Chapter 8

Yueyang took a deep breath before saying, "Grandma, do you still remember the incident a few days ago when I was beaten up by the second son of the Wang family at the Hundred Flowers Building in Yingzhou City?"

At this, a flash of anger crossed the old lady's eyes, but she quickly sighed, "Of course, Grandma knows. I remember that blow from the Wang family's boy. I've been keeping it in mind for you. I even sent someone to the governor's office to ask the governor to uphold justice for you, but he kept making excuses and refused to take action. He said the scene was chaotic and there were no witnesses, so he couldn't confirm whether it was really the second son of the Wang family. I knew right away that the old man Wang Shoucheng must have pulled some strings with Governor Zheng. Sigh... If you hadn't woken up back then, Grandma wouldn't have known what to do. To see my own grandson beaten so badly and not be able to seek revenge for you, grandson, am I really that useless?"

Yueyang's eyes also welled up with tears. He grasped the old lady's hand and said softly, "Grandma, don't be sad. It's not your fault. It's my fault for being so weak that I couldn't even deal with the second son of the Wang family, and I've made you worry so much. I'm really a disobedient grandson!"

At this, the old lady couldn't hold back her tears and hugged Yueyang, sobbing. Seeing his grandmother's tears, Yueyang felt a surge of sorrow. He hugged her shoulders and comforted her, "But Grandma, don't worry. That blow wasn't in vain. In Yingzhou City, I saved a Frankish merchant, and from him, I learned about something that could be a great boon for our Yue Family Village and even Wulisi Village."

The old lady wiped her tears and looked at Yueyang, asking, "Oh, what is it?"

Yueyang looked at the old lady seriously and said, "Seeds, high-yield rice and millet seeds!"

Seeing Yueyang's solemn expression, the old lady smiled. She took a sip of tea and asked, "Oh, how high-yield are they, my dear grandson?"

"Seeds that can yield 600 to 800 pounds per acre!" Yueyang said, emphasizing each word.

"Spit..."

As soon as Yueyang finished speaking, the old lady, who hadn't swallowed her tea, spat it out.

"Grandson, what did you say? How much? You said 600 to 800 pounds per acre?" The old lady looked at Yueyang with disbelief.

Yueyang looked into the old lady's eyes and repeated solemnly, "Grandson said 600 to 800 pounds per acre!"

The old lady swayed, and Yueyang quickly supported her to prevent her from falling. She placed the teacup on the table, took a deep breath, and said, "Grandson, do you know what you're saying? If this is true, it's a huge deal!"

"Grandson knows!" Yueyang nodded. "I've done my research. In our region of Sanjin, the average yield is around 300 pounds per acre. In the south, it might be a bit higher, but it doesn't exceed 400 pounds, and at most, 500 pounds. If we can achieve 600 pounds per acre in Wulisi Village, our Yue Family Village could become the most powerful family in Yingzhou City. I believe even the governor would look at us differently!"

The old lady shook her head, still skeptical. "That's true, but it sounds too exaggerated. Grandma is really unsure about this."

Yueyang understood that a yield of 600 to 800 pounds per acre was indeed shocking for people of this era. He explained, "That's why I need some gold to buy some seeds from the Frankish merchant to try out. If the yield really reaches 600 pounds per acre, we won't have to fear the Wang family anymore."

As he said this, Yueyang inwardly sighed. If modern biologists heard that the super rice seeds he brought back from the future only yielded 600 to 800 pounds per acre, they might be so angry they'd vomit blood. But Yueyang knew that 600 to 800 pounds was already the limit of what people here could accept. If he said the highest yield was 1,800 pounds per acre, the old lady might faint.

However, Yueyang underestimated the importance of food in this era. After the initial shock, the old lady quickly regained her sharpness. She gripped Yueyang's hand and asked seriously, "Grandson, is what you're saying true? Who else knows about this?"

Yueyang nodded and said solemnly, "Grandma, rest assured. I wouldn't dare to lie about something like this. And so far, only I know about it."

The old lady nodded. "That's good. Remember, you told Grandma today, but from now on, you can't tell anyone else, understand?"

Yueyang, somewhat amused, said, "Grandma, you're being silly. We can keep other things secret, but we need to find someone to plant the fields. When the rice matures, we can't hide it from others, can we?"

Hearing this, the old lady patted her head and laughed bitterly. "You're right, Grandma is getting old. This is indeed something we can't hide. Sigh... Old... Old..."

Seeing the old lady's frustration, Yueyang asked, "Grandma, what about the gold?"

"Buy it, of course!" The old lady was a decisive person. She made the decision immediately. "Our Yue Family Village isn't as wealthy as the Wang, Lin, or Li families, but we do have some savings. And you're twenty now, it's time for you to take on more responsibilities. From now on, if you need to use money, just talk to the accountant and the steward."

"Thank you, Grandma!" Yueyang was delighted. The old lady's words meant she was officially handing over the financial control to him. With her approval, he could use the family's resources to start some projects.

After leaving the old lady's room, Yueyang found Shunbao waiting for him at the door.

"Shunbao, do you know of a place in the village that is both secluded and uninhabited?"

"Master, you're looking for such a place?" Shunbao was a bit surprised but, having grown up in Yue Family Village, he quickly thought of a suitable location. "Master, the summer retreat on the west side of the village is quite suitable. It was originally used by Lord and Lady for cooling off in the summer, but it has been empty since they passed away. What do you think?"

"Take me there!" Yueyang interrupted Shunbao and immediately asked him to lead the way.

About a quarter of an hour later, Shunbao led Yueyang to a small courtyard on the west side of the village. The courtyard wasn't very large, only about 300 to 400 square meters, with two rooms in the middle and a wall made of blue bricks around it. Yueyang nodded in satisfaction at the secluded and quiet courtyard.

"Very good, I like this courtyard. Shunbao, tell your father that from now on, no one except me is allowed to enter this courtyard. If I see anyone here, don't blame me for being harsh. Understand?"

"Yes, Master! I understand!" Shunbao, startled by Yueyang's unusually stern tone, nodded rapidly. He was also secretly alarmed. The young master he had grown up with had become increasingly unpredictable since he woke up from his coma. He didn't know if this was a good thing or a bad thing...

As the sky grew dark and night took over, only a few stars shone timidly. Inside the summer retreat, Yueyang lit a candle, casting a dim light over the courtyard.

Yueyang sat on a stone bench, with a wooden basin in front of him containing half a basin of clear water. A jade pendant lay quietly in the water, and on the stone table beside him was a small package wrapped in coarse cloth. Inside the package were ten gold bars, known as "big yellow fish" in the local dialect. Yueyang gazed at the sky, inwardly cursing.

"Damn, what's going on tonight? Why is the moon hiding behind the clouds?"

Yueyang was initially happy about being able to travel freely between the modern era and the late Ming Dynasty, but he found the method of travel increasingly frustrating. It was completely unpredictable, depending entirely on the mood of the heavens. Tonight, after dinner, he had been waiting, but the moon had been hiding behind the clouds for almost three hours. If it didn't come out soon, it would be daylight.

Just as Yueyang's eyelids were drooping, a faint white light appeared in the basin in front of him. The light grew brighter and more intense, gradually forming a silver-white portal.

The appearance of the portal startled Yueyang, who had been dozing off. He looked up and saw the moon, which had been partially obscured, finally emerge from the clouds.

"Damn, you finally came out. Otherwise, I would have wasted the whole night!"

Yueyang's spirits lifted. He cursed softly, picked up the package from the table, and ran toward the portal...

PS: Brothers, don't be stingy with recommendations and collections. Hand them all over!