"Where are the other two?" Sun Jian asked.
"They went to help in the kitchen early this morning. The food is already ready, and we've all eaten. We're just waiting for you."
Gu Zijian helped Sun Jian get dressed and then led him to the next room for dinner.
Chu Qingcheng and Zhou Wan'er were also there at the moment. When they saw Sun Jian arrive, they both blushed and quickly invited him to eat.
When Sun Jian was about to leave the Wang family residence after finishing his meal, he realized that Old Jiang was missing and that he hadn't seen him since the previous night.
Since she was at her uncle's house, she didn't ask any more questions.
Before setting off, Wang Youren and his subordinates had already begun to instruct people to prepare horses, carriages, and guards.
The wagon was also loaded with a lot of supplies and grain.
According to Wang Youren, these items were sent by Magistrate Wang. Magistrate Wang instructed Wang Youren to tell Sun Jian that he would remember the great kindness. Although he could not provide real gold or silver at the moment, at least the grain and supplies would help Sun Jian's livelihood.
Sun Jian counted the grain; there were three hundred catties in total. The grain tax alone would be enough for their family for two months, which made him quite satisfied.
There's even a plaque that reads "Family of a Hero".
Wang Youren said that sending so much grain home might attract the attention of refugees, so he specially made a plaque to warn everyone not to covet Sun Jian's family's property.
It must be said that, against this backdrop, Magistrate Wang's gift was full of sincerity and very thoughtful, with so many supplies and even arranged for guards to escort them a day in advance.
Since they've already given it to me, I have no reason to refuse it.
After bidding farewell to Wang Youren, Sun Jian, along with his three wives, embarked on his journey home.
Little did he know that the news of his miraculous medical skills saving Madam Wang's life had already spread far and wide...
It was evening when Sun Jian and the others finally arrived in the village.
As soon as he got off the carriage, he found that his doorstep was blocked by villagers.
"What's going on? Why are they all gathered in front of my house?"
When everyone saw that it was Sun Jian returning, they all made way for him.
Their eyes were now filled with envy and jealousy as they looked at Sun Jian, but the disgust they used to feel was gone.
Strange, what's wrong with these people? Have they all fallen ill at once?
Just as Sun Jian was wondering about the villagers' gazes, he saw Old Jiang rushing over from his doorstep, his face covered in dust, carrying a wooden shovel for bricklaying.
"Sun Jian, you're finally back! What do you think?" Old Jiang said, panting, pointing to Sun Jian's house behind him.
Upon closer inspection, Sun Jian's eyes lit up.
The house in front of me was no longer the dilapidated, drafty courtyard.
The house has been completely renovated inside and out. Although it was built with mud bricks and tiles, it no longer looks so dilapidated.
The yard was raised and reinforced, and even the main gate was replaced with a sturdy, thick wooden plank, making it look much grander and effectively preventing thieves from entering.
"Wow."
The three women got off the carriage and were overjoyed to see how their home had changed so much.
What's going on?
Seeing his home becoming safer and more pleasing to the eye, Sun Jian was pleased, but also somewhat surprised.
Old Jiang scratched the back of his head with a simple and honest smile and said, "This was made by my uncle on behalf of the county magistrate, as a surprise for you."
After Lao Jiang explained, Sun Jian understood that Wang Youren had given Lao Jiang twenty catties of grain and a fast horse the day before, instructing him to go to town to collect the necessary materials and gather more manpower, so that the work could be completed before Sun Jian returned home.
"I see."
Sun Jian nodded in satisfaction; the result was roughly what he had expected.
No wonder I didn't see Lao Jiang before nightfall last night; it turns out he rushed back to help me renovate my house.
It has to be said that moving into the new house feels really comfortable. Old Jiang even thoughtfully converted the house next door into a guest room. From now on, even if the three women don't want to share a bed with him, at least they won't have to sleep on the floor anymore.
...
Ever since the plaque reading "Family of a Meritorious Official" was hung above Sun Jian's door, people have been coming and going to his door every day, and they can't be driven away no matter what.
Sun Jian originally thought that in this era of limited information, only a few people knew about his treatment of Madam Wang, and that it would not be easily revealed.
But who could have imagined that in just a few days, his name would be the talk of the town in the surrounding villages?
Multiple versions can be generated every day.
Some say that Sun Jian received medical knowledge from a deity in his sleep.
Some say that Sun Jian practiced sorcery in the deep mountains and forests in his early years.
Neighbors who rarely visited each other in the past have started visiting each other's homes.
The vast majority of those who came were women from the village, and they went around trying to get close to Sun Jian's three wives.
Zhou Wan'er never bought into this and didn't really like associating with these women, so most of the "reception" work was done by Chu Qingcheng and Gu Zijian.
There were people borrowing grain, people giving clothes, people begging, and even the village chief who had previously ridiculed and belittled Sun Jian came two or three times, his words full of flattery.
From a starving poor boy to someone who has now established a relationship with the county magistrate, who would dare to offend him? It would be a blessing to curry favor with him early on and avoid being punished later.
Sun Jian said he didn't care about the villagers' drastic change in attitude. He said that human nature is to be opportunistic, and as long as it doesn't affect his plans, they can do whatever they want.
At least with fame, it will no longer be difficult to hire people to cultivate land and find other jobs in the future.
Sun Jian has been busy these past few days, having the three women help him cultivate seedlings of super potatoes.
Because the super potatoes sprout extremely quickly, the number of seedlings has increased more than tenfold in a short period of time, from a few hundred at the beginning to nearly ten thousand now, filling the entire yard.
Based on his farming experience from his previous life, Sun Jian roughly calculated that about 4,000 plants could be planted per mu (unit of land area). However, considering that most of the land being cultivated was hillside, and that the super potatoes were already quite large (one of them was the size of four potatoes), he planned to plant only 500 plants per mu.
More than 9,000 trees, which is equivalent to reclaiming at least 17 or 18 acres of wild land.
"Seventeen or eighteen acres of wild land need to be cultivated, plus renovation, seedling cultivation, harvesting, sowing, etc."
"It seems my calculations were correct; at least twenty farmers will be needed to help with the work."
"After all, it's physical labor. If there are twenty people, they'll need at least ten catties of grain a day, and at least three hundred catties a month, not to mention..."
Sun Jian muttered to himself as he thought about it.
"My lord, have some water."
Chu Qingcheng gently handed over the water glass, then continued to look at Sun Jian with her chin in her hands, looking incredibly cute.
With a creak, the door was pushed open, and Gu Zijian walked in.
"My lord, Old Jiang is here."
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