Chapter 21 Grain Acquisition The newly arrived Lord Su was fond of literature, and...
Contrary to what fans had expected, their posts, which stemmed from personal grudges, did attract a lot of casual viewers, but the comments took a completely wrong turn.
Curious viewers left comments such as: "What?! There are live streams like this? I have to check it out!"
Someone popped up and started questioning their post: "Hearing you guys say that, I actually think this livestream is pretty real. I watched that 'rural experience' show on TV the other day, and it was so cringeworthy I wanted to dig my toes into the ground. How could anyone be wearing fairy clothes and farming?"
[Yeah, yeah, I'm a Hanfu enthusiast. I feel that although Wen Yu's is simple, the style is incredibly accurate! The TV station's version is just so-so...]
One viewer who accidentally stumbled into the live stream shared their experience: "Fellow viewers, I just accidentally clicked on this a few days ago, and now I'm completely hooked! I feel uneasy if I don't watch it every day!"
Dozens of floors followed:
[Really? I'll go check it out right now...]
[After you finish watching, please let me know if you think it's good or not!]
The fans who posted the message were furious, but they had to pretend to be "passersby" and couldn't engage in the online battle. They could only helplessly play the role of objective bystanders in the comments section.
[But honestly, her livestream production is a bit rudimentary, isn't it? Filming the same old rural life every day gets a bit tiresome after a while. I suspect it's because of a lack of funding, so they can only produce such basic content.]
I think at least TV variety shows have some conflict and are interesting. Are we supposed to spend months watching her farm? That's such a waste of time.
This argument was quickly refuted by the crowd.
[That's the kind of realism we're after! We watch farming livestreams for the slow pace, right? If you want something more exciting, I suggest you head over to the melodramatic short drama channel. We finally have a decent show; don't let them get rid of it.]
[How is this a waste of time? My child watches the live streams every day, witnessing the seedlings grow and bear fruit with his own eyes. He constantly talks about how hard farmers work, and now he won't leave a single grain of rice at the table.]
[It's indeed quite educational, and Wen Yu never responds to those dissenting voices, which makes me feel that she genuinely wants to persist in doing something different.]
One post in particular quickly went viral on social media.
May today's young people still possess the patience to watch a millet stalk grow.
This headline resonated with many people and was reposted by numerous media outlets.
Unbeknownst to many, the image of "live-streaming farming" has become clearer in the minds of passersby.
What they want to see is real farming.
----
By the edge of the field, Aunt Wang pointed to the thriving millet in front of her and said with a joyful expression, "Wen girl, your magic spring water is truly amazing! In previous years, this millet would have taken at least a month or two to flower, but look at it now!"
Wen Yu looked up and saw that the millet fields had already sprouted ears and blossoms, the pale yellow spikes swaying gently in the sunlight.
What's most amazing is that the flower spikes irrigated by these spiritual springs are exceptionally dense and full, promising a bountiful harvest in no time.
This is a sight usually found in fertile land, unlike anything that could be found in this newly reclaimed, barren wasteland.
"Auntie, how long after these flowers bloom can we harvest the grain?" Wen Yu humbly asked.
"It'll be quick, at most ten days!" The old lady smiled broadly.
The effects of the spiritual spring far exceeded Wen Yu's expectations.
She knew that the nutrient solution could accelerate plant growth and increase yield, but witnessing this miraculous growth rate firsthand made the experience all the more real.
She couldn't help but daydream: Perhaps, with the help of this spiritual spring, we can really have a great harvest?
Then, wouldn't all the good stuff in the system shop be...?
"System, how far are we from the target?" she asked the system in her mind.
The system paused for a moment.
The current number of viewers in the live stream is stable at around 130,000, and the positive review rate fluctuates around 28%, showing an upward trend.
Wen Yu breathed a sigh of relief.
Very good.
Although troublemakers still occasionally come out to make nitpicking comments, the positive reviews from more viewers are gradually offsetting the negative ones.
We're just a little short of the 30% target; hopefully, we can achieve it before the corn ripens.
She was planning to check on the children's learning progress. The teenagers were working exceptionally hard, and their literacy rate was visibly increasing. The previous series of tasks were also nearing completion.
"Auntie, I'm going to check on how their studies are going." Wen Yu got up to take her leave.
"Wen girl, wait!" Uncle Li's voice came from afar.
Wen Yu looked in the direction of the voice and saw Uncle Li walking briskly towards them, his face showing a rare joy: "A few people have come to the village entrance, saying they want to place an order for our grain in advance!"
A thought struck her, and she quickly followed Uncle Li toward the village entrance.
Two horse-drawn carriages were parked by the dirt road at the village entrance. Several well-dressed men, who looked like merchants, were marveling at the fields of Luxi Village, pointing to the thriving millet: "My goodness, I haven't seen such vigorous millet in years..."
Seeing Wen Yu and Uncle Li approach, the middle-aged grain merchant in the lead looked her over and asked hesitantly, "Young lady, can you make decisions about village affairs?"
They had just asked Uncle Li to find someone in charge of the village. They thought it would be someone like the "village chief," but they didn't expect it to be a young woman.
Although no one has formally nominated her, Wen Yu's contributions in diverting water to reclaim wasteland and saving the entire village are undeniable. Whenever there are any matters, big or small, in the village, everyone is used to asking for her opinion first.
Wen Yu nodded calmly: "Just tell me what's wrong."
"Good!" The grain merchant breathed a sigh of relief and quickly cupped his hands in greeting. "To tell you the truth, we were sent by Lord Su Lin of the city. Lord Su is overseeing a major water conservancy project, which requires a lot of manpower and consumes a lot of grain. The city's granaries are running low, so he specially sent us to purchase grain from various places."
"Lord Su?" Wen Yu was somewhat unfamiliar with this name.
"It's the Imperial Envoy appointed by His Majesty!" the grain merchant said with admiration. "Lord Su is decisive and efficient. He just settled the major corruption case involving the Shen and Liang families a few days ago, and then immediately set about building water conservancy projects. He is a rare and excellent official!"
“It’s a pity…” he sighed. “We searched all the way from the city, and our hearts sank. The villages along the way were either deserted or barely scraping by, with large tracts of land lying fallow. Even those with a slightly better harvest refused to sell their grain, saying they didn’t have enough to eat for themselves.”
His gaze once again turned eagerly to the cornfield.
"Young lady, the crops in your field are the best I've seen on this trip. This harvest can feed quite a few people. You only need to keep enough for yourselves, and we're willing to pay a high price for the rest!"
Wen Yu understood that this matter concerned the livelihood of the entire village and could not be decided unilaterally. Instead of immediately agreeing, he said, "The matter of food is of great importance. I need to discuss it with everyone."
"You've come a long way and must be tired. There are some empty rooms in the village. If you don't mind, would you like to rest for a while?"
Seeing that she didn't immediately refuse, the grain merchant quickly agreed. Then, remembering something, he added, "By the way, Lord Su is fond of literature and calligraphy. In a few days, the city will be holding a literary gathering specifically for young people. If there are any promising young scholars in the village, I might be able to introduce them. If they can win first place, the reward will be generous, which would be a joyous occasion!"
Wen Yu's heart moved.
Coincidentally, there are a few educated children in the village. Perhaps she can actually win something back through this literary event.
----
Wen Yu immediately summoned the villagers to a meeting to discuss the sale of grain.
Having surplus grain to sell for money is an incredibly good thing.
Everyone was chattering away: this year's harvest looked promising; they could keep some for themselves and sell the rest to repair the damaged roof and buy new farm tools. If they had any extra money, they could even go to the city to buy some cloth and some rare treats.
She barely had to say a word before everyone agreed: "Wen girl, we trust you to handle this!"
Standing in the crowd, Aunt Wang and Lin Huijun looked at Wen Yu, who was trusted by everyone, and couldn't hide their relief.
In this world, it's not easy for women to stand up for themselves. Seeing the young women in the village able to make a living makes them genuinely happy.
After everyone dispersed, Wen Yu pulled Lin Huijun aside and whispered about the literary gathering: "Sister Huijun, I think Xiao Lan and the others could give it a try."
Lin Huijun's eyes widened in surprise: "Really? Xiao Lan... can do it?"
She knew her daughter knew a few characters, but to go to the city and compete with the children of educated families? She simply couldn't bear to think about it.
"It can be done," Wen Yu said confidently.
These days, she looks at the progress her children are making in their studies and finds it hard to believe.
Wen Qingshi and Lin Lan have already developed a style in their writing and can compose short poems and essays.
Tao Ning was influenced by the atmosphere at home and learned very quickly, becoming more intelligent than many elementary school children she had seen in modern times.
Even Wen Yue, who started the latest and had the weakest foundation, worked exceptionally hard. He not only memorized most of the Analects, but also wrote neat and powerful characters.
Their level is by no means inferior to that of children in ordinary schools in the city.
"Great!" Lin Huijun beamed, gripping Wen Yu's hand tightly. "Wen Yu, I'm entrusting this matter entirely to you!"
Wen Yu smiled and said, "Don't worry, I've got it covered."
----
After seeing off the grain merchants who were resting, Wen Yu quickly finalized the specific date for the grain purchase with them.
The topic naturally shifted to the literary gathering.
"Is there an age requirement for the participants of the literary gathering?" Wen Yu asked carefully.
"Ages from ten to twenty are all acceptable," the grain merchant replied.
Wen Yu nodded and then asked, "Then... is there any custom regarding whether it's a boy or a girl?"
She worried that this article would shut out the girls, which would be problematic.
Upon hearing this, the grain merchant frowned slightly, looking somewhat troubled: "Lord Su didn't say it explicitly... but these days, very few young women are educated..."
He didn't finish his sentence, but his meaning was clear.
An invisible barrier probably does exist.
"I understand." Wen Yu's eyes flickered slightly, and he understood.
Su Lin didn't say that women couldn't participate, but if she really brought women along, she would probably be criticized.
The gatekeeper of that literary association might also refuse them entry.
Seeing that the conversation was almost over, the grain merchant solemnly handed a beautiful letter to Wen Yu: "Miss, take this, and you can bring people in later."
They waved and said, "We'll be in the village on time when it's harvest time."
Wen Yu stood at the village entrance, watching the grain merchants' carts kick up dust and gradually disappear at the end of the dirt road.
She was thinking that if it was inconvenient for women to appear at the literary gathering in their true forms, then perhaps it would be acceptable to have the girls dress up.
A note from the author:
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It's on the "poisonous list" but I haven't added it to any favorites. So lonely. [Pity]
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