To Rule in a Turbulent World Chapter 13 36 Jan 06, 2020

Book 2: Butterflies in Love with Flowers

INFO MAP

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13



Chapter 10

Since historical times, Liuzhou Prefecture has been bountiful with resources and, having experienced none of the chaos of war for a century, it's become the land of fish and rice in the south. The over three hundred thousand hectares of hills in particular are the largest land in the Yangtze river basin region for planting and picking tea.

Riverwave Estate isn't close, but it's not that far either, about four hundred miles from Peixian County; an urgent horse can get there in a night and a day. However, You Miao is carrying with him an entire carriage of luggage, and he isn't in any hurry, so he goes at a leisurely pace, making frequent stops. He rests in the Peixian County for a number of days, thinking to pay Doctor Xing a visit to thank him, but Doctor Xing has gone out to visit patients, so You Miao can only leave his thank you gift and continue on his way.

Roaming about and taking their time the whole way, after crossing through Jiang Prefectural City, they head in the direction of the border of Yangzhou Prefecture. The Riverwave Estate sits at the crossborder of Suzhou Prefecture, Yangzhou Prefecture, and Liuzhou Prefecture; seven parts in Jiangnan, three parts in Jiangbei.

The boundaries of this estate certainly are a headache. It used to be land both Yangzhou Prefecture and Liuzhou Prefectures fought over; there's Guozhuang Village in the south and Anlu Village in the north, the villagers once disputed over a river port so hard, the fight got so big that there were even a good number of casualties. The village reported to the county chief, the county chief reported to the prefecture chief, and so the prefecture chiefs of the two prefectures started fighting too. In the end they left the issue alone, ditched it aside.

From then on Riverwave Estate sits across both the south and the north unapologetically with the harsh-winded, strong-waved Yangtze cutting through the middle.

You Miao didn't know this at first, and originally he'd been really excited to try his hand at achieving great things, but now that he's observed the landscape, he finds this really isn't a good place. All other things aside, with this river sitting there, if he wants to inspect his own estate once a day, he would have to run from Jiangbei to Jiangnan, take a ferry across in the middle, before he can go home for dinner in Jiangnan?!

You Miao can't help but droop, his hand propping his forehead up. Why did his old hag pick such a useless land and get attached?

You Miao goes to flip through his chest of books, and from the outside, Li Zhifeng asks, "Looking for food?"

"Looking for a book." You Miao replies.

You Miao takes out "Liuzhou Prefecture Guide" and starts to compare it to the record his father had put together. Then he notices Li Zhifeng driving, and calls out, "You tired? If you are then come in and take a break."

Li Zhifeng replies from the outside, "I rest, and let the horses run on their own?"

You Miao laughs, he didn't think Li Zhifeng would ever joke around, and replies, "I'll drive."

"No," Li Zhifeng replies without sparing a looking back. "You'll drive into the gutters."

You Miao pulls open the carriage door, and the tepid rays of the winter sun outside come shining in. After leaving the last stretch of road of Jiang Prefectural City, the skies are clear, the warm sun is bright, gleaming across all of this earth, and You Miao's mood instantly brightens up too.

Bringing his book with him, You Miao gets out and sits on the driver's seat plank too, covering Li Zhifeng's eyes with both his hands, laughing as he says, "Now you can't see, haha!!"

Li Zhifeng's lips curl up and he continues to drive like nothing's the matter, and at first You Miao thinks Li Zhifeng will say something along the lines of "Don't play around", yet who knows, Li Zhifeng is perfectly fine. You Miao asks dubiously, "Hey, aren't you scared of crashing the carriage?"

"No." A small smile hangs off of Li Zhifeng's lips. "I can hear."

You Miao drops his hands, and sticks his fingers into Li Zhifeng's ears. "How's this then?"

Li Zhifeng grins. "Now my eyes can see again."

"CHE——!"

Li Zhifeng bursts out laughing, and You Miao is stunned. For all that he's known Li Zhifeng for so long now, this is actually the very first time he's seen him laugh so happily, and You Miao stares in a daze. Li Zhifeng's smile is candidly handsome, and under the sun it is exceedingly attractive, so much so that You Miao can't help but gulp.

Li Zhifeng turns his head to watch You Miao, his smile fading gradually, and shakes his head with a grin. You Miao thinks inwardly, this guy is so handsome… no, actually, he's not quite handsome, since there's a scar on his brow and a tattoo on his neck; his looks are definitely not the clean elegance of those aristocrats, and the colour of his skin is also on the darker, rougher side. Yet with his deep blue eyes, his lean narrow face and tall nose, there's a certain different flavour.

Even the blade scar that cuts through the straight, slanting upwards left brow is inexplicably good looking.

"Did you get the scar on your eyebrow from Li Yan's beatings?"

"No." Li Zhifeng doesn't look at the road, focusing only on staring into You Miao's eyes as he answers in a small voice. "It's a scar left from back when I first went out to war. It was an arrow wound."

As he speaks, Li Zhifeng leans in and softly kisses You Miao's lips.

You Miao's heart instantly starts to thump in his chest, like something is being lit on fire. This isn't the first time him and Li Zhifeng have kissed; Li Zhifeng's entire person belongs to him, he can kiss him whenever he wants, tell him to do anything and he'll have to obey. Usually he'll use Li Zhifeng like a cushion to lean on, order him around, and it doesn't make him feel a thing. But now, what he's experiencing is something different.

After Li Zhifeng kisses him he goes back to focusing on the road ahead and You Miao notices there's a very faint smudge of red on his cheeks. You Miao starts to chuckle but doesn't say anything, and leans into Li Zhifeng's arms. Li Zhifeng thus reaches out an arm to hold him while the other hand drives the carriage. Although the year hasn't ended, this winter sun brightens their moods, and the winds aren't strong either, so You Miao lets himself laze like this under the sun, flipping through the books.

The original plan had been to reach Riverwave Estate by dusk, but their path turns left and right, and after leaving the official road they actually get lost. You Miao stands at the fork of the road, looking and comparing with his parchment map, mumbling, "That's not right, we definitely saw the boundary stone of Yangzhou Prefecture earlier."

Li Zhifeng reads with his head down using the last light before the sun sets. "Head south along the prefecture border…"

The skies darken, the flocks of crows caw. The night comes faster during winters, and this is the middle of nowhere, not a single household in sight along the roads, only large fields of straw bent forward on the grounds.

You Miao only had one meal in Jiang City when he got up this morning; it's been nothing but dried rations on the road, and now that everything's eaten, his tummy is hungry. As the night deepens it starts to get colder on the road, but as their carriage rolls on, it suddenly lurches to the side. Li Zhifeng instantly calls out, "Watch out!"

All the stuff inside the carriage falls to the right, and outside, Li Zhifeng shouts to the horse, "Go, go!"

The wheel twists and sinks into a mud puddle, and the entire carriage tilts on the side of the road. You Miao staggers down the vehicle. Li Zhifeng appears very woeful, and is just about to say something when You Miao calls out, "I'm fine, I'm fine."

Feeling a bit scared, You Miao yells, "IS ANYBODY THERE?"

The wilderness is empty and deserted, but it feels as if there's something watching them with predatory eyes. Then, sharp howls of wolves comes from the far distance. The flocks of crows start cawing in agitation, flapping their wings as they take off.

You Miao sees out on the vast fields are a few pairs of dotted green light drifting about, and a cold shudder runs down his back. "W-w-w… What's that? Wolves?"

You Miao asks as he goes to hide behind Li Zhifeng, and Li Zhifeng soothes, "Don't be scared."

"H-h-h… Had I known, we would've packed your bow and arrows…" You Miao stammers.

"They're packed," Li Zhifeng says. "They're in the trunks."

Li Zhifeng turns around and climbs into the carriage. It's pitch black all around, not even the moon is visible in the night sky, and You Miao feels out a flintstone while standing on the dark road, ppa as he strikes it, trying to start a light.

Li Zhifeng re-emerges with the bow carried on his back and the quiver held in his hand. "Come into the carriage."

You Miao is both cold and famished as he sits in the carriage. Li Zhifeng is just about to close the carriage door when You Miao calls out, "Don't, don't close it."

You Miao places the furnace on the seat plank then shrinks into Li Zhifeng's arms, letting Li Zhifeng hold him. Li Zhifeng only casually scans the far distance before he shakes open a throw blanket, covering it over You Miao.

"Don't be scared." Li Zhifeng's voice is indifferent without emotion, but it's incredibly steady and dependable. "Even if there are wolves they won't dare to come over."

"You've seen wolves before?" You Miao asks.

"There are plenty beyond the border…" Li Zhifeng says. "The wolves in the Midlands are only dens of mountain wolves, the wolves in the great desert beyond the border run in large packs, much more aggressive than the ones here."

In between their conversation, another "awoo" comes from the distance, and this time You Miao hears it properly.

"How do you chase away desert wolves?" You Miao asks in a small voice. "Would lighting fires help?"

Li Zhifeng replies, one of his hands petting You Miao's head mindlessly, "When I ran into them in the great desert, I didn't have fire at the time, nor did I have my bow and arrows, only a scimitar. About over twenty desert wolves came, and they formed a pack."

You Miao is terrified as he listens, and in the darkness, there comes another "AWOO——" Since the night is quiet, the sound of the howl is clear. Those few wolves appear to be approaching closer and closer.

"What did you do then?" You Miao asks.

Li Zhifeng starts, "I…"

In between words You Miao can sense Li Zhifeng pause for a short moment, his chest rising like he's inhaling deeply, then soon after…

"WOO…" From deep in Li Zhifeng's throat comes the vague howl of a beast, then following right after is the bright and clear "awoo" of the howl of a wolf, so strong that You Miao's ears are buzzing. That sound is heavy with spirit, like a lone alpha wolf singing in full pride under the moonlight.

Outside, there's the sound of the wind blowing over the grass, shashaa as the stalks sway, but the mountain wolves have ceased their howling, as if they've sensed the danger in Li Zhifeng's howl.

The green lights of those wolves' eyes vanish, and the wind blows through the black night, silence returning in an instant.

"What happened after you howled?" You Miao asks.

"The alpha of the pack came out to challenge me, and I killed it." Li Zhifeng replies.

Li Zhifeng is hugging You Miao with his left arm while he mindlessly plays with a wooden arrow in between the long and shapely fingers of his right hand. The arrow twirls in and out between his fingers, the arrowhead shimmering with a singular glint in the dark.

"And then?" You Miao presses.

"Of course I killed it," Li Zhifeng answers. "I also got bitten a few times, so I lied there in the desert all by myself."

You Miao pictures Li Zhifeng covered in blood, lying there with the corpse of the wolf king, and says, "Did the wolf pack not come after you?"

"No." Li Zhifeng replies faintly.

"What were you doing lying there?" You Miao asks.

"Moon watching." Li Zhifeng answers in a low whisper.

The great desert, the bright moon, wolf packs… and Li Zhifeng who lies in the centre of the desert beneath that silver light.

Chilly is the sea wind blowing over Tianshan after snow;

Of all tunes, Tough-Going on the Road is most common on the flutes.

Three hundred thousand warriors trudging laboriously across the desert

Turn their heads and stare longingly at the moon above.#

You Miao imagines that faraway scene, leaning in Li Zhifeng's embrace as he falls into slumber. In the silence of the deep night, there seems to be the barking of dogs and the voices of people coming from the distant end of the road.

Li Zhifeng's ears flick, and the twirling arrow between his fingers stops. The arm holding You Miao loosens, and Li Zhifeng lets You Miao simply lean on himself while he picks up the longbow that had been placed next to their bodies. He stacks the arrow over the bow and pulls the string taut, pointing it into the pitch black night road.

"Could they have run into wolves…"

"They've been on the road all night and still haven't arrived…"

Li Zhifeng squints his eyes. By this time the clouds have dispersed, and a full moon hangs above in the sky, illuminating their surroundings.

You Miao wakes, and when he blinks open his eyes he sees Li Zhifeng pulling on the bow at the ready, and immediately he turns to the direction of the voices. A dog is barking viciously but is quickly hushed by the villagers holding its leash.

"It's the young master!"

"Young Master You!"

"We've finally found you…"

Li Zhifeng lowers his bow and You Miao comes fully awake, realizing that these men have come to receive him.

The tenant farmers surround them, babbling and chattering as they ask questions. Turns out, where they are isn't more than five kilometers away from Riverwave Estate. Having been tormented for half the night, You Miao is exhausted in both body and spirit. The tenant farmers help push the horse carriage out of the gutter, and with one man in front leading the way, they escort the two into the estate under the bright light of the moon.

You Miao passes out completely for the rest of the night. The next day when he wakes up, he finds he's lying on an old, ragged bed, with the blankets he'd brought over from home. He's itching all over, and after scratching, he yawns as he sits up.

A dishevelled and loose-haired Li Zhifeng sits up from the ground, the suddenness of his movement scaring You Miao out of his wits.

"What's this place?" You Miao asks.

"Riverwave Estate," Li Zhifeng answers, then he ties up his hair, rising to his feet to go draw water for You Miao to wash his face.

Huddling in his blankets while sitting in bed, You Miao looks the place over. He vaguely remembers how they'd come in the night before——by the middle of the night though his head had already been cloudy from drowsiness, and everything had blurred as he'd entered the estate in the carriage. Li Zhifeng had been driving the vehicle up front while he'd slept inside in the back. Once they'd arrived the tenant farmers didn't say much either before they'd led them in. Li Zhifeng had gotten into the carriage and said a few words but You Miao no longer remembers anything.

"What did you say to me last night?" You Miao asks.

The sound of water pours in from the outside, and Li Zhifeng answers, "I said, I tidied up the side chamber first and we'll make do with it for the night. Then I'll clean up the main house today."

You Miao nods, then sees from the lattice of the window Li Zhifeng pouring water from the wooden bucket into the copper basin before he comes in to place the copper basin over the coal furnace to heat the water.

"I can do it." You Miao says. He knows right now is not the time to be attended to, there are many things that he'll have to do himself. First, this is a new environment where he knows nothing and no one; second, he hasn't hired anyone yet. There's only Li Zhifeng who genuinely treats him well, but good steel should be used on the blade; he can't have him take care of everything, otherwise it wouldn't be good value if Li Zhifeng gets exhausted.

"Just rest." Li Zhifeng says.

You Miao gets out of bed and dresses himself. "I figure since we're here, everything will have to be simple for now." Then, he casually pushes the window open. Outside the sun is beaming down, the winter day bright and charming. Beneath his gaze, the endless vast fields shine with the sun's rays.

"What do they plant out there?" You Miao has never laboured nor cared to differentiate the grains, and now he leans over the window looking out, realizing that all of this land belongs to him. This house is his, the chicken, duck, fish, the rivers, the hills, the woods… these are all his.

"Don't know," Li Zhifeng replies.

He brings the towel to You Miao's cheeks and starts to rub his ears and face. After dressing, You Miao drops his feet down to the ground to put on his shoes. "Let's go out and take a look around today."

"En," Li Zhifeng answers.

You Miao then asks, "What are we doing for breakfast?"

Only when the question is asked does You Miao realizes a big problem. This place isn't anywhere like Sunshower Jade Estate; there's no cook, no attendants, everything must be done by his own hand. Thankfully when they departed a few days ago they'd bought some food at Jiang City, so they dowse some water on the fried noodles, heat it up, then make do with what's there and eat it.

"The women of the tenant families have come to deliver breakfast," Li Zhifeng announces.

You Miao delightedly goes out, but the moment he steps foot out of the side chamber he is dumbfounded.

The sun is still shining brightly, but the yard is completely run down, messy and desolate. The foot of the wall is piled with moss over the chipped and moldy clay pots, long weeds grow from the cracks of the stone tiles in abundance, the spirit wall has ivy crawling all over, and the wheel of one of the wells has already rotten through and broken, fallen to the side.

When Li Zhifeng had carried him in the night before, You Miao hadn't bothered to look carefully. Now that he's seeing it in broad daylight, it's completely different than the view at night.

"Interesting," You Miao says to Li Zhifeng.

You Miao crosses through the corridor and heads to the main courtyard with Li Zhifeng in tow. More than half of the roof of the corridors overhead have fallen through, and in the far back of the backyard, the entire enclosure's walls are collapsed in. Gazing over, the skies are bright and clear.

This crappy place… When You Miao sees, he really doesn't know whether to laugh or cry. Yet for some reason, this scenery has a particular paradise-like peace and harmony. Perhaps this is the very reason why his mother had fallen in love with Riverwave Estate and purchased this land.

Without any mountain ranges to block the view, the field of vision is wide, and clouds roll softly in the horizon. As long as he properly renovates and puts his heart into it, this place can certainly become beautiful.

"This is actually my first time living in a house like this," You Miao says with a smile.

Li Zhifeng nods. When You Miao reaches the front courtyard, he immediately can't smile any longer.

How is this an estate?! IT'S PRACTICALLY A BROKEN DOWN SHRINE!

The doors and windows, chairs and furniture, they're all rotten through and broken, there's not a single piece still whole, and cobwebs are everywhere. There are a few women conversing by the end of the corridor, and the moment they see You Miao and Li Zhifeng they disperse.

"Hey! Where are you going?" You Miao calls out.

The women's dresses are both dirty and poor, and they keep fleeing to hide in the back of the house. You Miao figures it's because they're not used to seeing people and are scared of strangers, so he doesn't say any more, and steps foot into the main house. But there isn't a single spot he can place his foot down inside. In the gloomy back of the wall there's a pot of ready-cooked noodles, two chipped bowls and a plate of salted veggies.

You Miao: "..."

"Did we bring bowls?" You Miao asks.

"No." Li Zhifeng picks up the chopsticks on the table and brings them outside. The inside of the well is still covered in heavy layers of fallen leaves and moss, and the voice of a man comes from the outside. "There's water here."

Li Zhifeng takes the half-filled bucket of water from the tenant farmer and carefully washes the chopsticks clean. The tenant farmer outside then asks, "Has the young master risen?"

"Go wait outside the second entrance. After he's done with breakfast he'll see you all." Li Zhifeng replies.

The tenant farmers all step down and leave, and You Miao grins as he listens; the way Li Zhifeng speaks certainly has the air of a housekeeper. A moment later, You Miao casually eats some. The food is simple: the noodles are simply mixed with salt, but after having starved an entire night, You Miao easily wolfs down half a pot, only thinking the noodles are tender and delightful, the pickled radishes crispy and delicious, simply heavenly.

Usually, at home, dishes like these wouldn't even be looked at. This Riverwave Estate also seems rather poor; not even an egg spared for a pot of noodles. Little does You Miao know that for typical impoverished families, even using exquisite grain for a meal is pure dreams; a coarse steamed bun with some pickles can take care of a meal; a pot of white flour noodles is already a show of all of their hearts.

After You Miao is done, he pushes the bowl towards Li Zhifeng. "Eat. Take your fill so you can get to work." And so Li Zhifeng eats up all the remaining noodles. You Miao adds, "The only one left that I can depend on is you. Put your heart into your work."

Li Zhifeng nods. Of course, You Miao knows Li Zhifeng very much puts all of his heart into his work when it comes to him, so this bit of talk is nothing more than empty nagging. It's more so that he himself is feeling a little hollow and unsteady. After he's come to take over this run down mansion, he's practically afraid to go out now, fearing that he'll see stuff even more broken down outside.

But no matter what, since he's come, he's gotta tidy up.

You Miao understands more or less that if this isn't a dilapidated landscape, then there's no way this Riverwave Estate would've come into his hands. Four tenant farmers, six hundred hectares of land. Taking away the fields to the east of the estate, the rest is just wasteland. There's no one to cultivate those lands either; every tenant farmer takes about three hectares of land——they can't handle much more than that either.

The first order of business is to clear this land, have people farm, and harvest grain.

However, in order to plant the fields the land needs to be cleared. There are about six hundred hectares of land on paper, but a part of it is all hills and mountains. Taking those away from the equation, what's left that can really be cultivated is only about four hundred to four hundred sixty hectares.

Four hundred hectares… spring and autumn are each a season of rice; seven ares# can produce six hundred catties, and after taking away the ration of each tenant farmer and their rent, then the rest is what You Miao can take as profit. If he rents out all four hundred hectares of land, then he can make several thousands of silver in pure profit per year.

Of course, this is under the most ideal situations. In reality, You Miao doesn't have the labour hands he needs and the land still needs to be cleared, plus he still needs to pay taxes to the government. Based on the current situation, with four households, each with three hectares, You Miao would be lucky if he can take in a hundred silver. The most troublesome issue right now is that there's no water.

Rice is a water-heavy grain, and needs water to grow, but water is a huge issue. A good field with enough water can harvest three seasons of grain; lands without water suffering a drought can harvest only one season, even two would be pushing it. The farmers need to work to draw water over from the wells, and without enough hands, arable land is limited. They'll also be dependent on the heavens, see how much it rains, but it can't be too much either lest the sprouts drown.

"Come, tell me. What're you all called?" With the account book in hand, You Miao doesn't bother holding himself with a young master's air, and the moment he comes out he sits himself by the side of the guardian lion stone. Outside the second entrance the tenant farmers have been waiting for a long time, and when they see You Miao come out they each bow to greet him.

"To answer Young Master," one man speaks up. "This humble one is surnamed Li, the name is Li Zhuang."

You Miao nods, then looks over the four men calculatingly. He figures they're all the heads of the families of the tenant households; this man named Li Zhuang looks to be about fifty years old, next to him is a hunchbacked old man, on the other side of him is a tallish young man, and the last one is a skinny man.

Even the old man is a tenant farmer?

Li Zhuang introduces each of them to You Miao: the old man is Old Uncle Liang, the young man is Zhang Er, and the skinny man is called Zhu Tang.

"Uncle Liang is still working the fields?" You Miao asks.

"It's getting worse every year!" Old Uncle Liang says, his brows quivering. "Who knows how many more years we can farm."

The others trade looks but no one speaks up. You Miao is taken aback at first, but then he understands immediately. In the past it's always been Sunshower Jade Estate that would send people over to collect rent; now that You Miao has come personally, taking over the management of Riverwave Estate, this group of tenants more or less have their own little agendas, hoping to beg for the promise of rent not increasing in order to have a good year next year.

"Rent won't hike." You Miao has already thought about this while on the road. "But I have a condition."

Yet unexpectedly, Li Zhuang speaks up. "Young Master, this humble one has come with the intention of bidding Young Master farewell."

You Miao is taken aback again. Inside the house, Li Zhifeng finishes his breakfast and comes out to stand behind You Miao.

You Miao steadies himself mentally and replies, "What? Farewell?"

Li Zhuang is obviously the leader of this group, and has long discussed this matter through, so the moment he speaks he says, "Life here isn't passable. Young Master, this humble one wants to take my wife and son and head to Yangzhou Prefecture to look for some work."

"Young Master, I've gotta go too." That young man Zhang Er also says. "Both my ma and pa have gone, there's only me left in the family. I can't take care of all this land and I can't find a wife this way either, so I plan on going to seek my uncle come spring."

You Miao then looks at that skinny man, and sees that skinny man Zhu Tang also looking hesitant. "I… I gotta go too. Land like this can't be farmed, I might as well go fish for a living."

"Uncle Liang is also getting on in age," Li Zhuang says. "Uncle Liang's son is in the army in Liuzhou Prefecture, eating royal rations and earning a royal salary, so he doesn't want his father to continue labour in farming either."

You Miao has never imagined that what he would face coming to Riverwave Estate would be a dilemma such as this. Not only is the estate itself barren and wild and the houses rundown, but even the tenant farmers no longer plan on continuing their lease. If these four households take off, then there'll only be Li Zhifeng and You Miao himself left in the entire Riverwave Estate.

You Miao asks, still a little incredulous, "Is harvest really that bad? So bad none of you can feed your families?"

The group of them doesn't speak, and You Miao doesn't make any speech to keep them either, only saying casually, "If you're leaving then… do as you will. Wait here for a moment."

You Miao goes into the house and grabs for a bit of broken silver from the horse carriage in the backyard, packs several grants, each grant a tael of silver. Then he comes back out and passes them to the four tenant farmers. "I looked through the land deed and account book, so I know you four households have worked the Riverwave Estate lands for many decades. This bit of money is a show of my goodwill, and if in the future any of you want to come back, the doors are open for you anytime."

With this, three of the tenant farmers are incredibly surprised, while the young man, Zhang Er, reaches out to take the grant, cupping his hands to You Miao. "Thanks, Young Master."

You Miao waves him off, gesturing that it's nothing, and the group of them leave. Watching their retreating backs, You Miao suddenly feels mixed emotions. Li Zhifeng has been standing behind You Miao with his hands dropped the whole time, and You Miao waits until everyone's gone before speaking up. "Did you notice?"

"En." Li Zhifeng nods. "They won't all leave."

You Miao rises to his feet and starts pacing leisurely in the yard. "That skinny man most likely won't leave. He only heard that the others were coming so he came along with to gain some benefits. That old man might not leave either; those who have farmed their whole life might not be comfortable living in Liuzhou Prefecture. That young man however, both his parents are gone, so it's no surprise if he doesn't want to farm if he has ambitions."

"Li Zhuang is uncertain," Li Zhifeng says. "Now that you've lowered rent, he might not leave."

You Miao nods, really feeling the headache now. "Is Riverwave Estate's land really that infertile?"

"I don't know anything about farming," Li Zhifeng replies.

It's time to learn. Right now You Miao doesn't even know what it is his lands produce; he ran over on such an impulse, and now that he's here and sees the situation, he imagines even if he wants to sell the land for profit there will probably be no buyers.

The land his mother left for him can't just be sold either.

You Miao focuses himself and thinks it through thoroughly. "Let's go walk around. There's no hurry in tidying up the house."

"This entire Riverwave Estate," You Miao says as he and Li Zhifeng walk towards the door. "More than half of it is a wasteland."

Li Zhifeng en's. "Need a way to reclaim land."

"Indeed we'll need to reclaim the land," You Miao says. "But I don't know what's suitable to be planted here, or if it's suitable to grow anything at all."

You Miao holds Li Zhifeng's hand, the two of them walking side by side as they walk around the spirit wall covered in ivy. You Miao hums for a moment and mumbles to himself, "It might be tough for the first couple of years, and since no one is willing to farm the land, we'll just have to grow something ourselves. But the lack of water certainly is an issue, all the tenants' time and energy are wasted on drawing water to irrigate land."

"Want me to go find potential tenants in town?" Li Zhifeng suggests.

You Miao laughs. "It's best if we can find people, if not that's okay too. We can reclaim a piece of land for ourselves, provide for ourselves, grow some vegetables, raise some chickens, a pig, and as for food, we'll just buy from the outside."

"Planting tea is the most profitable, but with my dad suppressing the price of tea, competing with him is seeking my own death." You Miao pulls the ivy aside, and Li Zhifeng comes up to help him with the work, the two of them cleaning out the spirit wall together. You Miao then continues, "But it's fine if we just grow tea for fun. I think if we section off a small bit of land on the hill over there, buy some tea shoots and keep an eye on them every so often, it'll be fine."

"Oh." Li Zhifeng nods. "Makes sense."

You Miao continues, "Then we pick a couple of the good fields around here, hire some temporary labourers over and help plow a few days, throw some seeds down, and we'll be able to grow some vegetables for ourselves."

"Doable." Li Zhifeng replies.

Li Zhifeng doesn't provide any ideas, he knows You Miao is saying all these things also to help himself clear the thoughts in his head, going one step at a time. He needs to settle down first and clean up this house before he can start to develop the estate. You Miao clears out about half of the spirit wall and sees a column of sharp and weighted but steadfast words, and he's surprised in spite of himself. "There's a poem written on here?"

"Therein I saw…" You Miao mumbles. "Perhaps the previous owner of this place was an elegant figure, let me see…"

As the rest of the ivy is cleared away, verses of a poem appear before them

Therein I saw her graceful figure once reflected.

Li Zhifeng yanks off the vines from the left side of the spirit wall, and the whole spirit wall is revealed.

Most heartbreaking are the green waters underneath the bridge;

Therein I saw her graceful figure once reflected.#

You Miao stands in front of the spirit wall, a little dazed for the moment. He can now vaguely understand why mother bought this estate.

"To Tang Wan#." Li Zhifeng notices the words at the bottom corner.

Those are words engraved by a chisel by someone, and You Miao says, "Let's go out and see."

The two exit the front doors. Over the entrance hangs a plaque and a swallow flies into the hole behind the plaque as they are looking. You Miao is delighted. "That's a good sign!"

"Take it down and wash it out?" Li Zhifeng asks.

"Don't!" You Miao exclaims. "Don't alarm the swallow."

Having swallow nests under the roof is an extremely lucky sign, and while You Miao doesn't really believe in superstitions, he's still familiar with folklore. He's now very confident in the future of Riverwave Estate, and if he's guessed right, perhaps this place is even a historic site.

Li Zhifeng runs up the wall in two steps and a leap, and lands on the guardian lion statue. He knocks lightly on the plaque above the entrance, and a thick layer of dust falls off. You Miao goes in and finds a ladder, and they prop it up together. Then he finds a rag and clambers up with Li Zhifeng holding him from behind.

You Miao wipes the dust carefully off the plaque, and two large characters appear: Shen Garden#.

You Miao: "..."

The gilded characters are dull and worn from age. You Miao shakes his head and sighs, "So that's what this place is…"

"What place?" Li Zhifeng helps You Miao back down to the ground, and the two of them stand there, contemplating the overhead plaque.

The swallow peeks out from behind the plaque to stare curiously at them. You Miao says, "This was once the residence of a renowned Han poet… no wonder my mom bought it."

Li Zhifeng mn's in acknowledgement and asks, "Can it be repaired?"

You Miao smiles as he replies, "Now that Shen Garden belongs to me, that's a matter of course."

They stand at the entrance to the estate for a while, just gazing up at the clear blue sky. Finally, You Miao speaks. "Ride to Anlu Village and buy some rice and flour, and oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and such. Also, while you're there, swing by the market and see if there's anyone looking for work, get a couple of workers, we'll cover food and housing."

You Miao goes inside and returns with ten silver, along with the letters he had written to Zhao Chao and Li Yan in the Capital, instructing, "Spend it sparingly, and bring these letters to the post station, have the courier deliver them to the Capital. Come home early."

Li Zhifeng says, "I have more here," as he takes out a small money pouch. Inside are the twenty silver You Miao had given him before when he'd sent him away back then. He's held onto it this whole time.

You Miao is absolutely thrilled as he says, "Well done! Go on then."

Li Zhifeng flips onto the horse and rides off.

---

Chapter 11

TW: underage sex, explicit (15 was of age back then, but by modern standards)

Money can't be spent frivolously now. A tael of gold exchanges to thirty taels of silver, and a tael of silver exchanges to one string of maces#. A string of maces can do many things: a catty of rice only costs eight coins, and a chicken costs twenty-five. You Miao never kept accounts in the past, he's never known about living costs. Now that he adds it all up, the one hundred silver father had given him is enough to feed him in Shen Garden for five to ten years.

But this little bit isn't enough. He keeps contemplating how to make more off of this starting Capital. The first thing he needs to do is to properly renovate the house. Of course, the house can't be so easily reconstructed; the moment You Miao had seen the two words "Shen Garden" he knew that every blade of grass and every tree, the rockery and stone benches, they all have a history. Who knows, maybe there might even be many more antiques. If he thoughtlessly throws them out then it'd be a real waste of genuine treasure.

You Miao strolls once around the courtyard. This Shen Garden certainly is huge, his feet are already sore but he's still only along the enclosure walls. He walks a full ten minutes before he makes it to the backyard, and from the stables he brings out another horse, hopping on before he rushes towards the plains.

The four tenant households are located in all directions, and You Miao plans on finding a few hands to help him tidy up. It's around noon time now, and he sees in the distance there's a house that has faint smoke rising out of its chimney, so You Miao stops the horse outside this household and calls out, "Who's house is this?"

"Young Master!" Li Zhuang comes hurrying out.

"Are you free right now?" You Miao asks.

Li Zhuang's family is just having their slack season, Li Zhuang had just gotten home and drank a sip of water, then he was probably going to discuss the future with his wife. When he hears You Miao has come to seek hands, he quickly comes out to heed, "What does Young Master wish?"

You Miao notices there's another household right across and asks, "Who's the one living across the road?"

Li Zhuang chuckles. "That boy Zhang Er."

"ZHANG ER!" You Miao yells.

From the courtyard across the road comes a faint answer from Zhang Er. You Miao says, "If the two of you aren't busy, come up to the estate. I've got things to say."

After tossing those words out You Miao immediately urges the horse to return. After all, the horse carriage is still ditched in Shen Garden, and all the money is in there.

From the outside, Shen Garden looks even more run down, yet bathing in the sunlight, his new home doesn't appear sombre at all. Instead, it carries the will to survive, like that of plants growing from the cracks of a cliff, like something that grows from under shattered tiles and bricks, so lush it's almost ready to break through the wreckage, standing tall and afraid of nothing.

You Miao tethers the horse by the tree outside the entrance where weeds are growing in abundance so it can graze. Then he peels off half of his outer robe, ties the sleeves around his waist, and lets the robe hang loosely on his hips before he goes to lug the stuff out of the horse carriage.

The most important thing at home is his money. There's only a hundred silver left, he must keep it safe. You Miao carries the money box into the bedroom of the main house. As he enters, the screen crashes thunderously, collapsing to the ground. Even the bedding has rotten into a pile of floc-like mush.

You Miao looks around. There's unexpectedly a red-painted chest by the foot of the wall, but when he pushes it with all of his might it's to no avail. When he looks down, he discovers that this thing seems to have been cast directly onto the ground.

There's no lock, so You Miao opens it and pokes his head in. There are only several scrolls of calligraphy and paintings inside, and there's still more space within the chest, which goes into the ground a meter deep. You Miao understands now. When this house was first constructed, half of it was buried underground, secured with bricks.

This is perfect. First, it prevents theft. Second, he now has a safe for more valuable goods.

You Miao takes the items inside the chest out with great difficulty, then places that money pouch You Han'ge had given him inside the money box along with the one hundred silver, and the little money box into the giant copper chest. Then he goes back to the carriage to retrieve a lock to lock up the giant copper chest, and locks it up with a kchak.

Two keys, one for himself and the other for Li Zhifeng.

In the future they'll need to keep a guard dog for the courtyard, You Miao thinks. He should've told Li Zhifeng to buy a dog home too.

"Young Master——" From the outside comes Li Zhuang's yell.

"Come in." You Miao dusts himself off and goes out. "There are some trunks in the carriage, help me haul those in."

Li Zhuang and Zhang Er have both come, and Zhang Er looks around, appearing rather surprised, "Young Master is settling in here just like that?"

You Miao knows they're all feeling rather amazed, but it's true. Based on how most would think, a little young master raised in prestige and luxury like himself might not stay for more than a night before he packs up and hurries back to Sunshower Jade Estate.

"No choice." You Miao laughs as he takes them to unload the belongings in the carriage. "Dad doesn't care about me, mom doesn't love me, a gege has come into the family, so naturally I've no share in the family fortune."

The other two exchange a look with each other and takes the trunk You Miao pulls to them. You Miao however, doesn't care to dodge the subject, and asks, "You've all heard about this affair too, right?"

"We've heard some," Zhang Er answers.

Li Zhuang sends Zhang Er a look, and the two help You Miao carry the trunk into the house.

"Gotta depend on yourself for everything," You Miao adds.

Li Zhuang chuckles, "That buddy following Young Master looks like an honest man."

"Yea, thank goodness for him." You Miao re-enters the main house, pushing each of the windows open, and the sun beams in from both sides. Instantly the main house brightens greatly, and the furniture layered with heavy dust doesn't seem as gloomy and abandoned anymore.

"No one's actually stolen any of the furniture?" You Miao is amazed.

Li Zhuang grins. "Who'd come to Shen Garden to steal things?"

"Is this a place where people don't lock up at night and leave lost items on the ground where they were?" You Miao wonders. "Come, let's throw out the rotten wood."

You Miao has taken a great fancy to that bed in the master bedroom; a large bed by itself is worth a lot of money, and while the paint on the frame's engravings and sculptures has chipped and faded, as long as they repaint it, it will be restored to its former glory. Light peeks through the top of the canopy bed; the drapes and mosquito net hanging are tattered, but once the drapes are changed and the bedding spread, it'll become a little world of its own.

Li Zhuang tidies up the things and brings them outside to the courtyard. The furniture inside the house is built with birch and another type of wood. You Miao knocks on each of them and confirms that the furniture within the master bedroom is all made of rosewood. Rosewood is quite valuable, heavy and enduring. Meanwhile, all the birch-made shelves and such have all rotten through, and get piled into the corner of the yard, perfect to be used as firewood. The doors are made of rosewood too, a nicely built, sturdy thing. At least the doors and windows won't need changing. Just hammer in new rivets, sand them down, and repaint them and they'll be good.

You Miao cleans out the rooms and puts those trunks in place. While Li Zhuang wipes and washes the room, You Miao takes Zhang Er over to the study.

The bookshelves and desk here are also made of rosewood. An entire house on display like this, it's worth at least several hundreds of silver. That no one's come to steal anything in close to a century is a miracle. Is it because none of the thieves recognize the goods?

"It's really so weird." You Miao laughs, turning to Zhang Er. "Not a single thief in almost a century."

Zhang Er helps him open the trunks together; ten giant trunks, all with books inside——piles and piles of books.

"Are these all yours?" Zhang Er asks, but he immediately realizes the lack of address and quickly corrects himself. "Young Master sure has a large collection of books."

You Miao en's and dusts off the bookshelves, sneezing a couple times. "Some are my mom's, some are my little uncle's."

"All scholars." Zhang Er places the books onto the shelves, and You Miao goes to push the windows open. The back window of the study faces the garden; the rockery in it is covered in weeds, and the ponds between the trees are topped with moss. If he gets a gardener to clean this up, it'll be a beautiful sight for sure. Zhang Er tucks in each bundle of books properly. "So many books, hopefully the humidity won't ruin them."

You Miao sits in the desk's large chair, pulling each of the drawers out to see. There's even a complete set of stationary inside: a mint-coloured porcelain brush holder, a crow-black inkstone dotted with scarlet clouds, and even peony cinnabar ink paste#.

The ink paste is already dried. You Miao wipes the desk clean and places each item upon the table. "I'm more scared of robbery than anything else, really."

"No one will come steal anything here," Zhang Er replies.

You Miao also finds a jade bracelet that's broken in half in one of the desks, and attempts to connect the pieces back together. "There's not even a watchman at Riverwave Estate, and no one's taking care of Shen Garden, so how come…"

Zhang Er gets up. "Because this place is haunted."

You Miao: "..."

"A woman died from illness here in Shen Garden," Zhang Er elaborates.

You Miao's face is now dark, and Zhang Er adds, "Then later I heard the one who bought this garden also died…"

"That's my mom," You Miao says.

Zhang Er realizes he's said the wrong thing and quickly says, "I've misspoken."

"So the reason why there aren't many tenant farmers at Riverwave Estate is because you're all afraid of ghosts?" You Miao asks.

"No, it's not that," Zhang Er replies. "Afterwards there were a few daring folks who came and took stuff home from Shen Garden, but they all died one after the other…"

You Miao's lips can't stop twitching now. "Are you kidding me?"

Zhang Er lowers his voice and says, "Uncle Liang had three sons. The eldest one stole stuff from the estate… but then both he and his wife passed away from illness, and Uncle Liang personally came to return the stuff."

You Miao only feels a chill run down his spine, the muscles of his face spasming. He doesn't know if what Zhang Er is telling him is real or not, but he doesn't ask for more details.

A pair of talented scholar and beauty, having parted in bygone years#, now the beauty actually became a female ghost. If there really are ghosts in the world, You Miao would rather believe it's because of her longing and yearning for her lover that she's stayed all this time.

Zhang Er goes out to draw water for washing, and You Miao sorts through the books as he mumbles to himself, "I didn't do anything to wrong her, if I don't do anything guilty during the day, I'm not afraid of ghosts coming to knock at night, hehe."

"Young Master is a fortunate soul, you have lucky stars watching over you. Nothing to be afraid of," Zhang Er says.

You Miao flips through the books, and there are plenty of subjects he himself has never touched before. Recalling that Zhang Er is going to go to the Capital, he asks, "Are you thinking of going to the Capital for the exam or going to find work?"

"My ma and pa," Zhang Er says. "Both wanted me to become a scholar. In a few years, I can go for grace exams# or attend the exams held every three years. The teacher at Anlu Village told me to go for the Prefectural Exams first."

You Miao nods. "Well don't rush off so quickly then, feel free to come study here in Shen Garden any time."

Instantly Zhang Er's eyes are filled with surprise, and You Miao adds, "I don't think you can head off to the Capital any time soon anyway. When you do go, remember to come give me a shout, and take a letter for me. I have many friends in the Capital, it'll be good if there's someone who can look after you too, yea?"

Zhang Er knows this means You Miao is willing to lend him a hand, and he quickly bows and kneels. "Thank you very much, Young Master!"

You Miao quickly pulls him up, gesturing to say he's welcome. Zhang Er then goes to continue cleaning the study, and You Miao goes back to flipping through the books. As he flips, he comes to the last little chest.

On the inside cover of the chest is written a line of delicate and beautiful words: "Within books there is its own house of gold; within books there is its own beauty like jade."

You Miao starts to laugh, remembering how mother back then would hold the brush and teach him how to recognize letters. Qiao Ke'er preferred the "make love not war" ideals of Mohism#, her beliefs quite different from the common idolization of Confucianism of the Jiangnan region back then, perhaps the entire country. Mohism has an intimate knowledge of the art of war, of engineering, and of agriculture, and Mozi's art of argument was often even able to shut You Dechuan up, rendering him unable to rebuke.

You Dechuan on the other hand, believes solidly that studying the classics and following the teachings of Confucius and Mencius is the right path, so he looked down quite hard on Qiao Ke'er's preference for Mohism. Later, he would often lecture You Miao, telling him his mom was shrewdly clever, and had raised him as a shrewdly clever little bastard too.

Opening the chest, You Miao wants to see if he can find any useful information from his mother's past collection, and all of a sudden, he sees "Essential Techniques for the Welfare of the People"#. Instantly, his eyes light up.

"Exploitations of the Works of Nature"#, "The Dream Pool Essays"#, "Divine Farmer Shennong"#, "Elder of the Wild"#...

And there's even a "Mohist Classics"!

This is practically like getting treasure. This chest of books mother has left him is the precious treasure that'll teach him to manage the estate! Instantly, You Miao stops cleaning the study and, hugging his books, he goes to sit under the eaves of the corridor, becoming completely engrossed in the books.

The first is "Exploitations of the Works of Nature"; it clearly records how to build a waterwheel, how to paint, make sugar, refine salt… how to build canals, produce the five metals, etc. Even units of measurements are all written down.

You Miao examines the waterwheel in detail, and after analyzing for a while he gets up to flip through "Mohist Classics", comparing the Mohist's engineering techniques with it, and after studying the two, he goes to find a charcoal stick, sitting himself on the ground simply, and starts to draw and notate.

The sun sinks in the west, and in the main courtyard, Li Zhuang calls, "Young Master, the main house and the master bedroom are all tidied up. If Young Master has any other commands?"

Zhang Er has also finished wiping the study down, and stands in front of the bookshelf reading You Miao's books.

You Miao en's without looking up, "Go get the money pouch on top of the shelf."

Li Zhuang quickly humbly declines that he can't take Young Master's money, and You Miao responds, "It's fine, just go get it. I've got more errands for you to do."

It's less than ten days to new years, the tenant farmers are right in their slack season, so rather than sit around at home they might as well come out and help You Miao do work. You Miao gives him a string of maces, taking twenty coins off it, and gives them to Zhang Er. "Take this."

"I can't take Young Master's money," Zhang Er says. "I'm already immensely grateful Young Master permits me to come read books."

You Miao reconsiders; since he's so adamant, there's some air of a scholar to it, so You Miao doesn't force him. He turns around and gives the twenty coins to Li Zhuang, "Twenty maces for today's labour. I'll give you another string, go into town for me tomorrow, and buy all the little things I've listed here. Keep count of everything you spend, I'll be asking."

You Miao hands Li Zhuang a slip of brown packing paper with words written in charcoal. "For timber you just need to ask for the price. Li Zhifeng isn't familiar with the town, so I don't want him tricked."

Li Zhuang quickly repeats yessir yessir yessir, and You Miao says, "Both of you go home for dinner now."

"I'll have my wife come up later and cook for Young Master," Li Zhuang says.

"It's fine, Li Zhifeng should be back soon too, we'll just eat whatever's here. I'll hire a granny cook in a few days," You Miao replies.

You Miao sends Li Zhuang and Zhang Er home, and he himself sits in the front corridor, his head buried in the books as he continues to read. It must be known that Li Zhuang has completely changed attitude compared to this morning because You Miao is rich.

Money makes the world go 'round; going out to do temp labour, the pay for each day is only ten coins. Working for him, Young Master You? Twenty coins, easy.

With the sun sinking on the western horizon, there comes the sound of a horse carriage outside. You Miao is about to look up and yell, shout for Li Zhifeng's name, but then feels rather awkward. He suddenly realizes that even after having bought this Quanrong slave for so long, he actually hasn't given him another name, just going along with Li Yan's surname.

Usually when You Miao calls for him, it's either "Oi" or "Hey", like calling for a dog, and Li Zhifeng would come.

"You back?" You Miao calls out.

"I'm back." The horse is neighing, and Li Zhifeng's indifferent voice comes from the outside.

You Miao doesn't budge from where he is, however, just sits flipping through his books, feeling a bit hungry. A moment later Li Zhifeng comes, his massive form blocking the sunlight.

"Go away, you're blocking me," You Miao chides.

Li Zhifeng doesn't move, kneeling with one knee bent to the ground by You Miao's side, and something stirs in his mind. He looks up, and sees Li Zhifeng smiling.

That smile is warm and handsome, but this isn't what catches You Miao's attention. What makes him incredibly surprised is, Li Zhifeng is holding in his arms a very, very small puppy!

You Miao instantly tosses his books away. "Where'd you get it?"

Li Zhifeng gives a small smile, then raises the two paws of that puppy, crisscrossing them and making pawing gestures with them to tempt You Miao.

That dog is a spotted dog too, its body white with large black spots littered here and there all over, its eyes black and keen, staring at You Miao. A spot covers one of its eye, looking silly and dumb, very cute.

"Let me hold it!" You Miao takes the dog and holds it, playing with it, then he asks, "How much did you spend to buy it?"

"Nothing," Li Zhifeng replies. "The female dog in front of the rice shop gave birth to a whole litter, so I asked the boss for one."

The puppy starts yapping and You Miao is incredibly pleased. "Here I was thinking of getting a guard dog, and you bring one home."

The corners of Li Zhifeng's lips lift, and he en's, petting that puppy's head, then pets You Miao's head.

You Miao doesn't know whether to laugh or cy, and rises to his feet, following him to the backyard. "So you bought everything?"

"Yes," Li Zhifeng replies. "Spent a total of three silver, and rented a cart."

There are two horses in Shen Garden, so it's perfect to have one pull the cart. You Miao goes out to check it out, and sees Li Zhifeng has purchased a full cart of stuff; there's salted meat, winter bamboo shoots, several large jugs of pickled vegetables, rice noodles grain, oil salt soy sauce and vinegar, vegetable, everything they need. There are even a few live chickens in the cage cooing, a few wild rabbits hanging at the front of the cart.

Li Zhifeng unloads the stuff off the cart and carries them into the kitchen.

"Did you send the letters?"

"En."

"Hire temporary labourers?"

"En."

"When are they coming?

"Tomorrow."

The exchange between You Miao and Li Zhifeng is succinct and plain. After Li Zhifeng places everything in order, he sweeps the ground, and You Miao goes over to open the covers of the stove. The pots and ladles have all rusted. Li Zhifeng puts each of the oil, salt, soy sauce and vinegar in place, but in the face of a kitchen like this, both of them are feeling a little helpless.

"Do… you know how to cook?" You Miao asks.

"A little bit," Li Zhifeng replies.

Li Zhifeng goes out, and when he comes back he's holding two new pots and pans in his hands, putting them over the stove holes. The left side is the frying pan while the right is a stewing pot. Then he goes to retrieve a large iron basin, putting it over the coal furnace next to the stove top, and stacks the steam baskets over it. Turns out it's a steamer pot.

You Miao: "..."

Li Zhifeng: "..."

You Miao: "So you know how to cook too? That's great."

"I used to," Li Zhifeng replies.

"What did you make before?" You Miao asks.

"Barbeque," Li Zhifeng replies.

You Miao: "..."

"I think rice is meant to be steamed." You Miao looks around curiously, and sees Li Zhifeng is using a large cup to scoop rice, and he reminds him, "I think you have to add water, you can't just steam it directly."

Li Zhifeng stops, then nods. "Right."

You Miao deflates and loses all annoyance.

"Go read," Li Zhifeng says. "No need to worry about this."

The corner of You Miao's lips twitch, and he says as he exits, "Li Zhuang cleaned out the well today, I'll go draw water."

"Let me." Li Zhifeng willfully takes the bucket from him, so You Miao can only pull over a chair and watch while sitting in the yard in front of the kitchen. That little puppy is running back and forth around Li Zhifeng, panting and wagging its tail. Li Zhifeng gives it a look and says, "Go sit."

"C'mere, Xiaohei." You Miao waves at it.

The spotted dog comes running over and quietly lies by You Miao's feet. Li Zhifeng carries the water inside, then washed the water basin once before carrying the water basin out single-handedly. That giant clay basin of sixty catty is like a water bucket in his hands, and he rocks it before dumping the water from the bottom of the basin and placing it down flat, wiping it dry with a rag.

This guy really is so strong… You Miao can't help but think, if they fight, then he can more than likely crush him to death like crushing a small chick. You Miao recalls that Li Yan once told him that Li Zhifeng had taken some kind of medicine, and after taking it he would lose all of his martial skills.

"Have your martial skills recovered?" You Miao asks.

Li Zhifeng enters the kitchen holding the water basin and answers from the inside, "No, only about a fifth is recovered."

You Miao jumps in surprise. This is only a fifth?!

"How do you get it all back?" You Miao can't help but ask.

"Don't take that medicine, and it'll get better eventually," Li Zhifeng replies.

You Miao remembers the day Li Zhifeng rescued them from the village of those Tatars as a lone fighter on a single horse, and how his one arrow could pierce two men. The power to pull that bowstring is probably at least over a hundred catty, terrifying.

Just as he's about to ask more questions, a large amount of smoke comes pouring out of the kitchen like something has caught on fire, and Li Zhifeng starts coughing nonstop. You Miao hastily asks, "Did something catch on fire?"

"Cough… cough… don't come in…" Li Zhifeng chokes out.

The moment You Miao steps foot inside the smoke chokes him to tears. Li Zhifeng coughs for a bit and the two escape from the kitchen, their faces black with soot, and You Miao points out as he coughs, "The chimney… the chi…"

With one hand hooked onto the eaves of the roof, Li Zhifeng flips up lightly, and over the chimney comes the cawing of crows. Several crows caw as they flee. The chimney is blocked by weeds and crow nests, and with a single slap, Li Zhifeng knocks all that down with a rumble, and several bricks come falling down too.

"Okay, okay!" You Miao immediately cries. "Don't knock the kitchen down too!"

With the smoke dispersed, fire is finally started in the stove. You Miao uses a blower to blow into the stove, and accidentally takes in a breath of smoke, so he coughs heavily for another moment.

Li Zhifeng bursts out laughing, unable to stop himself, and urges, "Here, let me."

With the smile still hanging on his face, Li Zhifeng stirs the fire for a moment then starts to cut the vegetables. Next to him, You Miao orders, "Cut them into slices."

"Understood," Li Zhifeng replies without looking up.

As the skies turn darker, the temperature starts to drop outside. You Miao sees that there's nothing he can do to help so he goes out to stroll about Shen Garden leisurely. As he leaves, Li Zhifeng calls out, "Go put on another layer."

What a nag, You Miao thinks, and he abruptly realizes that it doesn't seem like Li Zhifeng calls him by name a lot either. At the beginning he'd still say Young Master, but now the Young Master form of address seems to have been dismissed too. Ever since the day they left the estate, Li Zhifeng has become much more proactive, almost as if he's taking care of You Miao like his own didi.

You Miao has never been a stickler for etiquette like Li Yan and his group, in fact, even if Li Zhifeng is to call him 'bro' You Miao would probably not think anything of it. It'd actually make them feel more intimate that way.

Standing on a high point in the yard and gazing out, You Miao can see streams of smoke from chimneys of households in the distance. The skies darken, the winter draft is wistful, and as it rolls through Shen Garden the bamboos bristle, creating its own particular atmosphere.

To have fallen so low as to survive with only one family servant is a fairly sad business, but what's special about it is that this family servant is Li Zhifeng. He's nothing like your typical servant; if this had been anyone else, for example Shiqi-er, Muqi-er… You Miao is sure he would be grumbling and whining to himself for a good while, getting irritated just by seeing the attendant's face.

But with Li Zhifeng it's different. Even You Miao himself finds this amusing. With Li Zhifeng around to accompany his days, no matter how he looks at it, it's like they're playing house, inexplicably fun.

Maybe when Li Zhifeng was beyond the border, he also had the fate of a young master. Judging by the way he speaks, the way he behaves, You Miao deeply feels that this man is no one ordinary.

A short while later, each of the lights within the main house, the bedroom, the study are all lit up. Even though a massive estate such as this only has the two of them, it appears very warm. Xiaohei sticks by You Miao's feet, not leaving an inch away; no matter where You Miao goes it follows.

You Miao is very hungry now. He's only had a bit of noodles around noon and nothing else the rest of the day. When he returns to the courtyard however, he can smell something burning.

You Miao, "..."

Li Zhifeng, "..."

There's rice on the table, at least that's cooked. It's good rice too, each grain sparkling and translucent, emitting the sweet fragrance of rice. The bowl of mushroom soup has the proper look of it too, with a splash of green onions over the top. Unfortunately for the fried meat, it's burnt to ashes, and a plate of vegetables has been fried to barely anything left, sitting sadly in the middle of said plate.

"HAHAHAHAHA——" You Miao bursts out laughing.

Li Zhifeng has nothing to say to counter, and You Miao is laughing so hard tears are streaming down, but he doesn't complain. "Let's sit."

"I wasn't able to control the fire right," Li Zhifeng explains.

"It's fine, it's fine," You Miao says.

Li Zhifeng puts the chair in place and goes to serve You Miao his meal as before but You Miao tugs at him. "Just eat, don't worry about those rules."

"No, you're the master," Li Zhifeng says.

"Oh shut up." You Miao says. "There's only us two in Shen Garden, come, eat. It's kinda boring if there's no one who can eat with me, I won't be able to swallow."

Only then does Li Zhifeng seats himself and pass You Miao a clean bowl. You Miao speaks up, "Give some to Xiaohei too."

Li Zhifeng rises to his feet and uses a bit of mushroom soup to mix the rice. Xiaohei stuffs its face into the bowl, eating happily and soundly with vigour. You Miao doesn't move his chopsticks, only staring at it, smiling.

"Eat." Li Zhifeng serves You Miao's rice. "Give me a few days to learn. I'll learn eventually."

You Miao grins and tries a bite, "It's a bit salty."

Li Zhifeng en's and eats a bit himself, then his face scrunches up into a tragic expression.

"I'll go knock on Li Zhuang's door, have them scramble us a couple eggs," Li Zhifeng says as he gets up.

"Forget it forget it," You Miao says. "Don't go tormenting people. Just eat, savoury makes things taste better."

You Miao's been starved for an entire day, so he doesn't have the mind to be picky either. If this was at the Capital or at home and the cook had whipped up something like this, they would've been called over by You Miao and had the dishes thrown in their face right then and there. Yet, since it's Li Zhifeng who cooked the dishes like this, You Miao is fully satisfied and merry, especially since besides roasting meat beyond the border, Li Zhifeng probably has never cooked anything else before.

"This soup is a bit bland," You Miao says. "Next time, when you cook, try and taste as you add salt and soy sauce, stop when you think it's good."

Li Zhifeng en's at first, then it seems he has something to say, so You Miao adds, "There ain't that many crappy rules and etiquette. Did you forget what we've already done together? We've even swapped saliva already, who cares about some dishes?"

Li Zhifeng starts to laugh, unable to hold back, and shakes his head as he laughs. When he's done, he grins and nods.

You Miao slowly feels that Li Zhifeng is finally starting to act like a person. When they first met he was like a wooden log, now, there's finally some display of emotions and he'll even take the initiative to speak to him. You Miao figures it's because the days are going smoothly, and he's in good spirits.

"I want to build a waterwheel," You Miao says.

"Alright, I'll build one for you tomorrow," Li Zhifeng replies.

You Miao says, "There's no rush, I sent Li Zhuang for a cost estimate. There are some trees on the mountain out back, I wonder if they can be used."

Li Zhifeng nods, and You Miao continues, "We should section off a plot of land nearby and plow it, so we can plant something there. Starting tomorrow, you take care of things outside, I'll take care of things inside."

Li Zhifeng mn's.

After dinner, Li Zhifeng washes and puts away the dishes, then heats up water for You Miao's bath. You Miao is exhausted from busying about the whole day, but as he lies collapsed on the bed after bathing, he feels tired yet accomplished.

The bedroom is more or less cleaned up now, but Shen Garden is so damn big, four sections and eighteen rooms, it'll take at least half a month to sort out. You Miao didn't actually do much, but he just can't stop feeling exhausted; this is a far cry from back when he used to just eat his fill then goof off, after all.

But he finds that his appetite is bigger now—he'd eaten two whole bowls of rice, and even some pickled radish.

Li Zhifeng bustles about busily all the way until nearly midnight before finally calling it a day, and the sound of water comes from the yard. You Miao, already drifting off, suddenly sits bolt upright at the sound. He vaguely sees that outside in the freezing cold of winter, Li Zhifeng has stripped completely naked, his body toned and handsome like a stallion where he stands under the moonlight as he pours a bucket of ice-cold water over himself.

"Oi!" You Miao calls out in a hurry. "Don't catch a cold."

"I won't," Li Zhifeng replies nonchalantly. "Go back to sleep."

You Miao says, "Come sleep in my room."

Li Zhifeng mn's in reply. Now that You Miao's woken up once, he finds it a little hard to go back to sleep, tossing and turning until he hears Li Zhifeng come in as usual, close the doors behind him, and spread out his bedding on the floor.

You Miao sticks his head out to look. On the ground by the bed, the quilt Li Zhifeng is using is still the same one You Miao had given him months ago, back in the Capital.

The wind picks up outside, sounding just like the cries of a female ghost. Remembering what Zhang Er had said during the day, that this house is haunted, all of You Miao's hair immediately stands on end.

"Come up here and sleep with me," You Miao says.

Li Zhifeng doesn't move, lying there and breathing evenly, clearly worn out from the day.

You Miao tries again, "Li Zhifeng?"

Li Zhifeng moves this time. You Miao continues, "Are you already asleep? Come to bed and sleep with me."

So Li Zhifeng gets in bed and lies down; his skin feels warm despite the cold shower just now. You Miao tugs at his arm, and Li Zhifeng stretches out the powerful limb for him to lie on, drawing him close and holding him snug.

You Miao had been a little scared at first, but now that he's cuddling with Li Zhifeng, he's thinking about something else altogether.

Li Zhifeng's breathing catches, that soft thing between his legs hardening in You Miao's hands after a few caresses.

You Miao looks up at him to find Li Zhifeng gazing at him as well.

"Do you want it?" Li Zhifeng asks in a low voice.

You Miao mn's, so Li Zhifeng unties his waistband and pulls You Miao close, moving to lie on top of him. He wraps one hand around You Miao's waist and reaches into his underclothes with the other, stroking and groping as he leans down to capture You Miao's lips with his own.

"Mm…" You Miao closes his eyes, feeling only hot and good. Doing it with him this time is a little different from the last time; there seems to be something more between the two of them now.

Li Zhifeng strips You Miao out of his clothes, one-handedly rummaging through a bag at the head of the bed for the mutton tallow used for warding off the cold, applies some to himself and then slowly pushes in. You Miao gasps out a soft "ah" at first, pained as that cock opens him up, but then Li Zhifeng begins to fuck into him, and he really doesn't want him to let go either. So they hold onto one another, the quilt shifting in time with their rhythmic movements. You Miao murmurs helplessly, "Come in a little, a little more…"

So Li Zhifeng drives in deep, and You Miao's abdomen tenses up with how good it feels as he brushes against that spot inside of him. He clutches at Li Zhifeng and bites down on his shoulder, but is pushed back down and his head forcibly turned, and Li Zhifeng's tongue pushes past his lips to rub heatedly against his own, kissing the breath right out of him.

You Miao doesn't know how long it's been, but he can't hold on for much longer, and above him, Li Zhifeng's breaths are coming out hard and fast as he bears down on him like a feral beast, even as he caresses his cheek with one hand and presses little kisses to his ear, then pulls out of him.

You Miao is still somewhat keen as he clings to Li Zhifeng, the two of them lying there quietly like this. Li Zhifeng pulls him against his chest and murmurs, "A little fast today."

You Miao grins and says, "They say this place is haunted."

Li Zhifeng responds, "I'll hold you, so don't be afraid."

"Mm." You Miao rubs his cheek against Li Zhifeng's chest, feeling sleep creep up on him, and dozes off.

---

Chapter 12

When he opens his eyes the next day, the winds outside have already stopped, the sky is clear and blue, and the chirping of birds can be heard. You Miao stretches, feeling rested and refreshed. He dresses himself and gets up, then hears Li Zhifeng outside talking to someone.

After washing up, You Miao crosses the corridor to see two laborers standing in front of the main hall, both around twenty years old, give or take, and someone following behind them. Li Zhifeng sees him coming over and goes inside to get the breakfast.

Breakfast is still just a bowl of noodles, but with three eggs this time. You Miao slurps the noodles down while the two laborers look around the place. One of them says with a grin, "Young Master, this sure is an old house eh, even older than my great aunt's place. It's gonna be a lotta work to fix it all up."

"Don't have the money to fix it all up." You Miao wipes his mouth and sets the empty bowl aside. "Seven parts new will do."

"Renovating all this to seven parts new is too much for just the two of us," the older craftsman that was the first to speak says. "Young Master might have to hire another person. Besides, there isn't enough lumber. Look at this window, and the door, they're barely even holding together…"

You Miao's dealt with so many merchants, how can he not know what these guys are getting at? Of course it all comes down to wanting more money. You Miao says tartly, "As if I'd let you change the door even if you wanted to. This is from the Tang dynasty, look at the craftsmanship on the carvings, this is rosewood. Don't try to pull a fast one on me, this is the same wood used in my own house."

You Miao taps on the wood in front of them and says, "The wood's perfectly fine, it's the rivets that rusted and broke, all it needs is a couple of new ones. Or what, you wanna tear my door off and use it as firewood? DLiang, the beams are fine too, be careful and don't mess up the door, you can't afford to pay for it if you break it."

The craftsman only grins unabashedly. "No can do, Young Master, really, we can't do this job."

You Miao knows that Li Zhifeng had found these guys at Anlu Village. Anlu Village is situated to the south, Guo Village is at the north, and Riverwave Estate is stuck right in the middle. There's bad blood between Anlu Village and Guo Village, and they're always at each other's throats year after year, so he casually comments, "Didn't think you could either, head on back then, I'll go find someone from Guo Village instead. What do you think they'll say when I tell them I want to fix up Shen Garden but you lot from Anlu were too chicken to take the job?"

The craftsman, hearing that, certainly can't leave now. He says, "Well that's not very fair of you, Young Master, we didn't know the job would be to fix up this huge place with just the two of us. Pounding and hammering aside, we don't even have the manpower to move stuff around. Even if it's just taking down the doors for a planing, the door alone's twenty-some kilos..."

You Miao says, "Couple of big buff guys like you can't even lift a door? Li Zhifeng!"

Li Zhifeng answers, and You Miao says, "This housekeeper of mine is tall and skinny, hardly even gets enough to eat every day… Li Zhifeng, go fetch me that water jar from outside."

Li Zhifeng walks to the middle of the garden, bends over, and hooks his fingers into the holes in a stone block sitting there.

All three people in the hall are silent as they watch Li Zhifeng. The water jar is only ten, maybe twenty kilos, but the stone block is nearly fifty kilos. Li Zhifeng lifts the stone block using only one hand and hauls it over to the hall, setting it down on the ground just outside with a dull thud.

You Miao: "Alright, you can put it back."

So Li Zhifeng picks up the stone block again using two fingers and hauls it back, dropping it on the ground with a thud, sending dust flying.

Both craftsmen are dumbstruck.

"Th-th-that…" The older craftsman stutters. "Young Master, seriously, it's not just about how heavy things are, this job really is too difficult."

You Miao says, "Just forget it if you won't take it, shoo shoo, why're you still here yabbering? Look at those puny builds of yours, you don't even look like you work in the great master's trade…"

"Says who!" The younger craftsman seems extremely offended as he rambles, "You're the stingy one that won't pay up! Making two people do the work of ten, you tell me, you tell me if that's fair!"

The older craftsman hurriedly shoots him a look to shut up. You Miao taunts, "What's wrong with doing ten people's worth of work and getting ten people's worth of pay? It's not like I'd short you there."

The older craftsman seems to be considering it. You Miao adds, "And if you need something lifted or moved, just have my housekeeper help. Anyway, don't say anything yet, just come with me and take a look first."

You Miao leads the two craftsmen through the estate while he talks, "For these rooms, fix up the windows, doors, and the wood panelling inside. Ask me before you tear down or toss anything, absolutely no taking anything down without my say-so."

They walk around for a quarter of an hour. From the main hall to the east wing, west wing, guest house, inner gate, main gate#, You Miao looks the whole place over and says, "Here's your pay for renovating the house, one string of coins# in total for the whole job, I'm not going any higher than that, don't bother haggling with me, I know your price anywhere else is just ten coins a day tops, this is ten days worth."

The younger craftsman hurriedly tugs his partner's clothing. You Miao is well aware that hiring these two for ten days at market value would just be two hundred coins. His offer is indeed ten people's worth, there's no way they won't take it.

The older craftsman asks, "Boss, you gonna cover meals?"

Since he's already calling him boss, that's as good as any agreement, so You Miao says, chipper, "Course, you get a share of whatever I eat."

"We're big eaters," the younger craftsman warns.

You Miao says, "One catty of rice per person per day, and two taels of wine for dinner, that's all you'll get."

"Alright." The older craftsman nods. "Lemme mull things over, plan things out for this job of yours. The Young Master knows his stuff, we'll have to get it done in ten days."

"No rush, just look over the places that need fixing and run things by me first. It's fine if you really can't finish in ten days, you can just keep working in that case, I don't mind," You Miao says casually.

The older craftsman laughs, "Yeah but us bros still gotta go home for New Years, what're we gonna do if we don't finish in time?"

You Miao laughs 'hehe', he doesn't actually care about spare change like this—after all, back at the Capital he used to spend money by the taels, and one string of coins isn't even enough for a pot of tea at the bigger teahouses there. It's just better with fewer people, easier to keep an eye on them that way, so that no one gets any funny ideas or sticky fingers, and there won't be any infighting between them, and so they won't feel inclined to slack off, hoping the others will do the job.

Li Zhifeng eats breakfast where he's crouched in the corridor and You Miao sips leisurely at his tea while the pair of craftsmen figure things out between themselves. Paying them no mind, You Miao grabs the pre-packed bag and leaves with Li Zhifeng to go section off land.

He didn't really look around too closely before, but now that he's walking around the place, You Miao is actually getting a bit scared of just how big Riverwave Estate is, just large plots of vacant land stretching into the distance as far as the eye can see. He laments internally, what a waste, what a waste, if only there were people to farm them.

Six whole hundred hectares of land, but only thirteen are being farmed, barely even enough for small change, and still gotta pay six hundred hectares worth of taxes year after year. Although the tax comes out of Sunshower Jade Estate's coffers, and father probably doesn't care about this measly amount anyway, but since he's taken over the place now, starting next year, he might have to figure out how to squeeze out those couple hundred silvers for those bloodsucking vampires at the government.

You Miao's feet are getting tired from all the walking, so Li Zhifeng carries him on his back. They walk past a canal that's long since dried up; the canal follows a winding course, originating from Anlu at the south and heading curiously toward the north.

"The water here's all dried up?" You Miao asks.

Li Zhifeng answers, "I asked about it, it used to draw water from Anlu Village, but it doesn't flow anymore."

You Miao climbs off and bends over to pick up some of the soil, spreading it out between his fingers to check the color, then says, "Gimme some water."

Li Zhifeng pours water from the leather pouch into the prepared wooden cup in his bag. You Miao melts some mud into the water, and finds that the soil quality actually isn't bad.

He flips open "Essential Techniques for the Welfare of the People" and skims through the section on agriculture, then says, "This land isn't suited for planting tea, the soil's a bit too sticky."

Li Zhifeng doesn't understand what he's saying, so he simply stands there and listens. You Miao continues, "Let's go check that mountain over there."

They arrive at the bank of a river, its waters streaming past in a powerful torrent. There's no crossing ferry to be seen, but the banks are a couple dozen feet above the water line and a thick rope hangs between them for crossing purposes. You Miao can't help muttering, "Fucking hell, that's way too dangerous, who the hell does that."

Li Zhifeng says, "I'll carry you across, don't look down."

You Miao clings to Li Zhifeng's back, and Li Zhifeng repeats, "Don't be afraid, and don't look down." He then uses his belt to tie the two of them together and starts climbing across using the rope just like that. Halfway across, You Miao can't help himself from looking down, and immediately feels dizzy from it.

The soil north of the river is different from that south of the river; the land here is good, perfect for planting trees.

You Miao walks to the end, where a boundary stone of the Riverwave Estate marks the border. Past here, the road headed into Guo Village is all but buried under weeds. But just across the boundary, someone's farm plot is encroaching into the estate's territory. Said someone is currently burning hay, and when he notices them, he immediately hollers, "What're you doing here! Where'd you come from?"

You Miao thinks to himself, you tired of living or something, planting your land into my turf? But then again, there hasn't been anyone to manage this estate for a hundred years, so he can only let it go for now, and deal with him later. Looking at the guy, he's probably from Guo Village.

Guo Village and Anlu Village have straight up gotten their people together to duke it out on the downlow before, even killed a couple people in the process. They literally can't stand the sight of one another.

You Miao waves his hands. "I'm from Riverwave Estate!"

The farmer straightens up and says, "Riverwave Estate? Someone's finally taking charge of that haunted place?"

Li Zhifeng's face darkens, but You Miao gestures not to mind it, then says with a laugh, "My name is You Miao, You Dechuan's son. I'm planning to tidy this place up and live here. If it's not too much trouble, I'd appreciate it if dge can let your Guo Village folks know I'm gonna be the new neighbor."

The person looks You Miao up and down before saying, "So you're Young Master You? No wonder…"

Suddenly getting an idea, You Miao asks Li Zhifeng, "How far away is Guo Village from here?"

But it's the farmer who answers, "Right over there, two and a half kilometers straight ahead."

You Miao nods and says to Li Zhifeng in a low voice, "Go back and bring me some tea from the second drawer in the study, measure out half a catty from the box inside."

Li Zhifeng heads back while You Miao grins, sits down on a big rock, and—paying no mind to the fact that the plot the farmer is currently opening up infringes on his land—strikes up a casual conversation with him, asking what crops he usually plants. The farmer seems somewhat incredulous and only treats him as a pampered little young master. He's not wrong, You Miao is a young master, has barely ever lifted a finger all his life and is hardly even able to tell the difference between the various crops, but since he's here now, who he used to be before doesn't much matter anymore.

You Miao is clever by nature, and knows exactly what to say and who to say it to. Li Zhifeng returns before long, and the two of them follow the farmer back to Guo Village.

This place is already within the Liuzhou Prefecture. Liuzhou and Yangzhou are divided by the Yangtze River, which was that ropeway they just used to cross#. Liuzhou people have an unyielding temper and are loud and fierce in arguments, while Yangzhou people are coolly scathing. There's only a river between them, but the people and customs are quite different.

You Miao meets with Guo Village's old village chief and gifts him a small case of tea. The village chief is quite surprised as he says, "How can your dad bear to toss you out here?"

You Miao replies with a smile, "No I chose to come here, Sunshower Jade Estate is boring."

The old village chief is already sixty-something and easily grasps the meaning behind his words. He smiles and says, "I met your mom once, back then."

You Miao wasn't expecting that. "Really?"

The old village chief continues smilingly, "You're clever just like your mom." Then he turns toward the couple of people sitting in the hall and says, "Young Master You is here to manage the estate now, so we'll be neighbors from now on, make sure to visit often."

You Miao smiles. "That's a matter of course. How much tax is collected on Guo Village's lands?"

The old village chief sighs. "Four parts, both last year and this. The county hasn't sent a guarantor yet, so who knows what it'll be next year."

"Oh." You Miao nods thoughtfully. Four parts, so in other words, four-tenths of the harvest has to be handed over as tax every year, and the tenant farmer gets the remaining six-tenths.

"My dad's estate," You Miao says with a smile. "Is taxed at seven parts."

"That's different," the village chief says. "A tea plantation can make do however much it gets taxed, but the lands here can't grow tea, and no one'd want it even if we did grow tea here, aye, it's really not easy here."

Struck by a sudden idea, You Miao says, "Actually, I was thinking about putting down some tea trees in the estate, but I don't have anyone to do the work, didn't have any luck recruiting tenant farmers either. If it's alright, would you mind keeping an eye out for me, and if anyone comes looking for long term work, send them my way?"

The village chief doesn't say anything either way, so You Miao continues with a smile, "Sunshower Jade Estate is gonna give me twenty thousand tea saplings per year, the top of the top Beauty Brow variety. Once the leaves are sun-dried into Springsun Guapian, it's sure to sell. The Empress Dowager was rather fond of it a couple years back, but it hasn't been sent to the imperial court as tribute these recent years, going to Banan, Shuzhong, and Hanzhong instead, so my dad hasn't bothered to plant it lately, and all the saplings are just sitting in the estate collecting dust…"

The village chief asks, "Young Master You wants to plant tea on this mountain?"

"That's the plan." You Miao grins. "But I don't really have any people, and tea trees take a couple years to grow anyway, so I'm not in any rush."

The village chief says, "Yeah, we're all just making do year by year these days, there isn't even enough grain left over to feed people, so we can't afford to wait the couple years it takes for the tea trees to grow, and besides, tea trees are hard to care for…"

You Miao laughs. "My mom and dad spent their whole lives growing tea, surely the chief doesn't think me incapable of taking care of a couple of tea trees?"

The village chief replies, "You're Lady Qiao's son, of course you're more than capable of growing tea trees. I'm just afraid that tenant farmers won't be willing to go, since it'll take at least two years for the tea trees to grow, but their families still gotta eat in the meantime, that's not something you can wait on!"

You Miao nods an 'mn' and says, "I was looking to hire some long term workers, but had no luck since everyone's gone home to celebrate the New Year. Chief, if you have any idle hands sitting around in between harvests, let me hire a couple to open up some land for me. I'll make it worth their time, ten coins for every seven ares of land."

"Alrighty," the village chief says. "Sure, I'll keep an eye out for you, send people your way if anyone wants to earn some extra money."

You Miao is quite satisfied with that; he knows that, toward the end of the year, there are always people looking to make some extra money to pay back debts or buy new clothes for their wives. With old man Guo helping, people will definitely come knocking within three days. With that settled, You Miao gets up, bids his farewells, and heads out together with Li Zhifeng.

Li Zhifeng asks, "Wanna go to the market?"

You Miao, feeling all lazy, says, "I don't wanna walk anymore."

Li Zhifeng smiles, "I'll carry you."

You Miao grins and pushes him as he says, "Get out first, don't be embarrassing in here. Is the market far?"

Li Zhifeng replies, "It's not far, just at the riverside pier."

They leave Guo Village via the eastern road, then Li Zhifeng carries You Miao on his back, the two looking just like a married couple strolling along the river bank—You Miao realizes with a start, they really are just like a married couple!

You Miao tugs on Li Zhifeng's ear and says, "Hey."

"Hm?" Li Zhifeng answers.

You Miao was thinking to tease him a bit, but then can't think of what to say, so he flops onto his back with his arms hanging lazily over his shoulders, dangling to and fro as he whispers against his ear, "Oi, I said, is the market far?"

He's already asked that earlier, and is clearly just messing with him now. Just like how he used to pull the same thing on Li Yan back at the Capital, even though it never ended well for him—every time he teased, Li Yan would shoot him a glare, smack him around, and then grab and smooch him.

But Li Zhifeng's response is only to turn bright red.

"I said…" You Miao is practically pressed up right against his ear now.

Li Zhifeng turns his head to look at You Miao, then abruptly presses their lips together. You Miao closes his eyes; being carried on his back and kissed like this, something that's been accumulating in his heart seems to be melting away.

"It's not far." Their lips part, but Li Zhifeng's face is still red as he keeps walking.

You Miao sticks his finger in Li Zhifeng's ear and wiggles it. Li Zhifeng's breathing speeds up, and even his steps are faltering a little as he walks toward the river bank carrying You Miao. His voice is a little unsteady as he says, "Was last night not enough to fill you up?"

You Miao laughs 'hehe' as they arrive at the river bank east of Guo Village. The corner of Li Zhifeng's lips tug upward slightly as he says, "We're here."

Past the high cliffs near the Riverwave Estate, the flow of the Yangtze River in this area becomes calm and waveless. There's a pier here for ships from Shudong, Badong, and Jiangcheng to load and unload goods for transport past Guo Village, located at the lower reaches of the river toward the northern regions of Yangzhou Prefecture.

There's a lively market right in front of the pier, stretching out for at least half a kilometer and lined with stalls on either side, half of which are selling fish while the other half are peddling cosmetics, Suzhou embroideries, sea salt, and other food and every day items, and there's also a street performer with three monkeys.

You Miao strolls around and doesn't see anything he wants to buy, but does feel like eating fish, so he picks out two large carps and says, "Let's have this for dinner."

Li Zhifeng carries the fish while they stroll around some more. There's a ferry moored at the river bank with its sails open, hollering, "River——crossing——"

The two of them board the ferry and toss two copper coins into the bamboo canister, and the boatman steers the ferry leisurely across the river.

"We should mark the borders of the estate," You Miao says.

"Mn," Li Zhifeng agrees. "We can fence it off, I'll do it."

You Miao says, "Actually, if we get some people to farm the lands near Guo Village, we can just have those families watch over the land there, and then set up a couple of lookouts, that should suffice."

Li Zhifeng nods. You Miao watches the river streaming past; the waters here in the Jiangnan area never freeze over, which is a good thing. There's really too much to do, clearing land for farming, planting the actual crops, building the waterwheel, recruiting farmers… and the house still has to be fixed up too.

You Miao licks his lips and, looking toward the eye-rolling carps that Li Zhifeng is holding, asks, "This fish is tasty, do you know how to cook it?"

Li Zhifeng answers, "I know how to grill fish."

You Miao says, "Then I'll leave it to you when we get back."

The ferry reaches the other shore, and You Miao asks how many rounds the ferry makes per day before following the crowd off. The pier that the ferry is docked at is two and a half kilometers outside of Riverwave Estate, and they still have to walk back the rest of the way. When they get to the entrance to the estate, You Miao notices a big pit that's at least a hectare large and overgrown with grass.

"This is a pond?" You Miao is suprised.

"Young Master You." A skinny man is just squatting by a large pit smoking tobacco with a long-stemmed pipe, and when he sees You Miao's come, he greets with a smile on his face, "Young Master went out? Didn't see you around."

"Mn," You Miao replies, taking a few steps around the pit, "Where's your house? What's your name again?"

The skinny man points casually to the west with the long-stemmed pipe, smiling apologetically. "This humble one is called Zhu Tang. I was just scolded by the wife at home, so I came out for a stroll."

You Miao nods. With only the first look yesterday he knew this guy didn't want to leave, and when he said he was scolded by the wife, it isn't hard to guess that it must be because he came up to ask for a lower rent but didn't succeed, and when he got home the wife gave him a good talking to. But You Miao doesn't point this out and only grins, "If I was to decrease your rent by ten percent, would you still leave?"

Zhu Tang is dumbstruck on the spot. Just as he is about to nod, he seems to have thought of something and stops halfway, "This humble one… will go back and ask the wife."

"That's fine," You Miao replies. "I've already planned on lowering your rent, it's just everyone said you all don't want to farm anymore, so I didn't get a chance to say anything. Why don't you go home and discuss it with your wife. It's not easy to find a good land to farm nowadays. I'm not tricking you, and it's better to farm for me than my dad."

Zhu Tang laughs brightly. "Young Master is right, even north over by Guo Village the rent for the fields is forty percent, I say."

You Miao mn's, then spaces out looking at that giant pit. This here should've been a big lake, so how did the water dry out? The three of them walk along the lake and reach the western-most side, and You Miao sees a creek. He then points to Anlu in the south. "This pond doesn't have water anymore?"

"It's been dry for ten years," Zhu Tang replies. "There was water in the past, and Uncle Liang used to fish here too. When there's rain in the spring and summer, the water sometimes even overflows a bit."

"Where does that creek lead to?"

"To Anlu Village," Zhu Tang replies. "Our estate is good in everything, it's just water that's inconvenient."

You Miao nods slowly, but ideas have already settled in his mind, and he pats Zhu Tang's shoulder, looking all mature, before he and Li Zhifeng head back to the estate the way they came.

You Miao only thinks time is moving too fast. He's done practically nothing and it's already past noon. The two craftsmen are a pair of brothers, called DLiang and Xiao-Liang# respectively, and when they see You Miao's come back, they hand him a piece of paper. "Everything that needs to be repaired in the front courtyard is listed on here, will the Young Master take a look."

The things drawn on the paper are also marked with plenty of notes, and normal folks wouldn't have understood, but to You Miao it's nothing. "Tidy things up a bit first and go wait in front of the main house. I'll come momentarily."

You Miao enters the study and spreads open that "Exploitations of the Works of Nature", then using it to match against what DLiang has measured, he changed a few places before taking the paper back out, "Renovate based on this and we're good."

DLiang sees that You Miao is one who understands the trade and asks, "Young Master also learned these crafts?"

"My mom studied under the great master once upon a time."

Now the two craftsmen no longer dare to underestimate him, and go to busy themselves measuring things out with rulers and marking places to repair with chalk and ink strings. You Miao returns to the study and gestures at Li Zhifeng to push the desk close to the long couch, then reclines on the couch and starts reading.

"Why don't I go and watch over them?" Li Zhifeng suggests.

You Miao waves his hand dismissively, "No need, they won't try anything funny. You just need to go grill the fish a bit later."

The puppy has come, curling in front of the bed and wags its tail. You Miao leans against Li Zhifeng, his manly body warm, and he holds him. Being held like this, You Miao is distracted and only feels his mind wandering, thinking about simply ripping Li Zhifeng's clothes off and committing debauchery inside the study in plain daylight.

But the craftsmen are just outside; if they are seen by accident, they'll become a laughing stock, so he can only hold it in.

You Miao digs out a "Treatise of Gongshu"#, and starts to immerse himself fully, enjoying his reading, and moments later, all his little agendas become absorbed by all the mechanical drawings within the book.

Gongshu Ban and Mozi are both equal in talents, and in this book, a very interesting mechanism is mentioned——A cliff wheel. You Miao's eyes light up instantly, and he spreads all three books out.

"These three can actually be combined together." You Miao mumbles to himself. Then he speaks up, "Bring over the charcoal stick… let me see."

You Miao spreads the map of Riverwave Estate over the table. "If this water wheel can be fabricated, then this'll be an investment of a million gains."

The waterwheel designs from both Mozi and Gongshu are very good, but they're not quite suitable for use at Riverwave Estate. In this moment, a daring plan comes to You Miao——He will combine the two waterwheels, and create an apparatus upon the cliff that will last forever.

If a cliffside waterwheel like this can be built and a canal is dug, then it can irrigate the three hundred hectares of land in the southern part of the estate, then enter the lake from the canal, before flowing to Anlu village via the creek.

Once the waterwheel and the canal are done, Riverwave Estate will truly become a paradise on earth. Digging a canal is the easy part; the hard part is building a waterwheel with a chain belt on that cliff hundreds of feet tall. They'll have to set up scaffolding on the cliff and hire at least ten craftsmen. And if the Yangtze floods, there's no guarantee the waterwheel will hold against the rising water levels.

But it's the lunar month in the midst of winter, the water level of the river is low, so it's the perfect time to develop any water-related mechanisms. If they miss this chance, then when the ice sealing the Yangtze is melted, building anything then would require swimming.

There's no time to lose, they must act now.

You Miao says to Li Zhifeng, "Go dig the canal, starting at the cliff facing the river and following the line I drew here."

Li Zhifeng doesn't ask any questions, he simply nods and leaves. As for You Miao, he stays in the study for the rest of the afternoon, drawing and notating, calculating dimensions and water capacities, determining where to fix the hinge, referencing both "Mohist Classics" and "Treatise of Gongshu" while he marks everything down.

This will undoubtedly be a massive undertaking—getting the materials, the actual construction, and then the scaffolding to put it all up, who knows if there will even be craftsmen out there willing to take on such a dangerous project, climbing up the cliff to install the hinged waterwheel, or if anyone will even have the skills for it.

While You Miao is scribbling away, Li Zhuang comes by with ink strings, line markers, cutters, hammers, saws, hatchets and such, as well as nails and asphalt. You Miao goes out to the courtyard to ask, "Did you get a cost estimate for the lumber?"

"To answer the Young Master," Li Zhuang smiles. "It's all written on here. I can't read, but I was afraid I might forget something, so I had a scholar write it down for me."

It's a list of lumber prices from Anlu Village, clearly written, from the more expensive black sandalwood, white poplar, and maple lumber, to the cheaper birchwood and willow planks. You Miao sits while contemplating it, mentally calculating how much it's going to cost to build this waterwheel.

Li Zhuang keeps glancing at the craftsmen renovating Shen Garden, and sends them a greeting.

"Young Master wants to build more houses?" Li Zhuang asks.

"I want to build a waterwheel." You Miao answers absently. "Have water flow from the higher plains down. When spring comes the reclaimed lands will need watering, no?"

Li Zhuang nods and You Miao waves. "Why don't you all come and rest a while, don't overwork yourselves."

With a long-stemmed pipe dangling in his mouth, DLiang comes over to take a break, puffing smoke. Even on this cold winter day, his back is covered in sweat as he heh-hehs. You Miao shows him his drawings. "What do you think of this?"

DLiang doesn't waste time on small talk either, and takes the drawing to give it a glance. "Whoa! Young Master, you're trying to build a big stack here."

"D'you think this can be done?" You Miao asks.

The drawing is of a hinged waterwheel fixed to the cliffside, a humongous wooden wheel with a hinge in the middle, pinned to the face of the cliff to be driven to rotate by the flow of the river, the wheel in turn rotating a winch to lift water scoops full of water up the hundreds-feet-tall cliff to dump into the canal.

DLiang can't speak for a long moment.

"Young Master," DLiang starts. "What are you…"

"What?" You Miao looks at him with a big smile.

You Miao knows DLiang thinks he's out of his mind, so he explains, "Look here, there's also a sliding groove."

You Miao points at the vertical sliding groove on the cliffside and says, "If the bearing of the waterwheel is fitted inside, then if the water level rises during a flood, the wheel will rise with it and not get submerged by the flooding, and if the water level drops during the dry season, the waterwheel will likewise lower with it, this way, it'll spin year-round. As for the water scoops, these are just a plank, and a big water tank…"

"Gotchu, gotchu," DLiang nods along. "I get what you're doing here, it's just that I've never seen this kinda…"

DLiang looks at it over and over again. You Miao says, "Let me know if you see any issues with it. What say you to staying here through New Years to make the parts for me? I'll pay you well for it."

"This I can't say," DLiang says. "I'll have to go back and ask the master."

"Then when you're free, go ask him for me," You Miao says.

Xiao-Liang pipes up, "Our master loves these kinds of weird…"

"Watch your tongue!" DLiang is instantly angered and scolds, "What the Young Master is studying is divine craft! You're the one who doesn't have the eye for it!"

Xiao-Liang can only hold his tongue. DLiang can see that this waterwheel isn't anything ordinary, and speaks up, "I will run back to Anping County for a bit."

DLiang makes a copy of You Miao's drawings and leaves. By evening, Li Zhifeng returns. "Everything's marked."

You Miao is still notating and calculating, his head down. Li Zhifeng asks, "I'll start digging tomorrow?"

You Miao laughs. "By yourself?"

"I can try," Li Zhifeng replies. "It's just manual labour."

"Alright," You Miao says cheerfully. "Let's do it together. Let's dig a canal."

Li Zhifeng en's and goes to make dinner. You Miao stretches. With the coming of night, Shen Garden is even more quiet, only a small puppy running back and forth outside, knowing it's meal time and circling about Li Zhifeng.

"Are we having fish?" You Miao is as excited as that dog.

"Un." The corners of Li Zhifeng's lips hang a smile as he slits the stomach of the fish, taking out the gills. That big carp is still flopping, making the puppy bark madly at it.

Li Zhifeng washes both carps clean, and applies a heavy layer of salt and black bean sauce, stuffing the stomach full of ginger slices, star anise, and dill. On the scales a layer of lard is smeared, then four silver forks pierce, crisscrossing through them. A campfire is started in the yard, and the fish are thus stacked over the fire to grill.

Once the aroma starts drifting You Miao's drool immediately begins to roll, and he exclaims, "I'll go steam the rice!"

"Is it ready yet?" You Miao asks after he's covered the steamer pot and comes back out.

Li Zhifeng gives You Miao a look. "No."

"Is it ready yet?" You Miao asks.

"No," Li Zhifeng replies expressionlessly.

"Is it ready yet?" You Miao asks.

"No," Li Zhifeng replies.

"Is it ready yet…"

"No…"

The two continue their boring question and answer, until the scales have been grilled to a beautiful golden colour, sizzling as the grease drips down. You Miao's eyes finally see stars and he falls immobile into Li Zhifeng's arms, unmoving.

Li Zhifeng starts to laugh, and with one hand holding You Miao and the other holding the two fish, he takes them into the main house. The moment You Miao is seated he starts to eat up. This time it tastes just right; the skin of the carp is crispy and delicious, the fish meat tender and fresh, but it's the fish maw that's the tastiest, using green onions, ginger, and other such seasoning to stuff the stomach and with lard fused within, it's truly the number one delicacy of the world.

You Miao wolfs down two bowls of rice, and is so stuffed he lazes over the bed, unable to move. Only then does Li Zhifeng use the remaining fish juices to mix some rice to feed the dog, then he himself squats in the corridor and stuffs down his rice.

---

Chapter 13

Early the next day, the sound of people talking outside wakes You Miao.

"He hasn't risen yet, you can't go in!" Li Zhifeng is practically outraged.

The voice of an elderly man is even more aggressive than him, "And you're gonna kill this old man, are you?!"

You Miao jolts in surprise and quickly gets up, running into the yard in bare feet, and sees standing before DLiang is an old man. The old man has his cane raised and pointed at Li Zhifeng while yelling, and Li Zhifeng is having none of it, one of his hand gripping that cane.

"Ay, wait a minute." You Miao calls out.

Li Zhifeng instantly calms a bit, and You Miao turns to that old man, "Please sir, wait in the main hall first."

"You're the one who called this old man over." That old man says, "Since you invited me, how can you make your elder wait?!"

You Miao instantly rages inwardly, thinking well who the heck are you? But just as he is about to rebuke, that old man continues his scolding, "You young man who snoozes so much, not rising 'til the middle of the day, self-indulgent and lazy, there's no hope for you!!"

He says as he raises his cane, ready to beat down, and Li Zhifeng's face darkens. But just as he is about to push that old man away, You Miao is afraid Li Zhifeng would strike too hard, who knows if he accidentally takes a life, so he quickly stops Li Zhifeng, "The elder has scolded right, I've received the discipline."

That old man hmphs heavily, stomping his cane on the ground. When You Miao spoke those words he didn't really mean it, yet in this moment, when the words "I've received the discipline" left his lips, something clicks.

"I won't oversleep in the future." You Miao promises.

"A man must give himself promise. You want to build a family from scratch, land some achievements, do something great? Then you can't be lazy." The old man leans on his cane, scolding in all seriousness and reason, "When you're done breakfast come to the hall."

You Miao nods repeatedly as that old man walks away with DLiang.

Only then does Li Zhifeng go in to attend to You Miao's dressing and washing. As You Miao is washing up, his mind is entirely filled with the lecture from that old man earlier. It's true. Many of the great truths, when they're spoken from father's mouth You Miao refuses to take any of them in. Yet it's in these moments, in this place, that to have a complete stranger say them, it feels like a bat to the head, knocking him awake.

"Go get some Sunshower Jade Qingfeng#." You Miao says, "Brew tea for that old man, and be more polite."

"Alright." Li Zhifeng replies.

Li Zhifeng turns to leave, and You Miao starts to wash his own face. When Li Zhifeng returns You Miao asks, "What did he say?"

"Said you're a child worth teaching." Li Zhifeng answers.

After washing his face, You Miao looks up and takes a glance at Li Zhifeng, giving a smile.

You Miao eats his breakfast as quickly as he can then heads over to the main hall to sit, and only then does DLiang make the formal introduction for You Miao. "Young Master You, this is my shifu. Everyone addresses him Huang-shi#."

"This young one You Miao greets the teacher." You Miao says humbly.

You Miao bows in respect, and Old Craftsman Huang doesn't accept it modestly either, taking his respects with open arms, "Liang Bin came back last night and showed me this drawing. Did you think this up all on your own?"

You Miao doesn't dare to take the credit and replies, "This is something this young one imagined up after reading "Mohists Classics", "Treatise of Gongshu" and "Exploitations of the Works of Nature". If there's any flaws, pray teacher give guidance."

"There's flaws all over." Old Craftsman Huang rises to this feet, "Where do you plan on setting this thing up? Bring me over to see. Liang Bin, go back to your work. You Miao, you lead the way."

You Miao notices that when Old Craftsman Huang is around, DLiang doesn't dare to speak a single word, and even now he only answers with the utmost respect, "Yessir." With this it's obvious to see that that Old Craftsman Huang is extremely strict with his students, so You Miao doesn't dare be impolite either, heading out to lead the way properly, beckoning Old Craftsman Huang to make way towards the cliff.

"Teacher." You Miao brings the drawing over to Old Craftsman Huang for him to see, then gestures to the cliff, "I want to install the waterwheel there, but I haven't had the chance to dig the canal yet."

"If this construction project does go through, it's not something that's done in a day or two." Old Craftsman Huang says, "And it's gonna take money. You sure about this?"

You Miao only knows the principles but he's never actually done projects like these in real life, so he quickly asks, "How many days would it take?"

"The waterwheel aside," Old Craftsman Huang replies, "Just this canal alone, if you want to dig it all the way to the front of the village entrance, then without at least fifty labourers even a month won't cut it."

You Miao then asks where he can hire labour hands but Old Craftsman Huang only shakes his head, "Go dig out the canal first and I'll bring you the construction craftsmen."

Recruiting for volunteer labourers is the government's business; You Miao is new to the land and stranger to the people, plus it's close to New Year, so it's probably inconvenient to make a run to the county government offices until the end of the year. Old Craftsman Huang himself lives in Yangzhou Prefecture, and in that time, with the drawing, he's agreed to help You Miao fabricate bits and pieces of the waterwheel parts here and there. Still, You Miao knows with the help of this old man, the waterwheel project is most likely good.

Hiring for fifty labour hands to dig a canal however, is the more troublesome issue. In You Miao's mind, things are just becoming more and more convoluted, a complete mess. Originally he just wants to find something to do to occupy his time, yet he hadn't expected that each problem would drag out another; farming needs a waterwheel, waterwheel needs lumber, then dig a canal, now he needs to recruit for labour hands… one after the other, the problems are endless, and they're gonna cost a pretty penny too.

Fifty labour hands aren't so easily hired, he doesn't have enough money!

With a heavy heart, You Miao returns to Shen Garden once he's sent off Old Craftsman Huang. The two craftsmen are still banging and hammering about while Li Zhifeng is washing an iron shovel at the well.

"Back?" Li Zhifeng asks, "What did he say?"

"Gotta spend money, hire people." You Miao answers, "It all comes down to money, left right and centre. What… what are you doing?"

"Dig a canal." Li Zhifeng replies.

You Miao recalls what the two of them talked about the night before and says, "Let's go, I'll come along too. Together, together."

It's the time of the day when the breezes are soft and the day is bright; as Li Zhifeng drives the horse-pulled cart to the first field on the high plains, the endless horizon is filled with big, fluffy dandelions, and when the river breeze blows, the white blossoms take off and dance in the wind.

You Miao gazes over to where the river is, a shovel in his carry, his spirit light and relaxed.

"It's right here." Li Zhifeng says, "The range you marked yesterday."

"How long is it?" You Miao asks.

"About 7.5 kilometers." Li Zhifeng replies.

7.5 kilometers. Just by walking You Miao is going to collapse from fatigue. Truthfully, he's already quite exhausted having walked here from Shen Garden then back, then coming over again with an iron shovel."

"Ok ok, let's dig." You Miao sighs hopelessly.

"You sit and rest." Li Zhifeng says, "I can do it."

7.5 kilometers; ten meters in a day, five hundred meters in a month, this would take a year and three months… You Miao clenches his shovel, suddenly feeling the magnitude of this construction project.

The soil here is very hard, there's also a layer of rock formation underneath; the shallower areas on top are easier to dig, but the deeper it goes the higher the difficulty. Still, when Li Zhifeng digs and tosses earth, it's as easy as cutting tofu.

You Miao always believes this guy, Li Zhifeng, is practically the most powerful man on this earth. He can fight battles and cook, he can kill people and kill chickens, grill fish, his body holding so much strength it's like he'll never be depleted. He's practically a different person compared to when they first met. Li Yan actually locked this treasure up in the firewood house and force fed him medicine, even planning on beating him to death. What a waste.

But looking at it from a different angle, if he followed Li Yan, he wouldn't be useful either. What Li Yan usually does is all dealings in the political scene, Li Zhifeng doesn't know anything about playing around and forming cliques for personal advantages. He can't fight and kill people in the capital either, never mind have him serve.

It's only after he's followed the unfortunate You Miao that, other than being a bed mate, that he has something to do. But this is also precisely why You Miao is unable to leave Li Zhifeng.

Li Zhifeng digs a pit, and You Miao squats on the side watching. That pit is gradually growing deeper and deeper, almost the size of half a man, and afraid he'd exhaust himself, You Miao keeps calling out, "Alright, take a break."

"No need." Li Zhifeng answers.

After having dug out a pit, Li Zhifeng stands in it himself, covered in sweat as beads rolled down his back, and he peels off his outer robe, handing it to You Miao. In such a cold day, his strong, healthy back is exposed as he continues to dig shovel by shovel. You Miao is scared he might catch a cold and calls out again, "Let's hire people to come dig after all, I worry about you."

Li Zhifeng smiles and shakes his head.

Two whole hours pass and Li Zhifeng has dug about one and a half meters of land. On the ground, You Miao takes his shovel and shovels up all the dug out earth to pile onto the cart, then have the horse haul it away.

It only takes one cart of transporting earth before You Miao is done. The palms gripping the shovel are covered in red marks, aching painfully.

When he returned Li Zhifeng finally comes up to take a break by the gutter, appearing a little tired.

"I've gotten old." Li Zhifeng says, "Can't anymore."

You Miao bursts out laughing, unable to hold back, and the two sits in the bushes, snuggling against one another. You Miao feels warmth filling his heart again.

This won't do. If they keep digging like this, they're gonna waste their entire lives here. Labour hands will need to be hired. You Miao has never done anything like this before, and didn't know how puny the strength of one man is, but now he understands. There are many things that can't be done just because he says so. This is practically like Mr. Gump and His Mountain#.

You Miao takes out a charcoal stick and starts scribbling on the wooden board, and Li Zhifeng asks, "What's this?"

"I'm calculating to see how much money it'll take to complete both the waterwheel and the canal." You Miao replies.

You Miao counts for a while; the waterwheel needs lumber, scaffolding built by the cliffside on the river, transport, construction craftsmen… ordinary construction workers can't do this kind of work either, they'll also need to setup a fixed point for excavation, get barrels and dynamite.

The blades of the waterwheel will also require the best of lumber, otherwise they can't guarantee scooping water easily for decades. They'll also need thick, waterproof paint and asphalt.

Once the canal is dug it needs to be bricked to prevent water leakage, this and that, and everything adds up to money.

"How much money?" Li Zhifeng asks.

"At least five hundred silver." You Miao replies.

Li Zhifeng nods. What You Miao lacks the most right now is money, he's only got about a hundred some silver. If this was the past when he was squandering big time in the capital, money wouldn't have been a problem at all.

Where is all that money gonna come from? Old Craftsman Huang has already gone to go fabricate parts and look for people for him, this project will need to be complete by spring next year, otherwise with days dragging on, who knows how things will look like come end of the next year?

No money no money no money… money money money money money… You Miao tosses that charcoal stick away and yells a few times.

"Is there not enough?" Li Zhifeng asks.

"Not even close." You Miao replies, distaste written all over his face.

"Let me think of something." Li Zhifeng says.

You Miao starts in surprise, "You've got an idea?"

"I'll go try rob the government coffers."

"..."

"You still need five hundred, right?" Li Zhifeng says.

You Miao, "!!!"

You Miao thought Li Zhifeng was joking at first, but he didn't expect the man to actually be serious, and quickly replies, "Don't you dare do anything funny! All government silver is stamped, patterned silver patterned silver, what that refers to is government silver. Even if you steal them you won't be able to use them, we can only sit around waiting to be arrested!"

Li Zhifeng mn's and You Miao adds, "If you get executed whatever shall I do?"

Li Zhifeng smiles and nods, and seeing that nonchalant face, You Miao repeats his chiding over and over, "Absolutely do not do anything funny, alright?"

Li Zhifeng acknowledges him then jumps back down into the pit to continue his digging. You Miao inwardly repeats in his mind that he must absolutely not allow him to go steal from government coffers. This guy is totally scared of nothing, and he'd do them both in.

Li Zhifeng digs for an entire day, and only when the sun is setting in the west does he speak up, "Let's go home and make you dinner, I'll come back later at night."

"Don't bother coming back later, just cuddle me to sleep." You Miao says.

Li Zhifeng grins, "Okay."

Having dug for so long and only about over three meters is excavated, You Miao really wants to cry but no tears come, "Don't bother coming tomorrow, I'll think of another way."

Li Zhifeng doesn't respond and only carries the tools up to the cart. The two transport all the earth and dumps it in a further off area, then leisurely, Li Zhifeng drives the cart home.

"We should purchase some donkeys." Li Zhifeng says, "People over at Anlu told me that donkeys are very useful, and if we're planting fields, we'll need a few cattles too."

"Alright…" All of You Miao's spirit has already left him. Counting over and over, at least he still has that bit of money, but there isn't much after that. He figures that all the outsiders, knowing that he's the younger son of Sunshower Jade Estate, would all think he's rich, but other than those few trunks of fox pelts he brought from home that can maybe at most get him another hundred silver or two, he's got nothing.

He can't sell the tea; Shen Garden will have to receive guests sometimes, if the County Chief comes visiting, what tea would he offer his guests?

So powerless. All he needs is one or two thousand silver.

Still, You Miao would never go home to ask for money from the old man. In that moment, a number of ideas entered his mind. What if he leaves all this for the moment, and go out to do a couple days of reselling business? Or maybe write a letter and send someone to go borrow money from the capital? Agree to make repayments in the Autumn, twenty percent dividend… Though he'll be able to borrow for sure, but he can't guarantee absolute profit for sure, so if he can't pay up in time, then he'll have betrayed his good brothers' trusts.

Li Zhifeng is killing a chicken in the yard, and that little spotted puppy is chasing the chicken as it coos and runs all over, blood still spilling from its neck as it dashes for its life. Li Zhifeng then goes inside, and when the pot of water is boiled, he comes back out, snapping a stick off of a branch and hurls it nonchalantly, piercing the head of that chicken right through.

"Nice!" In that instant You Miao forgets all of his troubles and claps vigorously.

Dangling the chicken, Li Zhifeng brings it inside to pluck it. The boy that he is, You Miao drops everything and chases after him,"You're really skilled at archery. That accuracy!"

The corners of Li Zhifeng's lips curl slightly, and he en's as he sits on a small stool plucking the chicken, "Why don't you praise me for my skills in bed too?"

You Miao starts to laugh, and reaches over to pat Li Zhifeng's handsome face, the two of them sitting together in the darkening kitchen. The water's boiling, bubbling as steam rises. You Miao feels his heart stir in spite of himself, and huddles over. Li Zhifeng says, "My face is dirty, it's all muddy." But he turns his head over and softly kisses his lips.

In that moment, You Miao can't help but think, money is but a small issue, if he can pass his everyday like this, then it'd be an extremely happy life.

"I'm starving." You Miao starts to whine, "When can we eat?"

"Soon." Li Zhifeng replies, "Won't be long."

Li Zhifeng plucks the chicken, butchers the chicken, then after cleaning it thoroughly he places the whole chicken into a clay pot, adding three bowls of water into said pot, and puts it into the big boiled pot to steam. A moment later aroma of the dish begins to fill the air; both craftsmen DLiang and Xiao-Liang are starving, and they keep peeking into the kitchen from the yard.

That night, a fat chicken steamed in partitioned boiling water is set on the table, and the moment You Miao sees it his eyes become completely fixed. Li Zhifeng cuts out all the tender parts, the drumsticks and wings out properly and has You Miao start first, then the chicken breast, the chicken rear, and chicken back are carved out, taking the not-so-tender and bony parts outside along with a jug of two catty wine, delivering the two craftsment their bucket meal.

"Come and eat too." You Miao says.

Li Zhifeng sits down at the table and You Miao puts a drumstick in his bow, so Li Zhifeng eats it. He ate whatever You Miao gives him. You Miao eats three giant bowls of rice, his tummy so full it's round, and he collapses in his chair in the main hall. Li Zhifeng thus brews him a pot of tea before he goes to do dishes.

Life is too beautiful, You Miao thinks to himself. In the past, he'd eaten all over the Capital, but none of those meals tasted as good as the chicken tonight. A man's really gotta be hungry in order to eat.

"I found a cellar in the kitchen backyard." Li Zhifeng says.

"What's in there?" You Miao asks, "Not dead bodies I hope?"

"Eighty jugs of fine wine." Li Zhifeng replies.

"!!!"

"Shall I bring one out for a taste?" Li Zhifeng inquires.

"Nah, it's okay, I'm full already." You Miao says, "But this wine must be something extraordinary. Take me to go see?"

Li Zhifeng leads You Miao over, and he discovers there really is a cellar in the undergrounds of Shen Garden, and what's hidden inside are all incredibly high grade Champion Reds#! After over a century, they've now become thick fine brews. You Miao inwardly valuated them; these eighty jugs of wine are all priceless treasures, and they can be offered to guests in the future.

After finishing his tea, You Miao goes in for bed, skipping bath altogether. Around midnight, he can hear Li Zhifeng dunking water over his own head outside, and You Miao calls out to him, "Come in and sleep."

After washing in cold water, Li Zhifeng tiptoes in and burrows into the blankets, falling asleep holding You Miao. This man really is made of iron, You Miao thinks to himself.

The next following days, every morning Li Zhifeng would carry his shovel out to go dig the canal. You Miao doesn't have any energy left to dig anymore, and told Li Zhifeng time and again that he doesn't have to go, but the man still leaves soundlessly. You Miao doesn't have anything else for him to do either, so he stopped caring about it.

This morning, You Miao got up early, so he goes around inspecting Shen Garden, starting from the main house. His home is starting to be fixed up bit by bit; the doors and windows are removed, and the surface layers are sanded off under the sun, waiting to be painted anew. Zhang Er came by very early in the morning to study, so You Miao had him watch over the repairs. Meanwhile, Li Zhuang's wife comes to Shen Garden carrying a basket of eggs, saying she's going to cook for the young master, so You Miao figures Li Zhuang most likely went home and told everything, so he's not likely to leave now. Thus, he had her stay at Shen Garden temporarily to cook lunch for the workers.

Ever since moving to Shen Garden, You Miao only eats two meals a day, and lately he's been getting up earlier and earlier, so by noon he's starving. He puts all the food Li Zhuang's wife cooked into two containers and hops onto the horse, taking the meal to the high plains with the intention of eating together with Li Zhifeng.

Li Zhuang is just standing on top of a mound of reclaimed field, watching Li Zhifeng digging the canal. They've been at it for five days and now about 35 meters. Just by watching You Miao feels tired.

"Lunch!" You Miao comes delivering food. These past several days Li Zhifeng had tanned under the sun, and his face is covered in mud. After climbing out of the canal, he sits down next to the mud mounds and blows a breath.

Li Zhuang chuckles, "We were just talking about it and Young Master shows up."

"Your wife cooks well." You Miao takes the chance to compliment.

Li Zhifeng takes over the clay pot and lifts the cover, revealing salted pork fried with winter bamboo shoots, and a full container of rice at the bottom. He instantly starts wolfing the food down, and You Miao talks as he eats, "Let's hire some people to come help, yea? Don't keep digging endlessly like this."

"If you don't use your strength, there'll be less and less of it." Li Zhifeng replies, "Even if I don't dig I'll need to train, so this is fine."

Li Zhuang squats by the reclaimed field and chuckles, "It takes too long digging on one man's power alone."

"I'll think of something come spring, see if I can hire a few hands." You Miao says.

As the three conversed, You Miao shares half of his rice with Li Zhifeng, and it's obvious Li Zhifeng must be ravenous, and thirsty, gulping water down nonstop. You Miao asks Li Zhuang when he plans on moving, however, Li Zhuang replies, "I've discussed it with my wife, we're not leaving anymore. We'll farm the fields with Young Master."

You Miao starts to laugh, "And what changed your mind?"

Li Zhuang shakes his head hopelessly, "It's not easy to find work in Yangzhou Prefecture right now either, I can't find anything and was originally planning on seeking my little uncle, but little uncle recently offended an official and was flogged. The family runs a general store but they're not looking to hire anyone either, so if I go I'd be staying and eating for nothing, getting others annoyed and grumbling."

"But ain't that the truth." You Miao says, "Rather than depending on others, it's much better to use your own hands to make a living."

"If it wasn't for Young Master coming, who'd want to stay in this estate forever!" Li Zhuang says, "No one to care for the harvest, when there's a drought or a flood, no one said anything about digging a canal or anything. Every year at the same time, Sunshower Jade Estate would send someone to collect rent, but they don't care how the harvest is or whether if sales for the produce was good, the reins are tight."

"Since Riverwave Estate is given to me, of course I wouldn't neglect you guys, so don't worry." You Miao says.

Li Zhuang smiles, "It's true, we know Young Master is a good man, you even told Zhu Tang you'd lower his rent by ten percent…"

You Miao laughs inwardly, well news certainly travels fast, and replies without skipping a beat, "All the same, your rent will go down too, Uncle Liang's too, either way everyone will be paying the same rent, and you can just pay it to me directly. When you pay, I'll collect, if you can't pay on time, taking an extra few days isn't a problem, no need to sell your wives and daughters… I'm an easy going kinda guy."

Li Zhuang nods, smiling, and You Miao can tell that after this, all four tenant households know he's not a stingy landlord. Other than Zhang Er who needs to study and travel to the capital for the exams and can no longer farm, the other three probably won't be leaving anymore.

You Miao's mind however, isn't on those several fields held by Li Zhuang and others; they don't make much money in the first place. The priority right now is how to lease out the wastelands. But in order to reclaim land and farm, there needs to be water, and in order to get water, there needs to be a waterwheel and a canal… going around in circles, in the end he still comes back to the problem of the waterwheel.

Truly, a hero can fall over a single coin… there are many wealthy merchants in the Jiangnan area, what if he lends out some land, pull in several of the rich and borrow from them, coax them to pay and help solve the problem of this canal and waterwheel, using land as exchange, then hire farm hands to help them farm? This idea might work, but who knows how many would actually be willing to open up their wallets. This is where You Miao falls short - his age. Most of the businessmen are all about the same age as You Dechuan, so if he pays visit to their residences, he'd appear like nothing but a child, and his words would naturally weigh less.

Just as he is thinking this, someone's come from the estate. Li Zhifeng stands up to look, and whistles into the distance. It seems it's a messenger.

That man hops off the horse and bows, "Sorry to bother Young Master You. This humble officer is called Tang Hui, I've come from the Capital urgently to bring a letter, and was told it must be personally delivered into your hands."

When You Miao first sees that man donned in military cape he was surprised, but he then soon recalls how it was Nie Dan who delivered a letter last time, and immediately knows who the letter is from -- it must be from Zhao Chao! "Let me see!" He exclaims in great delight.

Tang Hui takes out a letter from his robe, and very respectfully hands it over with both hands to You Miao. It is indeed Zhao Chao's name on the envelope, and immediately You Miao is cheered, "Let's talk back at Shen Garden. Li Zhifeng, come back and rest too, stop digging."

Tang Hui gives a look at that canal but doesn't say anything, and follows behind You Miao as You Miao leads the group of them back into Shen Garden. Li Zhuang sees that that man comes with influence, an officer no less, and paying such respect to You Miao too, that Li Zhuang's attitude changes significantly as well. The moment they returned he goes off to help his wife tidy up this residence.

You Miao settles in the main hall and orders Li Zhifeng, "Go bring the tea from the topmost lattice in the study."

"I don't dare trouble Young Master You." Tang Hui quickly says.

You Miao smiles, "No need to be so polite, you're an officer, I've no official title, so it should be me who calls you 'sir'."

You Miao has a great impression of the soldiers; he was rescued by the soldiers of the Fortress of Yanbian first, and after re-entering the pass it was also the military who helped him, He knows to repay grace, that's the first thing. Moreover, Zhao Chao seems to be very familiar with the military; it's been soldiers he's sent every time. Love for the person shall extend to even the birds under his roof, that's the second thing.

When Li Zhifeng comes holding the tea set and tea leaves, You Miao takes them from his hands and smiles, "Go take a bath now. I'll be chatting with the officer."

Li Zhifeng nods, then turns to exit.

Thus, You Miao personally brews a pot of tea for Tang Hui. He places top grade green tea leaves into a bowl to shake, shshing as it's mixed, then pours boiling water over the set of green lotus dotted with golden carps teapot to heat it. This is a dowry his mother brought to You Dechuan, and the moment water's washed it, the green lotus shimmers like it's made of glass, and even the golden fish within the teapot look alive.

Tang Hui is also a man with a good eye, and comments, "They all say Young Master You's family is aristocratic, and truly it shows. Even the Prefectural Chief's household won't be able to put together a tea set like this."

You Miao grinns proudly, "Nothing but freeloads from the parents, this toy is what my mom brought over when she married. My dad doesn't like me now, so he packed all my mom's things nicely and kicked me out."

Tang Hui smiles then shakes his head, "Back then my dad didn't like the looks of me either, so he sent me here to Jiangnan early."

"Oh?" You Miao is interested, "You're not from Jiangnan, sir?"

Judging by his accent You Miao didn't think he was either, and Tang Hui replies, "I'm from Hebei#. We're not that much off in age, if you don't mind it, you can just call me Tang Hui."

"Let me call you dge then." You Miao smiles, thinking as he brews the tea that it's not a bad thing to make closer connections. This time when Tang Hui came it isn't the same as Nie Dan. Last time, Nie Dan was travel-worn and followed by a civil official, having come all the way from the Capital nonstop. Tang Hui on the other hand, his leather armour is tidy and clean, the horse he rides also hasn't been tired out, which makes it easy to see that he's a military officer stationed nearby, maybe even a military lieutenant in charge of Yangzhou Prefectural Government's defense. Just as You Miao is about to get in good with him, Tang Hui hastily replies modestly, "Oh no, I don't deserve that title, you mustn't say so."

You Miao doesn't know whether to laugh or cry listening to him. Just then, the leaves being roasted upon the coal begin to emit a soft fragrance, and in an instant, the hall is filled with the scent of ambrosial tea. Tang Hui keeps praising it, and once the water is brought to boil three times, You Miao gives a show of sprinkling the tea leaves into the teapot, infusing it into an eight part boiled hot water. After a round of tea cleansing, he pours a cup to seven parts filled, the tea water faintly green, the sweet smell of it pleasant to the nose, and he personally hands the cup to Tang Hui.

You Miao may not be good at anything else, but the craft of brewing tea is something he's learned the authentic art of since he was young. It's not everyday that that group of the Taizi's faction can taste tea brewed by You Miao. While they say quite a number of gongzi's are only pretending to be elegant, Li Yan understands this art profoundly, otherwise he wouldn't be doting so much on You Miao.

It can be said that in all the grand Capital, those who can brew this particular flavour out of Jiangnan tea like You Miao, there's only one in the palace, one at Tingyu Pavilion, and You Miao himself, no more.

You Miao has the mind to acquaint Tang Hui, so he brewed personally. Now that the tea is poured, You Miao opens his letter, and concentrates on reading it.

After having praised the tea being delicious several times, Tang Hui falls silent and drinks his tea quietly, looking a bit absent-minded. You Miao finishes reading the letter; there's nothing special written in it, it's all advice and counsels from Zhao Chao. In the last letter You Miao replied, all he's talked about was complaining about his current status, then mentioned the management of the Riverwave Estate, thinking of taking Li Zhifeng with him alone to go on the journey, his dad doesn't want him anymore, etc., etc.

Zhao Chao's response letter thus says, what xiandi is thinking is very good. After all, born on this earth, real men must achieve accomplishments, build up enterprises for oneself, make a bang, so as to make this life worthwhile. The letter also mentions himself who also often gets spurned by his father, plus there's a dge above who's very much in favour, so rather than sticking around at home, he'd rather go out to find his own entertainment.

You Miao knows Zhao Chao and the military is close, so in this moment he gradually starts guessing perhaps he's the son of whichever great general of the current court. The current court has always placed emphasis on civil service and nothing on military; there's a saying that goes "Good men don't become soldiers, good iron doesn't hammer nails", civil officials look down on military officers#.

And to enlist as a soldier, one must brand the troop number on the side of the face. The military salary is small and the status low. The position of the grand general is only equal to a civil official of the fourth rank, and other than rotating stationed defense troops every two years, he enjoyed no real power. One can say that in the court of the Great Qi, being a soldier is even less than that of a studying Xiucai#. To be a soldier is to defend the country and protect the homeland, but the founder of the nation was afraid of military coups, and so the military was unjustly hammered down in each level of government.

In the letter, Zhao Chao also mentions that if You Miao can't make do in Jiangnan anymore, just send a letter to the Capital. Once he's in the Capital Zhao Chao will think of a way to arrange an official position for him, etc. Then he goes on to say that Jiangnan and Yangzhou are places full of pleasurable distractions, so remember to study hard, work hard, and never be lazy. Absolutely do not hang around the red light district, lest his determination diminishes. If he runs into any difficulties, he can ask for help from the Defense Bureau of Yangzhou.

In short, if you need money or people, just send a letter back to ask. Gege will take care of you.

You Miao stares at the last few lines, dumbfounded. Zhao Chao must know what kind of person You Miao was back at the Capital, but while there is the sense of a lecture, guidance and fondness are filled in between the lines. It's making him want to cry. He closes his eyes, placing the letter aside, and sighs deeply.

Li Yan's letter hasn't come in yet, so it's probably going through way of the post. After reading the letter, You Miao speaks up, "Zhao Chao this little bastard replies pretty quick. My letter has only gone ten days ago, and his response is already here."

Tang Hui smiles, "Sometimes, a penpalling relationship all depends on how deeply the other party cares. They're all thinking of the Young Master back at the Capital, I hear the Chancellor's gongzi is also talking about you, so it has nothing to do with how many days have passed."

You Miao is overjoyed and keeps nodding.

Placing the teacup aside, Tang Hui adds, "This humble officer was just reporting in at the Capital, and have only just returned from General Nie and San-Dianxia."

"Mn, Nie Dan and San-Dianxia…Wait?! WHAT DID YOU SAY?!!" You Miao exclaims, almost toppling his own teacup, causing a rush of rattling on the table. Tang Hui instantly dashes forward, agilely catching the teacup that's fallen off the table.

The two stare at each other for a long while, speechless.

"Zhao Chao that little bastard… is…" You Miao starts.

The dumbfounded expression on Tang Hui's face is interestingly colourful. It's as if thunder has stricken You Miao's head, and he turns around to bring out a clay bowl, holding it in his hand, "S-s-say… say it again?"

"S-say… say what?" Tang Hui questions.

"What did you say Zhao Chao was again? Say it again?" You Miao urges.

Tang Hui seems to have realized something, and replies, "Zhao… San-Dianxia has the one word name Chao."

With his mouth hanging open, You Miao smashes the clay bowl onto the ground, CRACK as it shatters into pieces.

Tang Hui, "..."

You Miao, "..."

Li Zhifeng comes in, having taken his bath, "What's going on?"

You Miao waves absent-mindedly, "Go… bring my brush and ink over."

Li Zhifeng goes back out to retrieve the stationary. You Miao's entire person is feeling dazed, and Tang Hui only amused, watching him, "Young Master You doesn't know… about San-Dianxia?"

"I only know him, he never told me he's… the third, third prince…"

You Miao then recalls some of the things Zhao Chao has written in the letters, including some of the things he's told him while the two were imprisoned together. That's right. In that case, Zhao Chao is most likely neglected in the imperial palace. His brother is the Taizi! He's born of a mistress! His dad is the emperor… so that's it!

You Miao can't help but huff with mixed feelings, and taking the stationary, he says, "I'll reply to his letter right now."

Tang Hui grins and nods. You Miao asks, "You've seen Zhao Chao then? How has he been recently?"

Tang Hui cups his hand respectfully to the north and replies, "San-Dianxia is still the same as ever."

You Miao smiles in good humour, "I can't get used to the new address…"

"It's fine." Tang Hui replies, "San-Dianxia naturally cares for Young Master You, so if the Young Master has any orders, feel free to call on the brothers in the Defense Bureau."

When You Miao hears this, something in him stirs, then soon after, something clicks, "Excuse my impertinence… what position do you hold right now, sir?"

"Advising Captain of Yangzhou regional Defence Bureau, Military Officer of Seventh Rank." Tang Hui replies.

You Miao nods. Advising Captain is basically the officer who manages the entire Yangzhou Precture region, and someone who's been sent directly from the imperial guard, but it's only of the seventh rank, so when he meets the County Chief of Anxian County who's of sixth rank, he still have to greet him as sir. What a pain.

You Miao writes his reply, telling Zhao Chao of his own happenings, but after having only written halfway, he rips up the paper, and changes the content to more happy news than concerns. There's an affection deep in his heart that seems to be pouring out, ready to spread across the paper.

"What about General Nie?" You Miao asks.

"Promoted." Tang Hui smiles, "Right-hand Supervisory Officer of the Imperial Guard."

"That ain't easy." You Miao smiles.

Tang Hui chuckles in tacit understanding, "Indeed. Lord Nie also talked about Young Master You, and if there's time after New Years, he will come to Jiangnan again."

You Miao nods. He and Tang Hui both know that it really isn't easy for a man like Nie Dan to be promoted. It's usually incredibly difficult for military officers who don't know how to please civil officials to make it to the position of vice officer of the imperial guard. It was mostly likely a recommendation from zhao Chao."

You Miao cheerfully adds in an invite for Nie Dan to come visit into the letter, and adds, "Tang dge is from Hebei, have you gotten used to Jiangnan? How long have you been here?"

"I've been in the imperial guard for five years," Tang Hui replies, "And it's only with Lord Nie's recommendation that I've been sent out. I came to Yangzhou Prefecture at twenty, and now, it's been six years."

"Being out is not the same as being home, so of course it's hard." You Miao says, "When is Tang dge getting transferred back to the Capital?"

Tang Hui shakes his head hopelessly, "I can't connect with any of the lords in the Capital. If I'm lucky, maybe I can go back during next winter's defense rotation. Right now the defense transfer papers are still stuck at the Ministry of National Defense. Jiangnan, how do I say this, it's good, but…"

A thought comes to You Miao, "Is Tang dge going to the Capital again next year?"

"Hard to say." Tang Hui replies, "What is it?"

You Miao knows that Tang Hui and Nie Dan are both in the same faction, the Third Prince's faction. Unfortunately, the grand founder used force to establish the nation, his ascension to the throne unjust, and so ever since the country was founded, in order to prevent the military from revolt, the Bureau of Military Affairs, the Supervisory Bureau, and the Ministry of National Defense were all established, all of them forming a system that heavily suppresses the military, pushing a military officer's rank to the bottom. Many despair for achievements. It's better still to stay in the Capital; those who are sent out have no payoffs and no military power. After stationing at Yangzhou for a few years, in order to slice off even more military power, the imperial court would transfer these military officers to beyond the border, and that's really when nothing and no one shall heed their calls.

"I'm an old acquaintance of both Li Yan, the Chancellor's gongzi, and Ping Xi from the Minister of National Defense's household." You Miao smiles, "If Tang dge is going to the Capital next year, please do take the trouble of delivering letters and a few scrolls of calligraphy and paintings for me… wait here, sir."

Tang Hui is instantly overjoyed. In truth, You Miao doing this isn't all for him; Zhao Chao is raising his own faction, and You Miao doesn't know how many people he's got under his belt, but if he's showing favour to Tang Hui, then sending the man to him must be in Zhao Chao's pleasure.

You Miao goes to the back and retrieves three paintings, all of them the works of Shen Garden's old owner. In the past few days he's already dusted them off and had them sun dried once then pressed his own collection seal on them. Other people don't know these paintings, never mind painting and calligraphy experts, even Prefecture Chiefs and other lords don't know how to appreciate them. But Li Yan would absolutely know; these are one of a kind in the world, only from Shen Garden.

"This one for Li Yan, this one for Ping Xi." You Miao rolls up two paintings and ties them with a red strings, smiling. "And this set of verses, is for that royal bro of mine."

You Miao spreads out the third scroll of Tang Hui to see, and above the flying dragon and dancing phoenix is a set of verses.

Outside the post by the Parted Bridge,

In loneliness bloom wild blossoms.

Sunset has arrived as I dwell in melancholy in solitude.

Weathering wind and rain.

I have no intention to spring hold onto,

I'll leave jealousy for various flowers to endure.

As blossoms fall to the ground and dust turn into,

There leaves only fragrances that doesn't change.#

"Good verse!" Tang Hui praises in awe.

"It's work of Shen Garden's master." You Miao says.

You Miao sits down cheerfully, and whips out his brush, writing a letter to Li Yan, basically saying that the man delivering the painting is my good bro, you gotta take care of him for me, and when my estate is all set up, come stay and eat however you want any time of the year. When the time comes we can call out Ping-er, Idiot-Lin, Little Hubby Huang, and others, have them all join you in the trip down south to Jiangnan, and I'll take you all to listen to tunes and see the pretty ladies in Yangzhou Prefecture, etc., etc.

Meanwhile the letter to the gongzi of the Minister of National Defense is nothing but silly, completely frivolous, basically saying I miss you I miss you, here's a painting for you, I know you like this stuff. There's more at home, when you're free come down to Jiangnan, come over to my house, I'll cover everything, take all the paintings and calligraphies you want. The military officer bringing you the painting is my solid good bro, his transfer papers are stuck at the Ministry of National Defense, think of a way to let your old man accommodate a little, yea? I'm forever in tears grateful.

Tang Hui is watching next to him, and his expression is the real 'forever in tears grateful', and also the first time he's witnessed You Miao's ability to be slick and smooth.

After You Miao finishes the letters and seals them with a fire seal, he hands them to Tang Hui. Tang Hui says, "You Miao, gege is gonna drop the politeness. The thing today, dge will remember in his heart."

"Don't worry, don't worry," You Miao laughs, "It's nothing but lifting a finger."

You Miao knows that a small time military officer of the seventh rank like Tang Hui would surely be scorned everywhere when he goes to the Capital, and here in Jiangnan he can't exercise his full strength either, so he might as well be sent to Zhao Chao's side to be used as an arm. Tang Hui needed to send gifts and make connections, and it's all people of the Third Prince's faction where Nie Dan's at, so if Tang Hui wanted to knock on the Taizi faction's doors he's out of luck.

But all Tang Hui really needs is just this chance to deliver letters, and You Miao is also at a time when he can't offend either party, he himself has to oil and flex his connections at the Capital more, so he might as well take this chance to show some grace.

When it comes to writing the letter to Zhao Chao, You Miao becomes more prudent, and goes on to write a thick reply in all seriousness. Ever since his mom passed away, there hasn't been many who has treated him as well as Zhao Chao has. Li Zhifeng is one, but the concern Zhao Chao shows seems to be different. You Miao understands all of these affections.

You Miao knows perfectly well who treats him well and who looks down on him. He's written all of this into the letter, and hopes that one day he will get rich, travel to the Capital in glory, and help Zhao Chao out. As he writes, You Miao's eyes grow red in spite of himself, and starts to sob.

"You-di#, don't be too emotional now." Tang Hui comforts, watching from the side.

"You don't understand," You Miao sniffs, sealing the letter, "Everyone knows to join in on the good when times are good, it's much rarer to find those willing to help in times of need."

"That's it exactly." Tang Hui chuckles, "Gege also thinks that defeat is temporary, and there's always the opportunity for a comeback in the future."

You Miao nods and smiles, glancing at Li Zhifeng. Li Zhifeng is still the same, quiet and expressionless, standing silently by the table.

Tang Hui tucks the letters away and You Miao actively goes to send him off. But then Tang Hui thinks of something and turns back around to ask, "What's the brother under you digging? When I first came over you were still sitting all the way out there. You're the young master, why are you doing something like digging?"

"I want to dig a canal." You Miao laughs, "After winter began everyone's gone home for the New Year, I can't find any temp labourers, so I thought I'd do a little digging myself, take it as a workout."

"Aye!" Tang Hui immediately responds, "Why request for government volunteer labour? Gege has plenty of men, I can bring you a hundred men over, and we'll get it all dug in ten days, half a month. Digging the way you're doing it, how long will it even take?"

You Miao already expected something like this and quickly smiles, "It's no problem, no problem, thanks so much, dge. Are the brothers from the Defense Bureau? How much is the pay per day?"

"Why talk about money?" Tang Hui replies, "We were just troubled there's nowhere to go for winter training, so it's free. You helped gege with his affairs and I haven't even thanked you…"

"That won't do." You Miao hastily declined modestly, and Tang Hui adds, "There really is no need for pay, soldiers all have salary, so even if we don't come help you dig, we still gotta find some construction work to do. The way I see it, there's still quite a bit of wasteland here on the hills, I'll send forth a troop lead to bring the brothers over, and reclaim the land for you too…"

You Miao is instantly beside himself with joy, and tackle hugs Tang Hui's waist, exclaiming, "You're my blood brother now! Take all the calligraphies and paintings that you fancy! Order any kind of tea you want to drink!"

Tang Hui doesn't know whether to laugh or cry, "Don't say that, all this gege didi, it's fine if it's just casual, but make sure you don't let your mouth run when you go to the Capital, the one in the Palace of Yande is your ge…"

You Miao hugs Tang Hui, rubbing and patting, trying to burrow himself deep into his arms to butter him up, and nearly kisses him a few times. Tang Hui's handsome face flushes, "Alright alright, I'll have the brothers come in a few days. There's still a moat we have to repair outside the Prefectural Government office, gege gotta go be the supervisor so I won't be coming here, I'll send you someone easygoing…"

You Miao quickly replies, "No need to trouble you to come again, when the brothers come, I'll offer them booze, and I'll cover all the meals."

Tang Hui nods, then hops onto the horse to bid You Miao farewell before the horse trots off.

These soldiers are all genuine people. Mingling with them really is different compared to those civil officials, You Miao thinks to himself. When you're just a bit good to military officers like Tang Hui, the other party would literally die for you.

"This is great!" When You Miao returns to the estate, he pushes Li Zhifeng onto the bed and burrows into his arms, groping all over, rolling here and there.

--- Mozi (470-391 BC) is an ancient Chinese philosopher that came after Confucius, both philosophical schools were seen as rivals during the warring era. Mohists have developed the sciences of fortification, statecraft, and wrote treatises on government. Mohists were often hired by warring states as advisors of the state.

Qimin Yaoshu is the most completely preserved of ancient Chinese agricultural texts, written by the Northern Wei Dynasty official Jia Sixie.

Tiangong Kaiwu is a technical encyclopedia, albeit compiled in the 1600s in actual history.

Mengxi Bitan is written by the Song Dynasty statesman Shen Kuo who compiled this elaborate work while in his own lavish garden estate in Jiangsu.

God of Agriculture, Shennong is credited for teaching the Chinese how to farm, how to recognize and use herbs, and the invention of a number of tools.

Ye Lao is one of the oldest books on agriculture in China.

1 亩 [mu] = 1/15 hectare = about 7 ares

Siheyuan (courtyard house) visuals: [1] [2] [3]

1000 coins, worth 1 silver

Li Zhifeng just monkeybars it across the fucking Yangtze River like its nbd

Big Liang and Small Liang

Lu Ban, also known as Gongshu Ban, is a structural engineer, carpenter and inventor from Zhou Dynasty. He is revered as the god of builders and contractors. "Treatise of Gongshu" is a compilation of his work.

Name of the tea.

-shi suffix for Master/Teacher.

A fable telling of a man who believed he could move a mountain if he dug hard and long enough. In the end he succeeded, and the moral of the story is "one who is determined can accomplish anything". Though obviously You Miao is referring to the story literally in this context.

An infamous rice wine. It used to be flower spirits but gradually it changed into rice wine as time went on. When a boy is born, the family would bury a jug of wine underground to ferment, and in the hopes the boy would grow up to become a champion, it's called Champion Red. If the baby is a girl, it's called Maiden's Red. The jug of wine is unearthed on the day of the child's wedding.

Hebei means North of the River; this river is the Yellow River.

Before Song Dynasty, there was a long conflict with the northern border, and as a result, military ruled supreme and started to form their own factions, which was why in order to suppress the military's control, the newly established government began to place more emphasis on civil service rather than military once peace returned to the border.

Xiucai is a student who has graduated elementary and is preparing for the Imperial State Exam.

"Lyrics to the Melody of Divining Numbers (Ode to the Plum Blossoms)" by Lu You -- Plum blossom only flowers in the winter, shunned by all the other flowers, but it does not care for them, and continues to stand unwithering against the odds.

Little brother You