appear, from her family.
It was not yet the right time; everything would wait until after the autumn harvest.
The Qin family's winter wheat harvest was earlier than others, and their spring wheat was still earlier than others. This was a matter that garnered even more attention than growing large potatoes.
The autumn harvest in the northwest was very busy, and one of the reasons was that planting wheat immediately followed the harvest.
The northwest, which experienced no rain in midsummer, often received several rainfalls in the autumn, similar to the winter wheat harvest, with the rain falling during the harvesting period.
The Qin family's early harvest of wheat by half a month meant they didn't have to worry about sudden rain and could calmly plant winter wheat during the rains, ensuring good seedling emergence.
As a result, when the Qin and Hou families were harvesting their wheat, they didn't need to hire harvesters. Many villagers brought their sickles to help with the harvest, hoping to foster good relationships for the chance to exchange or buy some wheat seeds.
"Brother Qin, this wheat has grown exceptionally well. Your farming techniques from the Central Plains are superior to ours. We wouldn't have wanted this land even if it were given for free before, but now we can't even buy it."
"That's because it's been well tended. Who else can draw water to irrigate their fields? They even dug a well for farming, but the water can't be drunk."
"It might not be drinkable for people, but it's fine for the wheat. Brother Qin, could you help talk to your future son-in-law and sell us some land?"
Such conversations were common during the wheat harvest.
The Qin and Hou families planted a large amount of spring wheat, but thankfully, with so many people, the harvest was swift.
Qin Junyao did not join the wheat harvesting crew. She stayed home with Qin Grandma, boiling mung bean water and sending it to the fields.
Since the villagers were helping with the wheat harvest, they deserved a drink, even if a meal couldn't be provided.