Chapter 8
The barren land was located at the farthest edge of the estate. It was actually larger than he had expected and wasn’t entirely barren, as many tall trees had been planted there.
There was only an old woman responsible for looking after the garden. When she saw Lu Hanzhi, she immediately tried to kneel and called out, “Greetings Young Master.”
Lu Hanzhi quickly signaled for Luan Feng to help the old woman up and said, “Please don’t be so polite. I’m just here to have a look around.”
The old woman straightened up and stood aside. On the ground was a wooden basin containing clothes that were being washed.
Nearby, there was half a basket of soap pods. In ancient times, there was no laundry detergent or washing liquid, so people used soap pods whenever they could, as most would typically use water mixed with plant ash.
Lu Hanzhi asked, “Old lady, where did you pick these soap pods from?”
Hearing this, the old woman immediately knelt with a thud and, trembling, said, “Young Master, I did not steal any soap pods. These were all collected from the ground after they had fallen.”
Lu Hanzhi: …
The habit of kneeling at the slightest provocation was something he found hard to get used to in ancient times.
Lu Hanzhi stepped aside and said, “Please, get up. I didn’t mean to accuse you. It’s just a few soap pods, it’s not a big deal.”
The old woman stood up slowly and responded, “Yes, Young Master. These soap pods come from the soap pod trees in the garden. Most of the soap pods on the estate come from our side.”
As the old woman spoke, Lu Hanzhi looked towards the garden.
Indeed, there were dozens of soap pod trees planted here. It was the time for the pods to ripen, and from a distance, he could see many green pods hanging on the branches.
Lu Hanzhi furrowed his brows and said, “There are so many, but surely they can’t be used up, can they?”
The old woman hesitated, then, since news of Lu Hanzhi’s punishment of Lu Quan had already spread through the estate, she spoke more boldly, “How could they be used up? Only one-tenth or so are used! The rest, all of them were sold by Lu Quan.”
As for where the money from selling them went, it didn’t take much imagination to guess.
The old woman added, “There are also fruits and vegetables planted in the garden, and there were over twenty workers, but Lu Quan had them all sent away. The wages, however, were still handled by the master’s side, coming and going—quite a bit of money involved.”
Lu Hanzhi was astonished. He suddenly felt like he had been too lenient with Lu Quan!
He should have had him thrown into prison
But the Lu family was large and prosperous. Even a few dozen taels of silver would not be worth noticing.
If he sent Lu Quan to jail just for that, it would make the Lu family seem petty.
Lu Hanzhi asked, “Old lady, are there any old soap pods left from previous years?”
The old woman replied, “Yes, yes. The ones from last year are still in the storage, not yet transported out.”
With that, the old woman led the way and took Lu Hanzhi to the small storage room where the soap pods were kept.
Inside the dilapidated wooden house, there were piles of soap pods.
The old woman continued, “Not only these, our land has good feng shui, which is why the soap pod trees flourish. Over there, and over there, all three of these wood sheds are filled with soap pods.”
Lu Hanzhi nodded, understanding. No wonder the system had said there was a hidden potential here—it must refer to these soap pod trees.
Even selling the soap pods could make a fair amount of money. With an average of three taels every ten days, the GDP goal would easily be met.
It seemed the first mission was indeed an easy one, a “freebie” from the system.
However, he didn’t want to play such a simple game.
After a moment of thought, he came up with his own plan.
He instructed Qin Se, “Go and have someone come to transport some of the soap pods back to the estate. I have use for them.”
Qin Se didn’t ask further, just nodded and turned to handle the task.
The girl was really quite dependable; Madam Lu knew how to use people well.
Then, Lu Hanzhi called for Luan Feng and they headed back to the estate.
But Luan Feng furrowed her brows and looked off in the distance.
Lu Hanzhi followed her gaze and asked, “What’s wrong?”
Luan Feng, puzzled, said, “I… I think I saw Young Miss?”
Lu Hanzhi asked, “Young Miss? Su Wan’ning?”
Luan Feng replied, “Yes, who else could it be?”
Lu Hanzhi said, “In such a remote place, how could a young lady like her be here? You must have seen wrong, right?”
Luan Feng shook her head and said, “It’s impossible. Young Miss likes to wear yellow robes, and I saw her with a blooming primrose branch in her hair. I couldn’t have mistaken her. Young Miss is kind and treats us servants well. We all like her.”
In the original story, Su Wan’ning was indeed a very popular young woman.
Elders adored her, peers admired her, and even the servants thought highly of her.
Su Wan’ning’s charm was evident throughout the story. Even Lu Hanzhi’s servant girl who had little interaction with her, spoke highly of her. It was clear how strong her presence was.
Lu Hanzhi glanced in that direction and said, “How about we follow and take a look? It’s not safe for a young lady like her to be out here alone in the wilderness.”
Luan Feng nodded and followed Lu Hanzhi as they walked over.
From a distance, they saw a delicate young girl in a pale yellow gown standing by the riverbank, holding what seemed to be a black gourd, pouring something into the water.
Lu Hanzhi furrowed his brows. What could Su Wan’ning be pouring into the river?
In the brief moment he stood in a daze, Su Wan’ning had already left. Lu Hanzhi, curious, moved closer to investigate. But just then, the system’s warning sounded in his mind: “Warning! There is a highly contagious virus in the river. Do not approach!”
Lu Hanzhi: ??? What???
He quickly grabbed Luan Feng, stopping her from carelessly moving forward, and frowned, “Don’t go any closer, something’s not right.”
Luan Feng was confused and asked, “What’s wrong, Young Master? Young Miss threw something into the river. I was just going to check what it is. But Young Master, I can’t help feeling that she’s acting suspiciously?” Although Luan Feng didn’t fully understand, she could sense that Su Wan’ning seemed different from usual.
Lu Hanzhi shook his head and said, “It’s best not to go. You should return to the estate first. I’ll go take a look at what’s going on.”
Luan Feng hesitated, not entirely at ease, “Young Master, please come back with me! Let’s bring a couple of servants with you. It’s getting dark, and I’m really worried.” After all, their Third Young Master was a Xiao Langjun. How many people in these rural areas had seen such a young master before?
The precious sacred medicine was not something ordinary folk could afford. Only wealthy or noble families could afford to raise a Xiao Langjun. If some reckless villager didn’t know better, things could get dangerous.
Lu Hanzhi reassured her, “It’s fine. I’ll call a servant and be back soon.”
Since Lu Hanzhi insisted, Luan Feng reluctantly headed back to the estate.
However, Lu Hanzhi didn’t call for a servant. Instead, he quietly moved along the riverbank, heading downstream.
It didn’t take long before Lu Hanzhi froze in shock.
Just moments ago, the system had warned him of a highly contagious virus in the river, and downstream there were at least ten villages.
This river passed through these villages, and the villagers used the river water for drinking, washing clothes, and watering livestock.
If the river really did carry a virus, it was easy to imagine that everyone in these villages would be infected without exception.
Lu Hanzhi’s heart sank in fear, though his expression betrayed his growing panic as he recalled a plot point from the book.
The charming female lead, aside from her incredible luck and being the darling of the powerful figures, also had a characteristic: kindness.
How kind was she? Because the Su family was a renowned family of healers, Su Wan’ning was naturally skilled in medicine.
As a result, she frequently went out to heal the sick, showing up wherever there were outbreaks of illness or epidemics.
She was so revered by the people that she was later known as the “Holy Mother” and was deeply loved by the masses.
In one event, the crown prince escorted her back to the capital when they encountered a large-scale epidemic.
Su Wan’ning’s compassion flared up, and she stayed at the epidemic site for over half a month until the disease was completely controlled before leaving.
However, after the epidemic was contained, she fell ill, and the crown prince, Yu Wenjun, personally took care of her for three days.
These three days also served as a catalyst for the budding feelings between Su Wan’ning and the crown prince, sparking his initial affection for her.
But seeing Su Wan’ning throw something into the river earlier, Lu Hanzhi couldn’t help but question the events in the original story once again.
Why was Su Wan’ning always present whenever there was an outbreak of disease?
Why wasn’t it the other way around, where wherever Su Wan’ning went, an epidemic would follow?
Lu Hanzhi thought anxiously, constantly denying the possibility in his mind.
No one could be so malicious, right? Would she really sacrifice the lives of the common people just to maintain her “Holy Mother” image?
Lu Hanzhi shook his head, trying to reject the idea. If there wasn’t going to be an outbreak, he would dismiss his suspicions.
But if the virus really spread, Lu Hanzhi didn’t even know what to say anymore.
No wonder the original Lu Hanzhi had been outplayed by this woman in the previous life. Someone like her wasn’t easy to deal with.
Just then, the system’s voice came again: “Saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda. Please, host, try to control the epidemic before it spreads. This is a side mission. Completing it will earn 10 exchange points.”
Lu Hanzhi: ???
Yes, he wanted to save these people and earn those 10 exchange points.
After all, while he wasn’t a saint and usually believed in minding his own business, it would be hard to just stand by and watch the villagers die, especially if it was all for the sake of creating Su Wan’ning’s saintly persona. He couldn’t ignore it.
But!
However!
Lu Hanzhi twitched the corners of his mouth and said, “Do you think I’m some kind of immortal? You think everyone is like Su Wan’ning? Just look at that golden finger she has! She can spread a plague whenever she wants, build a harem of powerful men whenever she wants. And then look at you! Both are systems, yet why is the gap between them so huge?”
The system: …
If it had a face, it would have scrunched up like a bitter melon by now.
Encountering such a host during its internship period was truly exhausting.
Clenching its metaphorical teeth, the system reminded him, “Host may check the medicine exchange shop.”
Only then did Lu Hanzhi remember that there was, in fact, a medicine exchange shop.
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