Spring comes to the desperate place

Chapter 464: Egg Fried Rice Again

The emperor was flattered by the praise and was happy all morning because of the good harvest in the north. When he was happy, the palace servants who served him were also relaxed. At noon, the emperor remembered that there were still a few baskets of new rice being transported together, so he ordered the eunuch beside him to be in charge and ask him to transport all the new rice to the imperial kitchen, cook it all, and give a bowl to each of the concubines in the harem, a bowl to each official of the fourth rank and above in the capital, and send a pot to the Song family.

In this way, several baskets of newly harvested rice were divided up on the first day. The emperor was in a very good mood and took the queen and the prince to the queen mother's palace, wanting to sit together with his family to taste the new rice.

"Mother, try this. This is the rice Song Chunlin made in the north. Although it's a bit desolate and cold in winter, the yield from this land is several dan more than the fertile fields here. This is their first year of planting, so they're not sure about the seasons. If they plant more and gain experience, I'm afraid the yield will increase even more."

The empress dowager tasted the rice and, perhaps because of the emperor's praise, she felt that the new rice indeed tasted better than the ones she had eaten before. So she couldn't help but eat a few more mouthfuls and nodded in praise.

"Well, it's really delicious. This young Master Song is also a wonderful person. He never forgets to farm wherever he goes."

The queen also tasted it and thought it tasted good.

"The Song family fled here in their early years to escape famine. Only those who have experienced hunger would remember to cultivate land wherever they go. Only when they grow enough food will they not panic."

Upon hearing this, the emperor thought of the severe drought that year. Before he knew it, more than ten years had passed.

"Time is merciless. Your father's hair turned white with worry during those years. There was a severe drought and the harvest was completely lost. It was only thanks to the Song family that they discovered those potatoes and sweet potatoes. Otherwise, we in Dajing would have had to recuperate for who knows how many years before we could recover."

The empress dowager asked again what reward the emperor had given to Song Chunlin this time. The emperor only said that he had sent a pot of rice to the Song family. As for the rest of the rewards, he wanted to wait until Song Chunlin and others returned to Beijing before rewarding them according to their merits.

The Empress Dowager had no objection to this, but just gave a few instructions. This time, Song Chunlin and Gu Fengyue had been away for three years, and because of the war, the couple had not been able to conceive a child. When they returned to Beijing this time, it would be better to let them stay in Beijing for a few more days.

"His brother, Marquis Yongyi, was in such poor health back then, and now his second child is about to be born. Sima Gu is still young, and if it weren't for the war in recent years, he wouldn't have been childless. You should give them some time. It's not good to let them be childless forever."

The emperor nodded in agreement repeatedly, but he felt a little aggrieved in his heart. Why should he take care of something if the other person doesn't want to have a baby?

The news of the great harvest in the north was delivered to the Song family along with the pot of rice in the palace. Because it was not a special reward, the ceremony was not as grand as the previous times, but several imperial guards were sent to escort it all the way. The Song family gathered at the door and took the pot from the eunuch with great fear and trepidation.

Grandpa Song looked at the pot of rice and felt a little confused. Fortunately, Song Dazhuang was used to big scenes. He exchanged a few words with the eunuch who delivered the rice and stuffed a few thick red envelopes into the eunuch's mouth, which made the eunuch smile.

After those people walked away, the villagers nearby dared to gather together and ask questions. Some people even looked into the pot curiously, and when they found that it was actually rice, they were all amazed. The emperor actually sent rice to the Song family from so far away?

That's it?

Rice?

"What's so special about this rice? It looks pretty much the same as what we eat." The seeds grown in the village are all from the Song family, which have high yields and good taste. There have been bumper harvests in recent years, and the court has also reduced some taxes. The people finally have some surplus food in their pockets, and they are willing to eat dry rice on weekdays, and are not as greedy for white rice as they were in the early years.

At this time, the emperor sent a pot of rice to the Song family, so they guessed that there must be some unknown good things added to the rice.

But Song Dazhuang smiled and told everyone, "There's nothing unusual about it. It's just ordinary white rice. If there's anything special about this rice, it's the rice used. The eunuch just said that this rice is the new rice from the north this year."

When everyone heard the word "Northland", there was nothing unclear about it. Isn't that where Song Chunlin is? Could it be that the rice in the Northland was grown by Song Chunlin?

In response to everyone's questions, Song Dazhuang nodded and said, "It is indeed as everyone said. This is the rice that Chunlin grows over there."

But people still don’t quite believe it. Some people say that the north is a desolate place with a colder climate. Can such good rice really be grown there?

"Uncle Song, you can't lie. It's so cold in the north, can you really grow rice?"

Song Dazhuang retorted, "It's just that the winter there is colder for a little longer. It's not cold all year round. There are also periods of warm weather. Believe me, Uncle Song doesn't lie."

Everyone was laughing and clamoring to try the rice from the north to see how it was different from the rice from their own area. Song Dazhuang looked at Grandpa Song, who smiled and asked Zhou Ning to go back and get a large bowl. He scooped out most of the rice from the pot and gave a mouthful to each of the onlookers.

"Hey, don't blame me for being stingy. We only have this one pot of rice. Let's all try it and see how it tastes."

How could they taste anything in one mouthful of rice? Besides, the rice had already gone cold after being delivered all the way here. It tasted just like cold rice, a little chewy, and they couldn't taste anything else. But after all, it was rice from the palace, so taking a bite of it could be considered as getting a taste of the palace's nobility.

There wasn't much rice in the whole pot, and most of it was divided equally among everyone, so it was soon empty. The villagers dispersed when they saw the big bowls were empty. Some people were reluctant to eat that little bit of rice, so they took the little ball with them and went home to share it with their families.

After seeing off the villagers, the Song family returned home. The meal was already prepared in the kitchen. Looking at the pot of cold rice, Grandpa Song decided to put it aside and make fried rice with eggs tomorrow morning.

Song Qin thought about it and decided it was a good idea, so she put the pot in the kitchen. It was cool at night, so she didn't have to worry about the rice going bad.

The next morning, the Song family ate hot egg fried rice, but everyone's evaluation of the rice was the same as everyone else's, just ordinary rice.

A small half pot of rice was distributed to each person, and they finished it in two or three bites. Song Qin also cooked porridge and steamed buns. Everyone had a small bite of the fried rice, and the rest of the people drank porridge or ate steamed buns.

Song Dahe finished the egg fried rice that was given to him in a few bites, and looked at Chen Yuer. They could tell from each other's eyes that the rice was ordinary.

"It tastes just fine, not as weird as it sounds."

Chen Yuer smiled and said, "It's just the first time I eat it and it's new. What difference does rice make?"