The Story of a Destitute Noblewoman Farming

“Miss Lu, this is our iron smelting place, but don’t worry, although we have been guarding here for generations, we don’t use much iron.

In addition to the weapons we usually use for self-protection and hunting, we only refined a portion and sold them to the people in Qiujia Village.

They also told us about you. You are a good person, and everyone in Qiujia Village says so."

The people who brought Lu Linlang spoke cautiously. Both Chief Qiu and the Great Witch had reminded them not to offend Miss Lu.

"What are you using to make iron? Isn't there any smoke here? How can you make it invisible?"

Lu Linlang only saw a blast furnace and could not see the materials inside.

"It's also good luck. There's a kind of black stone in this mountain. Our people have discovered that using this stone to smelt iron makes it purer and harder than using other materials.

We also learned how to burn charcoal ourselves, combining the two things.

However, this is also dangerous. If you are directly underground in a closed environment, you will be poisoned. Therefore, our iron smelting site is a cave.

We put the smoke exhaust in the cave, which solved the problem by allowing ventilation.

Moreover, there is a characteristic of the mountains: fog will appear in the morning and evening regardless of whether it is sunny or rainy.

We choose to smelt iron during these two time periods so that the smoke and fog will blend together and not arouse suspicion."

"What a clever design! Besides, no one comes to the mountains often, so they wouldn't notice your presence. No wonder no one has actually found your residence for all these years."

"Indeed, we arrange a trading location with the people of Qiujia Village every year. They bring things to us in exchange for ironware, but we don't sell in large quantities. This is the annual account book between us and Qiujia Village."

He took out a parchment account book, and Lu Linlang looked through it carefully and found that the number was indeed not large.

"Miss Lu, please take a look at the area where our people live. It's not the same place where the iron is smelted."

"Well, I was just about to take the liberty of bringing that up."

The living area is in another place, but it is all underground. These places are like tunnels, but they all have a fixed time to go to the ground to run and do activities. After the children are ten years old, regardless of gender, they must go hunting.

When the children saw the stranger, their eyes were filled with curiosity. When they saw her clothes, they looked at her curiously.

Lu Linlang also discovered that most of them wore animal skins, and the higher their status, the more cloth they wore.

A child came over cautiously and quietly touched the corner of Lu Linlang's clothes. When he felt the material, his mouth opened wide.

"Man is born good." A man wearing cotton and animal skins is teaching children to read.

"This is our teacher. He learned all his knowledge in Qiujia Village. The Great Witch said that children must study hard and continue to study when they leave the mountains."

"The Great Witch is a man of great wisdom, and children are hope."

“We heard that Miss Lu was coming over, and the Great Witch asked us to kill a bear for you.

Please try the bear paws we made."

Even though Lu Linlang had seen a lot of the world, she had to admit that she had never eaten such a protected animal.

When the Chongshan people sent her to the foot of the mountain, Yun Yi, Taoist Zhang and his party were all walking around anxiously. It was getting dark, and Lu Zhan wanted to go up the mountain.

"Master, the eldest lady told us before not to act rashly, lest the Chongshan people misunderstand us. Let's wait here first. I have already notified the people in Qiujia Village. If the eldest lady hasn't arrived yet, they can help."

"But it's already dark, and my sister hasn't come back yet. Nothing will happen, right? No, I'm going to find someone from Qiujia Village. Uncle Zhong, lead the way, and we'll go to the place you went to today."

Lu Zhan and others were extremely anxious, fearing that something had happened. It had already been an entire afternoon, so why was there still no news?

"I'm back, don't worry." Lu Linlang just heard what he said and spoke out quickly.

"Sister, you're finally back. I'm glad you're okay. Did they give you any trouble?"

Several people rushed forward to check on her and breathed a sigh of relief when they saw that she was indeed fine.

"Nothing, let's go back and talk about it."

When she got home, Lu Linlang told them about this.

"Yun Yi, you will be going to the capital to take the imperial examination soon. This matter is extremely important. I would like you to help me deliver a letter. It would be best if you could meet the emperor in person."

"Sister, I'm going too. I'm going with my cousin. Yuncan and I will protect him together."

"You two shouldn't go. The emperor asked you to come back to protect my elder sister, and Chongshui needs your help now.

Don't worry, Brother Li Cheng and I will be setting off together, and we have Uncle Tang and the others to protect us, so nothing will be a big deal.

Besides, I'm not a weak scholar, and you guys in the village can just teach the children to read."

Yunyi rejected their requests.

"Yun Yi, if I'm right, the Emperor will definitely keep you by his side and use you in a meaningful way when you leave this time.

From now on, we siblings won't see each other again. You must be careful and cautious in everything you do, and don't worry if you encounter any problems.

General He, the emperor has your backing, and you can also send someone to deliver a letter to me.

You know how to contact the people we have arranged in the capital, so don't be afraid of causing us trouble, your life is the most important."

"Well, I will definitely protect myself well, and you should also protect yourselves at home. No matter where we are, our hearts are together, and we will always be a family."

Yun Yi was just worried, but now he began to feel sad about leaving home.

"Don't be afraid, we will always be here to support you, brother. We are waiting for you to become famous in Chongshui."

Yuncan also pretended to be happy. They had just returned home not long ago, and his eldest brother was about to leave again. Life, when growing up, was not fun at all.

"Second brother, do you like growing up?" Yun Can lowered his head and looked at the moonlight in the sky.

"I like it, I really like it, because only when I grow up can I protect the people I want to protect and do what I want to do."

Yunxi also looked up at the moon. Tonight, only a crescent moon was left.

"That's right. Only when you grow up can you protect the people you want to protect. For children, adults are always thinking about protecting them, and there is nothing you can do." Lu Zhan held the back of his head with his hands.

The three brothers lay on the roof, and after a while, Taoist Zhang came out.

"Hey, gentlemen, come and have a drink."

Taoist Zhang shook his wine jug. It was full and not wobbly at all.

"Okay, I'm an adult now, and I won't go home until I'm drunk tonight." Lu Zhan jumped down.

"Lu Zhan, Yun Can, if you dare to drink, I will let you see the fear of children being dominated by adults."

When Lu Linlang's voice came, the three of them stood in a row and returned to the house in shame.

"Hahaha, a few furry kids are pretending to be adults here."

Taoist Zhang took a sip of wine and laughed heartily.