Chapter 16: Clever Solution to a Difficult Problem

Early in the morning, the sound of gongs echoed throughout Linjia Village.

The villagers who hadn’t gone out to work in the fields were puzzled and went out to investigate. They saw the village chief holding a bronze gong, followed by a dozen or so villagers, all looking anxious.

“Everyone, come out quickly! Something big has happened! Hurry to the village square for a meeting!” The village chief shouted loudly along the way.

Since such a situation had never occurred in Linjia Village before, the villagers couldn’t help but feel anxious and worried, wondering what had happened. Even the usually gentle and calm village chief was in a state of panic.

“What’s wrong, village chief?”

“Village chief, is it conscription?” It seemed impossible, as it had never happened before.

“Village chief, why are you so anxious?”

The repeated calls of “village chief” made the village chief’s head ache. He shouted, “Look back at the hill behind us, and you’ll know.” Then he hurriedly continued to the end of the village, ringing the gong as he went.

Bang, bang…

In bed, Chen Xin furrowed her brows slightly and opened her eyes helplessly. In fact, she had woken up early and finished her exercises, but she wanted to stay by Xiao Yu’er’s side a little longer, smelling the scent that belonged only to him.

Chen Xin knew what had happened outside, just as she had thought last night. A large chunk of the hill behind them had been cut off, from the foot of the mountain to almost the top, where the vegetation was dense and unusually tall. From a distance, the missing section was very conspicuous, but it was difficult for the villagers to notice.

At this moment, Fang Ziyu moved slightly, and Chen Xin propped herself up on her elbows, watching him slowly open his eyes, filled with confusion and dissatisfaction. Chen Xin found it both funny and cute. Xiao Yu’er was probably awakened by the sound of the gong.

“Xin?” Fang Ziyu, who was not completely awake yet, looked at the roof and called out.

Seeing this, Chen Xin rubbed his head and smiled, “Xiao Yu’er, is the sun warming your bottom?”

Warming his bottom? What does that mean? Fang Ziyu was stunned, realizing it was Chen Xin’s voice. He turned to look at her, and seeing her smiling at him, his mind cleared up immediately. Blushing, he buried his face in her embrace.

Xiao Yu’er was easily embarrassed but sometimes had quite the courage. Chen Xin liked that about him.

“I’ll get up first. The village chief called for a meeting at the village square. You can sleep a little longer.” Knowing that he was awakened by the noise, she wanted to let him sleep a bit more. She patted Fang Ziyu’s back and said.

Fang Ziyu nodded at her, “Mm.” He had just heard the noise too.

Seeing Fang Ziyu acting like a little baby, Chen Xin kissed his forehead, got up, and prepared to wash before heading out.

Walking slowly along the village road, Chen Xin nodded and greeted the villagers from time to time. Although it seemed slow, her pace was actually as fast as the villagers who were jogging. If you didn’t pay attention, you wouldn’t notice. Chen Xin was relieved, knowing that everyone was too preoccupied to observe her at the moment.

“Everyone, calm down, calm down. Our Linjia Village has always been peaceful and never caused trouble. But last night, there was a warning on the hill behind us. Can anyone explain what happened?”

Chen Xin arrived at the meeting place and heard the village chief, who was surrounded by the crowd, asking.

Suddenly, Chen Xin’s heart jumped. She forgot about the extreme superstition of ancient times. The timing was too coincidental, as it was the same time she and Xiao Yu’er arrived here. If the villagers got suspicious and started speculating, giving them, the two outsiders, an unjustified accusation, it would be a headache. Although she didn’t mind trouble, she didn’t like unnecessary hassle.

Thinking of a solution, she stepped forward confidently and said to the middle-aged village chief, “Chief, may I speak?”

Sure enough, Chen Xin instantly attracted the villagers’ attention. Seeing it was Chen Xin, everyone smiled kindly, although they were worried about the “warning from heaven.”

Chen Xin naturally stood out with her outstanding temperament. Now, when she spoke, the village chief felt a scholarly aura coming from her, feeling that the town’s young ladies were not even half as good as her.

“Please go ahead,” the village chief said with a slight bow, feeling that Chen Xin must be someone of importance.

Last night, she heard about the arrival of an unmarried couple in the village, staying at the end of the village. Wasn’t it the messy man she rented to a few days ago? And wasn’t it the injured young lady? It turned out to be an unmarried couple.

Chen Xin didn’t mince words. “I think this is a warning from heaven, a good omen.”

“Why do you say that?” The village chief asked, puzzled, humbly seeking further explanation.

Chen Xin continued, “Let me ask you, how much do we harvest in Linjia Village in a year?”

“Not much. After paying taxes, we can only have enough to eat…” the village chief sighed.

Hearing this, Chen Xin nodded, not surprised. She had seen the living standards in Linjia Village, which were very difficult. Apart from a few acres of farmland, there were hardly any chickens or ducks in the whole village.

“Since heaven has given us a warning, there must be a reason behind it. Why don’t we follow it? What do you think?” Chen Xin teased, leaving a suspense.

“That makes sense. Please, miss, give us some advice. We would be very grateful!” Seeing hope, the village chief squeezed out all the ink in his brain to think hard for solutions.

Seeing this, Chen Xin didn’t play games anymore and said directly, “Plant on the mountain.”

The villagers didn’t understand what she meant and looked at Chen Xin with confusion and discussion, but the village chief, who had studied for a few years, had some clues, although she wasn’t sure because she had never heard of such a method.

“Linjia Village has more mountains than fields. We can plant some crops on the mountain, such as sweet potatoes, sugarcane, peanuts, medicinal herbs, and so on.”

Linjia Village relied on mountains for food. The land was fertile, but they didn’t know how to make use of it. They probably never thought about planting crops on the mountain. Chen Xin thought so.

The crowd didn’t understand. Could sweet potatoes also make money? In the past, they only dug some up when they were starving. They felt that the sweet and greasy taste couldn’t compare to rice, which was both fragrant and filling. What’s more embarrassing was that sweet potatoes were prone to flatulence. Had they all been mistaken?

In fact, Chen Xin had her own ideas when she mentioned sweet potatoes.

The village chief’s eyes lit up when she heard about making money. She eagerly asked, “Please, miss, enlighten us. How can we make money from these?”

Chen Xin smiled faintly. “If you don’t mind, you can sell the harvest to me when the time comes, at a price ten percent higher than the market price. Of course, it must meet my quality standards.”