Chapter 31 The dead man's field and the grain merchant couldn't help but frown and turned his head...

As soon as these words were spoken, the air around them instantly froze.

Zhao Chunfang took the opportunity to chime in, looking mysterious: "Brothers, I'm afraid you don't know yet? Their fields were once 'death fields'! Everyone in the village knows this. People died in the fields. This place is not clean."

Hearing the words "dead man's field," the faces of those who had gathered to watch the excitement suddenly changed. Even the grain merchant couldn't help but frown and turned to look at the Liu family: "Dead man's field? What's going on?"

Seeing the grain merchant wavering, Zhao Chunfang immediately seized the opportunity to strike while the iron was hot. "Someone died in their fields before, buried for years. This spring, during planting, a body was unearthed. It looked horrible. Tell me, who would dare eat wheat like this? Even though it looks good on the surface, who knows if it was grown using some unorthodox methods? It's contaminated by something filthy. Eating it could cause problems!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, the expressions of the two servants standing beside the Liu family members suddenly turned grim. The tall and strong servant frowned, his eyes filled with anxiety. He glanced at Liu's father several times. From Liu's expression, he knew the truth of the matter. He wanted to refute Zhao Chunfang, but he didn't know the full story, so he suppressed his dissatisfaction.

"How can this be possible?" The short and fat servant took a few steps towards the tall and strong servant, stood on tiptoe and whispered in his ear, "This is bad, will our work be in vain?"

Liu Yeshu stared at Zhao Chunfang's chattering mouth. His face remained calm, but his mind was racing. If this matter wasn't resolved promptly, the grain merchants might actually back off.

She met the grain merchant's questioning gaze and spoke calmly, "A body was indeed dug up in this field. However, it had been buried there for many years, far from our cropland. If you, my Lords, don't believe me, we can go and take a look together to confirm."

Zhao Chunfang rolled her eyes and was about to open her mouth to refute, but Liu Yeshu continued calmly, "Besides, if what Madam Zhao said is true, fields that have had filth in them cannot be eaten, and this field is irrigated with manure every year, then what piece of land in this world is edible?"

After hearing this, the grain merchant raised an eyebrow and said, "But I'm afraid this dead person and fertilizer can't be compared."

Seeing the grain merchant's expression ease, Liu Yeshu continued, "If you're still worried, my family has been eating the wheat they grew themselves these past few days, and they're all in good health. If there really was something wrong with this wheat, wouldn't we have been in trouble a long time ago?"

As she spoke, she took out some homemade pancakes from the small basket she brought with her.

"Thank you for your hard work, gentlemen. These are sesame cakes made from our own wheat. Our whole family has been eating them these past few days. If you don't believe in the quality of the wheat, you might as well try these sesame cakes first."

The grain merchant looked down and saw that the outside of the pancake was golden yellow, the crust was crispy, the edges were oily, and the surface was dotted with a layer of sesame seeds. It exuded the aroma of wheat and sesame, and looked very tempting. He reached out to take a piece of pancake and took a bite.

The first bite is followed by a burst of crispy crust, followed by the aroma of sesame and wheat. The soft, wheaty heart of the pancake, with a hint of warmth and oiliness, melts in your mouth. The pancake has just the right amount of saltiness, while retaining the natural sweetness of the wheat.

He chewed carefully, a look of appreciation gradually appearing on his face. After finishing one bite, he couldn't help but take another, nodding repeatedly. "This sesame seed cake is good! Crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, with a fragrant wheat aroma. It's really delicious." The grain merchant looked up at Liu's father, his eyes filled with a hint of unexpected praise. "Your girl not only has a clever mouth, but also a skillful hand. I've never tasted such delicious sesame seed cakes in this remote area of ​​the Great Wall."

Seeing that he was satisfied with the taste, Liu Yeshu secretly breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile, "Thank you for the honor of trying it. My family has always eaten sesame cakes made from our own wheat. Since you are here today, it's a good opportunity to try something new."

Seeing the situation improve, the two servants, tall and short, chimed in: "We are all eating, don't worry, big brothers."

Zhao Chunfang snorted coldly and whispered, "How delicious can it be? No one knows if there are any ashes in the flour used to make these pancakes."

The grain merchant was about to take a bite, but he suddenly felt disgusted. He spat and glared at Zhao Chunfang: "You old woman, you have such a bad mouth!" Then he threw the remaining half of the pancake in his hand towards Zhao Chunfang. Zhao Chunfang screamed "Oh" and jumped to the side in fright.

He turned to his servants and said, "Load this wheat onto the cart." The servants walked over to the wheat pile and expertly lifted bundles of golden ears of wheat, carefully placing them on the oxcart. The cart creaked, but continued to bear the weight as sheaves after sheaves were piled onto the carriage. The grains gleamed golden in the sunlight, forming a heavy mountain.

Liu Yeshu stood aside, watching the hard-earned wheat being loaded onto the carts, feeling a surge of satisfaction. The wheat was neatly packed, the servants skilled and methodical. Soon, several oxcarts were filled to the brim with wheat, their bodies sinking slightly, appearing exceptionally heavy.

Liu Yeshu took advantage of her unpreparedness and patted Zhao Chunfang's back vigorously: "What's the matter, Aunt Zhao, haven't you seen enough?"

Zhao Chunfang's face turned pale and blue. He gritted his teeth and glared at Liu Yeshu fiercely, but he could do nothing. In the end, he could only turn around and leave in hatred.

The leading grain merchant stepped forward, pulled out his account book, and discussed the settlement with Liu's father. He flipped through the ledger, carefully checking every detail, and whispered, "Uncle Liu, the total wheat we sold this time is 1,475 kilograms. At a price 10% higher than the market price, the total is 1,352 coins."

Liu Yeshu calculated silently in his mind and nodded to Liu's father. Liu's father took the account book with both hands, glanced at the details of the account again, and after confirming that everything was correct, he said, "Okay, okay, it's correct."

The grain merchant smiled, then took a leather bag filled with coins from the servant and handed it to Father Liu. The bag was bulging, and the sound of silver coins colliding inside made it seem like it was filled with a lot of weight.

"Thank you, grain merchant." Father Liu took the purse and bowed slightly, his tone full of gratitude towards the grain merchant.

The grain merchant bowed and replied, "Uncle Liu's wheat is good, so we must be fair in business. If you need good grain in the future, just come to us." After he finished speaking, he signaled his men to start pulling the ox cart full of wheat away slowly.

The wheels of the ox cart rolled over the ground, making a "creaking" sound, and the ox cart carrying the Liu family's harvest gradually went away. It did not stop when it passed by Zhao Chunfang.

As the grain merchant's convoy left, Father Liu glanced down at the heavy purse in his hand and breathed a sigh of relief. "Shu'er, today's accounts have been settled. We were able to sell our wheat this time, thanks to you." Father Liu walked over to Liu Yeshu and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

Liu Yeshu was genuinely happy: "Dad, this sale was great. All your hard work these days has finally paid off."

Father Liu nodded, his eyes becoming more serious. He pulled Liu Yeshu's sleeve and whispered, "Shu'er, the two servants who helped you at the general's mansion have done a lot of work. You can't treat them unfairly. Go settle their wages now, don't delay."

Liu Yeshu nodded and said softly, "I think so too."

Two servants, one tall and one short, were sorting tools. Both were sweating profusely, but their eyes were always directed towards Liu's father.

"You have worked hard." Liu Yeshu approached. The two servants stopped their work when they heard the voice, looked up and saw Liu Yeshu approaching, and quickly stood up straight and wiped the sweat from their foreheads.

"Miss Liu, do you have any instructions?"

Liu Yeshu first explained to the two of them the discovery of the body in the farmland, and then briefly talked about the conflict with Zhao Chunfang.

"Are you scared today? I never thought someone with ulterior motives would make a big deal out of something like this. I should have told you in advance." Liu Yeshu then smiled and handed them two small bags. "This is your hard-earned money, fifty coins each. You've helped a lot during this time. Without you, the wheat harvest wouldn't have gone so smoothly."

The two were stunned when they saw this. The tall and strong servant waved his hands hurriedly and said in a panic, "Miss Liu, I don't deserve this. It's our duty to help you. How can you ask for so much money?"

The short, fat servant nodded repeatedly. "Yes, Miss Liu, you are very kind. Even if we are not busy working in the fields, we will still be on duty at the mansion."

Liu Yeshu directly stuffed the purse into their hands and said, "Don't refuse. Since I promised you before, I will keep my word."

The two men took the purse and felt the heavy weight in their hands, feeling surprised and happy. For them, this was a considerable income.

The short and fat servant looked at the purse in his hand and kept saying gratefully, "Thank you, Miss Liu, you are so thoughtful. We didn't expect to get so much."

The tall and strong servant said seriously, "Miss Liu, you are so kind to us. We will definitely work harder in the future."

Liu Yeshu looked at their delighted expressions, smiled slightly, and spoke softly, "You've worked hard, and Dad and I have seen it. We'll be harvesting cotton and corn soon, and I'll pay you right away after we sell them."

The afterglow of the setting sun gradually faded and the sky darkened. Liu Yeshu and his father had been busy all day and finally decided not to return to the general's mansion and go home directly to stay.

After Liu Yeshu and Liu's father walked away, the two servants looked at each other, turned around quietly and walked towards the Liu family's farmland.

As night deepened, the fields fell silent. A tall, stocky servant and a short, stout servant trudged along the path through the fields, their steps soft and gentle, the only sound around them being the rustling of cotton and corn in the wind. Both men were extremely alert, their eyes fixed on the fields in the distance.

"Look, is there a figure over there?" the short and fat servant suddenly whispered, pointing to the cornfield in front, his eyes slightly narrowed.

The tall and strong servants also squinted their eyes and saw, as expected, a dark shadow swaying in the fields, its movements furtively. The two of them crouched down, holding their breath, and quietly observed the figure's movements.

"It's Zhao Chunfang!" The tall and strong servant recognized the man's outline and whispered through gritted teeth.

The two exchanged glances and understood Zhao Chunfang's intention—she was actually planning to set fire to the Liu family's crops! These cotton and corn were the Liu family's important harvests. If they were destroyed, the entire Liu family would suffer a huge blow.

Without hesitation, they quickly split up. The tall, sturdy servant quietly circled to the other side of the field, blocking Zhao Chunfang's escape route, while the short, stout servant approached from the front. Both moved swiftly, careful not to make any noise, until they quietly approached Zhao Chunfang.

Zhao Chunfang cursed Liu Yeshu's family under his breath and was about to take out a tinder from his pocket. Just as his hand touched the tinder, he suddenly heard a cold and sarcastic voice in his ear: "What are you doing?"

Zhao Chunfang was startled, her hand trembling, and she almost dropped the tinderbox. She turned around and saw the tall, sturdy servant standing behind her, his expression gloomy. The short, fat servant had already surrounded her from the other side, blocking her path.