Chapter 70

Chapter 71: Unexpected

Xiao Mei still wore the same clothes she had come in, with a small bag on her back and tear marks on her face, but the people in the courtyard were instantly bright-eyed. She was too beautiful; this was no longer the graceful but aging woman of the past, nor the fierce White Wuchang. She was clearly a freshly bloomed jasmine flower, pure and fragrant, making one's heart content. Even Lu Xiaoyao felt his heart waver.

"Go back, and tell Master Meng and the others to withdraw!" Zhao Cheng sighed, secretly blaming Xiao Mei. If you had washed off the mess on your face earlier, your senior brother would definitely have fallen for you.

"Yes!" Jianxi led a few pig-eyed men out, but none of them dared to go far. They all stood at a distance, ready to rush in at the first sign of trouble.

"Little brother, thank you for your concern over my affairs!" Xiao Mei placed her hands on her waist and bowed deeply. She continued, "In the past month at the manor, although I did rough work like planting flowers and raising ducks every day, it was the happiest time since I joined the Night Sect. There was no danger in the world, no intrigue within the sect, and no bloodshed. I hope this kind of life never ends, and I can spend the rest of my life here with my senior brother!"

"Junior sister, do you really like this kind of life? Why have you never mentioned it to me?" Lu Xiaoyao asked in surprise.

"Ha ha, after you recovered, you always thought about rebuilding the Night Sect, finding the traitor, and avenging the wrongs. When did you ever look at me properly!" Xiao Mei gave a bitter smile and glanced at Lu Xiaoyao with a resentful look.

"Junior sister, I didn't, I didn't..." Lu Xiaoyao was speechless, not knowing how to respond.

"Senior brother, thank you for taking care of me all these years and tolerating my capriciousness. The Night Sect no longer exists, and I don't want to live a life of killing for money anymore. Why can't you settle down and live a peaceful life?" Xiao Mei spoke out what she had been holding back for days. "Today, we will each go our separate ways. I will stay here to raise ducks and plant flowers, and you can go rebuild the Night Sect and achieve your ideals. Little brother, return the document to him!" She pushed the bag into his arms.

Lu Xiaoyao held the bag, looking dazed at Xiao Mei, not understanding why things had come to this. "Lu, pat your chest and think about it. What has Sister Mei done wrong? She carried you around when you were injured, treated your wounds, and stayed by your side even when your position as sect leader was taken. She even sacrificed her reputation for you. Are you brain-dead or something? Haven't you thought about why?" Zhao Cheng pointed at Lu Xiaoyao, feeling anxious. The situation was about to fall apart, and he would be the one to blame.

"Second Young Master, you've caused me a lot of trouble too. If you wanted to arrange a marriage, just say so. Why did you bring so many people? I thought you were going to take me to the authorities. Now it's come to this. What do you plan to do?" Lu Xiaoyao was also frustrated, pulling Zhao Cheng aside.

"If I had mentioned it, you might have run away, and Sister Mei would have killed me!" Zhao Cheng had his own reasons. He hadn't expected them to fight as soon as they met.

"How do you know I wouldn't have agreed? Junior sister has been good to me. Do you think I didn't notice? I just didn't know how to bring it up." Lu Xiaoyao pulled Zhao Cheng aside, stroking his beard and speaking softly.

"Does that mean you have feelings for Sister Mei?" Zhao Cheng asked.

"Yes, humans are not plants; who can be without feelings!" Lu Xiaoyao nodded, sighing. "Second Young Master, I, Lu Xiaoyao, am now a homeless dog with no other desires. I hope Second Young Master can take us in and give us a place to live out our days!"

"Damn, you two are in love, and I'm the fool!" Zhao Cheng looked at Lu Xiaoyao, who was bowing deeply, feeling helpless and murmuring. He had failed as a matchmaker and vowed never to do it again.

"Little brother, thank you!" Xiao Mei took the bag from Lu Xiaoyao's arms and said shyly.

"Sister Mei, I almost ruined your relationship. I'm truly sorry. Keep this document. If he treats you badly, take it to the authorities!" Zhao Cheng took out the document Lu Xiaoyao had just signed and handed it to Xiao Mei, sighing deeply as he left the courtyard.

"What does it say?" Xiao Mei unfolded the document, frowned slightly, and read softly, "The person who signs this contract, Lu Xiaoyao, has lost both parents since childhood, is twenty-four years old, and has never been married. Now, due to the mediation of a matchmaker, he will enter the Xiao family as a son-in-law, marrying Xiao's daughter. In exchange, he will receive 6,233 guan and 8 wen as a dowry. After entering the family, he will be a permanent member, changing his name and identity, and will not return to his original family. He will serve the Xiao family, support his parents, and be loyal to his wife. If he fails to comply, he will be punished for fleeing, drinking, gambling, or neglecting his duties."

"This is a marriage contract. Did I sign this just now?" Lu Xiaoyao asked.

"Exactly, and your name and fingerprint are on it!" Xiao Mei waved the document in front of Lu Xiaoyao, smiling.

"No matter how much I planned and guarded, I still fell for this little rascal's trick. Junior sister, give me the document back?" Lu Xiaoyao looked at her with a black face.

"Hmph, no way! If you ever change your mind, I'll take this to the authorities. It's my security for the rest of my life!" Xiao Mei folded the document and put it in her chest, secretly grateful to Zhao Cheng. This brother was worth recognizing, giving her such a great gift.

Now it was Lu Xiaoyao's turn to feel helpless. The document in his junior sister's hands was like a dog chain, and he could no longer back out. He cursed Zhao Cheng, wishing he had been born without a bottom and would be chased by ten or eight she-devils when he grew up.

Zhao Cheng had been busy all morning and returned to the front hall with the dejected guards. He hadn't even had a chance to drink tea when he saw the chief steward, Zheng Lu, return with a drooping head. "Zheng Lu, what's wrong? Did the reaper cause trouble?"

"Second Young Master, don't mention it. No one dared to use our reaper today!" It was the day of the harvest, and Zheng Lu had followed the prince's instructions, bringing the new equipment to show off. But the result was disappointing.

"Really? Did you explain it to the tenants? Did you charge them extra?" Zhao Cheng asked in surprise. It was strange that a good thing wasn't being used.

"Second Young Master, I did as you instructed, but the tenants have never seen a reaper before. They don't know how effective it is and are afraid that if it fails, they will lose their crops and go hungry," Zheng Lu said with a sad face.

"Oh!" Zhao Cheng understood. People were skeptical of new things and needed to see proof. It was understandable that no one would risk their hard-earned crops. "Zheng Lu, how much is wheat per dan, and how much can we harvest from one mu of land?"

"Second Young Master, wheat is about 600 wen per dan, and one mu of land can produce 1.5 to 2 dan," Zheng Lu replied.

"Take 100 guan to the field and choose two households. Tell them the manor will buy their wheat!" Zhao Cheng said.

"Second Young Master, what for?" Zheng Lu asked curiously.

"Ah!" Zhao Cheng sighed. He should have sent the chief steward to the future to learn. Even a supermarket salesperson knew to let customers try before buying. Without an incentive, they wouldn't buy. He patiently explained the logic to Zheng Lu.

After explaining for a while, Zhao Cheng still felt uneasy. This was not just about his wealth but also about the trust of the tenants. He needed to handle it well so they would trust him unconditionally next time. He decided to go to the field himself, had Zheng Lu choose an unharvested plot, and selected ten skilled operators to work the reaper in a line.

At this time, a household with a cow could farm 50 mu of land, but a Song mu was smaller than a modern mu. A skilled laborer could harvest 2 to 3 mu per day, and the entire process from harvest to storage took at least half a month. So, during this time, the whole family had to work day and night. When they saw the prince directing a few people to drive a strange box pulled by horses into the field, they couldn't help but come to watch.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the reaper began its first demonstration. The horses pulled the machine easily, leaving a neat path of cut wheat behind. Some tenants couldn't resist checking it out. The cut was only about two inches high, and the cutting width was about three feet. All they had to do was tie the cut wheat into bundles and transport it.

In no time, the reaper had cut a large area of wheat. Experienced farmers calculated that at this speed, it would take only half an hour to harvest three mu of land. If two machines worked together, a household's entire field could be harvested in half a day. This was an unexpected result.

The more astute tenants began to do the math. Households with fewer laborers often hired wheat harvesters, who cost at least 100 wen per day plus meals. This added up to about 40 wen per mu.

The landlord had just said that using the reaper would cost only 30 wen per mu. Using the reaper would save money, even if it wasn't much. Moreover, the weather was unpredictable, and a heavy rain could ruin the crops. It was better to harvest them quickly and safely. One tenant, seeing the reapers under the shade, quietly left the crowd to hire one before others thought of it.

"Who would have thought the prince's mind works like that? He turned the situation around with a small trick. I can't match him!" Zheng Lu watched the enthusiastic scene of people fighting for the reapers and sighed in admiration.