Chapter 274 - Chapter 274: Chapter 274: Does Ruoruo Have a Solution? (1/2)

Chapter 274: Chapter 274: Does Ruoruo Have a Solution?

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Translator: 549690339

“Mother, please speak.” Wei Ruo vaguely had an inkling of what was to come.

“This is the situation. Recently, Taizhou prefecture and even all of Jiangzhe have been hit by a sudden drop in temperature. Many crops have frozen to death.” Madame Yun sighed as worry clouded over her face.

“I have heard some news about that.” Replied Wei Ruo.

“Yes, you have always been concerned with agricultural matters, so it’s expected that you would know about these incidents.”

Madame Yun agreed.

Wei Ruo didn’t respond, waiting for Madame Yun to continue speaking.

Looking at Wei Ruo, after a moment of contemplation, Madame Yun continued: “The two estates owned by our family in Taizhou prefecture, one in Xingshan County, you know, I planted sweet potatoes on the mountainside there, and the other is the farmland purchased after we moved to the government city, are now somewhat affected, suffering losses of 30% each.”

Whether it was due to Madame Yun’s ineffective management or for whatever other reason, the damage to the crops on the Wei Family’s fields was greater than that on Wei Ruo’s farm.

This didn’t surprise Wei Ruo. After this cold snap, it could be considered a favorable outcome in Taizhou Prefecture to be able to save up to 70% of the crops.

Then Madame Yun turned to Wei Ruo: “Ruo, do you have a way to acquire more rice seedlings now?”

It turns out she was here to discuss seedlings. Wei Ruo hadn’t guessed wrong.

“Mother, at this time, I can’t find a place for you to get more seedlings. Any untransplanted seedlings that are available now are likely to have been impacted by the frost,” answered Wei Ruo.

Indeed, she didn’t have any extra seedlings. The batch planted on the farm, located in the city was the last, it was planted so late just to wait for the wheat harvest.

Even for her own fields, that batch was insufficient, let alone enough to share with others.

Wei Ruo did have some rice seeds, but since Madame Yun didn’t ask her for the seeds, Wei Ruo didn’t mention them.

A hint of disappointment flickered in Madame Yun’s eyes upon hearing Wei Ruo’s answer.

“Alas, there’s just no way out of this situation.” Madame Yun sighed.

“Hmm.”

Madame Yun continued: “Ruo, do you know if there is any remedial measure for those sweet potatoes? Is it too late to plant stems now?”

Sweet potatoes, unlike rice, don’t need to be cultivated into seedlings in advance. Simply inserting the vine into the soil makes them grow. And sweet potatoes don’t lack vines. Madame Yun knew that the first families who planted sweet potatoes in Xingshan County often cut off the vines to sell, which proved that cutting some vines doesn’t significantly affect the growth of the sweet potatoes.

However, it’s unclear whether the planting of new vines can produce the same results as when it was done earlier.

“There should be no problem with proper management.” Wei Ruo replied.

The sweet potatoes she planted on Xiaoyang Mountain and the sandy soil near Stone Village also suffered losses. The reason it didn’t become an issue was because Wei Ruo knew how to fix it.

With Wei Ruo’s remedial measures, as long as the subsequent weather remains normal, it basically won’t have a significant impact on the yield of sweet potatoes.

Upon hearing Wei Ruo’s definite answer, Madame Yun was slightly relieved. She confessed to Wei Ruo: “Ruo, the recent cold snap has had a major impact on Taizhou Prefecture and all of Jiangzhe. The court is taking this very seriously. I heard that an imperial envoy was dispatched purposely to inspect the situation.”

“Hmmm,” Wei Ruo responded simply and calmly.