The Princess of Northern Land
Chapter 358: Reform (5)_1

Chapter 358: Chapter 358: Reform (5)_1

Snow was dancing in the sky, the snow on the ground reaching knee-high. It was a considerable amount of snowfall after the New Year, nobody knew what kind of year this would turn out to be.

Bracing against the snow, Lou Zheng arrived at the big courtyard, a place that held a sense of mystery, as only the Lin family were allowed to enter. It was Lou Zheng’s first time here. The courtyard gate was tightly closed. He knocked forcefully on the grand door.

With a creak, the door opened revealing Qiaoqiao’s small head, "Uncle Lou Zheng?"

"Is your mistress home?" Lou Zheng asked.

"Yes." Qiaoqiao nodded, "So, it turns out that Uncle Lou Zheng is also here to find the mistress?"

Could it be that others have gone in too? Lou Zheng, suspicious, followed Qiaoqiao into the house.

In the room, he noticed several people huddled around Lin Ziyin. What caught Lou Zheng’s attention wasn’t how many villagers were present but the lump of metal sitting in the room.

"Ziyin, what are you busy with?" Lou Zheng asked curiously.

"Mechanics, this is for tilling the land." Lin Ziyin instructed the servant to tighten the screws.

"What?" Lou Zheng was so taken aback he was at a loss for words. He circumnavigated the lump of metal several times but couldn’t make heads or tails of it.

"Lou Zheng, did you come for the land reclamation matter too?" Bai Chunsheng was the first to ask.

Only then did Lou Zheng remember his mission, "Yes. Ziyin, how much land do you think would be suitable for my family to cultivate?"

Everyone in the room broke into peals of laughter; every single person that had visited had asked the exact same question.

"Uncle, since you’ve come to inquire, I will tell it straight. You should strive to reclaim as much land as possible. If it gets too overwhelming, you can always hire help. Next year, apart from the rice, you can plant corn, and beans are even better. With any amount of beans needed for my workshop, any empty edges of your field should be planted with other beans. Sunflowers and sweet potatoes should also be planted, and if we can’t manage, we can hire help.

In Lin Ziyin’s view, to expand her workshop, sufficient raw materials were essential, and she undoubtedly couldn’t rely solely on her family for supplies. Only if the people of the Northern Land all took action, there would be a constant supply of raw materials for the workshop.

"But if everyone reclaims the wilderness, who will be left to hire?" Lou Zheng worriedly asked.

"Not a problem." Lin Ziyin waved off, "Most people won’t be reclaiming land in a large scale right away. If we act first, we will have an advantage, right?"

"We also can’t manage if the planting exceeds our capabilities." Bai Chunsheng was also concerned. According to Daqin’s law, one could not irresponsibly abandon any regularly cultivated land that was reclaimed, or they would face imprisonment.

"I hope everyone can cultivate as much as possible, but if you’re worried, you can go off your personal circumstances." Lin Ziyin said with a gentle smile. The machinery was still in the experimental state. She did not wish to disclose the details too early in case she gave the impression that cultivation with machinery won’t be a significant issue.

Still, it was necessary to proceed step by step. Steam machinery, for now, was still in the testing phase. Coal had not been transported yet, and there was not enough time to test the machinery. If the experiment fails later on, the disappointment among the villagers could turn into resentment against her.

Everyone agreed. After all, reclamation was their personal matter, and it seemed inappropriate to trouble Ziyin about it. Eventually, everyone circled the new machinery again.

As for the manual weed removal machine, pesticide tub, soil flipping machine, and seed sowing machine, Lin Ziyin did not hesitate to clear everyone’s doubts.