Two days later, at the government office of Songzhou City.
Gu Zhongxun looked at the foot-operated threshing machine that had been unloaded from the carriage with a puzzled expression.
“What is this?”
The courier responsible for delivering the letter handed both the memorial and the letter to him.
After reading the letter, a flash of surprise crossed Gu Zhongxun’s eyes. He walked around the threshing machine to inspect it, bending down to examine the rotating drum and the grain-removing teeth attached to it.
“Someone, bring me a bundle of unthreshed rice stalks.”
Spreading out the design drawings and usage instructions that Song Qiming had included in his memorial, Gu Zhongxun paced back and forth anxiously.
Not long after, a runner came back carrying a pile of rice stalks. The golden rice ears scratched his face with both pain and itch.
Gu Zhongxun quickly grabbed a handful of rice stalks and stepped onto the pedal.
Slowly pressing the pedal with his right foot, he guided the rice ears toward the rotating drum as it turned.
The husks rattled off as the grains were struck down, some falling directly into the collection bin, others bouncing off the wooden panels and landing back inside. In just a few steps, the handful of stalks was completely threshed.
Seeing the layer of grain at the bottom of the bin, Gu Zhongxun broke into a delighted smile.
“Someone, summon the craftsmen immediately to manufacture these threshing machines. It’s the autumn harvest—speed is essential.”
Absent-mindedly, he tightened his grip on the drawing, and accidentally tore through the paper with too much force.
He quickly loosened his hold to check that the illustrations and text were unharmed, then breathed a sigh of relief.
Back inside the room, he gazed at the words in the memorial and sighed inwardly.
“If only these had come two months earlier. By now, even if I sent them to the capital, this year’s autumn harvest would already be over.”
Muttering to himself, Gu Zhongxun still copied the drawing exactly, preparing to send one to the capital.
Since it wouldn’t make it in time for this year anyway, he decided to simply build one threshing machine as a sample and send it along as well.
An hour later, Gu Gaoyuan returned from outside the city, still covered in chaff that hadn’t been brushed off.
“I went to look at that threshing machine just now. Why didn’t Song Qiming send it over sooner? Many families who cut and thresh alongside each other have already finished their harvest.”
Gu Zhongxun handed him the letter written by Gu Jinghong.
“County Princess Linghui thought up the idea of building the threshing machine after seeing the autumn harvest. They moved as fast as they could.”
Gu Gaoyuan took the letter, and after a long moment, an even deeper surprise appeared in his eyes.
He raised a question: “Cultivating high-yield rice? Can that really work?”
Gu Zhongxun did not answer immediately. He pondered for a long while before taking a deep breath.
“County Princess Linghui is exceptionally clever. Most things she sets her mind to will likely succeed.”
Gu Gaoyuan glanced at the letter in his hand.
“She went out and lost herself in fun. It’s been almost half a month, and she still hasn’t thought about coming back.”
On this note, Gu Zhongxun was indifferent.
“They played for several days along the road. Baozhu and the Second Miss of the Song family have similar temperaments, and Baozhu is still eager to meet County Princess Linghui. It will probably be a while before she returns.”
Gu Gaoyuan joked, “If Mother hadn’t been nagging her to marry so much, then little sister wouldn’t have run away from home.”
Gu Zhongxun shot him a stern glare. “If your mother hears you say that, she’ll be angry.”
Gu Gaoyuan sighed and shook his head.
“In my opinion, little sister is still young. There’s no rush to marry her off. It would be better to let her stay home a few more years.”
Gu Zhongxun said crossly, “You don’t have a daughter, so of course, you’re not in a hurry.”
“Baozhu is sixteen this year. From betrothal to marriage, there’s still half a year to go. As of now, there’s not even a hint of a match in sight. And she keeps saying she doesn’t want to marry at all. Why wouldn’t your mother be anxious?”
Gu Gaoyuan countered, “The Second Miss of the Song family is two years older than little sister, yet she hasn’t married either.”
“Given our family’s status, even two years later, matchmakers would still flock to our door.”
Gu Zhongxun’s anger faded into gloom. He stared at the ground, speaking with concern.
“The Second Miss of the Song family isn’t married. County Princess Linghui is twenty-two and still unwed. I’m a little worried about your sister spending too much time with them.”
Gu Gaoyuan: “…”
