Chapter 85
For the residents of Yichun Military Settlement, this year's spring plowing season was a novel experience, as they were introduced to new farming methods. Under the guidance of agricultural doctors at the Institute of Agricultural Sciences, the public fields of the military settlement were planted with various crops, including wheat, rice, millet, beans, and sesame, according to the guidelines compiled and summarized in the "Key to Crop Planting Techniques" compiled by the settlement.
The countless new things in the military settlements tell the residents that the military settlements are serious about farming.
The settlers heard that there were thirty or forty varieties of rice planted in the public fields. The military settlement had planted all of them in the public fields and marked them. They would wait until the fields were ripe to see which varieties had high yields and few pests and were suitable for planting on their land.
Some new species and varieties were managed by the agricultural courtyard and planted in designated public fields. The recommended crops for the private fields of the villagers were all specific, high-quality grain varieties.
Military settlements have high-quality seeds, and individuals can exchange them for work points or merit points at the exchange building, then plant them in their own fields. However, this requires registration, and reselling seeds to outsiders is strictly prohibited. Any such person will be recorded in the register, and those with a criminal record will not be eligible for preferential treatment when the exchange building offers rare items.
After a busy week or nearly a month, they had already planted all the crops that were in season. For those that hadn't been planted yet, they had already made furrows and ridges, or at least prepared the land, and were just waiting for the right time to plant.
That afternoon, the kitchen at the General's Mansion delivered freshly baked springtime snacks. Yu Chen and Yao Chunnuan saw this and had tables and chairs brought out to the small garden outside. The other members of the team put down their work and headed out to the garden for a short break and a snack.
Just as they were about to begin, Meng Yi arrived with a pot of wine. Seeing the layout of the small garden, he immediately smiled and said, "You guys are really good at taking a break from your busy schedule."
Zhu Yongnian quickly swallowed a mouthful of pancake and said seriously, "A proper rest is for better work. Let's talk about you. Why are you drinking so early in the afternoon?"
Yao Chunnuan casually replied, "Look at his rosy face and raised eyebrows. I'm afraid there's something good going on."
Meng Yi gave her a thumbs-up. "You guessed right. Last night, I got Zhou Yushu's personal promise to stay in the military settlement."
Others said, "Congratulations, General Meng. This is not easy."
Meng Yi took a sip of his wine and thought, "Isn't that right? Despite Zhou Yushu's youth, he's incredibly stubborn. It took a lot of effort to convince him."
Yao Chunnuan found this result both unexpected and reasonable. Zhou Yushu's character and temperament were somewhat similar to the Confucian general Zhao Yun from the Three Kingdoms period, and he wasn't easy to tame.
If Shi Mei had not pushed him out in order to take Wei Qiuyu away smoothly, causing a rift in the relationship between them, no matter how hard Meng Yi tried to control him or how much kindness they showed him, he would have left after three months.
But the facts were in their favor. First, there was a rift in his relationship with the Yichun camp, and Meng Yi took advantage of the situation and kept pulling him towards the Yichun military camp. The final blow should be the general's attention. The general seized more than 2,000 horses from Di Luo and wanted to build a new cavalry battalion. He didn't even make up for the losses of the previous cavalry battalion, for fear that if he did, the new cavalry battalion would not be able to be built due to too few horses. After observing Zhou Yushu, the general also wanted him to lead this second cavalry battalion. However, Zhou Yushu had been refusing because he was not sure about his assignment due to the three-month service period. But for these two months, the general had been waiting for him. How could Zhou Yushu not be moved?
Yao Chunnuan said, "Since General Zhou has agreed to let you stay, there is one thing you must do."
Meng Yi: "What's the matter?"
Yao Chunnuan motioned him to come closer and then whispered instructions.
Others were not curious about what Yao Chunnuan had confessed. Some things should not be known, and knowing them would cause trouble.
After hearing this, Meng Yi stood up suddenly and asked, "No, how come your news is so timely?"
"I was just thinking that the three-month deadline was coming up, so I'd better be prepared. Who knew it would actually come in handy? Okay, stop nagging and just go get it done."
Meng Yi was surprised that her news was so timely. Could Yao Chunnuan say that even she didn't expect Han Chaosheng to be able to do this?
Han Jinan and his older brother left with her caravan, while he stayed behind. Her original intelligence network was rather crude, and she hadn't been able to find a suitable counterpart. She did this simply to avoid being deaf and ignorant of Yichun's outside news.
After Han Chaosheng stayed, she took over the Intelligence Department, optimizing and expanding it. Currently, she's active in Yichun. It's safe to say she's incredibly perceptive. She quickly acquires detailed information on events happening in Yichun, and even outside of the city, she can't hide any major news from her.
To be honest, after the Han brothers came to her, they worked very hard. Yao Chunnuan returned the favor by secretly caring for the elderly and weak members of the Han family.
Within two days, March arrived. People arrived from the Yichun camp with quite a large presence.
Shi Mei came, Wang Lang came, and several generals who had been friends with Zhou Yushu in the Yichun camp, and most importantly, Marshal Zhu's eldest son also came.
Everyone can understand that Marshal Zhu is the highest authority in the Yichun military camp after all. Even if he values a general very much, it is impossible for him to visit the military camp in person. However, he asked his eldest son to come on his behalf, which showed his sincerity.
Three months later, Shi Mei and others went into Yichun Military Village again and found that it had changed a lot compared to winter.
Yichun's fields have been replanned, and soon after spring plowing, the seasonal crops have been planted, some already sprouting. The vast expanse of fields is a shimmering green. From afar, the paths connect, the sounds of chickens and dogs echo past, creating a truly idyllic scene. Just looking at it brings a sense of peace and comfort.
In the conference hall, Zhou Yushu saw Shi Mei and others. He moved his lips, and then fell silent.
"General Zhou, we are here to take you back."
"Yes, we are here. With us here, they won't dare to detain you."
The people from the Yichun camp took the lead.
Seeing this, Yao Chunnuan smiled. Three months ago, she was the one who made the bet to keep Zhou Yushu, and she was also the one presiding over the meeting this time. She was known as someone who had a beginning and an end.
Yao Chunnuan didn't waste any words and said directly, "We both agreed that when the three-month service period is up, it will be up to General Zhou to decide whether to leave or stay. Neither of us can interfere. General Zhou, you can announce now whether you will leave or stay."
"General Zhou, it was my fault for letting you stay in the Yichun military settlement. I apologize to you." Shi Mei took a deep breath and spoke first.
Then, Marshal Zhu's eldest son, Zhu Guotao, continued, "General Zhou, my father is waiting for us to return home at the Marshal's Mansion. He has prepared a banquet and said he hasn't had a drink with you in a while."
"Come back, it's been three months and we have been waiting for you to come home." The generals who were on good terms with Zhou Yushu said in unison.
With such a big scene, it seems that the Yichun camp has also sensed something is wrong. Yao Chunnuan picked up the tea and drank it, thinking in a good mood.
Meng Yi stepped forward, patted him on the shoulder, and said only one sentence, "No matter what choice you make, you must be good to yourself."
Zhou Yushu nodded heavily.
The people in the Yichun camp glared at Meng Yi. What a scheming man! His words made their previous sincere words seem like they were forcing Zhou Yushu!
Compared with the solemnity and seriousness in the Yichun camp, the people in the military settlement were quite calm. They had tried their best in the past three months. I believe that General Zhou had also seen their sincerity, and it was up to him to make the decision.
Wang Lang, who had been silent the whole time, spoke up now. "General Zhou has been staying in the Yichun military camp for the past three months and is unaware of our camp's plans for this year. This autumn, we plan to purchase 3,000 horses to form a second cavalry battalion. The position of Sima is now vacant. General Zhou, please come back."
When Zhou Yushu heard this, he was stunned at first, and then a trace of regret flashed across his eyes.
Wang Lang had been observing Zhou Yushu's reaction and said anxiously, "General Zhou, please come back. Your aunt is waiting for you in the camp."
Zhou Yushu was stunned for a moment when he heard this, then he asked in disbelief, "What did you say? My aunt is in the Yichun camp?"
Zhou Yushu's parents have both passed away. Apart from his teacher, he only has this aunt as his closest relative, who also raised him for several years.
"Yes, General Zhou has been stationed in Yichun for the past three months. We sympathize with how much you and your family miss him, so we invited your aunt from your hometown to come over. We wanted to give you a surprise. She just arrived in Yichun a few days ago, and I thought that coming to pick you up today would be a great opportunity for you to be reunited."
"You——" Despicable!
The people in Yichun Military Village are also filled with righteous indignation. They speak so nicely, but in reality, aren't they using other people's relatives to force them to submit?
No one in the Yichun camp said anything, clearly acquiescing to Wang Lang's move. They had fought their way through the ranks of the barracks and risen to high positions, so they were quite intelligent, and they naturally saw that Zhou Yushu was determined to leave.
Now, it all depends on what Zhou Yushu chooses. First, he'll get the man back. Wang Lang is no fool, and Aunt Zhou must have been appeased. Then, he can ask Aunt Zhou to persuade Zhou Yushu, and this matter will slowly fade away.
At this moment, unable to bear Zhou Yushu's embarrassment, Meng Yi jumped out and said angrily, "Master Wang, this is just your dishonesty. You brought General Zhou's aunt here, but why didn't you tell Aunt Zhou that her nephew was in our military settlement, not your camp?"
Wang Lang snorted and ignored his shouting.
Yao Chunnuan continued to drink tea slowly and methodically.
"Luckily, my men met her on the street. When she learned that General Zhou was in our military settlement, she took the initiative to come back with us." Meng Yi emphasized the word "take the initiative".
"You—" Wang Lang was stunned. "Impossible!"
"Shu'er!" At this time, with this call, a forty-year-old woman rushed in from outside.
"Aunt!" Zhou Yushu turned around and went to greet her.
Seeing Zhou Yushu's aunt there, he realized it. Lost, they lost, just one move away! Wang Lang slowly sat down. He didn't know if it was coincidence, but he was sitting diagonally across from Yao Chunnuan, and happened to see her leisurely drinking tea. And considering her reactions from beginning to end, it seemed so leisurely. If Wang Lang still couldn't see the confidence Yao Chunnuan displayed at this moment, he would be a fool.
"You are right, aren't you?" It was you who saw through my plan, and it was you who ruined my plan.
It was a nonsensical sentence, but Wang Lang knew that Yao Chunnuan understood it.
As expected, Yao Chunnuan said, "If you say it is, then it is. There is no point in me denying it, right?"
Wang Lang took a deep breath and asked, "Do you think so badly of me?" Are you so sure that I would take this step?
"It's not that I think you're that bad, but you're just that bad. I've never hesitated to assume the worst of you."
Wang Lang smiled and said, "You can guess my thoughts and reach the same depth of thought. Doesn't this mean that you and I are actually the same kind of people?"
Yao Chunnuan frowned, then relaxed, with a smile that was a bit meaningless, "The lechers see the lechers, if you say so, then so be it."
Wang Lang seemed stunned by her words and looked at her suspiciously.
Wang Lang, Wang Lang, you don't understand. Everyone wants success and doesn't want to fail. They can resort to dirty tactics and schemes, but schemes and tricks are not the right path. We can't survive in this world by schemes and tricks. Ultimately, people must have their own bottom lines. If you lose them, you lose the rules, and you become a recalcitrant and infamous criminal. If you become like that, who would dare to talk to you? Who would dare to trade with you?
In her eyes, Wang Lang had too many flaws. He didn't know how to choose, and was only known for his ruthlessness. Take Zhou Yushu, for example. A wise person could see at a glance that Zhou Yushu was leaning towards the military settlement. In this situation, the wise person would have let him go gracefully. This would at least leave Zhou Yushu with a sense of guilt, making future cooperation easier. Besides, it was only Zhou Yushu. They lost a talented person, and they could find another one. Yichun was so big, Daliang was so large, there must be talented people. Why bother to fight for someone who didn't belong to them?
Yao Chunnuan fell silent. Since they were destined to be rivals, why should she offer him guidance and correction? Wouldn't that be aiding the enemy? Not encouraging him to make further mistakes was a gesture of kindness on her part.
As for the blood relationship between him and Xiao Yaoxi, even though it cannot be severed, as long as she continues to suppress Wang Lang and is always better than him, no matter how bad Wang Lang's reputation becomes in the future, no one can use it as a weapon to harm Xiao Yaoxi.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
