Chapter 225: Chapter 137: Don’t Tell Me You Have Another Good Idea?

"Instead, he wrote something we can’t even understand."

"Hmph, when our sweetheart gets back, I’m going to teach his ass a lesson!"

Song Meiqin didn’t reply. She knew her friend had been holding back ever since she found out she was pregnant, and by now, her desire was driving her mad.

’Then again, wasn’t I the same?’

Song Meiqin took the paper and continued reading its contents.

"This black box I brought along is a mobile phone. When it makes a BEEP BEEP BEEP sound, press the green button."

"When you miss me, press 0 six times, and then press the green button."

"The red button turns off the mobile phone."

Zhao Qiao’Er looked at Song Meiqin and said, "Keep reading."

"That’s it!" Song Meiqin replied, flipping the paper over.

"What? That’s all? They say a letter from home is worth ten thousand gold, and he only wrote this much?" Zhao Qiao’Er was a little displeased. "An hour of a spring night is worth a thousand gold, and he’s certainly got us right where he wants us."

Having been at the factory for so long, Song Meiqin naturally knew this mobile phone in her hand was no ordinary box.

Following the instructions on the paper, she pressed "000000" and then the green button.

...

Lu Yuan was chatting with Su Liyan in the carriage when the mobile phone next to him started making a "BEEP BEEP BEEP" sound.

Lu Yuan smiled at Su Liyan and said, "It’s them!"

Then he pressed the green button.

On the other end of the line, Zhao Qiao’Er was still rambling on.

"Well now, Aunt Zhao, what bad things are you saying about me?" Hearing Zhao Qiao’Er complaining about him from the other end of the line, Lu Yuan said teasingly.

"Huh? Where is our darling sweetheart?" Zhao Qiao’Er heard Lu Yuan’s voice but couldn’t see any sign of him.

"Where are you hiding?"

"Hey, sis, it sounds like the voice is coming from this thing?" Song Meiqin was also incredulous.

But the voice was definitely coming from the black box in her hand.

"Wow, our man is really something else now. This must be some great Divine Artifact he’s found somewhere!" Song Meiqin couldn’t stay calm either; she was very excited.

’Hmm, this thing probably wasn’t cheap. But no matter the cost, it’s definitely worth having,’ Zhao Qiao’Er thought to herself.

Zhao Qiao’Er took the mobile phone and held it carefully, saying, "My darling sweetheart, can you hear your Auntie speak? Where are you right now? Why haven’t you come back to see your Auntie yet!"

Lu Yuan was sitting in the carriage, and he’d barely said a few words.

The people at the Zhao Mansion were going crazy, not giving him a chance to speak at all.

Su Liyan looked at the black box in Lu Yuan’s hand. It was the first time she had seen one too.

Su Liyan didn’t show much surprise. She knew that even if her man plucked the stars from the sky, she wouldn’t be surprised.

Her man had given her far too many surprises.

Su Liyan’s mother looked at the black box in Lu Yuan’s hand, from which voices were intermittently coming. "What kind of Dharma Artifact is this?"

Lu Yuan smiled and continued to enlighten everyone. "My wife, Aunties, Mother, all of you, listen to me."

"This thing is a mobile phone. You can carry it with you, and as long as you’re within the range of a base station and dial the other person’s number, you can talk."

...

So that was it. After Lu Yuan’s explanation, everyone understood how to use it.

"Darling sweetheart, I’ll be waiting for you to come back! I want kisses, and hugs, and to be lifted up high," Zhao Qiao’Er cooed.

"Sis, with that belly of yours and being six-foot-two, you’d better not torment our man," Song Meiqin chimed in.

"None of your business! It’s none of your business! You’re no better, keeping our sweetheart in your chambers all night, moaning and crying out. Even the biggest stud in the stables couldn’t keep up with that!" Zhao Qiao’Er retorted defensively.

The conversation between Lu Yuan’s two "aunties" made even his mother-in-law, who was sitting in the same carriage, blush.

It was unexpected that Su Liyan’s mother, at her age and after all she had been through, could still blush.

Su Liyan’s mother thought to herself: ’Young people these days really know how to have fun...’

As for the mobile phone, Lu Yuan had no plans to mass-produce it yet.

After all, he was afraid its impact on the current Divine Ling Empire would be too great.

That was why he hadn’t decided whether to mass-produce them.

Lu Yuan reflected on how this seemed to be a parallel dimension; the Divine Ling Empire was highly similar to the Great Ming Dynasty.

If his appearance changed the developmental trajectory of the Divine Ling Empire, would it lead to uncontrollable consequences?

It was just like with his Automatic Rifles. Flintlock Guns could be gradually introduced to the armies of this era.

But if Automatic Rifles were equipped in large numbers, and a general wanted to usurp power and stage a coup...

...even the most elite Imperial Guard in the Imperial Capital would be utterly routed by such firearms.

It was like the Mongolian Iron Cavalry from Lu Yuan’s own era. At their peak, their glorious campaigns swept across Eurasia, conquering new lands and creating the largest empire in history.

However, as world history of that era gradually entered the age of firearms, the glory of the once-invincible Mongolian Iron Cavalry faded away, never to return.

To be more specific, take Prince Senggelinqin of the Qing Dynasty as an example. His iron cavalry was helpless against the British and French allied forces; the weaponry of the two sides was not in the same dimension at all.

Perhaps when facing the Taiping Army, who were on the same dimensional level, Prince Senggelinqin could still manage to suppress them.

But for the British and French forces with their modern guns and cannons, dealing with the Mongolian Iron Cavalry was like an adult competing with a child.

The death of Prince Senggelinqin and the complete annihilation of his iron cavalry became the final swan song of the Mongolian Iron Cavalry.

One couldn’t help but reflect on the rapid development of the era.

During the next few days on the road, Zhao Qiao’Er was glued to the mobile phone, calling Lu Yuan every so often to ask about this and that.

It was never anything important; she just wanted to call Lu Yuan, ask how he was doing, and make small talk.

He couldn’t very well ignore a call from Aunt Zhao, could he? It was just that answering the phone was sometimes rather inconvenient for Lu Yuan.

Seeing Lu Yuan holding the mobile phone, able to chat with his family anytime, anywhere, made Gu Gaoxu burn with envy.

Even if he snatched it, he wouldn’t know who to call. He couldn’t very well call Lu Yuan’s two "aunties" at home, could he?

So, Gu Gaoxu kept pestering Lu Yuan, hoping Lu Yuan could get him a mobile phone to play with as soon as possible.

At the very least, he could show it off to the old man at home, his big brother, and the other Princes.

This was a truly excellent gadget for showing off.

As for the mobile phone, if he were to sell one to Gu Gaoxu, he could consider fleecing him for a good sum.

He just hadn’t decided on a price yet.

The Crown Prince of Yan, Lu Yuan, and their party continued toward the Imperial Capital.

Along the way, they saw the homes of common people, with smoke curling from chimneys and a rich atmosphere of daily life.

At that moment, Lu Yuan thought of his hybrid crops and wondered how they were growing.

After this trip to the Imperial Capital was over and he returned to Taiping City, perhaps he would be able to eat the crops he had bred himself.

As they traveled, Lu Yuan observed the villages lining both sides of the official road.

In every village, many common folk were sitting at their doorsteps, shucking corn kernels by hand.

Lu Yuan watched the common people bustling about their work.

While resting at a tea stall by the official road, Lu Yuan casually pulled aside a passerby and asked, "Why is every household shucking corn kernels by hand at this time?"

This meant the common people were sitting in front of their homes, guarding piles and piles of mature, sun-dried ears of corn.

They were stripping the corn kernels from the cobs.

The passerby looked at the group before him, dressed in fine clothes and accompanied by such a large contingent of horses.

This group was clearly either rich or noble, so he naturally didn’t dare to be disrespectful.

He hurriedly replied, "Sir, you may not know this, but the people here are all tenant farmers for the large landowners. The landowners have thousands upon thousands of acres of fertile land and plant a great deal of corn."

"Last year the rainfall was plentiful, and the corn harvest was bountiful. The dried corn was stored in piles. This year, the landowners want to sell the corn, so they’re making their tenant farmers shuck it."

Gu Gaoxu joked, "Well, Brother Lu, I didn’t expect you to be so concerned with the plight of the common folk. If I had the power, I’d make you a Governor so you could act on their behalf."

Hearing this, Gu Gaochi quickly interrupted, "Second Brother, stop your nonsense! Remember that disaster comes from a careless mouth!"

Gu Gaoxu, however, seemed unconcerned. Seeing that Lu Yuan was lost in thought and didn’t respond, he continued, "Brother Lu, you haven’t come up with another good idea, have you?"