10 Experimental Fields

◎It was all contracted by your father!◎

Having resolved a major issue, Qi Gu arrived at her own field feeling relieved.

Father once stood here, hands on his hips, pointing to this lush green expanse, and said, “Qi Gu, this is all the land your father built for you. Ah, we can’t say that in this day and age.”

He cleared his throat and said again, "This entire field was contracted for you by your father! Hehehe!"

"Father, please don't do this, I'm scared." She was still young then, but gradually got used to her father's startling remarks.

Now, standing where her father once stood, looking at the results she and her father had achieved, she finally understood her father's feelings back then.

Because she also wanted to shout: This is all the land she built with her hoe and rake, hahaha!

Back then, my father divided their family's six mu of land into three plots: plot A, plot B, and plot C, and planted different seeds in each plot.

She was also asked to mix different seeds and record in detail the growth, varieties, soil characteristics, etc. of the three plots.

Last year, following her father's method, she actually grew plump millet grains. This year, her father has started to guide her in researching millet varieties that can be harvested twice a year.

The data from this year's experimental fields is crucial, her father said. She asked him, "What are experimental fields and data?"

The father pointed to their own land and said, "The experimental field is the land we cultivate, and the data you are recording now is what we are doing."

Having worked the land with her father for seven or eight years, she feels that she can now be considered a "professional" as her father calls her.

Her father in her previous life had not taught her these things. Although Qi Gu was puzzled, she liked what her father said and what he taught her.

She knew her father was hiding something from her, but she wouldn't ask him, because she also had something to hide from him.

She thought that everyone has their own secrets, and whatever her father's secret was, she was willing to keep it for him.

When she heard Gouwa's voice, Qi Gu was engrossed in recording the growth of millet and wheat in field number two. She looked up from among the pale green wheat seedlings.

In late spring and early summer, Qi Gu wore a tattered straw hat she had woven herself. Sweat soaked her hair, and her face was flushed red from the sun. A glistening bead of sweat trickled down her slightly undulating face to her round chin.

Gouwa and Sima Hong stood on the edge of the field and saw Qi Gu, whose face was red from the sun but whose eyes were brighter than gold.

Qi Gu turned around and the first thing she saw was Sima Hong standing behind Gouwa. She frowned. Why was he everywhere? He was like a persistent ghost. What bad luck!

Qi Gu stood up, took off her straw hat, fanned herself, and walked to the edge of the field. Tomorrow she must go to Zhang Ao's house to exchange for a palm-leaf fan!

Gouwa eagerly stepped forward, took the straw hat from Qi Gu's hand, and fanned her, but Qi Gu ignored him.

She went straight to her basket, took out a water jug, poured water into a bowl, and drank it down in large gulps.

The cool, refreshing water entered my throat, as if irrigating the millet and wheat beneath my feet—it felt wonderful!

Gouwa watched her finish her water, then stared at her expectantly. Annoyed by his gaze, she asked, "What's up?"

Gouwa gestured to Sima Hong beside him, "My benefactor wants to thank you."

Qi Gu glanced at Gouwa, "You saved him, not me, so why thank me?" Qi Gu's gaze never lingered on that god-like person. She had long ago decided to never have any interaction with the people and things in the palace again, so there was no need for thanks.

Her gaze finally fell on the man, but her eyes were cold as she said, "No need for thanks, just don't try to kill me again." Her sharp words perfectly captured the ignorant and rude nature of a village girl.

But then the man's voice, as clear as a mountain stream, said, "I am very sorry about what happened yesterday, and thank you for saving me, young lady."

The man was dressed in a white robe, bowing with his hands clasped. His stunningly handsome face seemed out of place standing in the field.

He was apologizing, but his eyes were devoid of sincerity and warmth, utterly cold.

This reminded Qi Gu of the look he gave her before she was shot with the arrow in her previous life. She couldn't help but tense up. Whether in the previous life or this life, Sima Hong was always like this!

He stood on the edge of the field, and she stood in the mud, as if they were from two different worlds forever. Trying to catch the moon's reflection in the water once in a lifetime is enough.

Qi Gu rubbed her slightly itchy nose and shooed Gouwa away, "Go away, I'm busy, go somewhere cool."

In return, I used my eyes to clearly tell her: You're the same, go somewhere cool and stay away!

Sima Hong noticed the smear of ash on the nose of the woman in the mountain village, but he didn't care about her cold attitude. He simply took out a handkerchief and handed it to Qi Gu.

Qi Gu glanced down at the handkerchief he offered, then at the indifferent Sima Hong, feeling a little strange. How could someone with mysophobia be willing to give a handkerchief to a country girl like her?

When Gouwa saw this god-like young master reach out and tap Qi Gu's nose in the air, Qi Gu looked at the god-like young master with a look of vigilance and unease, just like when the weasel was surrounded by them.

For some reason, Gouwa disliked Qi Gu looking at the immortal young master like that, and he reached out with his dark hand to take the handkerchief from Sima Hong's hand.

But Sima Hong withdrew his hand, leaving Gouwa empty-handed.

Qi Gu snapped out of her daze. Beauty can be deceiving. If it weren't for her memories of her past life, she really wouldn't have been able to resist Sima Hong.

It's truly despicable for a man to look like that!

Qi Gu deliberately rubbed her nose with her dirty hands, making it even blacker than before when it was only a speck of gray. She proudly raised her chin, determined to make you suffer.

Sima Hong didn't know why he handed a handkerchief to this woman he had only met twice. From the way she looked at him, he knew she didn't like him, but for some reason, he saw a familiar look in her eyes...

Sima Hong walked to where Qi Gu had placed the teacups and put his own clean white silk handkerchief aside.

He turned to Gouwa and said, "Little brother Gouwa, let's go."

Qi Gu turned back to look at Sima Hong's back, who was dressed in white like snow. She touched her chin and thought, "He didn't seem to be wearing this outfit yesterday. Where did he get this outfit from?"

Looking down, I saw a handkerchief he had placed on my teacup. I took a few steps forward, threw the handkerchief into the field, and stomped on it several times with my muddy feet until it was filthy and dirty. Only then did I feel relieved.

He squatted back down in the field and began recording the situation of the C-shaped experimental field.

Gouwa secretly glanced at this celestial young master. Even though he was oblivious to social cues, he could tell that Qi Gu had a particular... aversion to this young master.

"Please don't take offense, sir. Aunt Qi is just a bit loud, has a bad temper, is a bit strong, and prefers farming," Gouwa explained to Aunt Qi.

If Aunt Qi were here, she would definitely thank Gouwa.

Sima Hong thought about how the woman named Qi Gu had made orderly arrangements while he was unconscious. Although he was unconscious at the time, he could still hear her voice.

He didn't care; in fact, the corners of his mouth curved slightly without him even realizing it.

He asked, "Little brother Gouwa, I noticed that the millet fields here seem to grow thicker and fuller than those elsewhere. Is there any special reason for that?"

Unexpectedly, such a divine figure would care about crops. Gouwa enthusiastically explained, "This is all thanks to Uncle Shi and Aunt Qi."

Gouwa stood tall, as if the good growth of the field was largely due to him.

“A few years ago, Uncle Shi and Aunt Qi divided their own land into three plots and bought different wheat seeds to plant. At the time, the villagers laughed and said that some of the seeds Uncle Shi bought were low-yield millet and wheat seeds, which was a waste of such good land. But in less than two years, the millet and wheat in Uncle Shi and Aunt Qi's land grew better than those of other farmers. The village head also came to inquire, and Uncle Li distributed the high-yield wheat seeds to the villagers.”

"Later, the millet and wheat in our village grew better than those in the surrounding villages, and everyone was eager to buy our millet and wheat seeds."

Sima Hong's gaze was somber. "I see."

When Qi Gu returned home carrying her hoe, she found her house completely surrounded. She hesitated and took two steps back. Was this still her own house?

Gouwa spotted her first in the crowd and squeezed through the throng, saying, "Aunt Qi, you're back."

Qi Gu was pulled by Gouwa and looked at Li Qiao, who was dressed in a gorgeous pink blouse and looked shy and timid, and Li Xiu and Li Zhong, the father and son, who were following behind her.

And Shen Wei and the others who were extremely respectful to Sima Hong, she asked with a puzzled look, "What's going on here?" Why are all these people at her house?

Qi Gu immediately became alert. Damn Li Qiao, why isn't she hurrying back to the capital? Is she afraid her identity won't be exposed? Wasn't she clear enough today?!

Then she looked at Sima Hong, who stood out in the crowd, and pursed her lips. Wasn't he very busy? What was he doing in this small Li Family Village?

Li Shi saw Qi Gu standing in the crowd and pulled her over. "Young master, this is my daughter. She's very good at farming!" He said with great pride. This pride stemmed not only from the fact that Qi Gu was his daughter, but also from the satisfaction of a teacher who had raised a good student.

If this were modern times, a promising agricultural student like Qi Gu would definitely be in high demand among those old guys.

Qi Gu stood in front of Sima Hong, frowning. What exactly did he want to do?

"The talents of Mr. Shi and Ms. Shi are truly admirable. If they can indeed grow wheat that yields two harvests a year, it will be a great blessing for the Great Jin Dynasty."

Qi Gu looked at Sima Hong with a strange expression. "It's just farming. Who in the village doesn't know how to farm? Don't be so surprised."

Then he said to his father, "Father, how could such noble people really understand these things? They are just being polite. Our dilapidated house is not suitable for entertaining you all. My father is about to prepare dinner." This was a blatant attempt to get rid of them.

Li Shi was instantly delighted. "My good daughter, I knew you appreciated my cooking skills. You've had a long day. Wait here, I'll go make something for you right away."

Watching her father dive headfirst into the kitchen, Qi Gu really wanted to hit herself on the head with a hoe. How could she have forgotten her father's passion for cooking?

Just as Qi Gu was regretting her actions, Li Xiu stepped forward with a smug look on her face: "Qi Gu, you are truly a born scoundrel! The arrival of distinguished guests like us in your home is a great honor for your family, how can you be so ungrateful!"

Qi Gu turned around, holding a hoe in her right hand, and stood in front of Li Xiu, who was half a head shorter than her.

Li Qiao, standing beside him, tugged at her father's sleeve with concern. Looking at Qi Gu's mischievous smile from that year, she walked towards her father and said, "Father, don't say anymore."

Qi Gu wasn't going to put up with him. "Oh, it's Uncle Xiu. If you hadn't said anything, I wouldn't have known you were here. I would have thought the emperor had come to our village."

"You, what nonsense are you talking about!" Li Qiao was obviously smarter than her father and knew that this was very disrespectful. In the past two days, the two maids from the palace had said these kinds of things to her about the difference between superiors and inferiors.

"I thought Uncle Li was referring to himself as the 'noble person,' but I don't understand. If the princess is a princess, what does she have to do with Uncle Xiu?" Qi Gu pointed her dirty index finger to the sky and said sarcastically, "Or perhaps Uncle Xiu thinks he's a noble person just because he's the princess's father."

Li Xiu also realized that Li Qigu was digging a hole for herself.

"I, I didn't mean that at all, Aunt Qi, you, you shouldn't talk nonsense!" But her tone was already very guilty.

Gouwa stepped forward and said, "Hmph, Uncle Xiu, that's exactly what you meant just now. You even called Aunt Qi a lowly wretch. How come all of us are peasants like Aunt Qi, and in Uncle Xiu's eyes, we're all lowly wretches!"

"That's right, that's right."

"The princess was born to the emperor. What does she have to do with you, Li Xiu?"

The villagers whispered among themselves, pointing and whispering about Li Xiu and Li Qiao. Although Li Qiao was now a princess, she was someone the villagers had watched grow up since she was a child. To put it bluntly, they had all seen Li Qiao with her bare bottom exposed.

"Li Qigu, even if I am not Father's biological son, Father raised me, and I will not allow you to disrespect him!"

Qi Gu looked at Li Qiao, who stood in front of Uncle Xiu with her neck stiff, looking as if she were protecting her father. Qi Gu was growing to admire Li Qiao more and more.

She reacted so quickly, showing great courage; she knew to find someone to silence her and also knew to protect her father. She was truly commendable.

I hope they can adapt well to the treacherous and unpredictable inner palace in the future.

Qi Gu put down her hoe. "The princess is right. Please forgive this uncouth village girl. My home is truly humble. Your Highness, you are of noble birth; you should leave as soon as possible." Qi Gu moved closer to Li Qiao: "Don't you think so, Princess?" She emphasized the word "Princess."

Li Qiao's pupils darted slightly. "You, you think I came here willingly? I, I am..."

Looking at Li Qiao's shifty eyes, Qi Gu thought, "Oh! It's Sima Hong causing trouble again."

"My esteemed guests, if you're not leaving, you'll have to stay at my house for dinner."

Upon hearing this, Gouwa pulled Sima Hong, saying, "Young Master Immortal, let's hurry up and leave!"

Seeing Sima Hong leave, Li Qiao snorted at Qi Gu and followed him, followed by a large group of people.

Qi Gu looked puzzled and couldn't help but exclaim, "Is he crazy?"

Gouwa was puzzled. "Wouldn't it be better to go to the capital? Even Li Qiao's attendants treat Sima Langjun with great respect. If I could go to the capital and see for myself, I would be willing to do anything he asked me to do."

Qi Gu watched Li Qiao running behind Sima, shook his head, and patted Gouwa on the shoulder, "Don't think about it, Gouwa, you're only suited to our Li Family Village."

Just then, the father's voice came, "Little puppy, I cooked extra food today, stay for dinner!"

Qi Gu clapped her hands. Her father's meal did have some effect; at least it only took her father's meal to drive away these uninvited guests.

[Author's Note]

Dr. Li: Nobody understands my jokes, I'm so lonely!

Aunt Qi: Father, I didn't pass. [Sunglasses]