Chapter Thirty-Nine: Naïve Feelings
Shen Zhiyi felt much more at ease after hearing this, but thinking that she still had something to trouble him with, and facing such a kind face, she felt that she was pushing her luck. Just as she was hesitating, she heard Lu Jingbai say, "Is there anything else? Please speak frankly."
She pursed her lips, thinking that if Shunshui Village had planting, it would definitely greatly improve their future economy. This unspeakable thought vanished in an instant. Even if she was suspected, it would be worth it!
“I checked out the wasteland in Shunshui Village yesterday. They’ve managed it very well. It’s perfect for that plant with white down and serrated leaves. If they could get water access, it would be even better,” Shen Zhiyi said slowly.
“I can bear witness for the girls, but I cannot force them to cultivate the land,” Lu Jingbai said solemnly.
"With Lord Lu as witness, that would be even better!" Shen Zhiyi said sincerely. She had originally thought of this, but she didn't expect the other party to bring it up on his own initiative.
She thought for a moment about what she could do for Lu Jingbai and quickly said, "If you don't mind, sir, you can try to mend that torn robe of yours."
“Alright, then I’ll trouble you, young lady.” Lu Jingbai replied without hesitation, and got up to walk towards the guest room.
He really is a man of action.
Shen Zhiyi thought to herself, "Such a personality is quite remarkable."
After Lu Jingbai entered the room, he opened his packed bag and saw the folded azure robe. He found the part that Xuan Yan had sewn up and tried to tear it open again, but the stitches were too strong and he couldn't tear it open after two attempts.
At this moment, Xuan Yan came in from outside and saw this scene. He immediately asked, "Young Master, what are you doing?"
"Cut it open here, and remove all the loose threads." After Lu Jingbai finished speaking, he realized that his request seemed excessive, but he didn't want to be too explicit and didn't explain it clearly as he usually did.
Xuan Yan was an obedient servant. He took the outer robe, took out a dagger from his sleeve pocket, pried open the seams, and then handed the robe over.
After Lu Jingbai took the robe, he walked out.
Before long, Shen Zhiyi, who was sitting on a small stool, saw Lu Jingbai walking over, stood up first, took the outer robe handed to him with both hands, and said seriously, "I will sew it very well, Lord Lu, don't worry."
"Thank you for your trouble," Lu Jingbai said softly.
"Don't be shy!" Shen Zhiyi said with a smile, carefully folding her outer robe and placing it solemnly in her carriage.
The sunlight pushed aside the white clouds blocking its path, but sparingly cast a small shadow.
Led by Lu Jingbai and with the encouragement of Village Chief Chen, all the heads of Shunshui Village gathered on benches in the village's grain-drying area.
Village Chief Chen scanned the crowd and said to Shen Zhiyi, "Miss Shen, everyone is here."
Having lived to this age, he could tell that the person in charge of this matter was that young woman, but he didn't know what she would say.
“Alright, Village Chief Chen, please have a seat.” Shen Zhiyi stood up and then said seriously, “Then I will begin.”
"Dear brothers and sisters, uncles and aunts, I've called you all here today to discuss something very important," Shen Zhiyi announced loudly, trying to drown out the whispers. "I've seen the wasteland cleared in the village and witnessed everyone's diligence! I have a batch of seeds that are even more suitable for the village's wasteland. They're not grain, but they'll be commonly used vegetables in the future, and they'll definitely be among the first to grow, so they might fetch a high price!"
"Tch, you're just a little kid who hasn't even grown a beard yet..." This disdainful voice in the crowd was interrupted by Village Chief Chen's heavy cough, and finally fell silent.
Shen Zhiyi had faced disapproval before, so she didn't feel embarrassed by these words. She went along with it and said, "Precisely because these seeds are rare, they are a good option for future sales, whether as vegetables or ornamental plants."
“I’m not forcing you to farm, but this is an opportunity to escape poverty!” Shen Zhiyi said in a deep voice. “If anyone is interested, please come forward and we can discuss the details.”
"Little girl, are you done talking?" someone asked impatiently.
“I’m done talking,” Shen Zhiyi replied.
"Let's go! Let's go!" Some people got up, grabbed their benches, and headed back, muttering, "What a pointless fuss!"
"This is such a waste of time!"
"If I had known this would be mentioned, I wouldn't have come."
One voice after another came from the crowd. Originally, only a few people were leaving, but then they called out to each other to leave. Some people would cautiously look towards Lu Jingbai and Village Chief Chen. Seeing that there was no reprimand, they boldly followed the crowd and left.
Soon all the villagers who had been drying grain in the field had left.
Shen Zhiyi had anticipated this worst-case scenario, and her face showed only regret. She glanced at Village Chief Chen, who was still sitting, and decided to be shameless and approached him: "Village Chief Chen, since you haven't left, you must want to learn about this new seed, right?"
Village Chief Chen glanced subtly at Lu Jingbai, who remained seated, and said with a sudden realization, "Miss Chen, please tell me. I really want to know more."
"It's a seed originating from the West. The fruit turns from green to red and is similar in shape to a persimmon. It's suitable for early spring seedling cultivation and transplanting after the first frost. It needs frequent fertilization." Shen Zhiyi tried to explain the tomato in simple language. "It can be planted with beans, but it grows upwards, so you'll need to build a wooden support for it..."
Shen Zhiyi explained in detail, but Lu Jingbai, who was standing to the side, frowned frequently as he listened. These were all contents that could not be found in the book, and they were not things that needed to be paid attention to when chili peppers were growing.
“There’s no need to plant all the wasteland. Five-tenths of an acre is enough. We can see the results first and then decide whether to plant more,” Shen Zhiyi said calmly.
The land issue couldn't be rushed, and Village Chief Chen fell into deep thought at this moment.
I thought it would be a long wait, but the next moment Village Chief Chen said, "Then let's plant five fen of land first and see. I'm also worried that even if Miss Shen explains in such detail, there will still be things that are not taken care of properly."
"Okay!" Shen Zhiyi replied immediately, then quickly added, realizing she had agreed too readily, "However, these seeds are quite rare, so I need to sign a contract with Village Chief Chen. After they're grown, I'll research and process them, and I'll take 10% of the selling price as my wages. If Village Chief Chen ultimately wants to buy the processing formula, he'll need to pay 50% of the selling price. These are the main points of the contract. I wonder if Village Chief Chen has any thoughts on this?"
"No, we'll do as Miss Chen says," Village Chief Chen said solemnly.
Lu Jingbai had already skillfully prepared the writing materials. This time, three copies were written. Both parties pressed their handprints on the paper and kept one copy, while he kept a copy for his own records.
"Thank you for your trouble, Miss Chen." Village Chief Chen said with mixed feelings as he carefully put away the receipt.
Although there were unspeakable reasons involved, they still managed to find people in Shunshui Village willing to give it a try. Shen Zhiyi was very happy and encouraged them, "Village Chief Chen, you will definitely not regret this decision today!"
"Then I'll take your kind words, young lady." Village Chief Chen could sense the sincerity in her words, but in the face of survival difficulties, sincerity seemed less important. Nevertheless, he felt reassured for a moment.
After settling the new seeds in Shunshui Village, Shen Zhiyi dared not waste any more time and silently watched Lu Jingbai and Village Chief Chen take their leave.
The two carriages slowly left the village.
The light gradually dimmed along the carriage curtain, but before they reached the next village, a thunderstorm struck, splashing mud on the ground and causing the carriage to sink halfway into the mud every now and then.
Unfortunately, we had no choice but to stop temporarily and wait for the thunderstorm to pass.
Shen Zhiyi didn't want to risk being struck by rain while hiding under a tree, so the two carriages stopped one after the other by the roadside. Listening to the pattering of raindrops hitting the carriage roofs, it seemed the rain wouldn't stop anytime soon.
Taking advantage of this time, Shen Zhiyi brought up the question she had been holding back: "When we caught the rabbit, Da Ya, you deliberately tripped over it, didn't you?"
Zhao Daya hadn't expected this matter to be over yet, and suddenly felt guilty. Then, remembering how successfully she had handled things, she bluffed, "I only did this because I saw Miss Lin use this tactic before, and then I helped her and Young Master Gu get together, so I..."
"What does this have to do with you or us?" Shen Zhiyi asked, puzzled.
"Don't you like Lord Lu? I'm just trying to set you two up," Zhao Daya said loudly.
These words startled Shen Zhiyi, who hurriedly said, "What nonsense are you talking about! I... I don't like Lord Lu at all!"
"You still say you don't like it? If you don't like it, why did you sew clothes for him?" Zhao Daya glanced at the messy embroidery with disdain.
"I'm just repaying him for helping me so much, doing what I can," Shen Zhiyi explained, though her mind was in turmoil, desperately trying to find a possible reason. "Besides, the reason he tore his sleeve was ultimately because he was protecting me..."
Looking into Zhao Daya's eyes, Shen Zhiyi said, "In short, it's about repaying a debt of gratitude, so don't overthink it, or others will misunderstand."
There seemed to be some other sound mixed in with the sound of rain. Shen Zhiyi wanted to lift the carriage curtain to look out, but first heard Zhao Daya say, "So you don't like Lord Lu?"
Shen Zhiyi quickly turned around and covered Zhao Daya's mouth, saying in a deep voice, "You still dare to talk back. If someone hears this, they'll just laugh at me for being a toad trying to eat swan meat."
Zhao Daya whimpered in dissatisfaction, and Shen Zhiyi said again, "Don't talk nonsense, I'll let go."
The person on the other end nodded in acknowledgment.
Shen Zhiyi let go of her hand and lifted the car curtain again. Only the sound of rain could be heard outside, as if everything before had been her illusion.
“Who says a toad can’t eat swan meat? I think Lord Lu’s toad…” Zhao Daya’s words were stopped by Shen Zhiyi’s warning look, and she quickly changed the subject, “What are you embroidering?”
Shen Zhiyi proudly displayed her sewing skills, saying, "This is a newly researched stitch technique that can conceal the stitches, so there are no visible traces from the outside."
"Yes, you can't see it from the outside, but there's such a big clump of stitches inside," Zhao Daya said ruthlessly, turning up her sleeve to reveal a dense mass of thread.
“Who would open it up and look inside like you would?” Shen Zhiyi retorted.
The two discussed embroidery techniques back and forth amidst the sound of rain, unaware that someone had overheard the first half of their conversation through the rain and had returned to their carriage in disappointment.
The carriage curtain was lifted, and Xuan Yan was brewing hot tea in the carriage. When he saw his young master return, he couldn't help but move more quietly, and didn't dare to ask why he was still holding the dry food that had been sent over.
Lu Jingbai lowered his eyes slightly, and the flames beneath the furnace reflected in his pupils, adding a touch of spirit to his dazed eyes.
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