The Lucky Farmgirl
Chapter 522 - 511: Stepping All Over

Chapter 522: Chapter 511: Stepping All Over

The County Governmental Office was closed for the day, and Yang Heshu had not much to do over the past couple of days. When Manbao and her companions came visiting, he was at home, amusing himself by playing his musical instrument.

Upon seeing Manbao and the others, he immediately waved and greeted them with a smile, "You’ve come at just the right time. I was feeling rather lonely without anyone to talk to."

The three kids ran over to where Yang Heshu sat in the open pavilion, which had a brazier by his feet. Seeing Manbao’s bright, sparkling eyes fixed on his instrument, he asked with a smile, "Interested in learning?"

Manbao nodded, Bai Erlang shook his head, but Bai Shanbao said, "I can play."

"Oh?" Yang Heshu gave Bai Shanbao a look and laughed, "At your age, it’s indeed time to learn music. Has your tutor not started teaching you yet?"

All three shook their heads. Bai Shanbao said, "But my grandmother has taught me. I only practice occasionally."

Yang Heshu nodded, "Learning music is good, it can help soothe the mind during leisure time."

Bai Shanbao blinked. That wasn’t what his grandmother had told him. She had said that scholars should know some music, lest they be laughed at when they go out in the world.

Yang Heshu, getting into the spirit, started explaining about the instrument, talking for a while before asking, "What brings you here to look for me today?"

Bai Shanbao took a gift from Daji’s hands and said, "We’ve brought you a gift as well."

The three of them shared their plan to try all the eateries in the county with Yang Heshu. He looked at the three children and couldn’t help but laugh out loud with delight, "What a rare bit of childhood whimsy. What delicacies did you all sample yesterday?"

The county town was only so big, and even with the increase of market stalls, there wasn’t much that Luojiang, who had long resided there, hadn’t tasted. Thus, no matter what they mentioned, Yang Heshu had tried it before.

The four of them discussed the delicious foods while opening the gift box.

Upon seeing the pen holder inside, Yang Heshu paused for a moment.

The three kids, clearly proud, asked Yang Heshu, "Pretty, isn’t it? This is the only pen holder of its kind in the entire Luojiang County. It cost us quite a bit of money to buy."

"..." Yang Heshu couldn’t help but ask, "How much did you spend?"

"Well, it was expensive," Bai Shanbao said. "It cost as much as ten pen holders would on a normal day for me."

Yang Heshu nodded, "That is quite pricey indeed."

But did he find it a bit hard to appreciate?

Yang Heshu stared at the whimsical pen holder for a while, then shook his head with a chuckle, handed it to a servant, and said, "Put this in the study."

The servant agreed and carefully carried off the pen holder.

Upon learning that Manbao was setting up a shop in town, Yang Heshu seemed amused, "Your family seems to be living more comfortably these days, being able to buy a shop?"

"It’s a gift for my sister-in-law. My father would be too stingy to buy it," Manbao relayed her father’s exact words to County Magistrate Yang and said, "I reckon he wouldn’t spend the money on a shop unless he saves up for three to five years."

Yang Heshu laughed, "Your father’s words are not without merit. The world is full of disasters and misfortunes, as well as sudden changes in luck, so it’s always good to have some savings at home. By the way, what does your sister-in-law plan to do with the shop?"

"She’ll sell food."

Yang Heshu clapped his hands in delight, "I guessed as much. I’ll definitely come and support the opening."

Manbao laughed heartily, "Lord Yang, you also think my sister-in-law’s cooking is exceptionally delicious, don’t you?"

Yang Heshu turned his head, pondering for a moment before saying, "It’s not that it’s extremely delicious. I’ve had better than what your sister-in-law cooks, countless times over, but her cooking tastes quite good too. The main thing is, I don’t know why, but it just makes one thoroughly enjoy the meal."

Yang Heshu laughed heartily, "It might also be because every time I eat there, your family enjoys their meal so much, and it makes me feel it’s tastier too."

Yang Heshu had only eaten at the Zhou family household twice, both times because he was dealing with them to buy wheat seeds.

Speaking frankly, he really did enjoy the meals prepared by Junior Ms.Qian.

Manbao beamed with pride and said, "When you come, I’ll ask my sister-in-law to give you a discount."

Yang Heshu nodded with a smile, "Okay."

Their chattering continued until it was time for lunch. Yang Heshu generously invited them to stay and have the meal with him.

The kitchen staff had been informed in advance of the guests’ arrival, so they had prepared an array of dishes with efficiency.

The back of the house tended to be quiet, with only Yang Heshu around, and his requirements were extensive: wanting variety while also being economical and not wasteful. The kitchen staff had to think hard every time they cooked for him, almost to the point of frustration.

So, the kitchen staff always looked forward to having guests.

With guests, they could prepare a greater variety of dishes and not have to worry so much about controlling portions or being too restrictive while cooking.

It was for this reason that Manbao and the others enjoyed dining at County Magistrate Yang’s house the most—not only was the food delicious, but they felt even the servants in the kitchen were very enthusiastic.

Having company, Yang Heshu had a hearty appetite, chatting while eating, "The wheat seeds you provided for this spring and the upcoming autumn have been distributed to the households. I have ordered those who received the seeds to plant winter wheat, though unfortunately, the quantity is insufficient—it’s still not enough."

Manbao said, "That’s because you’re too picky, sir. The rest of the wheat could also be used as seeds. If you’re not satisfied with the ones we’ve selected, we can sell them to you at a lower price."

Yang Heshu shook his head, "Those seeds resulted from a mutation in Qili Village and haven’t been tested elsewhere. It’s better to be cautious. We’ll start by planting a little in each household, and if the yield proves high next year, we’ll buy in large quantities then."

Yang Heshu chuckled, "So don’t sell all your seeds to Old Master Bai in advance."

Bai Erlang said, "This year, we too have planted a lot of the new wheat in our family’s estates, and the yield is very high. We don’t need to buy seeds from outside."

Yang Heshu smiled and asked, "Then why did your father compete with me for them this year?"

Bai Erlang was about to speak when Bai Shanbao covertly kicked him under the table, and even Manbao, sitting next to Bai Shanbao and a seat away from Bai Erlang, stretched out her foot to kick him too. Bai Erlang instantly teared up, looking utterly wronged.

The commotion under the table was neither too great nor too subtle, and Yang Heshu took note. Seeing Bai Erlang’s teary eyes, he couldn’t resist laughing and said cheerfully, "I know, I know, but my circumstance is different from your father’s. He’s in business, and I have official duties."

That meant he needed to be extra cautious.

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