Transmigrated as a Peasant Girl with Prophetic Dreams: Using My Space to Become the Richest Person - Chapter 45

Chapter 45: A Reward for Yang Xue

The group walked out of the Village Chief’s house. Yang Laosan quickly pulled Yang Xue aside and whispered, “Xue’er, that ‘mineral’ thing you mentioned… is it for real?”

“Of course it’s real.”

Yang Laosan glanced at the others before murmuring, “Did you see it in a dream?”

“Mm-hmm.”

“What exactly is that stuff? The Magistrate seemed pretty worked up when he heard about it.”

Yang Xue looked at him, puzzled. “Dad, you don’t know what coal is?”

Yang Laosan scratched his head. “I feel like I’ve heard of it, but maybe not.”

Yang Xue thought about it and realized why. In the Da’an Dynasty, coal was a scarcity—a precious commodity. It was likely something only high-ranking officials and nobles could afford. It wasn’t surprising that someone like Yang Laosan, who had spent his whole life in the village and hadn’t seen much of the world, wouldn’t know what it was.

“Dad, let me tell you, coal is rare. It can replace firewood. You can use it for cooking, and more importantly, it’s used for heating in the winter.”

“Is that so…” Yang Laosan thought to himself that if it was just like firewood, it couldn’t be that precious.

As the group headed up the mountain, several curious villagers began tailing them. One grabbed Yang Laosan and asked, “Yang Laosan, what did you say to the Magistrate? Is he really not going to arrest you guys anymore?”

Yang Laosan nodded tentatively. “I think so.”

A neighbor immediately whispered, “Well, your girl Xue was right anyway. The reason the Magistrate had for arresting you was totally unfair.”

“Exactly!” another chimed in. “Why should you and the Village Chief be hauled off?”

Others were more interested in the “big secret” Yang Xue had mentioned. “Hey, Yang Laosan, what did you actually tell the Magistrate?”

Yang Laosan figured that since so many people were following and no one was stopping them, the news wasn’t a secret anymore. “My girl says she found some kind of coal mine on the mountain. I don’t really get it myself.”

The villagers were confused. “A coal mine? What’s that?”

Hearing their confusion, one man spoke up smugly, “You guys don’t know what a coal mine is?”

Everyone turned to him. “You do?”

“Of course.”

“Then tell us, what is it?”

“Let me tell you, coal is good stuff. Only the rich and powerful can afford it; us common folk have no hope of using it.”

“But what is it?”

“It’s… well, it’s something you use to keep warm.”

The crowd was amazed. “Whoa, really?”

At that point, Yang Laosan added, “My Xue’er says it’s like wood. You use it to cook and to stay warm in the winter.”

Upon hearing this, the crowd collectively scoffed. “Pfft—so it’s just firewood? What’s the big deal? I thought it was actually something valuable.”

The man who claimed to know the world grew anxious. “You don’t understand! How could it be the same as firewood? If it were just wood, it wouldn’t be reserved for the nobility!”

The villagers paused. That actually made sense. If that was the case, this “coal” must be something quite extraordinary.

…

Guided by Yang Xue, the group arrived at a spot on the mountain. The area was overgrown with weeds and shrubs; there was no visible sign of what they were looking for.

“Little girl,” the Magistrate said, “you say there’s a coal mine here? You wouldn’t be playing a prank on this official, would you?”

“Sir, I have no desire to be beaten with planks or rot in a cell. Why would I dare trick you?”

The Magistrate looked at Yang Xue with a newfound respect. After all, very few commoners could stand before him without trembling in fear. Not only was Yang Xue unafraid, but she also spoke with total composure.

The Magistrate actually preferred this. He only wanted the guilty to tremble before him; he’d rather the innocent act normally. If everyone acted terrified, it made it much harder for him to judge a case. A cowering person always looks guilty, which was confusing for him.

Thinking of this, the Magistrate’s gaze fell on Yang Laosan. Take this man, for example—he was still shaking like a leaf. It made him look incredibly suspicious. If you haven’t done anything wrong, why are you scared?

The Magistrate began to internally justify his own earlier blunder. See? I can’t be blamed for wanting to convict him earlier!

Yang Xue, unaware of the Magistrate’s mental gymnastics, walked toward a spot she had marked. “Sir, the thing we are looking for is right under here.”

The Magistrate immediately ordered his men to clear the area. Once the brush was removed, dark patches were revealed.

The villagers gasped. “There are black rocks here?”

The Magistrate was excited, but since he had never actually seen an unrefined coal mine, he needed to be certain. He turned to his subordinates. “Go! Quickly, find an expert who can identify this!”

“Yes, sir!”

Lin Yuansheng and Wei Xiao stood nearby. Wei Xiao’s eyes flickered; he was certain this was coal. He had dealt with coal mining issues alongside his father in the past.

The Village Chief was also certain. He, too, had assisted the former Magistrate Wei with coal-related matters. However, what shocked him was that Yang Xue recognized it. If anyone else in the village had seen this, they would have just assumed it was a pile of black rocks.

Yang Laosan’s daughter is no ordinary girl, the Village Chief thought.

While the Village Chief was surprised by her knowledge, the Magistrate was equally curious. Even he, a government official, didn’t dare make a definitive claim without an expert, so how was a village girl so sure?

“Little girl, how do you know this is coal?”

“I read about it in a book,” she replied. “Black, rough, not as hard as stone, and if you scrape it with a fingernail, it leaves a black powder.”

The Magistrate chuckled. “Excellent, excellent. A girl who likes to read and applies her knowledge. If this is confirmed to be coal, there will be no shortage of rewards for you.”

…

Since it would take time to bring an expert to the site, the Magistrate left guards on the mountain and headed back down to rest. By noon, the men finally returned with an expert. After an inspection, the man confirmed that the site Yang Xue discovered was indeed a coal mine.

The Magistrate had expected the result, but hearing it confirmed still made him surge with excitement. He couldn’t even imagine the level of commendation he would receive for this discovery. He immediately dispatched messengers to report to his superiors.

The Magistrate returned to the county seat that same day, though most of his men remained behind to guard the mountain.

As soon as the officials left, the villagers “went wild.” They swarmed Yang Xue with questions, and she instantly became the village celebrity. Everyone now knew that Yang Laosan’s daughter had made it big—she found a coal mine, and the Magistrate himself was going to reward her.