The entire farm of the little Zai Zai covered about five mu of land — not very large.
It was located in a village outside the capital, still quite a distance away. Even on horseback, it took a fair amount of time to reach.
Because it was close to the capital, there were almost no uncultivated fields in the surrounding area. Everything was either farmland already under cultivation or other people’s estates. Most of this land belonged to wealthy merchants who had leased it out and then sublet it to common folk for farming.
Only now, it was the coldest, most frozen season of winter. Yan Country was suffering from a frost disaster. Looking out from the little Zai Zai’s farm, all one could see were fields blanketed in snow, scattered all over with messy footprints of weasels. The scarecrows had been toppled over, and no one bothered to set them upright.
They weren’t barren fields, but they looked even more miserable than wasteland.
Now was certainly not a good time to lease farmland.
That was why Zhong Ganping had been so surprised when he heard the little Zai Zai’s request.
But the little Zai Zai’s desire to plant, to increase the yield of crops as much as possible, was no longer just for the sake of earning silver.
The long-term worker Wu’s family dealt in timber. He himself was a carpenter with some small skill. After being saved by the divine physician, he had been feeling uneasy, worrying that his dull mind would make him useless — that the divine physician would dislike him.
So these past few days, he had been almost sleepless, tirelessly cutting wood and tying ropes, following the cold-proof shed diagram Lu Huan had drawn for him, and copying it piece by piece to make another shed!
His diligence was astonishing!
Su Xi looked at the interface. The little avatar of Worker Wu had dark rings under his eyes like a panda’s. He had already been thin and frail, now he looked even smaller.
This little man wasn’t afraid of hardship at all. Wherever the Zai Zai went, he hurried to follow, gazing up eagerly as though he wished he could cling to the Zai Zai’s back like a snot-nosed child.
Whatever the Zai Zai said, he would listen with an expression as reverent as if he were bathing and burning incense to worship a deity…
It might be an exaggeration, but calling him a fanboy wouldn’t be wrong!
Su Xi instantly felt a surge of affection toward Worker Wu, mentally promoting him to her number-one little brother.
By contrast, Guard Bing and Master Ding were also grateful to the Zai Zai, but they didn’t treat him like a life-saving god the way Worker Wu did.
Su Xi followed the Zai Zai to inspect the cold-proof shed that Worker Wu had built.
It was still just a test structure. To save lumber, it wasn’t large — only one or two square meters. Though it wasn’t a perfect replica of Su Xi’s original design, it was still a functional imitation.
Su Xi found the little avatar quite endearing and was deeply satisfied.
But apparently, the Zai Zai was stricter. After circling around once, he pointed out several areas for improvement and told Worker Wu to revise them later.
Just as Su Xi was about to think the Zai Zai was being too demanding, she saw Worker Wu’s face light up with tears of joy as he quickly agreed.
Su Xi: …
Please try not to start a personality cult inside the game!
With that, the matter of the cold-proof sheds was basically resolved. Next, once Worker Wu further perfected the structure, he would begin hiring people to build more sheds for production.
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At present, the farm had three hundred chickens, along with various agricultural products and seeds.
On Su Xi’s screen, messages quickly popped up with the Zai Zai’s instructions to his three subordinates.
The Zai Zai planned to standardize everything: first, to build five chicken sheds, each divided into six sections.
At ten chickens per section, each shed could house sixty chickens, perfectly accommodating all three hundred.
This way, the chickens would have plenty of living space, and the earlier chaos — feathers flying everywhere — wouldn’t happen again.
Apart from that, the next concern was the crop yield.
Now that the frost disaster was severe, relying on eggs alone could not relieve the famine.
They had to cultivate other crops with far greater yields.
Lu Huan saw that someone had brought over potatoes. Potatoes were indeed filling, but once planted, given the current frost-bound weather, it would take at least five months before they could be harvested. And right now, during a famine, five months was far too long. Moreover, other winter crops also had pitifully low yields because of the extreme cold.
If only there were some kind of facility like the cold-proof sheds, it would be wonderful to grow vegetables inside those.
The Zai Zai thought of this, and Su Xi immediately caught on as well. Inspiration flashed through her mind — wasn’t this simple? Greenhouses! Ready-made modern technology that could be applied!
However, the principle of a greenhouse was different from that of the cold-proof chicken sheds, and Su Xi wasn’t sure if she could construct one using the materials and blueprints available in the in-game shop. Still, she decided she would try it later!
If she could really make one and apply it to the Zai Zai’s farm, wouldn’t his farm become far more advanced than any other in the entire ancient era?
The more Su Xi thought about it, the more excited she became. Then she saw on-screen that the Zai Zai had handed over ten taels of silver to Master Ding, instructing him to start hiring workers. They didn’t need to be particularly skilled — just honest, diligent, and willing to endure hardship.
Master Ding, being old and experienced, had a keen eye for people. Entrusting this matter to him was no problem at all. The next day, he went to the marketplace to scout for workers, and before the day was even over, he had found a dozen strong men.
Because of his special status, the Zai Zai never appeared before the servants and seldom visited the estate. If anything came up, Guard Bing would deliver a message.
As a result, those new workers were full of curiosity about their mysterious employer whom they had never seen — but both Master Ding and Worker Wu kept silent about it…
In this way, the people, the land, and the materials were all in place.
In Su Xi’s data panel at the top right, under the category [Talents and Subordinates], a new line of tiny avatars appeared: “Workers ×13.”
Under the leadership of Worker Wu and Master Ding, some of them tended to the chickens, some began reclaiming barren land — everyone was busy and bustling.
From Su Xi’s perspective on the screen, it was endlessly amusing. A dozen thumb-sized little figures hopped back and forth across the display, tirelessly farming. It was like she was managing her own team of employees. She watched with delight, her heart brimming with satisfaction.
With that, the setup of the farm was temporarily complete. Next would come the greenhouse and egg harvest — both matters that would take time and couldn’t be rushed.
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But as the saying goes, there are no walls that can keep out all the wind. No matter how tightly one tried to control the servants’ tongues, the matter of Princess Ning kowtowing for medicine could not be completely silenced!
After Prince Ning’s Madam’s son’s illness slightly improved, she finally had the mood to attend a plum-blossom appreciation gathering. Yet there, all the other noble ladies whispered quietly among themselves, their gazes at her filled with a mix of ridicule, pity, and amusement.
Prince Ning’s Madam instantly realized what had happened. Her face turned pale and then livid by turns. She didn’t even finish admiring the flowers before hastily returning home.
Enraged to the point of almost falling ill again, she immediately ordered the guards of the residence to find out who that insolent “divine physician” was — the one who had mocked and humiliated her!
Meanwhile, Lu Yuan had caught wind of a bit of information. He heard that the Fifth Prince and the Minister of Revenue had gone to great lengths to invite that young divine physician for a meeting!
That clearly meant the Fifth Prince and the Minister valued this divine physician highly.
And indeed — this divine physician had not only saved the Minister of Revenue’s youngest daughter, but during the great cold epidemic in the capital, he had saved thousands of lives at Yong’an Temple. Although the matter hadn’t been formally reported to the Emperor, the whole capital already knew of it!
This physician had entered the view of the powerful and noble, it was only a matter of time before those elites began competing to befriend him.
Even the Second Prince had mentioned him at the Imperial Academy earlier that day, speaking with quite a bit of admiration.
At once, Lu Yuan thought — why shouldn’t he be the one to find this man and introduce him to the Second Prince? Wouldn’t that be a great merit for himself?
The Ning Prince’s household had been in decline in recent years. Though they had sided with the Second Prince’s faction, the Second Prince had shown them nothing but indifference. The old matron had always hoped Lu Yuan could become the prince’s study companion, but even after entering the Imperial Academy, he had never once managed to exchange more than a few words with him. Because of that, the old matron had looked down on him even more.
…If this time he could seize the opportunity and bring that physician — already renowned among the common people — into the Second Prince’s circle, wouldn’t the Second Prince finally look upon him with new favor?
After Lu Yuan conceived that idea, he began inquiring everywhere about the whereabouts of the young divine physician.
Meanwhile, another major incident took place in the Ning Prince’s manor.
The old matron had long suffered from rheumatism; whenever it rained or snowed, her knees would ache. It had never been life-threatening — just painful — something an elderly person could endure with time.
Who would have thought that after being dragged into icy water by that foolish Lu Wenxiu last time, her rheumatism would worsen? These days, she could scarcely get out of bed!
That was why, even when Lu Wenxiu had fallen seriously ill, she hadn’t gone to see him once.
Imperial physicians from the palace had come to examine her and merely prescribed some moxibustion, advising her to rest quietly. After all, such long-standing ailments could not be cured overnight.
But the problem was, after hearing about the appearance of that miraculous physician in the capital, the old matron grew eager to invite him for a consultation. She was, after all, a relative of the Zhenyuan General’s household — how could she not be able to summon him?
That was what she thought, yet the people she sent out could not find the man at all!
In the end, the Ning Prince’s manor had three separate groups of servants all searching everywhere for the divine physician.
Su Xi watched them scurrying about like headless flies, while also watching her little Zai Zai returning as usual to the firewood courtyard, taking off his robe and changing clothes. She couldn’t help but feel an amused satisfaction — the kind that came from “having a priceless treasure hidden at home that no one else knows about.”
Soon after, she remembered Main Quest One: to earn the old matron’s favor. She had only completed half of it so far.
Now that a new storyline involving the old matron had appeared, didn’t that mean it was time to complete the remaining half?
That night, she left a few packets of medicine for the Zai Zai — as usual, redeemed from the game’s shop — meant for treating rheumatism. Rheumatism was a chronic ailment that could rarely be fully cured, only alleviated. But since the shop’s medicine had a guaranteed effect, it would undoubtedly be far superior to anything prescribed by the imperial physicians of this era.
───♡───
The next day, Lu Huan found the medicine. Opening the packets and examining the herbs inside, he immediately identified them as remedies for rheumatism.
He was well aware that the old matron had been bedridden recently because of that very illness, so he quickly deduced — this person wanted him to go treat her?
But why?
All these years in the Ning Prince’s household, Lu Huan had struggled alone in the mire, growing from a small, battered child into a young man entirely through his own efforts.
When he was little, the Madam Ning had found ways to force poison down his throat, leaving him feverish and half-dead through the night — nearly losing his life — and during those hours, the deep, silent manor never sent a single person to check on him. Not even the old matron.
At most, Fourth Concubine had come by afterward to ask a few perfunctory questions.
The old matron was not ignorant of what had happened; she simply couldn’t be bothered to intervene.
No wonder Lu Huan’s heart had turned cold. Even though he had studied medical texts thoroughly, his knowledge no less than that of a palace physician, and knew that moxibustion could relieve her symptoms, he had scarcely ever set foot in Mei’an Courtyard. He had never once truly cared about the old matron’s suffering.
He was utterly indifferent, her life or death meant nothing to him.
Yet now, that person wanted him to save her…
And since it was that person’s wish, he would do it — for that person’s sake.
During these days, that person had done much for him. Aside from the warmth and care, Lu Huan had gradually discerned the deeper purpose behind their actions—
That person had helped him administer medicine and heal people, establishing his reputation in the capital; helped him make connections with wealthy merchants and officials, laying a path ahead; and by aiding him in developing the farm, it was likely to solve the crisis brought by the frost disaster, further elevating his standing and prestige in the capital.
And now, being asked to save the old matron must also have its purpose — most likely, to win over her and the Zhenyuan General’s entire branch of the family behind her…
Could it be that everything that person had done was intentionally meant to draw him into the power struggles of the capital?
There was no other explanation.
Lu Huan’s brow twitched slightly, his expression shadowed and complex.
Naturally, he was unwilling to be anyone’s pawn.
If it had been before — when he still harbored vigilance toward that person — he would surely have ignored such an instruction and tried to uncover the hand that had been silently pushing him forward, to seize it and demand to know that person’s true purpose.
But at some point, he no longer knew when, that person’s purpose had ceased to be what mattered most to him.
What mattered more was whether that person could continue to stay by his side like this.
He had been walking alone through wind and snow for far too long.
Though doubts still lingered in his heart — fears that everything he was receiving was merely born of his own greed, and that once the kindness and companionship vanished, he would face an even bloodier blow afterward —
By now, those doubts could no longer withstand the pull of his longing and desire.
No matter what that person’s ultimate goal was, no matter for what reason they had come to his side, he no longer cared.
All he cared about was that this companionship might last a little longer — a little longer still — and never disappear.
All he cared about was that person.
───♡───
With that thought, Lu Huan, as calm as ever, spread a sheet of paper across his desk and dipped his brush into ink.
He didn’t voice any of the questions that lingered in his heart.
After all, if he truly were a chess piece, then the moment a piece asked the player, “Why?” — it would mean the game was nearly over.
He would not allow even the slightest possibility of that happening.
There was a nine-in-ten chance that this person was simply treating him well out of genuine intent. If that was the case, he would be happy.
But if there was a one-in-ten chance that this person saw him merely as a pawn to be used, and all the kindness was incidental then he would turn that one-in-ten into the nine-in-ten above.
After all, there was still plenty of time ahead.
The thoughts in his heart were, of course, completely unknown to Su Xi outside the screen.
What she could see was only the little Zai Zai standing before his desk, his round bun-like face slightly lowered in thought — looking no different from a kindergarten child staring blankly at a “1 + 1 = ?” problem.
Su Xi watched with anticipation, wondering what he would write to mother today.
Then she saw that what the Zai Zai wrote on the paper this time was not a question, but a request:
—— “I’ll agree to treat the old matron, but will you agree to one condition of mine?”
Oh ho, Su Xi couldn’t help but laugh — so he was starting to make demands now! The Zai Zai’s courage was growing; three days without discipline and he was ready to climb onto the roof.
The Zai Zai picked up his brush again, hesitated for a moment, and continued writing on the paper:
—— “During the autumn hunt at Qiuyan Mountain, there is an early-blooming pear tree. I’ll be waiting for you beneath it.”
He lifted the brush once more, paused longer this time, and pressed his lips together slightly — but after a moment’s hesitation, he still gritted his teeth and wrote four more characters.
For once, the icy indifference on his face melted away, replaced by a trace of youthful nervousness and hope — the kind that comes from longing to see the most important person. Even the tips of his ears flushed faintly red.
But after a brief moment, he steadied himself again and quietly suppressed every trace of emotion that had slipped through.
—— “I want to see you.”
The sudden appearance of those words on the paper made Su Xi’s heart outside the screen jolt violently.
