Chapter 195: Rich and Poor, High and Low Can Enjoy
Zhu Yuanzhang was stunned. He said to Chen Dong, "Your food is so delicious!"
Chen Dong shook his head vigorously: "No, no, no, I haven't eaten it! No, I have eaten these things, but..."
In a hurry, Chen Dong spoke more fluently, but he still couldn't express what he wanted to say.
But Zhu Yuanzhang was so smart that of course he understood.
Chen Dong probably meant that he had never eaten such delicious food. People in his area didn't cook like that.
Worthy of being my role model!
Zhu Yuanzhang didn't bother to think about why Zhu Biao could so quickly prepare a table of Ming Dynasty delicacies using crops from the East Continent. He just needed to praise Biao's skills while eating.
"Mom, corn is a good thing. Just boil it in water and eat it directly. It's very healthy. When Dad is not feeling well and can't eat meat, let him eat corn." Zhu Biao said as he picked up some food for his mother, "Potatoes, sweet potatoes, and corn can all be boiled in water or roasted and eaten directly."
While savoring the delicious food, Li Shanchang asked, "Doesn't it need to be shelled?"
Zhu Biao said: "You can eat it directly after harvesting, no need to grind it."
Zhu Biao also asked people to send three kinds of grains that were cooked directly in water as staple food.
Li Shanchang's teeth were not good enough to chew corn, so he ate the corn kernels he broke off.
He took another bite of the sweet sweet potato and the soft potato, and couldn't help but burst into tears.
"They're all edible." Li Shanchang said with tears in his eyes, "They're all edible..."
Zhu Yuanzhang helped Li Shanchang wipe his tears with his own hands. After wiping them, he couldn't help but shed tears: "It's so good."
The food was delicious, but Zhu Yuanzhang and others couldn't help choking while eating.
Zhu Biao held Ma Xiuying in his arms, patted her back gently, and said, "Mom, we will be able to plant crops in the future, so be happy."
Ma Xiuying choked up and said, "Mom is just happy."
The first staple foods widely cultivated in China were millet and foxtail millet, namely yellow rice and millet; later the staple foods widely cultivated were barley, wheat and rice.
Without exception, these staple foods have shells.
Grains are best stored and transported in their shells, but they are much lighter when the shells are removed.
If the shells are not removed, the food will be difficult to cook and swallow.
When the people were hungry, they were reluctant to feed the chaff to their livestock, so they ate it themselves with great difficulty. The rough chaff might cut their throats.
Coarse rice and gray-black flour were the staple food for most ordinary people when they were well-off.
It was on the day Zhu Yuanzhang and Ma Xiuying got married that they ate their first meal of food made from white rice and white flour.
When Zhu Yuanzhang tasted the food made of fine grains, he asked Ma Xiuying for a long time what it was.
Ma Xiuying repeatedly told Zhu Yuanzhang that this was food made from rice and wheat, but Zhu Yuanzhang still couldn't believe it.
It is really strange that a couple talked about food on their wedding night.
Corn, potatoes, and sweet potatoes are different.
They can be eaten directly without any additional processing, and everyone, rich or poor, can equally enjoy their nutrition and delicious taste.
"Crushed corn cobs can be used to feed livestock or as firewood," Zhu Biao said. "Of course, if you're extremely hungry, you can grind them up and eat them. But being able to store them as long-lasting firewood is also very useful for the people."
The people were short of not only food but also firewood, as most of the mountainous land was privately owned and the people were unable to go into the mountains to collect firewood.
"That's great, that's great..." Zhu Yuanzhang wiped his tears and asked, "Biao'er, do you think it's okay for me to let the people grow this?"
Zhu Biao immediately said: "Not good!"
Li Shanchang quickly asked: "Why?"
Zhu Biao was not an agronomist, but he knew some of the disadvantages of growing a single grain crop.
Everyone present had farmed before, and they quickly understood what Zhu Biao meant when he said, "A single grain crop can easily be wiped out in a natural disaster" and "The more types of grain there are, the greater the ability to resist natural disasters."
Zhu Biao added, "As long as wheat and rice have sufficient fertility, their yield per mu will not be bad. Furthermore, they have hulls, making them more durable for storage. The grains we store should still be primarily wheat and rice."
Li Shanchang sighed: "That's true. "
It is considered a great achievement for ordinary people to have enough grain to store until the next year's harvest, but the grain in the national granary may need to be stored for several years. Wheat and rice are the easiest to store.
Zhu Biao added, "Besides, our current diet is also part of our culture. Can you bear the fact that rice and flour are gone? I can't bear it."
The Ming people were stunned for a moment, then couldn't help but smile.
"Biao'er is right." Wang Xi wiped his mouth, "It just so happens that these crops don't take up good farmland, so we can plant them together."
Zhu Biao said: "Although they are high-yielding, they also consume a lot of soil fertility. If they are planted continuously, the land will definitely deteriorate quickly."
Zhu Yuanzhang sighed, "Even if it's good land for growing rice and wheat, it will be damaged if you don't take good care of it. This is a big problem."
Zhu Biao said, "We have a vast territory and a small population. At the current rate of land reclamation, the people will not be short of food for the time being. We will now conduct a trial planting in the imperial farm and promote it nationwide after gaining experience. Once we have more seeds, we can start planting the more barren lands in the north."
When Zhu Biao saw that the elders had finished crying, he quickly asked for more food, fearing that they would be sad again.
Chen Di and others did not bring back much new food, so the newly added dishes were naturally the ones that were already available in the Ming Dynasty.
While eating, Zhu Biao talked about the disadvantages and eating taboos of the new grain. For example, potatoes that sprouted, turned green, or rotted should not be eaten because they are poisonous.
When they heard that potatoes were poisonous if they sprouted, turned green, or rotted, no one present was shocked. After all, many of the foods they ate were poisonous due to improper handling.
For example, konjac is the favorite food of the people of Sichuan and Shu.
Zhu Biao smiled and said, "These three kinds of grains taste great when roasted. Next time you roast lamb, you can bury potatoes and sweet potatoes in the fire and plant some corn on the side."
Zhu Yuanzhang was greedy and asked: "Is it enough to eat tomorrow?"
Zhu Biao said, "Okay, we'll eat it tomorrow. It doesn't matter. We can buy more when we finish it. To their south is a country called Tawantinsuyu. We can send a fleet to establish trade relations with them."
The Tawantinsuyu Empire was the Inca Empire. "Inca" means king in their language, and the colonists, having heard them say "Inca" all the time, named it the Inca Empire.
Zhu Yuanzhang said, "Okay, you decide. If you have any difficulties, tell me and I will ask the emperor for it."
Knowing that there was indeed a kingdom in the East Continent with new grain, Zhu Yuanzhang did not hesitate to spend the money on the voyage. If he could transport more new grain, the benefits would be far greater than sailing a long voyage.
Zhu Biao smiled and said, "Okay."
Li Wenzhong and Zhu Wenzhen both lowered their heads and ate frantically to avoid revealing their expressions.
Uncle/Fourth Uncle, you didn't expect that you have been exposed.
Chen Dong was thrilled to hear that the Ming Dynasty was sending a fleet to the Tawantinsuyu Empire. He was happy to serve as a guide for the Ming Dynasty and establish a relationship with that powerful nation, which would bring more protection to his tribe.
Zhu Biao was disappointed: "What kind of protection are you seeking? You are from the south and the north, so far away! Why don't you unite with other tribes to form an alliance, elect a king, build a city, and establish your own country. As long as you build the city by the sea and rely on trade relations with the Ming Dynasty, you will definitely be able to gather together."
Chen Dong had never thought about this.
After listening to Zhu Biao's words, he suddenly realized that they could also build a city.
"I, we don't know how to build a city." Chen Dong said dejectedly.
Zhu Biao said: "If you don't know, then learn! You don't know, but we in the Ming Dynasty do!"
Chen Dong nodded immediately: "Okay, let's learn!"
Build a city! Who wants to continue living in a tent when they already have a house in Daming?
Chen Dong said gratefully, "You are such nice people."
Zhu Biao said, "It's just that our Great Ming is good. We've had a king and a country for over five thousand years. If we even talk about the origins of civilization, we don't even know how many years it's been. The Great Ming is an ancient civilization, so we're very tolerant and friendly towards outsiders. Going further west... well, actually, just east of you, the people on that continent aren't very nice. It's a good thing you encountered us first."
Chen Dong felt a little dizzy after hearing this: "Why is it going west and it's in the east?"
Zhu Biao said: "Because our ground is a sphere."
Chen Dong: “…Ah?!”
Zhu Biao smiled and turned to Chen Di, who was having dinner with the other big men and trying hard to suppress his trembling. He said, "Uncle Di, while you're still young and have found a supply base on the East Continent, why don't you continue eastward, circle the Earth, and become the first person to prove that the Earth is spherical?"
Chen Di excitedly asked, "Can I?"
Zhu Biao smiled and said, "Why not? Our shipbuilding technology is more mature now. I can prepare better ships and better artillery for you. However, the ocean stretching eastward across the Eastern Continent to our mainland is very vast, with only scattered islands as fresh water supplies. Sailing in unfamiliar waters will be difficult, so you must be mentally prepared."
Chen Di immediately said seriously: "Sir, I know, don't worry!"
Zhu Biao nodded. "Let's prepare together. But once you reach Europe, don't tell them about the East Continent. Those barbarians will definitely bring disaster to the East Continent."
Chen Dong said: "Master, don't worry. We can fight!"
Zhu Biao rolled his eyes in his heart, you bunch of naive idiots, what can you do?
"Go back and tell your tribesmen that those who look very different from us, with colorful hair and eyes and lighter skin, are sent by the devil. Be vigilant," Zhu Biao said. "You can send people to follow Uncle Di when he travels around the world. Seeing is believing, hearing is believing. Go and see for yourself how brutal they are, and you'll know what I say is true."
Chen Dong said dazedly, "I don't understand."
Zhu Biao smiled bitterly and used the most straightforward words possible, combined with body language, and finally made Chen Dong understand.
Chen Dong said very seriously: "Okay, I'll go too."
Chen Dong smiled heartily and said, "I want to go to more places."
Chen Di patted Chen Dong's shoulder and said, "Uncle will take you there, let's go together!"
Zhu Yuanzhang listened to his beloved son's "slander" of Europeans, and seemed to be lost in thought.
He knew that Zhu Biao could "see the future". Could it be that in the future Europeans would be the first to come to the East Continent and bring disaster to their fellow countrymen on the East Continent?
Seeing that Chen Dong looked similar to the people in the northern mountains of the Ming Dynasty and was simple and kind, Zhu Yuanzhang had already determined that this group of people were his "fellow villagers" who migrated from the Ming Dynasty to the East Continent.
The situation in the Ming Dynasty has become relatively stable. Perhaps I should send a fleet to visit the West. Zhu Yuanzhang became alert.
