jdhmnovel Chapter 343 Harvesting Corn
Chapter 343 Harvesting Corn
Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, we have entered the golden autumn of October, a season of harvest. The crops in the fields are ripe, and the branches are laden with heavy fruits, as if showing people the generous gifts of nature.
On this beautiful day, Su Nuannuan got up early. She specially changed into a set of coarse cloth clothes, a stark contrast to her usual elegant attire. Su Nuannuan did this because she wanted to personally experience the joy of the autumn harvest and feel the happiness of the farmers after their hard work.
"Your Majesty, are you really going to do it yourself?" Jinse asked with a worried expression as she helped Su Nuannuan fix her hair.
Su Nuannuan smiled slightly and replied firmly, "Of course, only by doing it yourself can you truly experience the joy of the autumn harvest."
Listening from the side, Tingxue wanted to say something, but seeing Jinse gently shake her head in acknowledgment, she swallowed back the words that were on the tip of her tongue.
In a short while, Jinse finished combing Su Nuannuan's hair. She stepped back and examined Su Nuannuan closely. Su Nuannuan was dressed in a short, coarse green cloth outfit, without any fancy accessories, her hair simply tied into a bun. Although the attire was simple, it made Su Nuannuan look exceptionally fresh and natural.
"Your Highness, it's all done," Jinse said softly, then stood respectfully to the side.
Su Nuannuan looked at herself in the mirror and was quite satisfied with her appearance. She smiled and nodded, then turned to Tingxue and Jinse and said, "Let's go, let's go take a look at the land in the manor."
Jinse and Tingxue exchanged a glance, their eyes revealing a hint of helplessness, and then they both sighed softly, as if they had endless feelings in their hearts.
They followed slowly behind Su Nuannuan, their steps heavy. At this moment, they couldn't help but recall the days when the late emperor was alive. Back then, although their empress had her moments of impulsiveness, she at least maintained a sense of dignity and authority, like a true empress.
However, since the new emperor ascended the throne and her concubine became the Imperial Concubine Dowager, the situation has been completely different. Now, it seems that no one can control her. The new emperor and the empress dowager dote on her, and as long as her behavior is not excessive, the two masters will indulge her.
In the blink of an eye, the three arrived at the edge of the village. Looking around, they saw the villagers busily harvesting crops such as corn and rice in the fields, a scene of great activity.
Not only that, the innocent children were not idle either. Carrying small bamboo baskets on their backs, they followed the villagers happily, picking up the leftover ears of rice.
The villagers were taken aback when they suddenly saw the Noble Consort dressed in simple, coarse cloth. They were clearly surprised. But soon, someone spoke first, and then, as if a switch had been flipped, shouts of "This humble subject pays respects to the Noble Consort!" rose and fell, echoing across the fields.
Su Nuannuan smiled slightly, revealing a smile as beautiful as spring flowers in bloom. Her gaze swept over everyone, and she responded softly to their greetings. Occasionally, she would chat with them for a few minutes, creating a relaxed and harmonious atmosphere.
When the villagers learned that Su Nuannuan had come to harvest the autumn crop with them, their faces showed disbelief. In their minds, those so-called nobles were always pampered, living luxurious lives where nothing was done for them. Now, this noblewoman was actually willing to lower herself and work alongside them, these ordinary people, which truly surprised them.
Before long, Su Nuannuan and her group arrived at a vast cornfield. Looking out, the golden corn cobs shimmered enticingly in the sunlight, as if beckoning people to harvest them.
At this moment, Li Desheng and his men were already waiting there, holding sickles and willow baskets, heads bowed, quietly awaiting Su Nuannuan's arrival. When they saw Su Nuannuan and her entourage appear, Li Desheng quickly led his men forward and bowed to Su Nuannuan.
"This servant greets Your Majesty!" Li Desheng led the way by bowing and paying his respects.
Seeing this, Su Nuannuan smiled slightly and gently raised her hand, saying, "Everyone, please get up!" Her voice was gentle and kind, which warmed people's hearts.
After everyone stood up, Li Desheng stepped forward and asked, "Your Majesty, shall we cut the corn stalks first or break the corn cobs first?" His tone was humble and cautious, as if he was afraid that his suggestion would not suit Su Nuannuan's taste.
"First, we need to cut down the corn stalks and then stack them in piles, leaving some space between each pile. This is to facilitate the subsequent operations."
In addition, enough space must be left for oxcarts to pass; otherwise, if all the corn is carried back by hand, it's uncertain how long it will take.
Due to the significant increase in corn planting area this year, Su Nuannuan specially equipped each village with extra oxcarts specifically for transporting the corn.
As soon as Su Nuannuan finished speaking, Li Desheng immediately led everyone to start harvesting the corn stalks.
After learning yesterday that Su Nuannuan was going to personally participate in the autumn harvest, Li Desheng specially found some time to go to the farmers to learn how to properly use a sickle.
He never imagined that at his age, he would have a day to do farm work.
As Li Desheng and the others laid the corn stalks down on the ground, Su Nuannuan then led the group to sit on the pile of corn stalks and began to pick corn.
Before starting, Su Nuannuan made sure to remind Jinse and Tingxue: "Remember to peel off the corn husks as well. This will not only make it easier to dry, but also save you the trouble of peeling the corn husks after you take it back."
Upon hearing Su Nuannuan's words, Jinse and Tingxue quickly nodded in response, "Yes, Your Majesty."
Seeing this, the other servants also dispersed and found a place to start picking corn cobs.
Su Nuannuan came to a pile of corn, reached out and grabbed a corn stalk, then held the corn cob with one hand and snapped it off with a "crack".
She peeled off the outer husk of the corn cob, revealing the golden kernels inside. These kernels were plump and round, emitting a faint fragrance, and glistening with a golden sheen under the sunlight.
Su Nuannuan picked up the corn cob in her hand and felt that it was heavy, which made her feel happy.
As time went on, more and more ears of corn were broken off the stalks and piled up to the side.
While picking corn, Su Nuannuan noticed that not all the corn cobs were as heavy as the ones before. Some of the corn cobs had sparse kernels and were obviously not as plump.
However, this is quite normal. After all, even the corn grown by farmers in the previous life could not all be heavy ears of corn.
Su Nuannuan was already very satisfied with such a harvest.
Moreover, the corn here is all-natural and pollution-free; it has not been treated with herbicides or pesticides and is completely naturally grown.
Compared to the corn in my previous life that was contaminated by various chemical agents, the corn here is undoubtedly healthier and greener.