Shen Qingwan straightened up and once again pulled out a delicate, compact pistol from her waist.

The gun was no larger than the palm of a hand, appearing harmless at first glance.

Yet, for some reason, when its dark barrel was aimed at him, accompanied by that woman’s arrogant and wicked smile, Beichen Yuan inexplicably felt that the weapon was extremely dangerous.

A sharp “bang” rang out as Shen Qingwan tilted the gun slightly, shooting a vase off the shelf.

The speed, the power—Beichen Yuan had no doubt that if that bullet hit a person, it would leave a bloody hole.

And if it hit someone’s head…

Shen Qingwan’s lips curved slightly. “Can I leave now?”

Beichen Yuan narrowed his eyes as he looked at her.

Was she threatening him?

“Master?”

Xuantian rushed in after finishing off the assassins, only to see the woman holding a strange metal object aimed at his master—while his master stood motionless.

Xuantian was baffled. What were these two doing?

Shen Qingwan glanced at Xuantian before slowly backing out of the private room.

Xuantian initially wanted to stop her, but his master spoke first.

“Let her go.”

Watching Shen Qingwan leave, Beichen Yuan clenched his fists and gave a deep command, “Investigate her background, and also that concealed weapon she used.”

Xuantian bowed and left to carry out the order.

That woman clearly had no internal energy, yet she had managed to single-handedly take down most of the assassins.

Her skills were impressive.

If she hadn’t intervened today, Xuantian alone might not have been able to handle all the assassins.

Though there were hidden guards in the shadows protecting him, he preferred not to expose them unless absolutely necessary.

Shen Qingwan hurried back to the village after leaving the tavern, staying extremely cautious along the way to ensure that Beichen Yuan did not send anyone to follow her.

Upon returning, she discussed building a house with Old Man Lu, entrusting him with the project and giving him 200 taels of silver—more than enough to hire workers for the job.

Old Man Lu had never seen so much silver before.

Holding the two 100-tael banknotes, he felt as though he could wake up laughing from a dream.

As for reclaiming land, Shen Qingwan assigned the task to Lu Wenguang.

She planned a large-scale land reclamation, knowing that her household labor alone would not be enough.

Thus, she instructed Lu Wenguang to go to Suzhou City the next morning to find strong and hardworking laborers to assist.

She offered 500 copper coins per mu of land cleared.

The soil in Suzhou was mostly sandy, making land reclamation relatively easy.

A strong laborer could clear one mu of land in three to four days, and 500 copper coins was already considered a high wage—especially during times of hardship.

Shen Qingwan was determined to take bold action.

She wanted to revolutionize agriculture and animal husbandry in ancient times, at least ensuring that the people of the Great Xia dynasty had enough food and warm clothing.

Only then would her journey through time be worthwhile.

Since she had come here, she wanted to leave behind something meaningful. Perhaps this was her purpose in this era.

With her mind set on a grand undertaking, Shen Qingwan took a basket of supplies the next day and visited the village chief along with Old Man Lu to explain her plan.

She knew she couldn’t accomplish everything alone—she needed the support and cooperation of the entire Dahe Village to proceed without worries.

“You want to hire villagers to reclaim land?”

The village chief was astonished, as Shen Qingwan’s idea was incredibly bold.

Even Old Man Lu had only just learned of her plan and was momentarily at a loss for words.

“Yes. The land that villagers reclaim can be sold to me at 500 copper coins per mu. While they may not have land now, they will have money in their hands—enough to buy food to survive this winter.

Next year, they can reclaim more land for themselves without delaying the spring planting. No matter how much land is cleared before the new year, I will purchase all of it. Later, when planting begins, I will also hire villagers to help. By then, they will earn enough money to buy food.”

Although there were many refugees, they were still outsiders.

While hiring some was acceptable, relying on them too much would make management difficult.

Even after listening, the village chief still didn’t fully understand why Shen Qingwan wanted to buy so much land. “Eldest daughter-in-law, what do you need all that land for? Do you want to become a landlord?”

Old Man Lu was equally puzzled, watching Shen Qingwan without interrupting.

“Uncle, even if we plant wheat on newly reclaimed land before the new year, the yield next year is uncertain. But I have crops that can yield a high harvest.

Suzhou City is currently filled with refugees. If they aren’t properly settled and don’t have food for winter, they won’t survive. If I can grow high-yield crops before winter, not only will our village have enough to eat, but we can also help those refugees.”

At the mention of high-yield crops, the village chief’s interest was immediately piqued. “Eldest daughter-in-law, what kind of crops are you talking about? How much can they produce per mu?”

Shen Qingwan didn’t respond immediately.

Instead, she lifted the basket she had brought. Even before she opened it, a sweet aroma wafted through the air.

The village chief had been curious about its contents but hadn’t asked.

She took out a steaming hot sweet potato and a potato, handing them over. “Uncle, Father, try these.”

Each took one.

The village chief broke the sweet potato in half, and the fragrant aroma made him eager to taste it.

The sweet potato was soft, fragrant, and delicious—unlike anything he had ever eaten before.

It tasted so good that he hesitated to eat more, choosing instead to share with his grandchildren.

Old Man Lu first tried the potato, which was also soft and tasty. He then sampled the sweet potato, which had a similar texture but a different flavor.

After they finished, Shen Qingwan handed them two ears of corn. As they took bites, the village chief’s eyes turned red.

“This delicious food… Can it really produce high yields? Will common folks truly be able to afford it?”

Old Man Lu also looked at her expectantly.

Shen Qingwan nodded, no longer keeping it a secret. “This is corn, a type of grain. Before it fully ripens, it can be boiled or roasted. Once mature, it can be ground into flour or used for porridge. The yield is about 2,000 jin per mu.”

“What? 2,000 jin per mu?”

The village chief trembled as he held the golden corn, looking at Shen Qingwan in disbelief.

“Are you sure it’s not 200 jin?” Old Man Lu was also skeptical.

Even 1,000 jin per mu was considered an excellent yield!

“Father, you’ll see when we grow it—it’s truly around 2,000 jin.”

Since she was unsure about the soil quality here, Shen Qingwan gave a conservative estimate.

“These potatoes yield around 4,000 to 5,000 jin per mu,” she continued.

“Four to five thousand jin?” The two men exchanged stunned glances.

“Eldest daughter-in-law, are you sure? Not 400 to 500 jin?”

Even 400 to 500 jin per mu would be considered excellent.

“Father, when we grow them, you’ll see. The yield is truly 4,000 to 5,000 jin per mu,” Shen Qingwan confirmed.

“In fact, sweet potatoes are similar—they also yield around 4,000 to 5,000 jin per mu. If the land is fertile, the yield can reach 6,000 to 7,000 jin. Sweet potatoes can be eaten raw, boiled, or dried into snacks and flour.”

“Since it’s already July, potatoes and corn can’t be planted in time. So I plan to grow sweet potatoes and fast-growing vegetables on a large scale.

In addition to farming, I want to raise livestock. That will require building farms and hiring workers, so I need your help and support from the villagers.”

Hearing this, Li Zheng’s blood surged with excitement.

He even had the urge to let Shen Qingwan take over as village chief!