Chapter 147: Heading to the Prefectural City to Build a Career

With a fair little face and clear, bright eyes, Wei Mingting found himself involuntarily lost in reverie, recalling the playful, cute, and lively appearance of his daughter when she was a little girl.

Before his eyes, it was as if a sweet-smiling little girl was running towards him, laughing and calling out "Father" over and over again.

Wanwan had also been a fair and adorable child when she was young, yet every time she saw him, she would be somewhat timid and cautious, even her voice when calling him father barely audible.

If it were-Ruo, she certainly wouldn't be afraid of him and would boldly and coquettishly act spoiled in front of him.

It was only a pity that fate played tricks on people; ultimately, he had missed all of those moments.

"Father?" Wei Ruo noticed that Wei Mingting was looking at her in a daze.

Wei Mingting snapped back to reality, realizing his momentary lapse.

"Ruo'er, your father truly doesn't know how to thank you," Wei Mingting murmured, a surge of warmth filling his heart.

"Father need not thank me for this. Yingying and I brought these medicinal herbs not merely for your sake, but for all the soldiers in the army and for the people of Xingshan," Wei Ruo replied.

It genuinely had nothing to do with whether the commander was Wei Mingting or someone else entirely. As long as it was not some treacherous villain, both Wei Ruo and Xie Ying would have delivered these supplies today.

"Regardless, the Anti-Wokou Army owes you and Miss Xie a debt of gratitude, the wounded soldiers owe you a debt of gratitude, and your father owes you a debt of gratitude as well," Wei Mingting said in a solemn tone.

"Father, let us speak of these things after the war has ended. I know you still have much to attend to, so I won't disturb you any longer. Once Yingying and I have finished sorting the remaining medicinal materials, we will have them sent over to you," Wei Ruo said.

"Very well. Be careful on your way back."

Wei Mingting urged with a parting instruction, then watched with lingering reluctance as Wei Ruo walked out of his tent.

***

After delivering the medicinal materials to the Anti-Wokou Army, Wei Ruo ceased to concern herself with the affairs of Xingshan County, setting off with Madam Yuan toward the prefectural city.

Upon arriving in the prefectural city, under Madam Yuan's arrangements, Wei Ruo took up residence in Tianqin Garden.

Once settled there, Wei Ruo was free from constraints; she no longer needed to tread as cautiously as she had within the Commandant's Estate.

Early the following morning after her arrival, Wei Ruo took Xiumei and headed straight for the estate lands.

There, Wei Ruo met Xu Zhushan and the estate's steward.

The steward was a man in his forties with the surname Yu. Slightly hunchbacked and lean-faced, he nevertheless appeared honest and reliable.

Xu Bo had arrived several days prior, yet this steward had not taken advantage of Xu Bo's honest nature to conceal anything from him, respectfully assisting him in managing affairs. From this single detail, one could already glimpse the man's moral character.

During this period, Xu Zhushan had already thoroughly grasped and straightened out the situation on the estate.

Wei Ruo called the two men before her and inquired about the condition of the surrounding lands.

Afterward, Wei Ruo instructed: "Here is what we will do: help me find out if anyone nearby is selling or mortgaging their land. We will acquire all of it."

"Miss, are you planning to purchase land on a large scale?" Steward Yu asked in surprise.

"Yes, we are buying land," Wei Ruo replied with a firm attitude.

"But Miss, the weather has been poor recently, and crop yields have failed everywhere. Acquiring land at a time like this is perhaps... unwise," Steward Yu reminded her.

"It is fine. As long as the price is right, we will buy as much as we can," Wei Ruo naturally understood these concerns, but she had already made up her mind to proceed in this manner.

With grain production currently dropping, it was precisely the time when land prices were low. Wei Ruo intended to seize this opportunity to acquire more farmland and expand her enterprise.

Moreover, Wei Ruo happened to have the hundred liang of gold in her possession, giving her the capital required to purchase land.

"Then... what about the issue of manpower? Miss, if we buy up more land, it will inevitably require a greater workforce," Steward Yu asked again.

The current hands on the estate were only sufficient to manage its existing fields; with more land, the workforce would fall short.

"Hire those impoverished farmers who have lost their land, as well as refugees," Wei Ruo stated.

"Hire impoverished farmers and refugees?" The steward was somewhat taken aback.

Impoverished farmers were one thing, but refugees were rather startling.

After a moment of thought, Steward Yu still voiced his concerns to Wei Ruo: "Miss, refugees have no fixed abode, their backgrounds are difficult to trace, and they are not easily managed. It is easy for trouble to arise..."

"I am aware that this will require more effort and carry greater hidden risks than hiring only trustworthy local residents, but I am willing to make this attempt."

Naturally, Wei Ruo had already weighed these factors before speaking. Since she was willing to do this, she had surely thought it through. Even though management would be relatively more difficult and prone to certain missteps, she refused to dismiss all refugees with a blanket rejection simply out of fear of such trouble.

After all, these people were the most vulnerable and desperately needed a way to support their families.

"Very well, I shall set about organizing and arranging it immediately," Steward Yu responded, setting to work without delay.

Wei Ruo and Xiumei then accompanied Xu Zhushan to inspect the estate's conditions once more. The land provided by Madam Yuan was indeed superior to ordinary soil—fertile and rich. The plowing and turning of the soil had already concluded, and soon they would be able to plant the new wheat seeds that Wei Ruo had brought.

Regarding the sowing of wheat at this time of year, the farm laborers had many objections, believing that wheat planted so late would struggle to grow well.

Though they doubted it in their hearts, they still carried out the tasks assigned by the stewards.

Wei Ruo had no objections to this. After all, the usual time for sowing wheat had indeed passed, and their worries were only natural. As long as they diligently performed the work in their hands, that was enough.

After busying herself at the estate for two days and ensuring all necessary arrangements were in place, Wei Ruo took Xiumei to stroll through the streets of the prefectural city.

Though it appeared to be a leisurely outing, she was actually scouting for suitable shop locations.

Ordinarily, for an outsider without background to open a shop in the prefectural city would be difficult to accomplish even with money. However, with Madam Yuan as her backer, this particular worry was entirely bypassed.

Although the place was remote from the imperial capital and the people of the Commandant's Estate would not find out, Wei Ruo wore a veil on outings just to be cautious.

After all, for a young lady of a prominent clan to show deep concern for farming was already quite unusual; going into the streets to open a commercial shop was something entirely indefensible.

After wandering the streets for two days, Wei Ruo finally set her sights on two adjacent shops located near the Drunken Immortal Pavilion.

The prices of the shops were not cheap, but Wei Ruo felt that the prime location fully justified the cost.

Wei Ruo loved money, but whenever an expenditure was worthwhile, she would part with it without the slightest hesitation; you cannot catch a cub without entering the tiger's den.

She intended to use one of the shops to open a branch of the Four Treasures Gallery.

Items related to the Four Treasures of the Study always sold better in places frequented by scholars, aristocrats, and numerous students, making the prefectural city a vastly superior location compared to the county town.

However, this meant she would have to find a way to expand the scale of her paper-making workshop.

The other three of the Four Treasures were not produced in her own workshop, but rather procured through contacts with other commercial establishments, ensuring an ample supply of goods. Only the paper was self-produced, and its output remained limited.

Consequently, the Four Treasures Gallery had always imposed purchase limits on paper, bundling it with other products whenever possible simply to boost overall sales volume.