My Lady Says She Wants to Marry Me - Chapter 29

Chapter 29

Lu Youming bought twenty mu of land to use specifically as experimental fields, all of which were planted with buckwheat.

She squatted in the field to check the seedlings. Buckwheat is actually quite hardy; you just need to choose the right land—not too hot and not too cold. If it’s too hot, it dies; if it’s too cold, it won’t germinate. The soil requirements depend on how much you want to harvest; for a better yield, you have to level the land, eliminate pests, and apply base fertilizer properly.

Buckwheat seeds also need careful selection. In the Great Sheng Dynasty, not many people ate buckwheat; most used it to attract bees for honey. Therefore, most of the seeds she and Su Wanrou had collected came from flower farmers and professional beekeepers in other regions.

Lu Youming planned to have the commoners plant buckwheat and keep bees simultaneously in the future. This would allow them to harvest grain while gaining an extra source of income, easing the financial burden on their families.

The average annual income in ancient times reached a maximum of ten taels of silver; since everything they ate and wore came from toiling in the earth, everyone was thrilled to have an additional way to make money. Furthermore, she had inquired about beekeeping, and combined with the formulas Su Wanrou found in books, it should be enough for their needs.

Lu Youming’s thoughts drifted until she realized she was daydreaming. Looking at the vibrant green sprouts, she reminded herself that the most important things for buckwheat were fertilization and watering. Experienced farmers came out every day to check on them. Everyone was pinning their hopes on these tiny seedlings, tending to them as if they were honored ancestors.

At noon, Lu Youming finally had a moment to sit on the field embankment and eat the mantou (steamed buns) she had brought. Today’s buns were specially made by the kitchen, tasting much better than coarse-grain ones. Wen Shu sat beside Lu Youming, munching on a bun as well. Seeing the seeds the Magistrate had personally planted begin to sprout was, for her, a profound experience.

She had never seen a Magistrate step into the mud to plant crops. She even knew how to compost; when the first batch failed, she even comforted everyone. Wen Shu still remembered the “ten-mile fragrance” of the stench during the composting process, which was so foul she couldn’t eat that day. Yet, aside from a slightly sour expression at the time, the Magistrate endured it the rest of the time. Seeing her endurance, the commoners admired her greatly. Many urged her to leave and let them watch over it, but she refused, staying by their side.

It took three attempts to succeed; if the composting ratio was wrong, it would “burn” the seedlings. Currently, a few burnt seedlings were still rotting in the dirt.

Sitting in the field, Lu Youming’s mind wandered to Su Wanrou. She wondered how Su Wanrou’s first day of work was going. She had been astonished to see the desk filled with documents processed by Su Wanrou. The solutions provided in the official papers were excellent; Su Wanrou was clearly very familiar with the court’s laws and regulations.

Lu Youming recalled Su Wanrou’s loneliness when discussing these matters back in Qinghe. Su Wanrou was different from her; she was fortunate enough to use a male disguise to avoid being trapped in the inner quarters. When the opportunity arose, Lu Youming hadn’t hesitated to write the letter of employment, allowing Su Wanrou to serve as her Master Secretary (Advisor) openly and honorably. Even if the court eventually assigned her a County Vice-Magistrate, a Sheriff, or a Registrar, she wouldn’t need to dismiss Su Wanrou. She could continue to participate in affairs under this identity.

Lu Youming wanted to work with Su Wanrou. The woman had talent that shouldn’t be buried in the back of a house. It was good for them to work together—one handling internal affairs and the other handling the external. In any case, she could likely only be a small Magistrate for the rest of her life; working happily with Su Wanrou made her very content.

Having sat in the office all day, Su Wanrou tiredly rubbed her wrists. “Liu Qing, what time is it?” Su Wanrou stood up and walked out of the room.

“Miss, it’s just past the start of the Hour of You (5:00 PM),” Liu Qing poked her head in from the door, smiling. “Are you finished?”

Su Wanrou nodded. “The backlog of documents is handled. I can finally rest.”

Just then, Lu Youming returned. She was wearing a grey short-tunic, dressed like a farmer. She had washed the mud off her boots in the river outside the city, so they were passably clean. As one entered and the other exited, they ran right into each other. Su Wanrou looked at Lu Youming’s farmer attire and nodded with interest. “A beautiful person looks good in anything.”

“Haha, as long as my Lady doesn’t find me distasteful.” Lu Youming walked to Su Wanrou’s side, and the two stood together, looking at each other.

“How was your day at the office?” Lu Youming asked tenderly, worried that subordinates might have made things difficult for her.

“Not bad. The official business wasn’t difficult.”

From then on, the two worked together to handle affairs, one focusing on the internal and the other on the external. The Jinling provincial capital seemed to have forgotten to send more staff to Chongjiang, nor did they send any reprimands regarding a woman handling government affairs. After a long delay in the Jiangnan region, Prince Jian finished the relief work and left, taking the remaining soldiers with him. During this time, Lu Youming had found suitable runners for the yamen—each one handpicked by her for their upright character and physical stamina.

Three months later, Lu Youming stood in the fields in her grey tunic, looking blankly at the vast expanse of green buckwheat. She didn’t quite understand how she had transformed from a Magistrate into a peasant uncle. Nearby, Su Wanrou, also dressed as a village woman, was pouring tea for others.

“Husband, what’s wrong?” Su Wanrou asked, seeing Lu Youming staring blankly at the endless buckwheat fields.

Lu Youming turned her head in a daze, looking at the gentle and virtuous Su Wanrou. She said softly, “I just didn’t expect that one day, I would grow a field of grain that could feed so many people.”

Su Wanrou stood beside her, looking out at the only patch of green left after the Start of Winter. In the fields, the villagers were working with smiles on their faces; they would finally be able to survive the winter.

“Originally, Prince Jian sent me here just to investigate the river levees. He probably never expected we would make Chongjiang burst with life again.” Lu Youming looked at the green with emotion. Harvest season was nearly here; the people of Chongjiang would have a good New Year.

Su Wanrou shared the sentiment. When she and Lu Youming first arrived in the ruined Chongjiang, her heart had been cold. The yamen was dilapidated, the walls toppled by floods, the few remaining runners were skin and bones, and the people were mourning everywhere while thieves ran rampant. This current environment was something Lu Youming had built up bit by bit.

Of course, she had her share of the credit too. Su Wanrou handed her a cup of hot tea. The winter air was chilly, but everyone’s face overflowed with happy smiles. Lu Youming bent down and grabbed a handful of buckwheat stalks; the sickle easily cut through them. Clusters of buckwheat were laid on the ground and tied into bundles.

The most difficult part of buckwheat is dehulling; it only tastes good once the husk is removed. Lu Youming had tried several methods; grinding it with a millstone resulted in a flour that was hard to swallow. Finally, she searched her memory and found that buckwheat could be stir-fried in an iron pot for ten minutes and then soaked in water to remove the hulls.

The first batch of buckwheat had been sent to the processing workshop. The workshop contained several large iron pots hastily forged specifically for stir-frying buckwheat. Lu Youming and Su Wanrou stood together in the workshop, which was as warm as spring. Many young women were busy walking back and forth working. This workshop was Su Wanrou’s idea—it added labor and economic income to the town while solving life problems for many women.

The leftover buckwheat stalks were taken back by the villagers to use as firewood or piled up for next year’s compost. In Chongjiang, people had already begun importing goods from elsewhere to start small businesses. With the New Year approaching, everyone had silver in their pockets from several months of hard work. Compared to just giving out free money, this method stimulated social production better; everyone had something to do, ensuring stability and a safe passage through the dangerous initial period. Thanks to the court’s wealth, taxes in the flood-stricken areas were waived for the coming year.

Lu Youming and Su Wanrou could finally rest. Only now did they realize that managing a county was no easy task. They looked at the dehulled buckwheat kernels with satisfaction. This kind of buckwheat could be boiled and eaten or ground into meal.

“Let’s go. We’ll go back and celebrate the New Year. There will be new things to do next year.” Lu Youming and Su Wanrou left the workshop and headed home.

“We can’t go back to Jinling this year. I’m sure Grandfather and Grandmother will miss us dearly.” Su Wanrou wore a red cloak with a white collar. “Fortunately, winter came slowly this year.” She reached out to touch the air, feeling a slight chill.

Standing under the corridor, Lu Youming and Su Wanrou smiled at each other. “You seem to have grown a bit taller?” Lu Youming suddenly noticed Su Wanrou seemed a few centimeters taller than she was in March.

“Really?” Su Wanrou leaned excitedly toward Lu Youming to compare their heights.

Lu Youming nodded with a laugh. “You can go back and ask Liu Qing; she manages your clothes and shoes.”

“Not necessarily. Lately, Liu Qing has become quite eloquent, following me every day to transport documents.” Su Wanrou’s willow-like brows curved as she laughed.

The two returned to the yamen chatting and laughing. Upon arrival, they received New Year gifts sent from the capital and Jinling City. Looking at the two distinct sets of gifts in the courtyard, Lu Youming understood the situation. The gifts from Jinling were very generous, covering everything from food and clothing to daily expenses. Lu Youming felt a bit ashamed; the gifts she had sent back weren’t even worth a tenth of these. She could only comfort herself with the thought that it’s the thought that counts.

Su Wanrou picked up a list from the capital. Although there weren’t many items, they were very comprehensive, including many trendy clothes, jewelry, and cosmetics from the capital. Seeing this list, Su Wanrou understood. Her father had, without a word, married a new wife.

Seeing Su Wanrou’s expression change, Lu Youming stepped forward. “What is it?”

Su Wanrou managed a weak smile. “It’s nothing. Just that I have a stepmother now.”

Lu Youming: “Eh??”

Su Wanrou took a deep breath, set down the gift list, and looked at Lu Youming with a smile. she beckoned Lu Youming over. Seeing the “wrong” expression on her face, Lu Youming felt a chill down her spine.

“I just remembered… I have some official business in the study. You carry on.” Sensing danger, Lu Youming wanted to slip away.

Su Wanrou reached out and grabbed her. “Stay with me.”

Hearing the loneliness in Su Wanrou’s voice, Lu Youming turned and stroked her hair. Su Wanrou sat and looked up at Lu Youming, reaching out to hug her waist. Her head rested against Lu Youming’s midsection, and tears escaping her lashes dampened Lu Youming’s clothes.

Lu Youming stroked her hair bit by bit, comforting her. She couldn’t really comment on the situation. Truthfully, it wasn’t a big deal for Su Wanrou’s father to remarry, but the fact that he hadn’t even notified his daughter was inexcusable. No letter—just a gift list that implied his marriage. Wasn’t her father-in-law supposed to be an upright, refined gentleman? Looking at it this way, it didn’t seem so.

Lu Youming complained about him in her heart while standing there with Su Wanrou for a long time in silence.

“Husband, will you leave me?” Su Wanrou asked, sounding fragile and lost.

Lu Youming paused, waiting a long time before speaking. “I cannot be certain if I will leave you in the future.”

“You are still young. Perhaps one day you will meet someone you truly love. At that time, we would have to part, but we would still be friends.” Lu Youming slowly stroked Su Wanrou’s back to soothe her.

“And if I never meet a man I love, you will never leave for a lifetime?” Su Wanrou looked up, staring directly at Lu Youming.

Looking at her red-rimmed eyes, Lu Youming felt a pang of pity and joked, “That’s not certain either. What if I meet someone I love?”

They stared at each other. Su Wanrou looked at her own reflection in Lu Youming’s eyes. She said nothing and simply lowered her head to continue hugging Lu Youming. Su Wanrou clearly felt the words she had almost blurted out from her heart: I won’t allow you to love anyone else.

Su Wanrou couldn’t explain her own thoughts. She knew she had fallen for Lu Youming during the flood. But less than two hours after falling in love, she discovered the person she liked was a woman. No one could easily accept that. She deliberately ignored the strange feelings in her heart, yet she still felt a surge of joy whenever Lu Youming was good to her. Even just now, hearing about a future where Lu Youming might love someone else, she felt an inexplicable sense of possessiveness.

Is this love? Su Wanrou could not read her own heart.