"Oh, I see," Qi Huan said with a radiant smile, understanding the reason behind it.
It was not just because of the 10,000 score, but also because the heated brick beds would bring warmth to millions of rural households when the cold weather arrived.
She silently prayed: "May no one suffer from hunger or cold."
For now, the "cold" issue had been preliminarily addressed. The next question was how to ensure they had enough to eat.
Qi Huan prayed, "I hope one of the packages I delivered contained rice seeds!"
In her previous life, there was a farming guru in modern society who enabled 1.3 billion people to have enough food. She hoped that she had once delivered the hybrid rice seeds he cultivated, so that the blessing could extend to this otherworld and allow the people here to have sufficient food as well.
"Host, you're really ignorant. Based on years of watching TikTok videos, farmers mostly buy rice seeds from local stores and transport them directly to the fields on Three-wheelers. Who would buy them online?" the system mocked.
Undeterred by its disparaging remarks, Qi Huan said, "You underestimate the power of online shopping. There's nothing you can't buy if you put your mind to it. Besides, watching TikTok consumes a lot of data. Save some for when I accumulate a million points and upgrade you to full level, then you can create a hotspot for us to surf the internet together."
"Don't worry, host. The system management bureau gave me an unlimited data plan in case I lose connection, so I'll never run out of data."
After some idle chatter, Qi Huan returned to the main topic. "Unfortunately, Mo County isn't suitable for growing rice, so let's drop that topic. I'll give you half of the 10,000 points for your upgrade."
"Thank you, dear, smart, kind, and beautiful host!"
As for how to use the remaining points, Qi Huan was still considering her options. Since Li Shuchen bought the book of Zhuangzi, she could use the points to purchase modern crop seeds that have been carefully bred and selected over generations, which must be superior to the local varieties.
The key question was, what seeds should she buy?
Sweet potatoes were the first thing that came to mind, but she quickly dismissed the idea. Although sweet potatoes could be grown in the north, the temperature in Mo County was not suitable for them.
In a flash, Qi Huan suddenly remembered that she could grow...potatoes!
Potatoes, also known as Solanum tuberosum.
They could also be used to make starch.
Potatoes were more suitable for the local climate, easy to grow, had a short growth cycle, and had high yield potential. Although it was already summer in Mo County, the temperature there was slightly lower than other places, so it was still possible to plant potatoes at this time of year.
In fact, she had previously ordered potatoes among the vegetables, but that package contained many other vegetables as well. Reordering everything would be a waste of points, so it would be better if she could directly receive a potato package.
Qi Huan turned to the system for help, "Could you use the search function for me?"
"Ten thousand points."
"No, on credit."
Since she had already decided to help the system upgrade to the full level, asking for credit was just an excuse to give the system more points. If that was the case, she might as well make full use of it and utilize the search function a few more times.
Sensing her intention, the system remained silent for a moment, silently modifying the "no credit" rule in the program to "depending on the situation." It still needed the host to accumulate a million points for a full upgrade, so it might as well indulge her a little.
"What would the host like to search for?"
"Potatoes!"
"I've searched for yellow-heart potatoes, Enshi small potatoes, sandy-surface potatoes, and Lay's potato chips..."
After considering the situation, Qi Huan chose sandy-surface potatoes, which cost 37 points.
Swoosh—
The package landed on the table.
She took out her Swiss Army knife from the space and cut open the box, revealing not only potatoes but also tiny sprouts on their skins.
In the past, potatoes like these would definitely warrant a photo to the seller for a refund. But now, these sprouted potatoes were even better as they could be planted directly.
As Qi Huan was holding up the potatoes for inspection, Li Shuchen also came in after bathing and changing clothes.
"Potatoes for dinner?"
Qi Huan quickly hid the potatoes behind her back with one hand and pulled the potato box on the table toward the corner with the other.
"Sprouted potatoes can't be eaten. These are seeds, and I want to plant them in the fields you just bought. Is that okay?"
"Yes."
After replying, Li Shuchen seemed to reconsider and added, "...Rong Hongsheng left in a hurry, and his subordinates only collected the grain without distributing seeds. Some tenants used their own seeds to plant the fields, while others left them empty. You can grow your potatoes in those."
Qi Huan had assumed she would have to wait until after the current grain harvest to find empty fields for planting potatoes. She didn't expect Rong Hongsheng's death to come at such an opportune time.
In the south, potatoes were usually planted after October, while in central China, they could be planted in February, March, or August. In the north, they were planted in April or May. But since Mo County was even further north, planting at this time of year was still possible.
The two of them huddled together, poring over the land deeds and the records kept by Yan Jiu's subordinates on the cultivation status of the land.
There were about 200 mu of fields left unplanted, so Qi Huan decided to use the remaining points to reorder more potatoes.
Swoosh—
Potato packages were neatly stacked in small hills along the walls of the hall.
The next day.
Qi Huan bought some sacks and transferred the potatoes into them with Li Shuchen's help. After that was done, Yan Jiu, who had received Li Shuchen's message, hurried over.
"Take these to the fields that haven't been planted yet."
"Yes, sir!"
Excitement flickered in Yan Jiu's eyes, as he preferred physical labor like this to grinding ink, which would also help him build strength.
However, there was one matter to attend to before starting work.
He sneakily approached Li Shuchen, keeping his back to Qi Huan, and whispered, "Your Highness, I brought you some ginseng deer antler wine and put it in the carriage. Where would you like me to place it for you?"
"No need, get lost!" Li Shuchen coldly replied.
His chilling tone almost froze Yan Jiu in place.
Noticing Qi Huan's curious gaze, Li Shuchen glanced at the subordinate pretending to be a quail and sternly ordered, "Get to work."
"Yes, sir!"
Yan Jiu felt as if he had been granted a reprieve, quickly shouldering the sacks and calling on the others to start working. It took two cartloads to transport all the potatoes from the house.
After they were done, he realized another problem—he hadn't left any space for His Highness.
Apparently, Li Shuchen had noticed this issue as well. He went to the stable behind the house and led out the horse Lu Yueming had gifted him on his birthday.
He nimbly mounted the horse, gripping the reins with his left hand and slightly leaning sideways, extending his right hand toward Qi Huan below the horse.
Qi Huan looked up at the man on horseback, who seemed like a divine figure from heaven. She reached out her hand and placed it in his palm. He pulled her up onto the horse, embracing her in his arms.
Her vision suddenly opened up, and the corners of Qi Huan's mouth curved into a slight smile. She felt the gentle breeze caressing her face and heard the strong heartbeat of the person behind her. The world was filled with a sense of bliss.
At that moment, a booming voice came from behind them. "Your Highness, you're going the wrong way!"
Li Shuchen: ......
He turned the horse around and followed behind the carriage, gradually slowing his pace.
He thought to himself: It's fine to slow down, so I can hold Qi Huan a little longer.
An hour later.
Qi Huan shifted her body uncomfortably. The swaying motion of the horseback was not as comfortable as her small three-wheeler. Fortunately, the caravan in front had also stopped.
Yan Jiu came to report, "Your Highness, we have arrived. The tenants have gathered in the courtyard. Please dismount first, and allow me to tie the horse's reins."
Upon hearing this, Li Shuchen gave a faint "Hmm" in response. He first held Qi Huan's waist and carefully set her down, then swiftly dismounted himself.
After riding the horse for a long time, the sudden landing made Qi Huan feel a bit unsteady, as if her body was still leaning forward. After a moment, she followed Li Shuchen and walked towards the manor together.
When they reached the courtyard, they saw a large crowd of people. Their sleeves and pant legs were bound, making it easier for them to work. Their clothes were patched upon patches, and their thin faces bore the marks of wind and frost. Each pair of eyes gazed directly at Li Shuchen and his entourage.
Yan Jiu had thoughtfully arranged for a chair and a small tea table with a pot of clear tea to be placed under the entrance hall.
"Your Highness, please have a seat."
However, Li Shuchen did not sit down. Instead, he stood side by side with Qi Huan, his posture as straight as a pine tree, his tall figure standing gracefully.
The noble bearing from his royal upbringing caused the people on the steps below to lower their eyes, not daring to look him in the face.
Li Shuchen took out the new contract he had written the night before from his pocket and handed it to Yan Jiu behind him.
