The Story of a Destitute Noblewoman Farming

"We are not ordinary people. We were born in the weeds and grew up in the forest. One day, we will stand tall between heaven and earth, standing tall and proud. Your father has high expectations for you. You must remember your father's wishes and grow into a towering tree that can protect your sister."

Seeing the determination in his eyes, Lu Linlang spoke encouragingly. Zhang Hao nodded after hearing her words. He would definitely protect his sister well, be filial to Taoist Zhang, and repay Miss Lu for sheltering him.

Everyone set out towards Chongshan, and a few days later, they all gathered at the foot of Chongshan. These carts carrying food were all bought by Lu Linlang. Fortunately, Qiu Lin and others led the way, otherwise these carts might not be able to enter the mountains smoothly, and they would have to find someone to help cut down trees later. Qiu Lin took the initiative to take on this task.

He sent someone to inform the people in the mountains that with more people, the food could be transported more smoothly. As expected by Lu Linlang, there were many people in the mountains, beyond her imagination. There were hundreds of people transporting food alone, each carrying a bag and walking easily in the mountains and forests.

With this shortcut, Lu Linlang wrote a letter to He Yue in advance, asking him to hand over the meeting directly at a location outside Chongshui County. They would inevitably be seen in Xishan Village, which would be disadvantageous for the villagers.

Lu Linlang felt relieved only after she had handed over the food to the person arranged by He Yue. She told the general the uses of the severely damp and spoiled food and wrote two letters to He Yue, asking him not to make any mistakes. If people accidentally ate the moldy food, they could be poisoned to death.

Free from worries, Lu Linlang felt that she had finally accomplished another important task and could finally sleep peacefully.

"Ms. Lu, are you planning to go back to the village directly or go through the mountains? My father said he wants to invite Miss Lu to talk to him another day." Qiu Lin asked when he saw that she was obviously relaxed.

"Since Chief Qiu has invited me, I will naturally go there in person. How about I go home and rest for a day and then go into the mountains tomorrow?" Lu Linlang thought that she couldn't go empty-handed, so she found an excuse and planned to go home to prepare gifts before going.

"Of course you can. Then we'll separate here. I'll wait for Miss Lu on the mountain tomorrow." He clasped his fists and left with his men.

Lu Linlang also took her people back home. The people in Xishan Village were still busy in the workshop, and the school was still open. As soon as she entered the village, she could hear the sound of children reading from afar.

"Boss, you're back. Boss, how are you? You're finally back. Your children should come to the village entrance and wait for you every day." When the old men guarding the village entrance saw Lu Linlang coming back with a group of people, they all came over to talk.

They were wearing thick clothes and were all gathered around a fire under a big tree at the entrance of the village.

"Yes, I'm back. Everything is fine. Uncle, aunt, are you all okay? Are you cold? Do you want to go back and have a rest? There are young people guarding here. It's cold, so it's better to stay at home."

"It's okay, it's okay. There are people here talking, and we're warming ourselves by the fire. It's not cold at all. Everyone, bring your food and cook it by the fire. The food will be hot."

As soon as Lu Linlang arrived at the village entrance, everyone in the village knew that she was back. Lu Zhan and the others stopped attending class, told the teacher, and ran over.

After some greetings, Lu Linlang returned home and introduced the two children brought by Taoist Zhang to everyone. The two children would go to school with them starting tomorrow.

"Don't worry, sister. I will take care of you. Erhua and I are also studying in school." When Dahua heard about their life experience, she felt very sympathetic towards her sister who shared the same suffering as herself. She comforted her like an older sister and took her to her house with Erhua. Originally, Dahua and Erhua had their own separate rooms, but the two sisters wanted to live together, so they lived in the same room.

Zhang Wei is only ten years old this year and has experienced the ups and downs of life in a short period of time. Seeing that Sister Dahua was kind to her, she was a little timid, but the children's feelings are very pure. In just half a day, Zhang Wei was already running around behind Dahua.

When Yangchun learned that her master had returned, she also ran to greet him and told Lu Linlang about all the smoke bombs she had made at home recently. She did not slack off and was making smoke bombs in her spare time. She cherished such days very much.

Here at her boss's house, her parents didn't dare to cause trouble, and she could concentrate on her work, which was something she had never dared to dream of before.

"Yangchun is very powerful. I will have people take these smoke bombs away. They will definitely be able to show their value."

Along the way, Lu Linlang discussed the research ideas about bombs with Taoist Zhang. Taoist Zhang was very interested and had already made plans. When he came back, he would start to experiment according to her ideas.

Once this kind of thing comes out, it will be a good thing for Da Qi today. Otherwise, He Yue and his men will be attacked from both sides, and it will be very difficult to fight. They will also have to guard against being stabbed in the back by villains, which is really not an easy task.

"Cousin, have you heard along the way that some people in Jiangnan have rebelled and started fighting with the Regent's men, and the situation is becoming more and more chaotic." Guan Ling was also very worried, but she had no way to solve the internal and external troubles and could only rely on others. She was under tremendous pressure in her heart.

"Ling'er, don't worry. I've already made inquiries. Those who rebelled are private salt dealers. They control a lot of wealth, and now is the time to fish in troubled waters. I think they want to occupy the Jiangnan area so that their private salt can be legalized and converted into official salt. Now that they have attracted the attention of the Regent, it may be a good thing for General He."

"I think so too. But no matter who is at the center, the people always suffer the most when war breaks out. I hope this war ends soon, but I don't know what to do. I'm very worried."

"Alas, when the country prospers, the people suffer; when the country perishes, the people suffer. This damn chaotic world, I hope it will end soon."

Lu Linlang also knew this, but they had no military power, and the princess's identity could not be exposed, otherwise it would only involve more people.

"Hopefully things will get better next year. I don't know when the Tatars will retreat."

"With the food now available, General He and his men will surely be able to drive the Tatars away. Then it will be a matter of internal strife. Those private salt dealers rely mainly on mastering the salt-making method and controlling their subordinates. If we can refine better salt ourselves, then their internal struggles will be easily resolved."

"Cousin, do you have any idea?" Guan Ling guessed what she was thinking when she heard this.

"I do have an imperfect method that can refine crude salt into refined salt, but this requires your approval. Otherwise, I will be no different from those private salt dealers."

"Cousin, just go ahead and do it. If you can control the salt, you will control a vital part of our lifeline." Guan Ling's eyes lit up and she spoke excitedly.