Unlimited estates for rural beauty-Chapter 29: How Could This Little Brat Have Come Up with This Thing?

By the time Feng Xuxu arrived outside the ancestral hall, she saw that it was surrounded by three layers of villagers on the inside and outside. Groups of three to five huddled together, whispering and discussing amongst themselves. About the time it takes to drink a cup of tea had passed when the village chief appeared before everyone, followed by respected elders from the clan. The village chief cleared his throat and looked at his fellow villagers, "Today at the end of You Time, each family should send a representative to the hall for a meeting—let everyone know to pass the message around."

"Chief, what’s the matter, can’t you tell us now?" Feng Laohan, who was closest to the village chief, asked with a mischievous grin.

"Haha, you old simpleton, you look so naïve, but in fact, you’re clever enough," another villager about the same age as Laohan—a twenty-three or twenty-four-year-old—teased Feng Laohan in front of everyone.

Turning to see it was Feng Qing teasing him, Feng Laohan moved forward, hooked arms with him and grinned, "Feng Qing, when it comes to being clever, nobody’s got anything on you. How many families live in big tile-roofed houses in the village? Yours is one of the few, isn’t it? You always have the most tricks up your sleeve. Standing next to you, I wouldn’t dare call myself clever."

After Feng Laohan finished speaking, the onlookers burst into laughter, teasing Feng Qing, "Feng Qing, why don’t you share some of your hunting techniques with us, so we can learn a thing or two?" Feng Qing, who was on good terms with several of his buddies, had helped them often and was well-liked in the village.

Feng Qing, looking at the gleaming eyes of his friends, felt so helpless he wanted to facepalm, "Actually, when I was young I practiced martial arts for a few days and followed the village hunter into the mountains a few times. Mostly, it’s about spotting animal droppings and understanding their usual paths, then setting traps and lying in wait. When the prey falls into the trap, I’d go collect it the next day." Feng Qing summarized the process, omitting many details.

"All right, all right, disperse now, and remember, come to the hall at the end of You Time for an important matter—don’t forget to tell each other," the village chief waved his hand, shooing the crowd away. Afterwards, he and several venerable elders left the ancestral hall. Seeing the village chief go, everyone went to spread the word.

"Aunt Shen, I’m here to see Uncle Chief, is he home?" Feng Xuxu called out as she knocked on the door of the village chief’s house, which was opened by the chief’s wife, Mrs. Shen. She asked politely.

"Xuxu, come in quickly, your uncle is at home," Mrs. Shen stepped aside from the door, warmly inviting Feng Xuxu inside.

"Uncle Chief, I’m here." She called into the open main room.

"Oh, is that Xuxu? Come in, been waiting for you," the village chief replied from inside the house.

"Take a seat, Xuxu. Here, these are yours and Feng Xi’s household registrations, and this is the deed for a thousand mu of wasteland. I took the extra precaution and also got the deed for Nameless Mountain at the County Governor’s Office, which includes Great Water Pond—all of it is here, take a look," Uncle Chief, seeing Feng Xuxu, skipped the small talk and got straight to the point, explaining everything thoroughly.

Holding the deed stamped with the official seal in her hands, along with the household registrations and the deed to Nameless Mountain, Feng Xuxu’s eyes squinted into crescent moons, revealing cute canine teeth, "Uncle Chief, thank you so much. I didn’t expect you to be able to get the deed for the mountain and Great Water Pond too."

"Girl, if you talk like that, you’re making it feel as though we’re strangers," the chief chided lightly.

"Hee hee, alright, Uncle, I won’t say it again. I’ll have to trouble you again, Uncle, to find me some quick-handed help—I want to start cultivating that wasteland," she said.

"Okay, tonight I will announce the new rice variety at the hall, and then I’ll mention your land clearance. I’ll coordinate everyone to start work tomorrow, which shouldn’t be an issue. The only question is how many people you need," the village chief asked, slightly puzzled. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

"Uncle, the more the better. A thousand mu of wasteland isn’t a small amount. I’ve roughly estimated that with around fifty people, it should take about ten days at most, what do you think?" Feng Xuxu said.

"Hmm, with that many people, it should take about five or six days, at most a week," the village chief calculated roughly, counting on his fingers.

"Okay, the daily wage for strong labor is twenty wen, at most twenty-five wen. For those who help cultivate the wasteland, how about thirty wen a day, Uncle?" Feng Xuxu proposed a high wage.

"That might be a bit much. How about twenty-five wen? No need to provide breakfast, just lunch will do," the village chief offered a compromise.

"Okay, I’ll listen to you, Uncle," Feng Xuxu agreed contentedly.

"Uncle, I’ll head back first, then. I’ll come to the hall later this evening," she said.

"Yeah, go on. Keep the deeds safe," the village chief, concerned for Feng Xuxu, gently reminded her.

"Don’t worry, Uncle, I’m off," Feng Xuxu waved her little hand and walked away cheerfully.

It was just after You Time, and the ancestral hall was surrounded by a crowd.

"Look, the village chief is coming!" At that moment, someone in the crowd called out, and after a brief silence, the place erupted with discussion about tonight’s meeting in the hall.

"Cough cough, quiet down, everyone be quiet," the village chief stood at the doorway of the hall, looked at the sea of people chattering and laughing, and couldn’t help but shout.

"Quiet! I’m only going to say this once tonight," he paused. Seeing everyone fall silent, he continued, "Tonight’s meeting is for two things. First, it’s about planting a new variety of rice. This new rice can yield a thousand catties per mu, or at least seven hundred catties." After the village chief finished speaking, there was a stunned silence from the villagers below, and then a huge commotion as everyone discussed the feasibility. It seemed that nobody believed it. Seven hundred catties per mu was an astronomical figure. Usually, a mu would only produce just over three hundred catties; this new rice variety could double the current yield.

"Chief, is this for real?" Some villagers, unable to contain themselves, asked the village chief.

"These seeds were researched by Feng Xi and Feng Xuxu from our village. As for whether it can yield a high crop, we’ll have to wait until after the rice matures. Of course, everyone is free to decide whether to plant a little or not at all," the village chief explained to everyone.

"What? These rice seeds were researched by Feng Xi and Feng Xuxu? Those kids who struggle even to farm, and they’ve managed to invent this high-yield crop? Don’t joke around," said Feng Lei skeptically, his voice rising, resonating with some of the villagers.