Chapter 4: Wheat Fills the Shipping Container

The next day.

At the break of dawn, Ye Chutang was awakened by noise.

Villagers who weren’t working in the fields had voluntarily come to the estate to help clean up the burnt ruins of the west wing and kitchen.

The Liu family of three had perished in the fire, leaving behind only a pile of white ash.

The villagers wanted to gather the ashes and build a memorial tomb for them.

But out of nowhere, a strange gust of wind blew through, mixing the ashes with charred debris and plant matter.

“What… what do we do now?”

Ye Chutang stepped out of her room and said, “Leave it. That’s Heaven grinding their bones to dust.”

At her words, a collective shiver ran through the crowd.

Aunt Wang rubbed her arms and said, “Then let’s just follow Heaven’s will and leave it be.”

With that, she lifted a basket from the ground and handed it to Ye Chutang.

“Miss Ye, I figured you probably haven’t had breakfast yet, so I brought you some porridge and pickles. Hope you don’t mind.”

Ye Chutang took the basket. “Thank you, Aunt Wang.”

“Have something to eat first. We’ll clean up the burnt ruins.”

“Okay. I’ll come help once I’m done eating.”

“No need, it’s too dirty. The place is all but gone anyway. There’s not much left to clean—we’ve got this.”

Ye Chutang didn’t insist. She walked over to the stone bench beneath the begonia tree and sat down.

In the basket was a bowl of thick porridge, yellowish in color—clearly made with lower-quality rice.

There were also two oily vegetable pancakes, some pickled vegetables, and a boiled egg.

To her modern taste, this breakfast was barely a step up from chewing on bark.

But she knew that for the poor farmers of ancient times, this was a feast they might only enjoy once or twice a year.

She only ate one dry, throat-scratching pancake and sipped a bit of spiritual spring water.

Half an hour later…

The villagers had cleaned up all the unburnt wood and dust, leaving only two charred patches behind.

Any usable pots and bowls had been scrubbed clean.

Aunt Wang wiped the sweat from her face and looked at the sun already high in the sky.

“Miss Ye, the village chief already sent someone to deliver a message to the Ministry of Rites. Someone should arrive by tomorrow at the latest.”

The estate was nearly two hundred li from the capital. With a fast horse, a round trip could be done in a day.

Ye Chutang gave everyone some spiritual spring water, pretending it was just well water.

“Got it. Thanks for all your help. Have some water to moisten your throats.”

Aunt Wang took a sip, and her eyes lit up.

“The well water tastes sweet today. Miss Ye, did you add sugar?”

Ye Chutang nodded without blinking.

“I found a bag of sugar in the east wing and tossed it in the water bucket.”

A villager who had never tasted sugar before sighed in awe.

“No wonder sugar sells so expensive at the shops. Just one sip and I feel completely energized!”

“Right? My back was aching earlier, but a sip of sugar water and I feel fine.”

Everyone praised the “sugar water” to no end and couldn’t bear to drink it all.

They wanted to take some home for the elderly, the kids, and the hard-working menfolk to try.

Ye Chutang didn’t mind. “As you wish.”

“Thank you, Miss Ye.”

Aunt Wang thought about how the estate kitchen had burned down and cooking wasn’t possible.

“Miss Ye, until someone from the Ye family arrives, I’ll bring you three meals a day.”

Ye Chutang knew she meant well, but she didn’t want to torture her stomach and politely declined.

“No need. There’s food and vegetables in the cellar. I can stack up some stones for a makeshift stove and cook.”

Seeing her firm attitude, Aunt Wang didn’t push further.

After the villagers left…

Ye Chutang took out steaming hot century egg and lean pork congee from her space, along with crispy fried dough sticks, and enjoyed them thoroughly.

During her free time, she often made food and stored it in her space, ready to eat anytime.

After eating, she practiced martial arts under the begonia tree.

She needed to strengthen her body and restore her internal energy.

But her original body was far too weak—after less than an hour of training, she was already dizzy.

She returned to the east wing, sat cross-legged on the chaise lounge, and regulated her chaotic qi.

Once she finished cultivating her inner energy, it was already noon.

She had a bowl of tomato beef brisket over rice, then entered her space to take a bath and napped on the bed.

After waking up, she resumed her training.

After dinner, she strolled near the estate to help digestion.

Passing by a large granary, the guard greeted her, “Good evening, Young Miss.” Through the original host’s memories, Ye Chutang recognized him.

“Uncle Fu, the wheat harvested earlier—has the Ye family not shipped it off for sale yet?”

The Ye family’s hundred mu of fertile land grew wheat in winter, which was harvested in late spring. Then they planted rice, which was harvested in early autumn.

The harvested grain was temporarily stored in the granary, guarded in rotation by Uncle Fu and ten other guards.

Once market prices were good, they’d sell the grain. The guards would then return to the Ministry estate in the capital.

Uncle Fu replied, “Master originally planned to sell it, but the price of wheat dropped sharply, so he decided to hold onto it for now.”

Hearing this, Ye Chutang’s fingers twitched with anticipation.

Although ancient grain yields weren’t high—about 300 jin per mu—a hundred mu meant 30,000 jin. That was no small amount.

She’d come harvest it tonight!

As a Ye family member, taking her own family’s grain… that’s fair, right?

After chatting with Uncle Fu and gathering some updates about the Ye family, she returned to the estate.

She trained until midnight. Once the world was silent, she snuck to the granary.

Four guards were patrolling outside.

She used her earth-type supernatural ability to dig a tunnel into the granary.

The distance was short, so it wasn’t difficult. It only cost her one merit point.

With a wave of her hand, over 30,000 jin of wheat disappeared into her storage space. One of her shipping containers inside was nearly full.

She then extended the tunnel into the mountains—since that was a longer distance, it cost two more merit points.

After that, she returned the way she came and went to sleep at the estate.

Originally, Ye Chutang planned to head to the capital with the repair crew once the Ye family sent someone to fix the estate.

But three days passed—her head wound had healed—yet not a single soul from the Ye family showed up.

The villagers started talking.

They said Ye Jingchuan had completely abandoned the daughter he’d left in the countryside and wouldn’t care if she lived or died.

That no one in the capital even remembered the legitimate eldest daughter—only the beautiful and talented second daughter, Ye Anling.

That Ye Chutang was pitiful and would never return to the Ministry estate. She’d end up marrying a peasant.

After three days of staying indoors, Ye Chutang sneered coldly.

“I’ll make sure the entire capital remembers the name ‘Ye Chutang.’”

With that, she packed her things and prepared to leave for the capital.

But as soon as she stepped out of the estate, she was stopped by the Ye family’s warehouse guards.

“Young Miss, you can’t go anywhere.”

The guard was stunned. Even in plain coarse clothing, Ye Chutang was breathtaking.

In just a few days, how had she become so beautiful?

Ye Chutang had been training her body, cultivating internal energy, and drinking spiritual spring water.

She was no longer the sickly, sallow girl—now she was a fair-skinned, stunning beauty.

One smile, and she was radiant beyond words.

The guard was momentarily bewitched by her smile.

Ye Chutang suddenly shouted toward the villagers irrigating rice nearby, “What? Ye Jingchuan wants to starve me to death?!”

The guard snapped out of it, face changing.

“Young Miss, please don’t talk nonsense! And don’t call the master by name!”

Ye Chutang rolled her eyes and raised her voice even louder.

“Ye Jingchuan thinks I’m just some country woman, thinks I embarrass him, and wants me to die to redeem his honor? But wasn’t he the one who sent me to the countryside?”

“If not for my mother, Ye Jingchuan wouldn’t have had the money to take the imperial exam, or the connections to make it in the capital!”

“He used my mother’s dowry to take in a concubine—fine. But now he wants to kill me for the rest of the dowry? Doesn’t he fear karma?”

Her voice rang like a bell, echoing across the entire village.

The gossip-loving villagers: We never expected Lord Ye to be this kind of person!

The guard, flustered by her accusations, tried to cover her mouth.

Ye Chutang easily dodged him and ran out of the village with her bundle.

“Help! He’s trying to kill me!”

The guard: “…”

The villagers: Lord Ye has no conscience—he’s even trying to kill his own daughter!

The guard chased after her while desperately trying to explain.

“Young Miss has gone mad—don’t believe a word she says!”

The villagers rolled their eyes: Believe you? Over her? You’re clearly the murderer!

Ye Chutang ran all the way to the village entrance, nearly colliding with a luxurious carriage.

She frowned. Why would a fancy carriage come here?

Then she saw the wooden plaque hanging on the door: it was engraved with the word Ye.

Could it be… the original host’s scumbag father was finally here?