Chapter 895: A Spacious Avenue....
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Shen Qiuhua was shocked. “l didn’t expect this to taste so delicious, especially during the summer heat.”
She did not have much of an appetite because it was so hot, but her entire body cooled down when she ate the popsicle. She felt refreshed.
Shen Qiuhua and Su Fengmao did not have time to talk. The older couple ate happily and could not stop praising the popsicle.
“It relieves the heat on such a hot day.”
Previously, the family would eat watermelons to cool themselves down. However, they felt the popsicle tasted better.
During summer, people would take cold showers to cool themselves down.
Even so, the effect would not last long because the water would evaporate. Su Fengmao ate one popsicle and then picked up another.
Shen Qiuhua said, “Binglan said we shouldn’t overeat. She said we can only have two a day.”
“Then let’s have two for lunch and some watermelon for dinner.”
Shen Qiuhua lamented, “We couldn’t even bear to eat watermelon in the past.”
When the family harvested their watermelons at that time, they would sell them in town. On such hot days, they would stand at their stall under the blazing sun to sell watermelons.
It was so hot that they would sweat all over. Still, they could not bear to eat the watermelon because they needed to sell them for profit. Although it was tough back then, things had changed.
The family could eat watermelon and drink fruit juice every day. Moreover, the watermelons this year were especially sweet.
Su Fengmao felt guilty. “I made you suffer in the past.”
Shen Qiuhua shook her head. “No, you were the one who went to town to sell watermelons back then. Your face was red from the hot sun. I remember how sunburnt you were when you came home.”
Her heart ached at that time. However, they no longer had to suffer because they had money. Every household in the village had improved. Even if people went to sell things in town, they would bring a parasol they bought from the embroidery shop to block the sun.
Parasols were convenient to use and carry around because they were foldable. The villagers no longer needed to sell their watermelons in town. People would come to them to buy some.
Afterward, couriers would send the watermelons to Flower County to be processed and turned into juice. It was convenient for the villagers.
The villagers could sell their fruits immediately after plucking them from the ground. They had nothing to worry about, so everyone was willing to sow more seeds and plant more fruits.
No matter what they planted, there would always be people who were willing to buy them. The villagers were also about to harvest their wheat, potatoes, and sweet potatoes.
Some were willing to sell those things. Someone from the county government would be in charge of collecting them. The officials would not haggle the villagers, either. They would even pay the villagers on the spot.
Lan Ruozhu emphasized agriculture when he became the emperor. He ordered officials from all over the country to purchase grain at market prices. The Imperial Court would also manage the granaries of all regions.
As for the high-yield crops in Suteng Village and the prefecture, Lan Ruozhu had his people purchase them. He planned to distribute these seeds everywhere else so that they could continue to grow high-yield crops.
That way, the country’s food reserves would continue to grow. Even the commoners would have more to eat. Everything would develop in a good direction. By then, everyone in the country could eat their fill and more. Lan Ruozhu wanted to be the best emperor, one who would prioritize his people. Only then would he feel he had done something meaningful.
Su Wenxiu became even busier as the dean, especially after another batch of students enrolled.
Although the medical school was in the village, he did not have time to eat at home. Instead, he would just eat a simple meal at school.
This time, he just happened to settle the new students in and prepared to go home for lunch. After exiting the school, Su Wenxiu walked along a spacious avenue.
The village roads were not only vast now but also paved with cement. The villagers would no longer have to worry about muddy roads if it rained or snowed.
Many visitors were amazed and envious when they saw the cement roads. Although the cement factory was in the prefecture, Lan Ruozhu owned it. He had the final say on where to send the cement and where to use it.
Su Teng Village was the first to get cement. The surrounding villages and Tenghe Town also had cement roads. Teng County looked brand new, and many were curious about cement. They would visit Su Teng Village just to take a look.
When Su Wenxiu reached home, he saw his parents sitting and eating something. Whenever he went home for lunch, the older couple would either be cooking or waiting for his return.
However, Su Fengmao and Shen Qiuhua did not notice his return this time as their attention was only on the popsicle. Su Wenxiu was stunned, asking, “What are you two eating?”
Su Fengmao and Shen Qiuhua returned to their senses when they heard their son’s voice. “Oh, you’re back!”
“What are those?” Su Wenxiu could tell from his parents’ expressions that the things they were eating were tasty. Still, he had never seen such a thing before. He felt it was magical when he saw the mist coming from the popsicle.
Shen Qiuhua hurriedly passed a popsicle to Su Wenxiu. “Here, try one. Your sister made these. She calls them popsicles.”
Su Fengmao happily added, “These things are so tasty and help to relieve the heat in our bodies.’
Su Wenxiu could not wait to eat the popsicles when he heard that his sister had made them. After taking a bite, a cool feeling spread from his teeth to his mouth.
“Mmm! It’s so refreshing!” Su Wenxiu was stunned. The coldness entered his stomach and then spread through his entire body. He felt all the heat from his body dissipate. It felt different from eating watermelon.
Shen Qiuhua smiled, saying, “How is it? It’s delicious, isn’t it?”
Su Wenxiu nodded. “Of course, it is.’
He could not help but think of Zi Die when he ate the popsicle. Whenever he ate something new and delicious, he would always want Zi Die to try it, too.
Su Wenxiu asked, “Sister sent these over, right?”
Shen Qiuhua looked at his expression and smiled. “That’s right. Someone from the courier office sent these over just now. There’s a big box of popsicles. You can take a popsicle to the academy when you return to work later..