After receiving the conscription notice from the government, the Village Head immediately summoned the leaders of each village.
He waved the notice in his hand, his smile brighter than a sunflower.
"This year, the government will collect grain in the town directly. We no longer need to transport it to the county office."
"The official in charge of collecting grain will arrive the day after tomorrow. After you return, you must inform every household. Don't miss the deadline."
The village leaders exchanged glances and practically flew out the door as they left.
With thirty people per town, plus six clerks responsible for recording and accounting, and in the absence of bandit raids, all grain collected that day could be transported to the county granary before nightfall.
With Song Qiming closely monitoring the progress, the entire Suining Prefecture’s grain tax was fully collected and transported to the Suining granary within half a month.
Staring at the single granary that was only half full, Song Qiming let out a deep sigh.
"This is barely enough. If a famine or war breaks out, it won't even last a year."
Shi Simian, standing nearby with his head slightly bowed, looked delighted.
"This is already quite a lot. In previous years, half the grain would be lost by the time it reached Suining City. This year, thanks to the harvest from the newly reclaimed land, having one granary full is truly a blessing."
Song Qiming took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
"Sell the grain that was collected as soon as possible. Exchange all the grain from the reclaimed land for coarse grains, so we don’t run short."
Thousands of laborers had to eat every day. Just the cost of the Prefectural Office buying grain from outside in the first half of the year had been exorbitant. Now, at least they no longer had to purchase it.
After more than ten consecutive days of leaving early and returning late, Song Qiming finally had an afternoon free.
He returned to the rear courtyard to have lunch with his family, only to find that no one was home. The kitchen had only prepared meals meant for him.
"Where are the Eldest Miss, the Second Miss, and the Young Master? Aren’t they eating lunch at home today?"
Chunxing, the head steward, looked puzzled.
"The County Princess had business to attend to today and went out."
"The Second Miss hasn’t been coming home for lunch these past few days because of the heat—many commoners are suffering from heatstroke."
"As for the Young Master, he hasn’t been home during the day for about seven or eight days, so he’s not eating here either."
Song Qiming raised an eyebrow in surprise. "What has he been busy with? Has he been going to the academy?"
Chunxing shook her head. "It seems he’s been going to the bookshop. Every time he comes back, he’s filthy."
Losing his appetite for lunch, Song Qiming headed straight to the bookshop.
The plaque that once read “Xue’s Bookshop” had been replaced with “Song’s Bookshop.” As he walked in, he saw the clerks sitting in the courtyard eating lunch.
The small yard held eight dining tables, each with four people seated on two long benches.
Scanning the group, Song Qiming spotted Song Anhao sitting at the front.
He was sitting on a stool, holding a bowl and eating heartily, chewing with more gusto than he ever did at home.
"Elder Brother, why are you here?" Seeing Song Qiming, Song Anhao immediately put down his bowl and finished chewing.
Song Qiming walked over and noticed that the food was the same at every table.
One meat dish, one vegetable dish, and a bowl of soup—but the meat dish only had a few shreds of meat.
"Why aren’t you eating at home?"
After all, compared to his two older sisters, the youngest Song Anhao had lived a comfortable life ever since he could remember.
Compared to what he usually ate, this meal was very simple.
Song Anhao said, "Going back and forth wastes time. It’s more convenient to eat here. Elder Brother, have you had lunch yet?"
Upon hearing the boss call Song Qiming “Elder Brother,” Manager Lou and the clerks, who had been sitting, immediately stood up to bow.
"We humble subjects pay our respects to the Lord Prefect."
Song Qiming turned to them. "No need for such formalities. Continue eating."
With that, he walked over and sat across from Song Anhao.
"Not yet. Go get me a bowl of rice."
Yao Ying quickly ran to the kitchen and brought out a bowl of rice.
Song Anhao, trying to curry favor, pushed the leftover stir-fried celery with shredded pork and greens in front of Song Qiming.
"The bookshop’s meals are made per person, so Elder Brother, you’ll have to make do."
Song Qiming picked up the bowl without complaining, even though there was barely anything left on the plate.
"Before you were born, our family ate wild vegetables every meal. A bit of minced meat was something we only had during the New Year. These meals are already quite good."
The clerks, who had been eating with their heads down, glanced at the shreds of meat in their bowls.
Before the change of ownership, there had been no meat in their meals. Compared to before, things were now much better.
