My Lord, my wife said she doesn't have time to talk to you.

Huaying suddenly remembered that she had read in a book a record of ancient people using water wheels to irrigate crops.

She turned to look at Yuexing who was working hard to dig the soil: "Yuexing, is there a carpenter on Chang'an Street who can make a waterwheel?"

When Yue Xing heard the young lady's question, a puzzled look appeared on his face, but he still answered honestly: "Waterwheel? What kind of shape is it?"

When Huaying heard this, she couldn't help but frown.

At this time, Qinghe, who was also digging, said, "Miss, when Qinghe was a child, she once saw a waterwheel in the village where her grandfather lived!"

Huaying's eyes lit up when she heard that, and she asked hurriedly, "Where is your grandfather's house? Do you remember the way?"

Huaying had some hope in her heart that if she could find a waterwheel master, the irrigation problem would be solved.

Qing He stopped what he was doing, frowned, and recalled carefully for a while. Then he slowly said, "It's been too long, Qing He really can't remember the exact location. However, I still remember the general direction, which is in a small mountain village not far north of Chang'an City."

Qinghe's life story was quite rough. She was sold to human traffickers by her stepmother when she was young. After many twists and turns, she was sold to the Prime Minister's Mansion.

Having experienced so many changes and hardships, her memory of her childhood has become somewhat fuzzy, and it is difficult for her to recall the details clearly.

Huaying said gently, "Then let's go look for him some other day. Maybe we can run into someone from your grandfather's family."

Qinghe thought of her grandfather in her memory, her eyes slightly red as she nodded, but she was afraid of being seen by the young lady, so she lowered her head and continued digging the soil.

After the three of them collected the soil, they set out on their return journey. The carriage slowly drove along the road and finally stopped in front of the Shen Mansion.

Huaying got off the carriage lightly and told Yuexing to put the bag full of soil at Molan Pavilion. After receiving the order, Yuexing drove the carriage again and headed towards the back door of Shen's house.

Huaying and Qinghe walked towards the door together, and happened to see their eldest brother and Prince Yan walking towards them while talking and laughing.

He hurriedly saluted the two and said, "Brother, Prince Yan."

Yan Jingtian smiled and nodded to her. Shen Nanting noticed that the little sister was holding a veil, so he asked with a smile: "Little sister, are you going out?"

"Yes, Yuexing, Qinghe and I went outside the city to dig some soil and plan to plant some flowers and trees in the yard." Huaying looked at her brother tenderly and responded softly.

Prince Yan looked at Huaying with a smile on his face and exclaimed: "It seems that Miss Shen is quite fond of growing flowers."

Upon hearing this, Huaying humbly replied, "Please forgive me for making fun of you, my lord. I just had nothing to do and was looking for something to amuse myself."

They chatted for a while, and then Shen Nanting and the prince walked towards the door together.

Huaying stood quietly in the yard, waiting for her elder brother.

When Shen Nanting returned to the courtyard after bidding farewell to the prince, he immediately saw his little sister who was still waiting for him. He raised the corners of his mouth and smiled: "Tell me, what do you want to see your elder brother today?"

Huaying also chuckled and replied, "No matter what happens, it can't escape Big Brother's eyes."

Then, she told Shen Nanting everything about the land on the river bank.

After Shen Nanting listened patiently, he said softly, "Come with me."

Huaying followed her elder brother closely and came to the study room of Moyunyuan together. After entering the study room, Shen Nanting opened the drawer, took out a letter and handed it to Huaying.

"Since my father mentioned this to me, I started to investigate. Previously, this land belonged to Ping'an Village in the west of the city, but later there was a flood there, causing the villagers to migrate away, and the land became abandoned and unused.

A few days ago, I asked the local county government, and after understanding the situation, they said that it can be used for farming. However, if there is a profit, they need to pay them a rent of 500 coins per mu of land; if there is a loss, they will not ask too much. "

Huaying took the letter and thought to herself: This county official is quite smart!

He turned to his elder brother and said, "That's great. With this letter, I have an extra layer of security. Thank you, elder brother!"

Shen Nanting stared at the little sister in front of him, who had changed so much since returning home, and asked thoughtfully: "Do you have any plans for planting crops?"

Huaying thought for a moment and replied, "Today, we have taken soil from the fields and plan to try to plant some peppers, potatoes, soybeans, sorghum, cotton and other crops to see which crops are more suitable for growing here."

Shen Nanting asked doubtfully, "Wouldn't it be easier for you to open a few shops on Chang'an Street than to farm?"

Huaying smiled and explained, "Brother, have you ever paid attention to the business of the shops on Chang'an Street? In addition to those brothels, there are countless other shops that provide food, clothing, housing and transportation. However, the most basic raw materials needed by these shops need to be purchased from far away places. If I can successfully grow these crops, not only will I benefit, but everyone will benefit as well. Isn't it better? After all, it is often easier to deliver food to your mouth than to snatch food from other people's mouths."

After listening to his younger sister's words, Shen Nanting fell into deep thought.

After a while, he slowly said, "Sorghum is needed for making wine, cotton is needed for making clothes, and peppers are edible. In this way, we can firmly grasp the initiative of the basic materials in the early stage. This is indeed a wise move."

After hearing her brother's praise, Huaying showed a gratified smile on her face.

However, she also knew that things were not as simple as they sounded. She said with a hint of worry in her eyes, "The growth of these crops and the construction of water wheels are not things that can be achieved overnight. We need to plan for the long term."

Although these plans sound good, they are difficult to implement.

Shen Nanting naturally understood the difficulty, and he nodded slightly.

"Don't worry, I will send people to find craftsmen who are good at making water wheels as soon as possible. Also, if there is anything you need my help with, just let me know." His voice was gentle but firm, which made Huaying feel very relieved.

Just as the brother and sister were having a pleasant conversation, they suddenly heard the nanny coming to tell them to return to Chunhua Courtyard to discuss something.

So Huaying ended the conversation with her elder brother and followed the nanny to the yard where her mother lived.

Mrs. Shen, who was sitting in the main seat in the hall, saw her eldest son and youngest daughter appear in front of her, and the joy on her face became more and more obvious.

Shen Nanting greeted his mother respectfully. Seeing his mother's happy face, the corners of his mouth also rose and he asked, "Mother, why are you so happy?"

Mother Shen smiled and motioned Huaying and Shen Nanting to take a seat, and the maid beside her filled a cup of tea for each of them.

Mother Shen said to Shen Nanting with a smile: "When your father comes back, you will naturally know the reason."