Chapter 225: I Have an Idea
The entirety of Gutong Village was bustling with extraordinary activity. The fields were filled with heads bobbing up and down everywhere, and every single household was joyfully and contentedly harvesting the wheat in their own fields.
Everywhere, one could hear people happily discussing how this year’s grain harvest was much better than last year’s, all thanks to Scholar Wen’s methods and the fertilizer Scholar Wen had procured.
Some people even expressed that their families would only listen to Scholar Wen from now on, planting exactly how Scholar Wen told them to plant.
The members of the Wen family caught all these words in their ears, each feeling deeply proud and sharing in the glory. This was especially true for Old Man Wen. Now, when he walked through the village, who wouldn’t respectfully call him Uncle Wen? The respect they showed him now far surpassed the time when Wen Xiuyi first passed the scholar examination.
After all, in the past, while some people genuinely respected him, others were hypocritical out of jealousy. But it was different now; he could truly feel the sincerity from the way everyone looked at him.
In Wen Yao’s words, this was called charisma.
In the fields, even Old Madam Luo was leading her two daughters-in-law to bind the reaped wheat, when she turned around and noticed the old man had vanished again.
Today, even the winery had halted operations for the day, solely for the purpose of harvesting the wheat. The servants and guards brought along by Steward Tong were all working with sickles. Even Li Fu himself, along with Steward Tong, had changed into short-hit work clothes and were huffing and puffing to help with the labor. Only Old Man Wen was nowhere to be seen.
“Eldest, where is your dad?” Old Madam Luo shouted, standing in the field.
Wen Xiuyi looked all around; no one was there.
“I don’t know.” Wen Xiuyi also found it strange; he had just seen him moments ago.
Old Madam Luo tied the straw rope in her hand securely, placed the wheat onto the handcart, and catching sight of Datou and his group running around in the fields, she called out, “Datou, go find your grandpa! The whole family is working, yet he certainly knows how to run off and slack.”
“Right away!” Datou responded, calling out to his little companions as they sped off in a flash.
This caused everyone to burst into laughter, knowing full well that once the old man returned in a bit, he would definitely not escape a thorough scolding.
Although Steward Tong hadn’t been at the Wen family residence for long, he had also felt the sincerity and warmth of this family. No wonder the Prince was unwilling to return.
“Master, now that the grain has been harvested, the schedule for our return should also be brought up, shouldn’t it?” The master and servant squatted in one spot, doing the exact same work, though most of it was being done by Steward Tong while Li Fu merely lent a hand beside him.
After all, this person possessed a delicate and noble body. Steward Tong would rather tire himself to death than let him get worn out.
Li Fu also knew he could no longer delay.
“Let’s wait a few more days. This fellow surnamed Chen is unreliable in his handling of matters; how has there been no news after so long?” Li Fu said.
Steward Tong couldn’t help but smile. “Prince, if you wish to help Scholar Wen, wouldn’t it be fine to just bring him straight to the capital? Why go through all this trouble to have the magistrate report his merits up tier by tier? Wouldn’t it be much more convenient if you spoke to the Emperor yourself?”
The moment Li Fu heard him mention those two words, he was so startled he hurriedly reached out to cover his mouth, looking all around. Fortunately, the circle surrounding them consisted entirely of servants from the prince’s mansion, so there was no fear of being overheard.
Letting out a sigh of relief, Li Fu glared at Steward Tong. “What do you know? Brother Wen is a man of the utmost backbone. If I did it that way, what if he felt I was bestowing charity upon him? Self-esteem—you don’t understand a man’s self-esteem.”
Wen Xiuyi: Backbone? What is backbone?
Steward Tong smiled helplessly. “Yes, yes, yes, this old servant doesn’t understand, this old servant doesn’t understand. Prince, go take a break. It’s fine to leave this work to us servants. If the Princess Consort finds out you personally went down to the fields to work, I’m afraid this old servant won’t be able to withstand it either.”
Li Fu was binding the wheat with extreme nimbleness now, saying as he bound, “If you don’t say it and I don’t say it, who will know?”
Looking at the Prince of Fu, who had already tanned by a whole shade, Steward Tong let out a deep sigh and accepted his fate. When he returned, he would just say whatever the Princess Consort asked.
The same went for his family’s heir apparent; he was also much tanner than when he was in the capital. He only feared the Princess Consort would be brokenhearted with distress upon their return this time.
Soon enough, Datou, acting as the leader of the children, came back, surrounded by a large crowd of even smaller children who were escorting Old Man Wen.
Along the way, the children’s jeering and giggling voices could still be heard.
“Grandma, I caught Grandpa and brought him back! He ran off to wander in other people’s fields,” Datou claimed credit.
Only after glaring at Old Man Wen did Old Madam Luo say amiably to Datou, “Alright, go play now. Don’t go near the irrigation channels or the fish ponds, okay?”
“Got it, Grandma!” Datou led his little companions and ran off again. This entire area consisted of their family’s land and was filled with people everywhere, so Old Madam Luo wasn’t worried.
Instead, Old Man Wen looked awkwardly at his old wife at this moment, pulling at the corners of his mouth to force a smile.
Originally, Old Madam Luo wanted to throw a handful of wheat in his face, but after thinking about it, she decided against it. This was all grain, and it absolutely could not be wasted.
“Do you truly consider yourself a grand old master? Even Li Fu and Li Yi are helping with the work, yet you certainly know how to avoid labor and enjoy leisure,” Old Madam Luo chided.
Old Man Wen rolled up his sleeves and began to work. After all, he was thoroughly accustomed to it; the moment his hands took hold, he was incomparably skilled. He replied, “How was I going to steal away and slack off? I went to check how the harvest was for each household, so they won’t come looking to cause trouble for Eldest later.”
Old Madam Luo’s movements slowed down, and she turned her head to look at him. “How is it? No family had any problems, right?”
Old Man Wen stated directly, “There were actually a few households that secretly reduced the amount of fertilizer applied so they could send it to their maternal homes. It looks like they still harbor some complaints, but they were exposed by the people nearby.”
Old Madam Luo curled her lips. “Bad apples are everywhere. We just need to do our own business well. As we said back then, the amount is fixed; don’t count on reducing the amount. If it doesn’t grow well because of that, we won’t be held responsible. And those are just the instances people know about; those we don’t know about might try to extort us.”
Old Man Wen let out a sigh. “Isn’t that just the case? Fortunately, most of the people in the village aren’t that muddle-headed right now, so there won’t be any trouble. However, quite a few households are asking—now that the wheat has been harvested, what should they plant next? They wanted me to come back and ask Eldest.”
Old Madam Luo turned her head to look at him and said directly, “What? What they want to plant in the future still needs to be managed by our family? Then when they eat their meals, do they share a bite with us?”
Old Man Wen glared at her in feigned helplessness. “That mouth of yours is just completely unrelenting. Our family’s days have become better, so doesn’t everyone count on us to offer a bit of assistance? It’s not like they’re asking for money or anything; they just want Eldest to give them an idea. Look at you, getting anxious already.”
“You’re not anxious, you’re the good person, you’re magnanimous, you’re the grand old master! Then go ask by yourself. If complaints are left behind later, don’t come running to me to chatter on and on.” Old Madam Luo couldn’t be bothered to pay him any mind anymore.
Old Man Wen couldn’t win the argument against her, and knowing this old wife was always harsh in speech but soft in heart, he simply went over to his son’s side. Speaking to his son, he at least wouldn’t have to be so subservient; his momentum instantly surged up.
However, although the words Old Madam Luo spoke didn’t sound pleasant, Old Man Wen still kept them in mind, and he didn’t forget to remind Wen Xiuyi that if he really couldn’t think of anything, he should just forget it. Whether they liked to plant vegetables or plant beans, it didn’t have much to do with their family.
Wen Xiuyi, on the other hand, felt that this might be a good opportunity.
“Dad, I have an idea.”
“What?”
