The Harvest

Chapter 124 The Harvest

As dusk settled over the wilderness, the silence between the two, each lost in their own thoughts, was broken by the rapid sound of horses' hooves.

The sound grew louder as it approached, making the ground seem to tremble slightly.

Yang Can felt a chill run down his spine. He looked up and saw Qingmei, dressed in a smart outfit, walking alongside the burly Leopard Head Cheng Dakuan amidst the swirling dust.

They were followed by more than ten knights with sharp blades at their waists, who were galloping toward them.

The sound of hooves grew closer, and Qingmei caught a glimpse of Yang Can's figure in the distance. Her tense expression eased slightly, and she suddenly pulled on the reins.

The galloping horse let out a low neigh, its front hooves slightly raised, and its speed gradually slowed down.

As she galloped closer, she dismounted nimbly, her skirt still ruffled by the wind, and her gaze first fell on Yang Can.

After confirming that Yang Can was safe and sound, her gaze turned to Rena beside her, her brows furrowed slightly, the anxious and worried look on her face not yet completely gone.

"Master, you..." Qingmei's voice was slightly panting, and she paused before she could finish speaking.

Looking at her travel-worn appearance, Yang Can felt a warmth in his heart, but he couldn't hide his surprise: "Why did you come so quickly? Did you know something happened to me?"

“The tenants in the village found the master and Miss Rena’s bamboo hats in the fields. When I heard that, I panicked and hurriedly led people to look for them here.”

Qingmei asked anxiously, "Master, what exactly happened? Is someone trying to harm you?"

Yang Can shook his head slightly, his gaze sweeping over the knights behind him, clearly unwilling to elaborate in front of everyone.

Yang Can then said, "Rena and I were indeed kidnapped, but fortunately it was a misunderstanding. We'll discuss the details when we get back to the village."

Qingmei nodded in understanding and turned to look at Leopard Head beside her.

Leopard Head dismounted as well, and Qingmei's slightly relieved expression instantly darkened, her tone becoming sharp:

"Cheng Dakuan! You are the master's personal bodyguard. Where were you when the master had the accident?"

Qingmei is no longer the head housekeeper she once was, but Yang Can's concubine. Such a question is indeed in line with her status.

Cheng Dakuan was a little embarrassed by the question. He avoided eye contact and stammered, unable to speak. He just secretly glanced at Rena.

Although the glance was quick, Rena caught it red-handed, and she couldn't help but feel both wronged and amused:
I was merely accompanying the manor lord to the fields to check the situation and to discuss the details of westward trade with him. How come in these people's eyes it seems as if the manor lord and I were having a secret rendezvous?
Qingmei was incredibly perceptive; she immediately understood the reason behind Cheng Dakuan's evasive gaze.

This leopard-headed fellow must have thought that Yang Can was deliberately trying to be alone with Rena, so he deliberately avoided her to create an opportunity for his master.

Qingmei felt a surge of anger, but in front of so many subordinates, she couldn't bring herself to reveal the truth.

She could only suppress her anger and say, "Consider today's incident a lesson for you. From now on, you must be extremely vigilant when protecting the Master. If such a mistake happens again..."

Cheng Da Kuan broke out in a cold sweat as he listened, feeling a lingering fear in his heart.

How could I forget? It was because I failed to stay by Yu Chengye's side that I lost my position as the commander of the eldest son's guards.

Now that I've finally gained Master Yang's trust and guidance, I can't afford to make any more mistakes!

Thinking of this, Leopard Head secretly made up his mind: from now on, no matter whether the manor lord travels with a woman or does anything else...

Even if they both get into bed together, I won't move an inch; I have to watch over them and keep watch!

Thinking of this, Cheng Dakuan quickly bowed and said in a deep voice, "Your subordinate knows his mistake! From now on, I will stay by your side at all times and protect you, Master!"

……

The group rode back to Feng'an Fort and entered the inner courtyard flower hall. Yang Can then dismissed his attendants, leaving only Qingmei by his side, and recounted the whole story of how he had been kidnapped that day.

Qingmei was very surprised that the little master Jingyao, who looked like a white jade Guanyin in her eyes, was actually the daughter of the Dugu family.

"Dugu Qingyan?"

Qingmei murmured the name repeatedly, her brows furrowed as she searched her memory for related information.

"I've heard of his name before. He's the most favored youngest son of the Dugu clan. But Master Jingyao... so she's Dugu Qingyan's sister?"

Qingmei paused for a moment, then added, "I can't quite remember if I've heard her name before. It turns out she's not a nun; her name is Dugu Jingyao."

As for why Dugu Jingyao disguised herself as a nun, Qingmei understood the reason after a moment's thought and couldn't help but admire her secretly.

Although this method was not a perfect solution, it was the best she could think of given her circumstances at the time.

Although those spoiled young men were unrestrained and reckless, if they encountered such a woman in a brothel, they would not only dare to act recklessly, but would even find it novel and exciting.

But if they were asked to spend a lot of money to buy it and take it home to serve them every day... then they wouldn't do it.

Even if they themselves are not afraid, their elders in the family would never allow it. In a large and prosperous family, everyone has their taboos, let alone the family's reputation.

In this way, while Dugu Jingyao cannot be said to be absolutely safe, her chances of temporarily protecting herself have greatly increased.

When Yang Can said that he had realized Dugu Qingyan had murderous intentions, he made up a story about becoming sworn brothers with Dugu Jingyao in order to protect himself, Qingmei couldn't help but burst out laughing.

She gently poked Yang Can's chest and said sweetly, "Master, you and Miss Dugu are quite alike, both of you are quick-witted."

As she spoke, she sat down on Yang Can's lap, gently wrapped her arms around his neck, and said softly, "Now that this matter is over, I don't think there will be any more trouble."

Even if Dugu Qingyan discovers he's been tricked in the future, time will have passed, and if the master wanted to reveal his secret, he would have done so long ago.

Since you didn't say anything then, you naturally won't say anything now. The young master of the Dugu family wouldn't go to the trouble of making a special trip to Feng'an Fort to harm you over something like this.

Even if he really dares to come, I can just ask my daughter to step in.

Although my daughter isn't from the direct line of the Suo family, she's now affiliated with both the Suo and Yu clans. Even if Dugu Qingyan is arrogant, he won't refuse her that favor.

Yang Can felt a warm glow in his heart as he looked at the concern in her eyes. He put his arm around her waist and said with a smile, "Alright, alright, with Chanzhi and you, my two confidantes, protecting me, what do I have to worry about?"

Qingmei snuggled affectionately against him, and when she looked up again, her eyes held a sly smile.

"And what about Miss Rena? After Master tricked Dugu Qingyan away, did he take advantage of the fact that no one was around and cleverly tricked that foreign old woman into his hands?"

"Ahem!" Yang Can coughed, and said with righteous indignation, "I am a gentleman, a man who can remain unmoved even with a woman in his lap, how could I do such an improper thing..."

"Really?" Before she could finish speaking, Qingmei snuggled closer to her, her voice soft and sweet, with a hint of teasing, "Then why do I feel uncomfortable being poked by you..."

Master Yang's true colors have been exposed! How can this be allowed? Is there no discipline left? Family rules must be enforced!

Yang Can grabbed Qingmei by the waist and flipped her onto the bed, giving her a good scolding.

……

As the late summer wind swept across the blue brick walls of Feng'an Fort, stewards from various farms and ranches arrived one after another, carrying Yang Can's invitations, some on horseback and others in sedan chairs.

The hall was brightly lit by candles, and hot tea was laid out on the table. After everyone was seated, Rena, dressed in a brocade robe in the style of the Western Regions, stepped forward and explained in detail the plan for the first trade with the Western Regions.

From the planning of caravan routes and the combination of goods to the setting of supply stations along the way, every detail was clear and well-organized.

As soon as he finished speaking, the council chamber erupted in excitement, everyone's eyes shining with exhilaration.

"This is our company's first foray into new territory! It must be auspicious and prosperous!"

Zhao Shanhe couldn't help but pat the table: "If this trip goes smoothly, there will be more than just one caravan in the future!"

Everyone echoed their agreement, already envisioning their future caravans constantly traveling between the East and West.

If efficiency can keep up, with caravans departing or returning every month, wouldn't money flow into the company's treasury like water?

After the initial excitement subsided, the plantation owners and ranchers secretly made a decision: they had to send their own sons or nephews to join this westward-bound caravan.

Since you've invested your own money, you can't be completely clueless about how the business operates.

This was an expectation for the younger generation, and also a testament to the importance placed on this trade route. The days slipped by quietly amidst the busy preparations, and eight days later, as dawn broke over the city gates of Tianshui, the caravan carrying everyone's hopes slowly set off.

They originally came from Tianshui City, and now they continue westward from there.

The horses snorted, the camels strode with steady steps, and the wheels of the carriages rolled over the road with a "clattering" sound.

Everyone knew that this journey would be anything but smooth: they would have to pass through the territories of dozens of local powers, and a slight misstep could lead to conflict.
They had to cross deserts, Gobi, mountains and open fields. When they set off in late summer, the heat had not yet dissipated, and in the dead of winter, they had to brave the wind and snow. They had to endure the extreme weather of spring, summer, autumn and winter.

Food, water, and fodder were even more difficult to obtain, as it was impossible to carry enough at once; they had to rely on finding supply points along the way.

Without Rena, the knowledgeable foreign woman, the entire group would likely have perished on their westward journey, let alone reaching Samarkand.

The caravan gradually disappeared into the dust and smoke in the distance, but Yang Can did not stop. His focus remained on the business operations of the Yu family's eldest son.

Now that he is the Grand Steward, the two major industrial lines of Lingzhou Salt Lake and Heishui Iron Smelting, which Li Youcai was previously in charge of, have naturally been handed over to him.

However, the two places are thousands of miles apart and have long since developed a mature management system.

In the past, whether Li Youcai was in charge or Yu Chengye was in full charge, they were only responsible for formulating the annual output plan and never rashly changed the industrial process and personnel arrangements.

Every year when Li Youcai goes to inspect, he only checks whether the workshop is operating normally, takes stock of the accounts, and corrects any problems he finds in time.

Coincidentally, Li Youcai had just returned from inspecting the two places, which saved Yang Can a lot of trouble. At least he wouldn't have to travel long distances to the two places this year.

In this way, he can focus his main energy on his "core business": firmly controlling the management of the eight villages and four pastures.

Yang Can had his own clever plan for the two new villages, which were mainly inhabited by Xianbei people.

Under the guise of helping build the village, guiding land reclamation, and providing new farm tools, he quietly replaced all the grassroots managers in the village with his own people.

Those Xianbei people were new to agriculture and lacked both experience and knowledge of the management methods of an agrarian society.

In their eyes, the minor stewards were just doing jobs that required a lot of effort but little power, and they had no idea that the foundation of the entire manor had quietly fallen into Yang Can's hands.

Before he could even put down the sickle of autumn harvest, Yang Can began preparing for joint training of soldiers from various farms and ranches.

He convened a meeting with the managers and together they raised a substantial sum of money as a reward.

When the news spread, the soldiers of the eight farms and four ranches were all eager to compete, hoping to win the championship in the martial arts competition after the autumn harvest and win the reward.

Xin Xian and Kang Zhengyang also cooperated exceptionally well, dispatching two experienced officers of the garrison to patrol various farms and ranches in advance.

While instructing their troops on training, they also taught the troops in each village to familiarize themselves with the unified rules of martial arts competition.

The purpose behind all of this was carried out in a very covert manner, after all, organizing martial arts exercises after the autumn harvest was a common practice in each village.

Yang Can simply consulted with the clan leader and changed the scattered training into a joint exercise.

He knew that the soldiers were directly under the command of the warlord, and the commanders of those manors and ranches were not as closely bound to him as Kang Zhengyang. He had to be cautious about this matter and could only proceed slowly, without any haste.

Meanwhile, new developments occurred in Feng'anzhuang: Yang Can opened a market.

However, this was not an ordinary fixed-shop market. He knew that the farm had limited daily customer traffic, and fixed shops would be difficult to maintain.

He organized an "agricultural fair" every seven days, specifically for farmers to exchange grain, farm tools, and livestock.

The first two times the market was held, only people from Feng'an Village and the newly established Xianbei tribes nearby came, carrying grain baskets and leading cattle and sheep, bargaining at the stalls, creating a lively scene.

Before long, the news spread like wildfire throughout the surrounding area, and people from other farms and ranches were also tempted to come to the market.

Seeing this, Yang Can took the opportunity to change the one-day market into a two-day event, so that people who came from afar could also choose and trade properly.

As the days went by, Yang Can's prestige in the eight villages and four pastures grew day by day.

When the crops in the fields ripened one after another, and after the busy work of harvesting, threshing, drying, and storing them, the grain output figures were tallied, and the entire Yu family was in an uproar because it was a great harvest!

No one expected that after Yang Can took over these farms and ranches, not only did the anticipated turmoil and reduced production not occur, but the output actually increased significantly.

Although this improvement mainly comes from the original six farms, the two new farms are still under construction, and the ranches cannot suddenly produce a large number of foals, cattle and sheep.

However, the eastward migration and submission of the Xianbei Bali tribe led to a surge in the number of livestock belonging to the Yu family. This "achievement" was naturally attributed to Yang Can, who was in charge of the entire reception and resettlement process.

In this way, Yang Can's position became completely secure.

Some even privately speculated: even if the tycoon wanted to hand over these businesses to someone else now, probably no one would be willing to take them over, because they simply couldn't compete!

As soon as Yang Can took over, all income increased significantly, even though everyone knew that this was due to the improvement of plows and waterwheels, the effectiveness of thoroughly investigating hidden fields and households, and the help of the Bali tribe's submission.

Even if Yang Can were to manage the business again next year, it would be difficult to achieve such outstanding results.

Even so, if someone takes over and doesn't make any new breakthroughs next year, even if everyone understands the reasons, they will still be unable to help but mutter to themselves: You can't do it!
Therefore, even if Yang Can were to voluntarily relinquish his assets at this moment, no one would be willing to take on this hot potato.

The last time everyone avoided it was because they all realized that these industries were full of pitfalls, and that if they were not careful, they would be buried in them completely.
But this time, it was because Yang Can's report card was too dazzling.

The ever-increasing profits and the substantial harvest have already set an unparalleled benchmark.

Who would be willing to take on this predicament at this time and face it as something that is "impossible to surpass"?
Yang Can's accounts of the harvest were never piled up and submitted all at once. Instead, each statistic was compiled and submitted immediately after it was completed.

Each stroke and each item is as clear as grains drying in the autumn sun, each grain distinct.

After receiving the data from all parties, the Yu family's chief accountant did not dare to delay for a moment. He summarized and calculated the data overnight, and the next morning, he respectfully presented the thick ledger to Yu Xinglong.

Yu Xinglong's withered fingers traced the striking numbers on the ledger, and his brows, which had been tense due to illness, gradually relaxed.

Even his sickly body seemed to feel much lighter, as if the discomfort that had plagued him for days had been largely dispelled by the impressive harvest.

He couldn't help but slap the table, saying "good" three times in a row, and finally burst into hearty laughter: "Good, good, hahaha..."

After the laughter subsided, Yu Xinglong turned to look at Butler Deng beside him, his tone full of relief and joy:
"Deng Xun, look at this! We made the right decision to put Yang Can in this position! This is what you call being in the right place, the perfect fit!"

Upon hearing this, Deng Xun gave a wry smile: "Perfect timing? It's probably more of a fluke."

Yang Can was initially pushed in to clean up the mess left by the Second Master. Who would have thought that he would not only avoid being trapped, but would instead run these businesses with great success?

And Li Youcai, who was originally intended to replace Yang Can and continue filling in the plot holes, ended up becoming the Foreign Affairs Deacon.

On the contrary, Zhang Yunyi and He Youzhen, who were originally safe and sound and hadn't gotten involved in any "pitfalls," ended up getting caught up in them one after another.

The world is so unpredictable; things change in ways we never expect.

Meanwhile, Yang Can had already begun preparing for the next large-scale collective activity: a banquet to thank the farmers.

He thought to himself that he might as well combine the "family banquet" and "grand military exercise" of the eight villages and four pastures into one event.

After all, if elite troops from various villages are drawn to participate in martial arts exercises, meals need to be prepared.

Instead of organizing them separately, we should take this opportunity to combine them into one event. This will make the occasion more lively and allow us to prepare a more abundant meal, so that both the farmers and the soldiers can enjoy themselves to the fullest.

Of course, he also considered everything carefully: each village's own banquet to reward farmers would still be held within its own village, with the head of the clan's mansion and the eldest son's branch sending people to preside over it, to show that they valued it.

As the center of martial arts training, Feng'an Village hosted the farmers' banquet there, which he personally presided over.

When Yang Can reported this idea to Yu Xinglong, the Yu patriarch was immersed in the joy of a bountiful harvest. Without the slightest hesitation, he waved his hand and agreed: "Do it as you say!"

After leaving Yu Xinglong's residence, Yang Can did not go directly back to his own courtyard, but turned around and went to the eldest son's house to see the young mistress, Suo Chanzhi.

At this moment, Suo Chanzhi was sitting on a soft couch under the eaves of the inner courtyard. Sunlight shone through the carved wooden pendants under the eaves and fell on her, creating a colorful scene.

She gently placed one hand on her belly, while slowly fanning herself with a round fan in the other, her brows filled with the tenderness of someone about to become a mother.

Madam Su is now heavily pregnant.

(End of this chapter)