Due to his relationship with the Yu Family, no one in Tanggu and the capital dared to mess with him. His business operated smoothly, and with the ice making technique that the Yu Family had mastered, there was no need to worry about the freshness of the seafood. The famous restaurants in the capital had established a stable client-supplier relationship with him. In addition to fresh seafood, Zhuang Xiaomo had also opened a dry seafood store in the capital, and the business was very good.

After more than a year, Zhuang Xiaomo had made quite a lot of money. With the money he earned, he bought a small courtyard in the capital. After they got married in the future, if Xiaolian wanted to live in the capital, then they could live in the capital for a period of time. If she missed home, they could live in Tanggu for some time. Uncle Yu and Xiaolian didn’t look down on him even when he had nothing. Over the years, Uncle Yu and Auntie Yu had treated him like their son and helped him a lot. Even this seafood business was arranged by Younger Sister Xiaocao. It could be said that the current Zhuang Xiaomo wouldn’t exist without the Yu Family!

Zhuang Xiaomo remembered this gratitude deep in his heart. After they got married, he treated her twice as well, and they never got into conflicts. When they had disagreements, Zhuang Xiaomo always took Xiaolian’s opinion as the most important. Even when he monopolized the marine goods industry in the capital and its surrounding area and became an influential magnate in the capital, he still treated her in the same way.

At that time, the two most envied girls in the capital were the Yu Sisters. One married a powerful prince who no one dared to offend, while the other wedded a famous and rich merchant. The two men were loyal to the Yu Sisters and spoiled them to the skies. Both emotionally and physically, they were able to stay devoted to one person for a lifetime. This should be recounted later…

The Yu Family celebrated many happy occasions, and their business of improved varieties was becoming more and more prosperous. The seeds of high-yield wheat had been popularized in the north and gradually expanded to the central regions. There were more and more seed merchants relying on the Yu Family’s breeding farm. At the Yu Family’s farm, no matter if it was seeds for corn, potato, or winter wheat, there was no need to worry about the sales because there was excessive demand for them.

During the summer and fall harvest seasons, seed merchants lined up overnight in front of the farm, for fear that they wouldn’t be able to get the improved varieties. It should be noted that the people in the northern region only accepted the seeds from the Yu Family’s farm and the Imperial Plantation.

As soon as the improved varieties were in stock, all of them would be sold out immediately. Even if the imperial court suppressed the price of the improved varieties, seed merchants still made a considerable profit. One must grasp the opportunity to make money in their hands. So what if it took some hard work?

The Yu Family’s lives were becoming increasingly prosperous, and Xiaocao’s business grew bigger and bigger. However, even the growing numbers on the account book couldn’t suppress Xiaocao’s longing for a certain person.

It had been nearly two years since Zhu Junyang left the capital with his troops. They maintained contact during this period of time, but he wasn’t physically by her side after all. Since he appeared in Xiaocao’s life, he had never been away for such a long time. She was used to his company, his care, and his doting love. No matter how busy Xiaocao was, she still couldn’t ignore the empty feeling within her heart. It felt as if it could never be filled up, making her anxious.

In the past year or so, Xiaocao deliberately kept herself busy. She could have been a master who only ordered others to work at the Imperial Breeding Base, but from time to time, she would run over there to provide some suggestions. It caused the officials and stewards in charge of the breeding farm to think that their work ability had declined due to the overly comfortable work environment recently. In order to keep up with Miss Yu’s pace, all of the officials and tenant farms of the breeding farm worked even harder and diligently. By the time of the fall harvest, the yield went up slightly, which was a pleasant surprise.

The annual output of the high-yield winter wheat increased each year, so with fertile soil and meticulous care, an output of six to seven hundred catties per mu definitely wouldn’t be a problem. Compared to the previous two hundred catties per mu, the yield had increased two to three folds. The successful breeding of the high-yield winter wheat had benefited the people in the central regions and the northern regions. They were able to live in a time when they didn’t have to worry about food and clothing.

As a result, the officials in the southern regions couldn’t sit still anymore. They submitted a joint memorial to request the emperor send Official Yu to the south to investigate and help them improve the rice yield.

If Zhu Junyang was around, Xiaocao would have travelled to the south at public expense without any hesitation. If a certain person was free, he would accompany her on the trip and made proper arrangements for all the matters of the trip so that she didn’t have to worry about anything. She only had to enjoy the trip and sightseeing.

But, since Zhu Junyang left, she hadn’t been in the mood to attend the gatherings hosted by her good friends, let alone a long and arduous journey to the south. However, since the emperor had summoned her into the palace to discuss the matter of the high-yield rice, she couldn’t disregard the face of the biggest boss.

As a result, she opened up around ten mu of experimental rice paddies near the water source in the breeding farm to grow rice. For the selection of the rice kernels, she deliberately asked the tenant farmers to pick kernels that were full and large one by one. They had to be careful and meticulous. When preparing the paddy, they made sure to use enough farmyard manure. After sowing, they specially added a layer of plastic film to help with incubation.

This layer of plastic film had high efficiency in preserving moisture, soil, and fertility. It could increase the temperature and accelerate the growth of the rice seedlings. Of course, when cultivating the rice seedlings, she definitely wouldn’t forget to add diluted mystic-stone water to ensure that the seedlings were robust, resistant to diseases and pests, and high yielding.

As for the water in the paddy field, she also altered it a bit. Many officials of the imperial court were keeping a close eye on the experimental fields, and the emperor also attached great importance to this matter. However, Xiaocao knew that ‘one must learn to walk before one could run’. Thus, when she used her cheat, she made sure to control how much was used.

Even so, the yield of rice in the experimental fields reached 500 catties per mu during the summer harvest this year. Even when the most fertile fields in the south were carefully managed by experienced farmers, the highest output would be 300 catties per mu. Generally speaking, a field with an output of more than 250 catties per mu was already considered a top-grade field.

When this number was announced, Yu Xiaocao and the Imperial Breeding Base became famous again. The officials in the south burst into tears of excitement. It should be noted that in the past two years, the officials in the north had frequently reported good news supported by a series of data, leaving the south in the dust. Many people, who used to not care about the northern regions, viewed it as an area with adequate food and clothing. Some people had left their hometown and moved to the north… How could the officials of the south feel good when they saw this?

But, what could they do when an expert farmer had appeared in the north? Not only did she cultivate high-yield corn, but she also enhanced wheat seeds, ensuring that the people in the north could fill their stomachs. The officials of the south had submitted the memorial to the emperor with a mindset of doing a trial. After all, there were many dry fields in the north, so that amazing Official Yu might not be good at cultivating in paddy fields.

It was fortunate that they had made this attempt. Otherwise, as a fertile region, Jiangnan would be surpassed by the northern regions and never be able to prove themselves again! The more the officials of the south envied the northern officials in the past, the more they felt grateful to Royal Princess Jinan now. In their hearts, they almost regarded her as the Child of Fortune who served beside the Bodhisattva! She had doubled the output on the first year of attempting to plant in paddy fields! Based on their experience with winter wheat, the yield would increase again next year. Jiangnan was saved, and the people of Jiangnan were blessed!!

Yu Xiaocao’s reputation reached a new high in the imperial court. Many old ministers who used to look down on her, who was a little lass, were slapped in the face. They inwardly pondered whether the lass was favored by the heavens. Not only was she talented in farming, but she was also skilled in business!

Now, the most popular person in the imperial court was this lass! She was highly favored, and the emperor had rewarded the lass with many goods because of the rich harvest of the experimental fields. The goods rewarded by the emperor had occupied nearly half of the Yu Family’s storehouse! Furthermore, the businesses under her name were all closely related to their lives. People would be desperately trying to curry favor with someone like her. How could anyone be so blinded as to try to offend her?

In the past year or so, Yu Xiaocao’s career and business had been going smoothly, but there were fewer and fewer smiles on her face. This was because the longing in her heart was surging at all times. During the day, she worked so hard that she didn’t have time to rest.

But, no matter how tired her body was, her heart and mind would be occupied by that hateful fellow when she was free. That feeling of longing had turned into an urge to cry. Xiaocao, who had lived for two lifetimes, never knew that there would be this persistent gloomy mood in the bottom of one’s heart when one missed someone.

Just when Xiaocao had the bold idea to fight for the position of an official in charge of army provision and travel all the way to the northwest to see her lover, there was finally news about General Zhenxi’s [1] victory and return to court.

When the news reached Xiaocao’s ears, she immediately felt as if the shackles on her body had been released. At the thought that she could be able to see the devilishly handsome and devoted man, Xiaocao’s mood suddenly became as clear as the autumn sky, and all the haze in her heart had disappeared. The troubled, painful, and stuffy feelings were all left behind. Her long lost smile had returned on her face.

Before the victorious troops had entered the city, the person who Xiaocao was longing for had appeared in the courtyard of the Yu Estate. Seeing the familiar figure, Xiaocao disregarded all the reservations and shyness of a young maiden and rushed towards Zhu Junyang like a butterfly fluttering towards a flower.

Perhaps her footsteps were too quick, or she was too eager, but in the process of rushing over, Xiaocao had accidentally stepped on the hem of her dress and sadly fell towards the ground.

Just when her little face was able to have close contact with the ground, a pair of strong arms lifted her up like he was holding a little chick. Xiaocao, who was glad that her nose had escaped a misfortune, was pressed into a chest comparable to an iron wall. The hard chest muscles almost knocked tears out of her eyes. Her nose felt painful and sore. If her nose was fake, it would definitely be ruined now! Xiaocao was so eccentric that she had the time to think about this.

“Be careful! You’re already a year older, yet you’re still so reckless?” The voice that sometimes emerged in her dreams was still as elegant and touching as a cello. It easily moved one’s heartstrings.

“Waahhh~~~” Xiaocao suddenly couldn’t control her emotions anymore and burst into tears as she hugged the slim waist of the person in front of her and buried her head in his chest. Her tears soon dampened that person’s clothes.

[1] It was originally 'Zhengxi' but the author changed it to 'Zhenxi'.