Arriving at the edge of the village in the woods, Wang Han chose a relatively flat spot deep inside the forest, took his dragon-slaying broadsword from the white rhinoceros, and went to the place he had chosen.
"Crack, crack..." Wang Han swung his Dragon-Slaying Greatsword rapidly, and trees more than ten centimeters thick were cleaved one after another by Wang Han's Dragon-Slaying Greatsword, which weighed several hundred kilograms. Soon, Wang Han had used the sword to cut out a clearing about twenty meters long and fifteen meters wide.
After putting away his dragon-slaying broadsword, Wang Han instructed Zhang Shan, "Zhang Shan, build the house here. Take some money and go find that person who just came to take charge, and ask him to help you recruit people from the village to build the house together."
"Yes, my lord," Zhang Shan replied, took some money, and left the woods, heading towards the village.
"Old Zhao, you and your granddaughter come with me. We'll find a suitable place to plant," Wang Han said to the old man and his granddaughter, leading them out of the woods, while Li Si stayed behind to watch over the horses and other items.
After walking for a while (about five minutes), we found a relatively flat piece of land not far away, with a small stream flowing nearby.
“Let’s choose this one.” Wang Han looked at the open space in front of him, which was about the size of a courtyard, and said to Old Zhao, “Old Zhao, you should loosen the soil here for the next few days, water it more to keep it moist, and then build a fence around it to prevent animals from the mountains from damaging the land. In a couple of days, I will bring the grain seeds and teach you how to plant them.”
"My lord, please rest assured, my granddaughter and I will take good care of this land," Old Zhao said confidently. Then he asked Wang Han, "My lord, should we dig out more land? My granddaughter and I can plant more than ten acres."
Upon hearing this, Wang Han nodded and said, "Then we can just plant some vegetables. We don't need to plant too many, just half an acre at most, enough for our own consumption. You just need to take good care of the new seeds I'll give you in a couple of days."
"Yes, my lord, I will definitely plant the new seeds with all my heart." Upon hearing this, Old Zhao knew that Wang Han attached great importance to the new seeds, so he did not make any further demands. He vowed in his heart to plant the new seeds that Wang Han had given him well.
Seeing that Old Zhao understood his meaning, Wang Han nodded and continued, "In addition, your granddaughter will no longer need to farm with you. I plan to arrange for her to study and learn to read and write, and then learn medicine. In addition, she will also learn some martial arts from Zhang Shan and Li Si. Perhaps it will come in very useful in the future."
"Thank you, my lord! Not only are you willing to take in my poor grandfather and granddaughter, but you are also willing to teach Zhao Ya to read and write. I, Zhao Laosan, no, my Zhao family, have no way to repay your great kindness and virtue. We will follow you for generations to repay your great kindness and virtue." Upon hearing this, Old Zhao quickly and excitedly pulled his granddaughter to kneel down, tears streaming down his face. In this era, it was extremely difficult for poor families to learn to read and write, or to learn martial arts. Not only did they have to bear a heavier family burden, but they also needed to find someone willing to teach them. Poor families might not have this opportunity for generations. Even if they did, the cost would be prohibitive. Otherwise, so many poor people wouldn't be illiterate their whole lives, let alone a woman of low social status.
Old Zhao often looked at those scholars and generals with envy. Seeing that officials and landlords had to read and write, he knew the importance of literacy. Now that the Lord had spoken, his Zhao family was finally going to produce a literate person.
Old Zhao's granddaughter also knelt down and said, "Zhao Ya thanks you, my lord. Zhao Ya will definitely study hard and learn to read and write, so as not to disappoint you. Zhao Ya will repay your great kindness for generations to come."
Wang Han helped Zhao Lao and his granddaughter up and said, "Alright, get up. Now that you have followed me, I will naturally not treat you unfairly."
“We’ve found the land, let’s go back,” Wang Han said, leading the two back to the place he had chosen.
"Li Si." After returning to the chosen house site in the woods, Wang Han instructed Li Si, "From now on, you will be in charge of teaching Zhao Ya to read and write and practice martial arts. Also, tell the villagers that if anyone wants to come, teach them as well, without charging them any fees. However, the focus should still be on teaching Zhao Ya. I will go to the nearby city in a couple of days to find some books."
"Yes, my lord." Li Si quickly accepted the order and then said, "My lord, you shall take over the task of finding the letters in the city."
Wang Han shook his head and said, "I'll go in a couple of days. You guys can build the houses here first, and then make a batch of furniture. I'll be going into the mountains every few days to clear out the wild beasts, so that they won't come and hurt people in the future."
"Yes, my lord," Li Si replied helplessly. He wasn't worried about Wang Han; with Wang Han's terrifying strength, he wouldn't be in danger whether he went to the city or the mountains.
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Time flies, and more than a month passed quickly. After Wang Han offered double the wages, almost the entire village in the neighboring area mobilized. All the laborers in the village pitched in, and more than two or three hundred people built a large courtyard house, 200 meters long and 150 meters wide, in the woods in just over a month. The walls were constructed using a method proposed by Wang Han, employing brick-making techniques from later generations, combined with ancient palace wall bonding methods. This not only greatly accelerated the construction speed but also made the walls sturdy and durable. The houses inside, however, still used the wooden structure of this era.
During this month, Wang Han not only cleared out the wild beasts near the village, but also handed the bag of potatoes in his backpack to Old Zhao and planted the potatoes with him. Zhang Shan continued to manage his usual affairs, while Li Si began to teach Zhao Ya to read and practice martial arts.
Life thereafter became monotonous. Wang Han spent most of his time exercising alone in the mountains, watching Zhang Shan and Li Si practice martial arts, and checking on the growth of the potatoes.
After the first potato harvest, Wang Han used the potatoes from the first harvest as seed again.
More than a year passed quickly, and it was early June of the second year of the Chuping era (191 AD). The third crop of potatoes was about to ripen. As the feudal lords waited anxiously, Wang Han finally sent Zhang Shan to inform Cao Cao of the address for collecting the potatoes. Cao Cao then instructed Cao Cao to notify the various feudal lords to send soldiers to collect the potato seeds and to send experienced farmers to learn the planting techniques.
Upon receiving the news from Cao Cao, the various warlords immediately dispatched three to five thousand soldiers, along with gifts of gratitude and experienced farmers, to the small mountain village where Wang Han resided.
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