Chương 11: Favor

Jiang Huanyu did not know until what time he practiced punches and stance training in the courtyard. He only noticed that after the new divination refreshed, the little fellow's heavy breathing could still be heard from the courtyard. Early the next morning, when he got up, he discovered that Jiang Wenfeng was already standing in a stance in the courtyard.

"You didn't sleep all night?" Jiang Huanyu came before him, feeling somewhat guilty. Although Sun Fuchun had said that Blood Toad shed skin had no side effects, everything had its limit. Excessive use of greatly nourishing things was itself a side effect.

"I slept for a while." Jiang Wenfeng held both hands in position, his legs bent and squatting, standing in a horse stance.

"Father, the effect of this medicinal meal was surprisingly good. Your son does not want to waste it." After saying this, he no longer paid attention to Jiang Huanyu. He slowly closed his eyes, feeling the power of the medicinal meal slowly flowing through his body. Seeing this, Jiang Huanyu secretly thought in his heart. How could it not be good? That was a hundred-year-old Blood Toad's shed skin, a good thing that even the children of great families in the commandery would flock to.

Only, the next time he used it, he still had to use a little less. He did not pay attention to the eldest. After simply eating a little, he sent Anu to Teacher Lu's house. Taking the chance, he also discussed the matter of selecting and raising saplings with Uncle Ya. Although Uncle Ya could not speak, he could read and write. The two sat on the field ridge in the courtyard, using wood as a brush and communicating on the ground.

After a round of conversation, he discovered that Uncle Ya had an extremely deep understanding of agriculture! Jiang Huanyu could not help bringing up some relatively advanced agricultural techniques from the memories of his previous life. Although Uncle Ya had never heard of them, he was still able to give timely guidance, combine them with the actual situation, and provide correction suggestions. The two chatted like this until noon. Even when Lu Zhiyuan came over, they still had not finished. [Mr. Jiang, let us stop here for today. This old servant should go make food for Teacher.] Discovering that the morning lesson had already ended, Uncle Ya hurriedly wrote a line of words on the ground. Somewhat apologetically, he cupped his hands toward Lu Zhiyuan, then hurriedly ran to the kitchen house to prepare the meal. Jiang Huanyu also stood up, preparing to take his leave.

"Little Brother Jiang understands agriculture?" Lu Zhiyuan asked curiously. Jiang Huanyu smiled embarrassedly.

"I would not dare say I understand it. It is all just some daily experience." In his previous life, he had been born in the countryside. Although after growing up, he had not worked in an industry related to agriculture, as a child, he had been influenced by his elders and had also understood some farming techniques.

"Little Brother Jiang need not belittle yourself. Uncle Ya is a great agricultural master. If it were merely some daily experience, it would absolutely not make him forget to eat and sleep." Uncle Ya was a great agricultural master? After hearing this, Jiang Huanyu looked in surprise toward the busy figure inside the kitchen house. He had originally thought that Uncle Ya was merely an ordinary servant who followed beside Lu Zhiyuan and, through his influence, learned some reading and writing ability.

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Lu Zhiyuan seemed to see his thoughts and smiled faintly.

"This old man and Uncle Ya are not truly in a master-servant relationship. We can be considered close friends."

"Little Brother Jiang, if you have questions related to agriculture in the future, you may come find Uncle Ya for guidance at any time." Jiang Huanyu nodded slightly. In his heart, he roughly understood that Lu Zhiyuan wanted to find a kindred spirit for his close friend.

"Teacher, this boy will take his leave first." After eating at noon, he still had to send the eldest, Jiang Wenfeng, to the martial arts school. He had originally only planned to come ask a few questions, but in the end, he had been delayed here for an entire morning. When Jiang Huanyu returned home, he unexpectedly discovered that the village headman, Yang Changlin, had already been waiting at his home for a long time.

"Why were you gone for so long? Uncle Yang has been waiting for you for half an hour," Hu Yufen came up and reproached him.

"Hehe… no harm, no harm. In any case, this old man had nothing to do," Yang Changlin said with a smile. Jiang Huanyu apologized and hurriedly came forward to sit down.

"A-Huanyu, this old man came here to talk to you about the matter of Niu Erzhu's family's fields." Hearing this, Jiang Huanyu immediately said, "Is there news from the county?" Yang Changlin shook his head slightly.

"The county's judgment will probably have to wait until after the Year Sacrifice."

"Now there has been a change regarding the farmland. Scholar Li's family in the village has also taken a liking to Niu Erzhu's 1 hectare of land, and they plan to buy it directly."

"You should be clear that the lords in the county do not want trouble. If this farmland can be sold directly, they definitely will not want to rent it out." Jiang Huanyu understood what he meant. This Scholar Li was also a wealthy household in Golden Willow Village. The old man had passed the imperial examination in his early years and became a scholar, but now he was already over sixty and still had not managed to become a recommended man.

Before the Mountain Patrol Commandant Camps were established, his three sons had all been mountain smugglers, relying on smuggling to earn quite a lot of family property. After the Mountain Patrol Commandant Camps were established, the Li family's three sons were also clever. They did not continue doing smuggling business. Instead, they guarded that family property and bought land on a large scale, becoming landlords.

Now that he had set his eyes on Niu Erzhu's family's fields, if it came to comparing family wealth, Jiang Huanyu definitely had no chance. Jiang Huanyu smiled bitterly.

"This boy knows himself. I am not as wealthy and imposing as Scholar Li's family."

"If he has taken a liking to it, then let him buy it." For 1 hectare of farmland, if bought directly, the government would charge at least three hundred taels of silver. That was double the price of buying directly from ordinary commoners. Now the family was too strained. He simply could not take out that money.

"This matter is not without room to turn around," Yang Changlin said in a deep voice.

"This old man heard that your family's Anu has now become Teacher Lu's student."

"Teacher Lu has extremely high prestige throughout the entire Cloudcenter Commandery…"

"No, no." Before he could finish speaking, Jiang Huanyu directly refused. Anu had taken Lu Zhiyuan as his teacher, but they could not trouble him for everything. Lu Zhiyuan had come to Golden Willow Village for peace and quiet. It would not be good to ask him for help with every trivial matter.

"Hehe… this old man was merely saying it casually. Since you do not wish to trouble him, then this matter can only be dropped."

"All right, that is the matter. This old man will return." Inside the kitchen house, Hu Yufen came out and called, "Uncle Yang, the food will be ready soon. Stay and eat before leaving?" Yang Changlin waved his hand and directly left the small courtyard. Watching his back disappear, Hu Yufen hesitated again and again before coming forward.

"Uncle Yang's words are not wrong either. For Teacher Lu, this matter may only be a matter of saying a word. We…" Jiang Huanyu shook his head slightly. The matter of planting fruit trees already counted as troubling them. For the sake of buying land, if he went to ask for help again, the teacher-student relationship between Anu and Lu Zhiyuan would become less pure. Seeing him refuse, Hu Yufen did not say more. Although she had her own thoughts, she still listened to Jiang Huanyu on the major matters of the family.

"Stone, rest for a while. Get ready to wash your hands and eat." Jiang Huanyu called out. Stone, who was practicing at the side, stopped with a strange expression and ran to wash his hands. After the meal, Hu Yufen busied herself arranging his washed clothes.

"Father, I want to go say goodbye to my younger brother." Jiang Wenfeng came before the cowshed and looked at Jiang Huanyu, who was feeding the ox. Say goodbye? Jiang Huanyu did not take it seriously and directly said, "Go. Go quickly and come back quickly. Don't delay the time to return to the martial arts school." Jiang Wenfeng answered and ran out of the house. At evening, when Jiang Huanyu returned from town and went to pick up Anu, Lu Zhiyuan stopped him.

"This old man has already written a letter to Deputy County Magistrate Su and bought the Niu family's farmland."

"After spring begins next year, those fields will be rented to you to farm. The rent will be one dan of polished rice per mu. Is that acceptable?" Hearing this, Jiang Huanyu was slightly stunned. Then he immediately reacted. It must have been that stinky brat Stone who had run over at noon and told Lu Zhiyuan about this matter. And Lu Zhiyuan also knew that Jiang Huanyu was unwilling to owe this favor, so he had thought of this method. A yearly rent of one dan of polished rice per mu was considered very cheap.

"Many thanks, Teacher." He did not want to owe this favor, but with this additional 1 hectare of fertile land, the pressure on his shoulders could indeed be relieved quite a bit. As for the matter of the favor, he could only think of a way to repay it in the future.