Chapter 107: Wild Man [seeking Monthly Votes]
On the other side, He SIZhi and his disciple also heard Shi Tou’s shout, and when they came out to look, Shi Tou had already pulled Shang Wan away.
He SIZhi was worried that something had happened at the host family. He couldn’t free his hands from combing Liang Liang’s hair, so he had Gao Yan go over to ask.
“Xiucai Scholar, has something happened?”
Lu Chengjing was still dazed, only vaguely guessing that it had something to do with farming.
Gao Yan said, “If there’s something, just call us. We may not be able to help with anything big, but we still have some strength.”
Just for the fact that Shang Wan’s family could feed Ma Jieyong until full without minding his huge appetite, Gao Yan felt that this family were all good people.
It was kind of them to offer help, and Lu Chengjing naturally wouldn’t be ungrateful.
He said, “My younger brother is young and has a restless personality. He probably saw something novel and pulled Niangzi to go see it. He’ll be back in a bit, no need to worry.”
Seeing that Lu Chengjing truly showed no worry on his face, Gao Yan believed his explanation, went back to tell his own master, and had them all rest easy.
After waiting a moment with no one returning, as Lu Chengjing was pondering going to the field to check, Shang Wan and Xiao Huan returned side by side.
Lu Chengjing turned his wheelchair to meet them and asked doubtfully, “What happened?”
“Good news.” Shang Wan lowered her voice and told him about the anomaly with the vegetable seeds in the field.
Lu Chengjing cooperatively showed a surprised expression.
Shang Wan: …No need for that.
Xiao Huan was thinking about the things in the pot, greeted them, and went to the kitchen to get busy.
Lu Chengjing looked behind Shang Wan, “Why haven’t Shi Tou and Yuan Yuan come back?”
“Shi Tou is currently holding Yuan Yuan to visit his future domain.” Shang Wan pushed the wheelchair around in a half-circle and headed back. “He’s trying to convince Yuan Yuan to assemble an animal army dedicated to helping him farm. He’ll be a leisurely landlord, only responsible for inspecting and directing.”
Lu Chengjing: “…”
This kid has quite the imagination.
“Actually, this idea is pretty good, saves manpower.” Shang Wan gave an objective evaluation. “But Yuan Yuan is too small now. If we really did that, it would be a big burden for her, not good for her physical and mental health growth.”
Lu Chengjing keenly caught the implication, “Is there a method with a smaller burden?”
Shang Wan pursed her lips, “You don’t even ask why I know this so clearly?”
“No need to ask.” Lu Chengjing smiled, “You’ll naturally tell me when you want to.”
Shang Wan neither confirmed nor denied it, turning the topic back to Yuan Yuan. “Of course there are methods with smaller burdens, but Yuan Yuan might turn into a wild child.”
Wild child?
The faint smile at the corner of Lu Chengjing’s lips froze, and he turned his head to look at Shang Wan, “What wild child?”
“Literal meaning.” Shang Wan said, “The method with smaller burden is to let Yuan Yuan go to the mountain forest more to interact with animals, quietly influencing them with her own ability. If progress goes smoothly, in the future she’ll be second in the animal world, with no animal daring to claim first.”
Lu Chengjing repeated this in his mind three times. His daughter was human, right?
He couldn’t help reminding Shang Wan, “Niangzi, Yuan Yuan is only one year old.”
Having a baby who was still nursing and crawled to move around go into the mountain forest all day—whose death was she trying to scare?
“I know.” Shang Wan said, “The animals won’t actively harm Yuan Yuan. With Xiao Hui following too, for transport and deterrence, Yuan Yuan entering the mountain alone is completely fine.”
Lu Chengjing still couldn’t accept his soft and fragrant little daughter rolling around in the mountain forest getting filthy all day. Just thinking of that scene gave him a headache.
Weren’t they supposed to be strict father and kind mother? Why was it reversed in their family?
He asked, “Does Yuan Yuan want to?”
“Of course.” Shang Wan nodded, “She is very willing.”
Kids, who doesn’t like playing with a bunch of obedient fluffy animals?
Once familiar, then contact those long ones, the scaly ones. That big guy was hiding in the cave at the bottom of the pool and wouldn’t come out easily.
Courage is built up bit by bit.
Lu Chengjing was helpless. He was certain his daughter had been fooled by her mother.
“It’s not like letting Yuan Yuan stay in the mountain forest all day.” Shang Wan talked about the plan she made for her own child. “Every day after breakfast, go into the mountain, and come out whenever she gets tired of playing. At first, I’ll accompany Yuan Yuan to tour this mountain range. Once Yuan Yuan remembers the way, let her go by herself.”
Lu Chengjing: “…Can she remember?”
“Don’t underestimate an obedient child’s memory.” Shang Wan was very confident about this. “As long as she focuses, she’ll definitely remember.”
To make Yuan Yuan focus, she had plenty of ways.
She patted Lu Chengjing’s shoulder, “Don’t worry, worst case there’s still me as external aid. Yuan Yuan is clever. If she can’t handle it, she’ll definitely call for Mom first.”
With her own child’s abilities, using human wave… no, animal wave tactics, she could drag it out until she arrived.
Raising an ability user in a greenhouse would ruin them. As long as it didn’t threaten life, everything was just gaining experience.
Lu Chengjing couldn’t feel at ease. Yuan Yuan was just too small, and the mountain forest was complex—not just animals, but also people. Who knew what might happen?
He frowned and pondered for a while, finally sighing, “Let Yuan Yuan try it first.”
He believed Shang Wan wouldn’t harm Yuan Yuan, even if this method sounded particularly unreliable.
With Lu Chengjing agreeing, the matter was basically settled.
Soon breakfast was ready, and Shang Wan sent Xiao Hui to call Shi Tou and Yuan Yuan back to eat.
After the meal, the day’s busyness began.
Shang Wan pushed Lu Chengjing to check the medicinal herbs in the frames and found that due to yesterday’s rain, some had gotten damp and needed two more days of sunning before they could be sold.
Shang Wan laid the medicinal herbs out on the stone slab to dry, then led the yellow ox over, harnessed it to the ox cart, and headed to the brick kiln.
After these few days of feeding it fodder mixed with spiritual spring water, the yellow ox’s condition was much better than before. Shang Wan had quietly tested it—it could pull a thousand bricks without issue.
The steward at the brick kiln, upon seeing Shang Wan, didn’t even need her to show the contract and directly had a shop assistant lead her to load the bricks.
This time there weren’t as many bricks as last time, only two thousand.
Shang Wan specially brought hemp rope and had the shop assistant load them in lots of a thousand. In just two trips, she finished hauling the bricks, greatly shortening the time.
On the way home, a plump, decently dressed old woman suddenly reached out to stop the ox cart.
Beside her stood a young girl in a pink dress, who looked not very old, about fifteen or sixteen.
“Whoa~”
The ox cart stopped.
Shang Wan lifted her sun-shading bamboo hat, revealing a pair of watery almond eyes. “Why are you stopping me?”
Seeing Shang Wan’s appearance clearly, a gleam flashed in the old woman’s eyes. This young lady was truly beautiful.
“Young lady, do you know the way to Elm Tree Village?”
Shang Wan glanced at the plain bundles they carried and the fatigue on their faces, asking, “Are you two going to Elm Tree Village to visit relatives?”
The old woman nodded, “Exactly.”
“Go straight ahead, turn right at the fork in the road, and when you see the big stone, go…”
Shang Wan gave them directions in a few words, then drove the cart to leave. The old woman hurriedly called out to stop her, “Young lady, my granddaughter and I are tired from the journey. Could you give us a ride?”
So they were grandmother and granddaughter. How come one was skinny like a monkey, looking like she’d topple in the wind, while the other had a round face and waist, looking like she lived well?
