Chapter 69: Xu Nian Inspects Her Private Estate and First Hears of Young Master Huifeng

After Wang Pingting left, Xu Nian followed her daily routine of practicing martial arts, attending lessons, and cultivating medicinal herbs.

Yesterday, Xu Jian returned home for his ten-day break from school. Upon learning that Xu Nian was training in martial arts, he insisted on joining the martial arts class at the county academy. His determination led to an uproar last night—Second Aunt, who had always been composed, lost her temper for the first time and chased Xu Jian around the entire courtyard.

Having breakfast, Xu Nian still felt a bit sluggish. She had gone to bed too late the previous night. She forced herself to stay alert and went to Shouzhu Courtyard to pay her respects, only to find that she was the last to arrive.

Madam Wang, with a warm smile, waved her over.

“You didn’t sleep well, did you? Grandma has something that will surely wake you right up.”

Curious, Xu Nian looked over and saw Madam Wang take out a land deed. She eagerly accepted it with joy.

“Did Second Uncle finally find a suitable one?”

This was something she had asked her Second Uncle to handle some time ago. Since she had some savings, she wanted to buy a small estate to grow medicinal herbs, which would also provide an additional source of income.

“This estate isn’t very large, just 128 mu (acres) of mountainous land, but the price is exactly within our budget, so I went ahead and purchased it.”

“Thank you, Second Uncle! I thought it would be difficult to find something suitable within our price range.”

Xu Nian was surprised to see that the land deed was registered under her name.

Madam Wang chuckled. “It’s your own money—who else would it be registered under? Don’t worry, no one in the family has any objections. Think of it as saving up for your dowry in advance.”

Xu Nian didn’t refuse. She had always wanted her own private property, but since the Xu family was a large household, she had to consider everyone’s feelings.

After breakfast, Xu Nian couldn’t wait to visit her new estate.

Since the Xu Ji brothers happened to be free, they accompanied her. Xu Ling and Xiaoliu also made a fuss about wanting to go, but in the end, Zheng Shi firmly put her foot down.

“You two are too small with weak arms. You’d only cause trouble if you went. Stay home and do your embroidery or practice your calligraphy as you should.”

Seeing their reluctance, Xu Nian coaxed them, “If you behave and stay home, I’ll take you both out for grilled lamb ribs tomorrow.”

The moment they heard they could go out tomorrow, their moods instantly improved. They even sweetly sent the group off at the gate, amusing the adults.

Xu Nian’s estate was located 15 kilometers outside the county. It was purely mountainous land with a small main courtyard. Compared to the estate in Lingshan County, it was much smaller, but since it wouldn’t be frequently occupied, that didn’t matter.

There were only five tenant households on the estate, living in a few thatched cottages at the foot of the mountain. When they heard that the new landowner had arrived, they all rushed over.

Xu Fugui introduced Xu Nian as the new owner of the estate. The tenants, seeing the well-dressed young lady, nervously clutched the corners of their clothing as they greeted her.

“What was this estate previously used for? How were the harvests?” she asked.

An elderly tenant hesitated before gathering his courage to reply, “The land here is quite barren, so we could only grow soybeans. In good years, the yield per mu could reach one dan, but most of the time, it didn’t even reach that.”

Xu Nian nodded in understanding. After calculating, she realized that these tenant families barely harvested ten dan of grain in total each year. That amount had to feed their families, and they still needed to sell some for silver in case of emergencies.

No wonder these tenants were dressed even more poorly than those in Lingshan County.

“From now on, this estate will be used to cultivate medicinal herbs. I will teach you how to grow them properly,” Xu Nian stated.

Seeing that everyone was listening attentively without any complaints, she was quite satisfied and continued,

“Every year, I will provide each household with ten dan of fine grain and five taels of silver. However, you must carefully tend to the medicinal herbs on this land.”

The tenants gasped in shock. Such generosity! Ten dan of fine grain—if they exchanged it for coarse grain, they could finally have full meals every day. Not to mention, there was silver included as well!

Excitedly, they all started speaking at once, eagerly swearing that they would take great care of the medicinal herbs. They weren’t afraid of hardship or toil—what they feared most was seeing their children go hungry and their elders fall ill with no means of treatment. With such a rare opportunity before them, they had to seize it tightly.

“In a couple of days, the medicinal herbs will be delivered here. My Second Uncle will teach you how to plant them properly. Here’s ten taels of silver—each household gets two taels as an advance payment. Once the herbs are harvested, I will send someone over with the remaining silver and grain.”

The tenants carefully accepted the silver, feeling a newfound sense of security. No matter how difficult it was to grow medicinal herbs, they would make sure to learn—after all, their entire families’ livelihoods depended on it.

As Xu Nian led her group away, she took the time to inspect the surroundings. She quickly realized that the area was filled with estates belonging to prominent families. When Xu Fugui had come to purchase the estate, the land broker had introduced him to these estates, so he was already familiar with most of their owners.

“That large estate over there belongs to Young Master Huifeng,” Xu Fugui said, pointing toward the most impressive property in sight. “The land broker mentioned that this Young Master Huifeng has quite the background—he’s said to be highly knowledgeable and exceptionally talented.”

Intrigued, Xu Nian glanced in the direction he indicated. A tall courtyard wall surrounded the entire estate, concealing most of it from view. Only a faint glimpse of green-tiled rooftops could be seen beyond the enclosure.

Xu Ji, however, seemed especially interested in this so-called Young Master Huifeng. He had heard the name more than once from their tutor.

“Second Uncle, have you heard anything else about this Young Master Huifeng?”

Xu Nian raised an eyebrow at her younger brother, surprised by his curiosity. She hadn’t expected him to be this nosy.

Xu Fugui shook his head. “Land brokers are tight-lipped. They’ll tell you what they can, but they won’t reveal anything they shouldn’t.”

Xu Ji’s face showed a trace of disappointment.

“Why are you so curious about him?” Xu Nian finally asked.

Before Xu Ji could respond, Xu Jian, who was always loud and excitable, jumped in.

“Our tutor mentions Young Master Huifeng at least once every three days! I swear, my ears are about to grow calluses from hearing about him. And yet, Big Brother is still obsessed with him, always saying he wants to witness the man’s brilliance firsthand.”

“Third Brother, Young Master Huifeng is an exceptionally gifted individual,” Xu Ji replied earnestly.

Xu Jian scoffed, rolling his eyes. “You’ve never even seen him with your own eyes.”

“…”

Though Xu Nian was pleased to see her usually reserved brother showing such enthusiasm, their bickering was getting on her nerves. Finally, she let out a sharp “Quiet!” to shut them up.

“If I didn’t know better, I’d think this Young Master Huifeng was some kind of enchanting beauty, given how you two are arguing over him like lovestruck fools,” she teased.

Both brothers immediately shouted in unison, “Big Sister!” Their faces flushed red with embarrassment, making Xu Nian burst into laughter.

Meanwhile, inside a passing carriage that had just crossed paths with them, laughter echoed as well.

“Jinzhi, since when did you become a delicate beauty? And such a dangerous femme fatale at that!” one of the passengers chuckled.

The young man addressed as Jinzhi was dressed in scholarly robes. His peach blossom-shaped eyes curved slightly in amusement as he leisurely poured himself a drink, appearing utterly unbothered by his friend’s teasing.

“You’re no fun,” his companion sighed. “But seriously, are you still not planning to return to Shengdu? Aren’t you worried your father will give your heir position to that little brat?”

Shang Jinzhi’s lips curled into a faint smirk, a mischievous glint flashing through his otherwise refined demeanor.

“How about we make a bet?” he said lazily. “Let’s see if my dear little brother even has the fate to claim it.”

Yu Guan shook his head and instinctively scooted a little farther away from him.

“I’ve already lost too much to you—I’m not betting on anything else. Whether you go back or not, that’s your problem…”