Transmigrated as a Peasant Girl with Prophetic Dreams: Using My Space to Become the Richest Person - Chapter 60

Chapter 60: Farming One Acre at a Time

Yang San had already decided to let Yang Xue hide the land deed, but her suggestion sparked another thought.

This works too, he reasoned. I’ll let her hide it first, then the whole family will search. If we find it, it means her hiding spot isn’t safe, and I’ll have to find a better place for the deed and the remaining silver myself.

“Alright, let’s do as you say,” Yang San said, handing the deed to Yang Xue.

Once she took it, everyone else stepped outside the cave. Huang Zhongcai and Huang Zhongqing, waiting outside, looked on with bewilderment.

They expected Yang Xue to take a long time, but she emerged only moments after they had stepped out.

“Alright, it’s hidden. Go ahead and look for it.”

“That fast?” Yang Shuang looked at her sister skeptically. “You didn’t just hide it on yourself, did you?”

Yang Xue confidently spread her arms. “If you think I’m hiding it, feel free to search.”

Yang Shuang actually did a quick pat-down, but of course, she found nothing. The family then rushed into the cave to start the search.

Huang Zhongcai and his sister watched with curiosity. Yang Xue smiled at them. “Just a moment, our family is playing a little game.”

The siblings exchanged a glance, thinking how loving and fun this family was. They truly had chosen the right people to follow.

While Yang San and the others searched high and low inside, Yang Xue sat leisurely outside on the ground, leaning against the cave wall and munching on an apple. She pulled out two more and handed them to the siblings.

“Here, eat up while we wait.”

Last night, Huang Zhongqing had sliced the apple Yang Xue gave them, sharing it with her brother. The flavor had lingered on their tongues. Given how precious such fruit was, they felt embarrassed to take more. “No, no, we still have one left.”

“Just eat. I picked them on the mountain.”

The two reluctantly accepted them but didn’t eat them immediately.

By the time Yang Xue had finished her apple, the family inside was still searching stubbornly. She stood up and walked back in. “Well? Any luck?”

Yang Yu and Yang Tian chirped immediately, “Nothing! We can’t find it! Second Sister, where did you hide it?”

Yang Xue chuckled. “If I told you, it wouldn’t be a secret spot anymore, would it?”

Yang San and Qian Yue’e gave up as well, though Yang Shuang was still reluctant to admit defeat.

Yang Xue leaned against the side with her arms crossed. “Sister, are you still looking? Shouldn’t we get ready to head down the mountain?”

At the mention of tilling the fields, Yang Shuang finally gave up. “Xue’er, your hiding spot is incredible. I’m impressed.”

Yang San added, “Then let’s head to the fields now.”

“We should pack lunch and take it with us,” Yang Xue suggested. “It’ll save us time so we don’t have to hike back up at noon.”

Qian Yue’e agreed. “Right, I’ll go cook now.”

“I’ll help you, Mom,” Yang Shuang followed.

Qian Yue’e was about to cook for the Huang siblings as well when Yang Xue told them, “You two go back and prepare your lunch too. Bring it down the mountain so we don’t have to come back until evening.”

The siblings nodded and turned to leave, but Yang Xue called them back. “Do you know where to get water?”

There was a spring on the mountain that flowed downward, not far from the large cave. They used it for cooking and washing. Though the flow wasn’t huge, it was constant.

Huang Zhongcai nodded. “I know it.” He had scouted the area thoroughly yesterday.

“Good. Go get your lunch ready then.”

…

The Strategy

After they left, Yang Xue said to her father, “Dad, today Mom and the rest of us will start weeding the land. You and Little Uncle should build a thatched hut on the building site first.”

“Why build a hut?” Yang San asked. “There are big trees there for shade when we rest. Is it really necessary?”

“It is. Once the tilling is done and the seeds are sown, someone needs to stay down there to keep watch.”

“Tilling will take a long time,” Yang San argued. “We should all till together first to get the land ready. The hut can wait.”

Yang Xue realized they weren’t on the same page. She had assumed they shared her vision, but apparently not. To till fifteen acres before planting anything would take forever—the optimal season would be long gone.

“Dad, we don’t need to clear all the land before we start planting. We should do it one acre at a time.”

“One acre at a time?”

“Yes. We finish one acre and plant it immediately. That way, we get a harvest much sooner. If we wait to clear all fifteen acres before sowing, it’ll take too long. We need to harvest and make money as soon as possible.”

Yang San thought about it and realized she was right. If they planted acre by acre, the seeds in the first acre would likely be well-grown by the time they reached the last one. It would indeed provide a much faster return.

Plus, if the vegetables from the first acre didn’t sell well, they could pivot and plant rice instead. Inferior land could still grow rice; it just required more management and yielded less. But with fifteen acres, even a poor yield would be enough to pay taxes and keep them fed.

“Xue’er, you’re right. We’ll do it one acre at a time.”

As Qian Yue’e and Yang Shuang were cooking, Yang Xue said, “Since Mom and Sister are busy, let’s head down first.”

“Go ahead,” Qian Yue’e called back.

Yang Xue, Yang San, and the two youngest kids started down the mountain. Halfway there, Yang Xue suddenly stopped. “Wait for me a moment, I need to go grab something.”

“What are you getting, Second Sister? We’ll come with you,” the kids offered.

Yang Xue gave a mysterious smile. “You can’t come. I’m getting a surprise for you. If you come along, it won’t be a surprise anymore!”

At the mention of a surprise, the kids immediately stayed put. “Really? A surprise? We’ll wait here, but come back quickly!”

“Don’t worry, I’ll be right back.”

Yang Xue breathed a sigh of relief as she walked away. Gullible little things, she thought. If they followed me, how could I pull things out of my space?