Chapter 1559: Gain

Editor: Henyee Translations

Over two-thirds of Qiao Xuan’s strawberry harvest found its way to Jinquan Restaurant, while the remaining one-third was distributed among the other two teahouses. In the past year, the sales of strawberries alone had generated an impressive 20,000 to 30,000 taels of silver.

This substantial income pleased Qiao Xuan. After scrutinizing Songshi’s meticulous account book, finding no discrepancies, her satisfaction grew.

In recognition of everyone’s efforts, she generously rewarded Songshi with 400 taels of silver and Liqiu, Lixia, Mianmian, and Ah Ye received 300, 300, 200, and 200 taels respectively. The air was filled with joy and contentment.

The following day, Qiao Xuan set off for Cloud Water Town. Despite intending to go with her husband, Shao Yunduan’s busy schedule prompted her to take her own team.

Setting off early, they enjoyed lunch at the manor and relished the freedom to explore. The manor, meticulously cleaned and adorned, awaited their arrival. With a variety of marinated beef, mutton, fish, prawns, chicken, streaky pork, tofu, mushrooms, potato slices, and more, a perfect barbecue awaited them.

The gathering was a joyous affair, with a plethora of fruit trees on the farmstead offering ripe apples, pears, peaches, dates, walnuts, grapes, and more. They indulged in picking fresh fruits.

Although watermelons, cantaloupes, and melons had already left the market, this year’s produce proved exceptional. Large and sweet, the watermelons and cantaloupes were in high demand. Songshi, proud and overjoyed, devised a plan to store some in the cellar for the lord and madam to savor later.

When Qiao Xuan and Shao Yunduan returned to the capital, they hadn’t had the opportunity to check on the watermelons, allowing Qiao Xuan and the others to indulge in the harvest.

The farmstead boasted an abundant potato yield that year, with each potato cut into several pieces and planted. Qiao Xuan secretly took out over 50 kilograms from her spatial storage and incorporated them. Having sufficient seeds, she managed to plant a total of 700 mu.

As harvest time approached, the Ministry of Revenue sent representatives to greet them. Apart from their own family, the Imperial Court purchased the entire potato harvest at the price of one tael of silver per catty.

While this price was relatively low, being sold on the market could fetch at least three to five taels per catty. Despite this, Songshi, mindful of the Ministry of Revenue’s authority, didn’t voice any objections when reporting the matter to Qiao Xuan and Shao Yunduan.

Both Qiao Xuan and Shao Yunduan expressed agreement. The court’s interest in promoting potatoes was beneficial, and for Shao Yunduan, it earned favor for the Crown Prince. As for Qiao Xuan, considering the modern era’s potato prices, one tael of silver per catty was deemed fair.

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Currently, the potatoes in the manor were being harvested, with more than half already dug up. A small portion remained to be harvested in the following days. Songshi, anticipating the upcoming winter, planned to utilize several hundred mu of land to plant white radishes, carrots, and cabbages for sale.

On one particular day, as everyone enjoyed themselves in the manor, an unexpected incident occurred on their way back to the city. Approaching the city gate, they found a crowd and blocked carriages, prompting Qiao Xuan to instruct Songshi to investigate the cause.