Chapter 371 Spring Plowing
Thinking of this, Chen Fenghe couldn't help but feel a little confused, and then because he realized his hesitation, he couldn't help but sigh.
Reason told her that she had to withdraw in time, but subconsciously, she might have been delaying the arrival of this moment.
Although she was the Crown Princess and was certainly under surveillance in the palace, her sudden disappearance might give others a handle and implicate Qin Mengyue. In addition, she had to take her younger brothers and sisters with her, so it would be difficult to use the space or anything else. Therefore, she had to make all preparations. However, if she really wanted to leave, she should have been able to do it faster.
Chen Fenghe sighed secretly and made up his mind that the arrangement of leaving could not be delayed any longer.
After dinner, Chen Fenghe entered the space and took a hot bath. Then she lay on the bed and planned to sort out her plans.
I had just laid down for a while when I heard a slight, regular sound coming from the floor inside the room.
Chen Fenghe sat up suddenly, her heart beating twice more.
This sound was the signal she and Xiao Yunshuo had agreed upon in advance. It should be Xiao Yunshuo coming out of the secret passage.
There were two secret passages from the Yun Mansion. One led to a specially built secret room in the woodshed, and the last one led directly from Xiao Yunshuo's room to her room. Although she tried to stop it, she failed...
"Why? You are my wife. Can't a husband enter his wife's room?"
Chen Fenghe could not think of any reason to stop him except to laugh dryly with guilt, so he had to agree.
Fortunately, she requested a second lock, saying she was afraid someone would find out if she did it too suddenly. They agreed on a code, and unless the code matched, the secret door wouldn't open.
Xiao Yunshuo agreed to this.
After the regular signal sounded, the room fell silent.
Chen Fenghe hesitated for a moment, considering whether to pretend to be asleep and not hear him, or to open the door.
After thinking about it, he sighed and decided to let the person in.
Otherwise, who knows if the prince will be sulking. If he comes to my house tomorrow, it will be even harder to explain...
The secret door was opened, and Xiao Yunshuo jumped neatly from the secret passage into the room. He stared at her with dark eyes and said calmly, "Falling asleep? What took you so long?"
Chen Fenghe coughed twice and said vaguely: "Well... I felt a little tired after eating, so I went to sleep first..."
Xiao Yunshuo looked at her quietly without saying anything.
Chen Fenghe felt inexplicably guilty.
He should have asked Yuan Xu to deliver the dishes for dinner through the secret passage. This was basically telling her that he was back and would come over in the evening.
Falling asleep was just an excuse for her to act like an ostrich...
"Your Highness, is your mission going smoothly this time? How long will you stay here?"
Knowing yourself and your enemy will make it easier for her to act later!
Of course, it was also to change the subject and make conversation.
Xiao Yunshuo didn't dwell on her failure to open the door in time. He naturally pulled her to sit down beside the bed and said, "Youzhou is an important border town and a crucial route for transporting food and fodder to the border garrisons. This time, the plague besieged Youzhou, and food and fodder had to be routed through other prefectures, almost doubling the time. With food and fodder running low at the front, the Northern Rong are ready to make a move. Although they're cautious and haven't sent a full-scale invasion, they've repeatedly sent dozens or even hundreds of scattered soldiers to harass and plunder border towns. Many villages and towns have been destroyed, some even massacred. It's an inhumane act. I'm going there this time to deal with this matter..."
Chen Fenghe was startled and looked at him in astonishment. Then her heart tightened and she felt as if there was cotton stuck in her throat and she couldn't speak.
She originally thought that he was going to contact the forces in various provinces that supported the prince in preparation for returning to the palace in the future, but she didn't expect that he was going to fight against the Northern Rong Army for the border residents.
"Was that... a close combat with the Northern Rong soldiers? Were there any... injuries?"
Seeing her concern, Xiao Yunshuo's dark eyes brightened up a bit and he smiled, "They are just minor injuries..."
Minor injury means that you are still injured.
Chen Fenghe frowned and said, "Where is the injury? Let me take a look."
Xiao Yunshuo raised his eyes to glance at her and said calmly, "It's okay..."
"Whether it's a problem or not, I can only tell after I take a look. Have you forgotten that I'm a doctor? The injured person has no right to speak!" Chen Fenghe said seriously.
Xiao Yunshuo curved his lips and smiled slightly, saying, "Okay then."
As he said this, he began to undress.
Chen Fenghe: “…”
Stay calm.
This is indeed to see the injury, not that...
When he took off his shirt, revealing his muscular chest, Chen Fenghe couldn't help but gasp.
A bandage was wrapped from the left shoulder to the lower back, with blood seeping out in some places.
All the awkwardness and confusion in Chen Fenghe's heart disappeared in an instant.
She reached up to untie the knot of the bandage.
Xiao Yunshuo raised his hand and grabbed hers, saying, "It's been bandaged. It's okay."
Chen Fenghe was a little angry: "You should have traveled day and night this time, and you had to fight hand-to-hand with the Beirong soldiers. Even if you were bandaged, it was just a simple bandage. How could you be okay? Don't move. I'm okay if I say it's okay!"
Although the words were spoken with a hint of anger, the movements were gentle. The bandages were peeled off layer by layer, revealing the wounds inside.
It was a knife wound extending from the left shoulder to the side of the waist. Fortunately, it was not particularly deep and should not have injured the internal organs. The wound should have been treated with medicine, so there was no infection.
Even so, it is shocking enough.
Chen Fenghe subconsciously raised his hand to touch it.
Xiao Yunshuo grabbed her hand again and said with a smile, "I told you it's okay. The medicine you made is very effective and will heal soon."
If there is no infection, you can only wait for the wound to heal slowly.
Chen Fenghe sighed, then took out some medicine and clean bandages, re-applied the medicine and bandaged up his wounds, and then asked, "Now that you're back this time, rest up for a while..."
Xiao Yunshuo looked at her and smiled, "I have to leave for Daming Prefecture tomorrow. I just came back tonight..."
Shen Fenghe was stunned for a moment.
Originally, she should have been happy that he was going on a long journey again, but when she saw the injuries on his body, she inexplicably felt a sense of melancholy.
However, in the end she still said nothing.
Xiao Yunshuo held her hand and said with a smile, "Don't worry, I won't be gone long this time. I'll be back in a few months at most, or a month at least. When I come back, we should start making arrangements for our wedding..."
Chen Fenghe almost choked and stared at him with wide eyes in shock: "What...what about getting married?"
How come she hasn't heard of it?!
Wasn't she already married to him?
Seeing her shocked expression, Xiao Yunshuo said calmly, "Looking at the current situation, I'm afraid it will be difficult to restore my status as the Crown Prince in the short term. Aren't you afraid of getting pregnant? This is the only option left..."
Chen Fenghe stuttered, "Your Highness...Your Highness means to...get married again as 'Young Master Yun'? But...I'm the Crown Princess. Even if the Crown Prince is in a state of fake death now, the palace shouldn't ignore it, right?"
She tried hard to find a reason to refuse.
Xiao Yunshuo smiled and said, "While the customs of my Dayu people aren't as reckless as those of the Northern Rong barbarians, they're not completely uncivilized. They wouldn't restrict their wives from remarrying after their husbands die, forcing them to live out their lives as widows. Furthermore, the people in the palace are probably eager to minimize or even eliminate the Crown Prince's presence as quickly as possible. The Crown Princess' 'remarriage' would surely be something they'd welcome."
Chen Fenghe had to admit that this was indeed possible.
Seeing that she was silent, Xiao Yunshuo stared at her and said lightly, "Why don't you want to?"
Chen Fenghe quickly shook her head: "No! Why would I not want to? It's just... I was a little too surprised for a moment... Hehe..."
Xiao Yunshuo gave her a scrutinizing look before smiling and saying, "That's good. It's getting late, go to bed. I have to leave early tomorrow morning."
Chen Fenghe breathed a sigh of relief in her heart.
Fortunately, he had to go on a long trip, so the situation was not completely hopeless.
The next morning, when Chen Fenghe woke up, Xiao Yunshuo had already left. She stayed in bed for a while before getting up.
After breakfast, he said hello to Qin Mengyue, then went back to his room, closed the door, and then went to the town through space.
Boss Zheng and the driver and escort who were in charge of delivering the goods yesterday were all waiting in the store. When they saw Chen Fenghe coming, Boss Zheng immediately went to greet him: "Young guest, you are here."
Chen Fenghe asked, "Did the goods arrive safely and on time?"
Boss Zheng smiled and said, "Of course. If I can't even handle this, I'll be completely disgraced."
Chen Fenghe took out five taels of silver from his sleeve and said with a smile, "This is your reward. Boss Zheng, please take a look and distribute it to everyone according to the rules."
Seeing that he had given five taels of silver on this trip, Boss Zheng was truly generous. He said happily, "Young guest, this is the first time I've seen such a generous boss like you. However, I still have to remind you that the carriage and horse business is indeed not easy to do, so you can't be too generous..."
Chen Fenghe smiled and said, "Thank you, Boss Zheng, for the reminder. This is mainly because we are doing business for the first time, and it also contains the intention of giving you a welcome gift. I will naturally pay attention to it in the future. Speaking of which, I have another unwelcome request, Boss Zheng."
Boss Zheng said, "What's the matter? Please tell me, young sir."
Chen Fenghe smiled and said, "My last name is Gu. Boss Zheng, you can just call me Master Gu from now on. Boss Zheng knows I'm not particularly familiar with the carriage and horse business, and my family already has other shops to take care of. This purchase of this shop was purely accidental, so I don't have much time to manage it myself. I know Boss Zheng is going to sell the shop and return home to buy land and settle down, but... if Boss Zheng is willing to stay and be the shopkeeper of this shop, helping me manage it for a year or two, or even longer, I would be very grateful. Of course, Boss Zheng will definitely not be left out of the annual salary and dividends. How about an annual salary of 100 taels, plus dividends, is that okay?"
After hearing this, Boss Zheng couldn't help but think about it.
One hundred taels a year, and there are other dividends to be received. This is better than the income from running his own shop before. Moreover, unlike before, he does not have to bear the profits and losses himself. Now he can get a guaranteed income regardless of the market conditions!
However, he looked at Chen Fenghe with suspicion. He knew very well that the business of the carriage and horse business was not easy to do, otherwise he would not have sold the shop and returned home.
This young master has promised him one hundred taels a year, but it is still unclear whether he can fulfill his promise!
He thought for a moment, then said with an embarrassed look, "Young guest... no, Master Gu, thank you for your kindness, Master Gu. However, I still have my mother, wife, and children at home. I've already written back to tell them that I'll be leaving soon. I really can't bear to disappoint them..."
After hearing this, Chen Fenghe didn't try to force him to stay. She smiled and said, "If that's the case, then I won't force you. I wonder when Boss Zheng will leave. I'll see him off then."
After leaving the carriage and horse shop, Chen Fenghe returned through space in a secluded place as usual.
As winter passed and spring came, Shili Village also began to prepare for spring plowing.
Madam Yang was afraid that Qin Mengyue and Shen Fenghe didn't know the time for these farming activities, so she came to tell them enthusiastically.
Qin Mengyue asked, "I wonder what crops everyone in the village grows?"
Madam Yang said, "We're planting spring wheat, millet, and sweet potatoes. The soil here isn't very fertile. If we don't plant these staple crops, we won't have enough to pay our grain and silk taxes in the fall, as well as our own food for the year. Your family must not miss out on planting."
Qin Mengyue thanked him with a smile.
After Madam Yang left, she turned around and asked Chen Fenghe, "Fenghe, what do you think we should plant? Didn't you say before that you wanted to plant some medicinal herbs? However, from what Madam Yang said, we need to carefully consider the quantity..."
Chen Fenghe nodded and said with a smile, "Mom, we must plant the staple food. However, the fertility of the fields is not good, so even if we plant more, the harvest will only get smaller and smaller. Don't worry, I have figured out how to arrange it."
Qin Mengyue nodded and said, "That's good. Even if autumn comes and we really don't have enough food, we still have Shuo'er here, so we don't have to worry."
The next day, Chen Fenghe asked Yang Baozong, Zhang Yuan and others to find a few people to help plant the purchased tree species and saplings in the semi-desertified land far away from the village.
Everyone looked at each other in confusion.
Yang Baozong asked, "Mrs. Shen, everyone is busy with spring plowing. Why are you planting these shrubs and thorns? They won't bear fruit, and planting them is just a waste of effort. Aren't you even wasting your wages?"
Chen Fenghe smiled and said, "These tree species and shrubs can survive in arid land. The soil near Shili Village is becoming increasingly desertified. Planting these shrubs will improve the desertification within three years. If we ignore them and continue to only grow grains like wheat and millet, I'm afraid that the arable land will soon become less and less, and eventually even the village will become a desert."
Everyone was a little disapproving after hearing this.
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