Chapter 68: The Sound of Electricity

At least the valley and the villages were straightforward. The valley had already been handed over to the people of Fengqiu Village, and they worked diligently. My second cousin also went back and forth between the valley and Qinghe County, so any matters could be handled promptly.

The other two villages were even easier. The collection and cultivation were all handled by the people from the Lianhua Society, and usually, only a few households were left to tend to things.

In fact, people in this era were relatively easy to manage, especially now that Tian Mi had become a princess.

Everyone took pride in working for her, and they loved the harmonious atmosphere of the Tian family.

Tian Mi planned to buy a few more households and take the Feng Bao family to the capital to take care of the villages. The Feng family was excellent at farming and worked very carefully.

She decided not to open a beauty shop here, as it would make more sense to take such good products to the capital and earn money from the wealthy people there.

For now, Qinghe County would only focus on making cookies and goat milk candy, while everything else would be sent to the capital.

Tian Mi smiled contentedly, thinking about the silver and handsome, rich men awaiting her in the capital.

The next day, Tian Mi set off with two horses carrying sacks of wheat seeds, riding one of them as she headed toward the valley.

When she reached the top of the mountain, she discovered that a road wide enough for a cart had already been cleared. Many soldiers were working to level and compact the road, and it seemed they were preparing to place stones to firm it up.

Hehe! To get rich, one must first build roads. It was hard to imagine not getting wealthy with this!

Many of the soldiers didn’t recognize Tian Mi, but since not many people used this road and the area was mainly her family’s valley, plus she was traveling alone with three horses, it was obvious that she was the princess.

When she arrived at the valley, the children from Fengqiu Village were outside herding sheep and rushed over happily when they saw her.

“Big Sister Hercules! Big Sister Hercules is back!”

Tian Mi couldn’t help but laugh quietly. Her “Hercules” nickname was well-known throughout the valley.

She took out cookies and goat milk candy from her bag to give them and asked them to continue watching the sheep. The children were overjoyed.

Village head Zhou knew that Tian Mi would be bringing seeds in the next few days. He wasn’t sure what she planned to plant at this time, worrying that they might not have enough time for the crops to grow before the cold weather set in.

With the weather cooling, plants wouldn’t grow, and by winter, they would likely freeze.

Tian Mi had already told him to break up the soil into smaller particles and to lay it out in rows, leaving about 20 cm between each row.

Although Zhou didn’t fully understand why, he followed her instructions because the things Tian Mi grew were always delicious and valuable.

Tian Mi handed over the seeds and checked the land. It had been leveled neatly, and the strong smell of manure was the familiar scent of the countryside’s fertilizers.

There was plenty of animal manure, all mixed into the soil.

Zhou Village Head couldn’t help but remind her, “Madam, it might be too late to plant anything now. It might not survive the winter!”

Tian Mi smiled and said, “When I bought the seeds, they told me that wheat can sprout even in the winter. Even if snow covers it, it won’t die. It will be ready to harvest by next April. At that time, I’ll plant potatoes too. Even if it freezes, it’ll be fine, I can handle it.”

Of course, they wouldn’t freeze.

When Zhou Village Head heard that the wheat could survive even under snow, he realized that it meant they could harvest more food every two years, which was excellent news.

Tian Mi then taught him how to first germinate the seeds, soak them in lime water to kill any insect eggs, then wash them in clean water and finally soak them in warm water. During this process, she explained how to select the best seeds, discarding any that weren’t fully developed.

Zhou Village Head called for his eldest son, daughter-in-law, and several young people from the village to come and learn, all working together.

Meanwhile, Bai Mucheng came to check on the roadwork progress. He had been curious about why Tian Mi had instructed the villagers to plow the land and what exactly she was planning to do. Huang Yuanying had also mentioned something unusual about the plow, and Bai Mucheng was keen to see for himself.

Tian Mi explained to them that once the seeds had sprouted and the little tips started to appear, they should evenly scatter them across the soil and cover them with a thin layer of dirt.

She planned to come back to teach them again tomorrow.

“You only have two oxen here. I’ll go up the mountain and catch a few wild oxen to help you out. That way, when it’s time to harvest and plant, the work will be more efficient.”

“Wild oxen are that easy to catch? Long Feng County Princess, please teach me, Your Highness!” came Bai Mucheng’s voice.

Tian Mi turned around to see Bai Mucheng standing there, dressed in a dark black robe that made his pale, jade-like face stand out under the sunlight, making him incredibly eye-catching.

Tian Mi gave a light smile. “Your Highness is too polite. I’m just trying my luck.”

If you hadn’t come, I would’ve had a hard time catching anything; but since you’re here, well, who knows what’ll happen.

When the others heard that this man was a prince, they didn’t know how to react. Bai Mucheng said, “It’s fine. Please, continue with your work.”

He looked at them sorting through the seeds and asked, “Isn’t it a bit late to plant wheat now?”

Village Head Zhou wanted to say that the princess had assured him it would be fine, but seeing that Tian Mi wasn’t speaking, he held back, only glancing at her.

Tian Mi noticed that everyone was looking at her, so she explained, “The person who sold me the seeds said that as long as the wheat sprouts, it can survive the winter. It will be ready to harvest in April next year, and we can even plant another crop of food, like potatoes. The seeds he sold me, like the potatoes and melons, have all been effective, so I’m sure this wheat will make it through the winter too.”

Bai Mucheng took a deep breath upon hearing this. If it’s true, the country and the common people would benefit greatly!

After a brief pause, he said, “I’ve heard you’ve created a new plow here, one that makes plowing much faster and more efficient.”

Before Tian Mi could reply, Village Head Zhou excitedly spoke up. “Yes, yes! We’ve been using the new plow from the princess to turn the soil here in the valley. Even I, an old man, can use it. It’s much easier and faster than the old one!”

The others chimed in, “Yes, yes! With this plow, we’ve turned all the land here in just a few days. If it were the old plow, it would have taken half a month!”

Worried that Bai Mucheng might not believe them, Village Head Zhou had his eldest son fetch the plow to show him. They even harnessed an ox to demonstrate how efficiently it worked, hoping to prove their honesty.

Tian Mi couldn’t help but laugh inwardly at their enthusiasm. Whether he believed it or not didn’t matter.

Bai Mucheng was also affected by the sincerity of these people. His expression softened, and he thanked them.

Tian Mi, however, had already lost interest. She headed to her courtyard to check on the oranges, lemons, and other citrus fruits she had planted to see if they were ripe. It should be close by now.

Bai Mucheng quickly followed her and asked, “Princess, when we return to the capital, can you bring one of those plows with you? Do you still have the blueprint?”

Huh? He’s being pretty straightforward! Does he even know whose things those are?

Tian Mi asked nonchalantly, “What’s in it for me?”

“You’re asking me what’s in it for you? Why didn’t you ask when you were with me last night?” Bai Mucheng’s sudden remark caught her off guard.

Tian Mi froze and quickly looked around, relieved that no one else was nearby.

Speechless, she thought to herself, this guy normally seems so serious, yet today his mind’s clearly somewhere else.

She took a deep breath and asked, “If I give you the blueprint, does that mean everything’s settled?”

Bai Mucheng saw how nervous she was and couldn’t help but feel secretly pleased. Ha, the chubby guy is always the one feeling nervous, but now, I’ve got her on edge!

He smirked, stepping closer to Tian Mi. She backed away, retreating until her back was pressed against the stone wall with nowhere else to go.

He was now just a hair’s breadth away, and the pressure from his towering presence made Tian Mi feel trapped. She instinctively tried to push him away, but as her hand touched his firm chest, she felt an electric shock and immediately withdrew her hand.

Bai Mucheng grinned and said, “Don’t think too much of it. I’m a prince, and I’m not easy to win over.”

Tian Mi, annoyed but trying to remain calm, retorted, “I can pay you in silver. How much do you want?”

Bai Mucheng looked at the woman before him, the one who had often entered his mind, her skin as smooth as porcelain, lips as delicate as peach petals, alluring in her youth.

He leaned down and kissed her on the lips. A jolt of electricity passed between them, and both their minds went blank.

It took a while before they snapped back to reality. Tian Mi shoved him away, her eyes wide with anger.

Bai Mucheng, however, seemed unfazed, casually saying, “That was just the interest I’m collecting.”

Tian Mi, too stunned to respond, turned and walked back toward her courtyard.