The common folk, seeing the "An Guo Granary" characters behind the merchants, decisively made purchases.
Nowadays, only Liang Xiao's people used the "An Guo" brand. The government no longer allowed other merchants to abuse the name of An Guo. Any brand associated with Liang Xiao had official certification, such as stamps or official documents.
"Remember! Sprouted and green-skinned potatoes cannot be eaten, or you will die! Also! It's best not to eat potatoes raw!"
The merchants were not in a hurry to sell. Instead, they held up several sprouted potatoes and repeatedly reminded the crowd.
The crowd looked at the potatoes with awe, their desire to buy diminished. They switched to purchasing sweet potatoes and corn instead.
The sales volume of potatoes was less than half of the other two crops.
"It seems the shopkeepers guessed correctly; sweet potatoes and corn sell better!" the guards behind the merchants whispered to each other.
Before sales began, the shopkeepers from various regions received notices from the capital, instructing their subordinates to repeatedly remind the populace that they would rather sell less or not at all than have people die from eating their produce.
Customers of Liang Xiao and Liang Feng Restaurant had become the best advertisers for the new crops, showing off to their acquaintances that they had eaten these three items in advance.
These three items were incredibly cheap. Even the most expensive corn kernels were cheaper than rice. And since Liang Xiao's affiliated businesses were responsible for their sale, everyone wanted to try them. Even the awe-inspiring potatoes were bought in at least a jin.
Following the recipes provided by the merchants, households tried making dishes with potatoes and corn.
Corn, with a little salt, could be steamed and eaten just like sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes could also be added to porridge to make sweet potato porridge. Wealthier families could even deep-fry sweet potato slices.
Delicious! Filling!
This was the feedback from the common folk.
Within a few days, places selling the new crops became the scene of a new culinary trend.
As Liang Xiao had predicted, these three items, launched for the first time, captured the populace's curiosity. Coupled with their low prices, they quickly dominated the market.
Rice prices in various regions were also impacted by the new crops, slowly declining. At least, they wouldn't be able to rise in the short term!
In the Yan Prefecture area, business for the new crops was particularly booming.
When the common folk heard that Liang Xiao's people were selling them, every household eagerly purchased them to try.
To prevent people from eating sprouted potatoes carelessly, the merchants even promised that sprouted and green-skinned potatoes could be exchanged for fresh ones, and the returned potatoes would be used for planting.
A market for the new crops, with Yan Prefecture, the capital, and Jiangnan as the core, began to radiate outwards to surrounding prefectures and cities in Da Gan.
Rice prices were temporarily unable to rise, and some regions even saw price drops. Local governments were rushing to harvest grains, storing some for local emergencies and transporting the rest to the capital and border regions. Rice merchants were also aggressively selling off their stock.
Upon returning to Yan Prefecture, Liang Xiao rushed home without delay to check on his wife and children.
"Your father's sweet potatoes and corn are selling very well. The potatoes are also doing alright; at least they're making money. The people are fortunate," Luo Qingxue couldn't help but kiss her sleeping son, Luo Pingxiao, her face beaming with joy.
Even though she was still in confinement, Luo Qingxue did not forget to listen to financial reports to assist with future management.
Jian Qin Wan, Yue Lian, and Christina were also filled with pride.
For the public good, the people could eat their fill, and the country was more stable.
For personal gain, with the people having more disposable income, they would have more capacity to consume sugar, newspapers, and books. Their husbands would also earn more money, and sometimes they would give back a portion to the people, creating a virtuous cycle.
Liang Xiao smiled warmly, sat beside his wives, and they watched the children together.
The children were still young and could not be held casually, so he could only admire them for now.
"Look at Little Cang Sheng's chubby cheeks... Oh my, Little Xue'er loves to smile all day long..."
Seeing Liang Xiao's doting expression, his urge to kiss them, the wives laughed heartily.
His current expression was even rarer than his occasional blushing!
Qin Sheng Gongsun Jing and her daughter Gongsun Yu were in another room, beaming with smiles.
The Gongsun family had a hereditary love for money, and even Gongsun Jing was no exception. She was generous with her spending and happy to make money.
The lands under Liang Xiao's name had sold a large quantity of new crops, earning a substantial amount, which was much easier than selling rice!
However, Gongsun Jing was also well aware that this was just the initial windfall. After the initial excitement of the populace subsided, these crops would become commonplace, grown by every household.
Food was paramount to the people, and their food, clothing, shelter, and transportation were the most crucial. Liang Xiao had already solved the problem of food.
Roads were being built across the country to facilitate military and civilian travel.
Liang Xiao did not know the formula for cement, so he could only collaborate with the Ministry of Works to research and develop reliable cement as soon as possible.
Cement was a good thing, and the materials were not difficult to find, but the proportions of various materials needed to be researched.
As for the development of concrete, it would require even more effort...
Reinforcement bars in reinforced concrete were a problem, but bamboo could be used as a material to replace the steel bars in concrete, creating "bamboo-reinforced concrete."
Bamboo-reinforced concrete, which had been phased out by steel in modern times, could be used as a building material in this era. If handled properly, it was feasible.
Many famous buildings, such as the Wang Guangchang dormitory, built in 1917 and completed in 1918, was a student dormitory named after his father and funded by Wang Guoxuan, a shareholder of Da Dong Bank and an alumnus, to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Pui Ching Middle School. The beams and floor slabs of the entire building were cast with concrete using bamboo reinforcement, without a single steel bar. The building columns were constructed with red bricks, and the bamboo reinforcement inside had remained incorruptible for a hundred years.
However, these tasks still required the craftsmen of the Ministry of Works to conduct research. Liang Xiao did not have enough time to tinker and experiment alone. Border threats and domestic aristocratic families, landlords, and gentry needed to be dealt with as a priority.
The craftsmen of the Ministry of Works, having witnessed the practicality of Liang Xiao's curved-shaft plow and wind-resistant counter-balance, and hearing that the Divine Arm Crossbow was also invented by Liang Xiao, were all filled with admiration. They were naturally very willing to try the ideas for cement and bamboo-reinforced concrete provided by Liang Xiao.
At night, Zhuo Xun snuggled in Liang Xiao's arms, her face flushed, her eyes filled with a hint of resentment.
"Why are you still..."
She was extremely nervous and afraid, but she felt, couldn't this great monster be a little ruthless!
Liang Xiao hesitated to speak.
This young girl was already eighteen and had not lost an ounce of her innocence; she was still like a child. He felt an overwhelming sense of guilt and dared not act.
"You definitely still think of me as a child! I'll go out and see the world tomorrow to mature a bit~" Zhuo Xun pouted.
Liang Xiao was taken aback and reminded her, "Then you absolutely cannot run around alone. Someone must accompany you!"
"My father and the others will accompany me. Are you satisfied~" Zhuo Xun hummed.
Liang Xiao smiled warmly, kissed her forehead, and coaxed her to sleep.
Family harmony was what he cared about the most.
When Yue Lian and the children returned to the capital, the fifth son, Qiu Hanhai, would be enfeoffed by Xiao Qing with the status of a former imperial family member, to stabilize the populace.
The next day, Zhuo Xun put on a veil and went out.
Zuo Wushang, disguised as Liang Ke, a family retainer, along with ten subordinates disguised as ordinary guards, protected Zhuo Xun.
Upon hearing that Liang Xiao had not yet consummated his marriage with his daughter, Zuo Wushang was also vexed. However, looking at Zhuo Xun's innocent and inexperienced demeanor, he could understand the reason.
So, he could only take this opportunity while things were quiet to let her see the world. After all, Yan Prefecture City was quite safe.
Accompanied by Zuo Wushang, Zhuo Xun wandered around.
Just then, a graceful figure in white blocked Zhuo Xun's path.
Seeing the approaching person wearing a white veil, with eyes that were strikingly similar to her own and glaring intently at her, Zhuo Xun froze. She turned to look at Zuo Wushang, who was equally astonished.