A person of noble status does not consume common fare.

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Han Lei took the deed to the shop from Uncle Wang. After examining it carefully, she tucked it into her robe.

“Brothers, this shop belongs to us from now on!” Han Lei announced loudly to the wounded soldiers.

“Wonderful!”

“We’ll be working here from now on.”

“We finally have something to do!”

The wounded soldiers erupted in cheers, leaving Uncle Wang utterly bewildered.

This young woman actually called these guards her brothers?

Han Lei was delighted as well, when a string of crisp chimes suddenly rang out in her mind.

“Ding! One thousand taels of gold awarded.”

“Ding! Method for manufacturing cement awarded.”

“Ding! One thousand taels of gold awarded.”

“Ding! Method for refining table salt awarded.”

…

Han Lei was startled. Seeing that everyone was too busy celebrating to notice her, she hurriedly sat down on a stool and entered the system to investigate.

The system panel flashed continuously with reward items. Han Lei asked through her thoughts why she had received them, but the system ignored her completely, merely chiming without pause. Perhaps it was too busy to respond.

The notification sounds continued for nearly two minutes. When they finally stopped, Han Lei checked the system warehouse and was frightened by what she saw.

An additional fifty-four thousand taels of gold had appeared in the warehouse, along with methods for producing cement, refining table salt, manufacturing glass, and smelting steel. There was even a computer that could connect to the internet through the system.

Why had she suddenly been rewarded with fifty-four thousand taels of gold and all these things?

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Han Lei looked thoughtfully at the wounded soldiers who had accompanied her that day. Apart from Tao Qing and A-Mao, there were exactly fifty-four of them.

Could it be because she had found employment for those fifty-four men, and the system had rewarded her according to their number? And had it given her those production methods because she would need them for her future development?

After thinking it over carefully, Han Lei decided that this must be the case.

Once everyone had calmed down, Han Lei summoned all the men from the Junior Squad and introduced Captain Xiao Yi to Uncle Wang.

“Starting tomorrow, all of you will work here under Uncle Wang for the time being. You’ll each receive two taels of silver a month. Make sure you learn everything you can from Uncle Wang. Once you’ve mastered the trade, your wages will increase. When our other projects are ready, we’ll make further arrangements.”

At the mention of two taels of silver a month, the wounded soldiers burst into cheers once more. Compared with camping in the open and charging into battle at the military camp, this was far easier. Their wages had doubled, and they would be much closer to home.

Han Lei then asked Uncle Wang where land could be purchased and how much it cost per acre.

“Miss, are you planning to buy land and build a residence?” Uncle Wang asked in return. “If so, you’ll have to purchase it from the county magistrate.”

“No.” Han Lei shook her head. “I want land for farming, and I also plan to build a pig farm.”

“Miss, you intend to farm and raise pigs?”

Uncle Wang was astonished. He simply could not understand the peculiar ideas of these wealthy people.

Han Lei gestured toward the wounded soldiers of the Junior Squad and explained, “Not me. They’ll do it. I’m finding them work, and I want them to bring the local people in as well. That way, everyone here can have enough to eat, and every household might even have enough silver to buy meat. I’m only teaching them how to do it. As the saying goes, it’s better to teach a person how to fish than to give them a fish.”

“Oh! Miss, you truly are a great benefactor!”

Uncle Wang understood at last, and his admiration for Han Lei surged like an endless river.

“Miss, if that’s the case, there’s no need to buy land. Most of Cangzhou’s soil is poor and produces little grain. The fertile fields have already been seized by the great families. As for the remaining wasteland, nobody wants it. The county magistrate has decreed that ordinary people may reclaim it themselves, and whoever brings a patch of wasteland under cultivation owns it.”

“Oh?”

Han Lei’s eyes brightened. Whoever reclaimed the land owned it? Wasn’t that practically the same as being given land outright?

The poor soil was not a serious problem for her. The system could provide all kinds of fertilizer. Once the pig farm was running, the stored pig manure would also make excellent farm fertilizer.

Besides, in her former world, she knew of many crops suited to poor soil, such as corn, potatoes, soybeans, and sorghum.

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Corn had few requirements when it came to soil and could be grown in most types of land. During their journey to Qingshui County, when they had stopped to rest, she had observed the fields along the way. The soil in Cangzhou was certainly unsuitable for rice, but growing corn would be no problem.

Soybeans, meanwhile, belonged to the legume family. Legumes possessed the special ability to fix nitrogen from the air through symbiosis with bacteria. Thus, soybeans could grow well even in barren soil lacking nitrogen. If planted in fields where other crops had previously been grown, they could also restore the soil’s fertility and gradually turn poor land rich again.

“Uncle Wang, tomorrow, please take me to see the nearest stretch of wasteland.”

“Of course!” Uncle Wang nodded, then added, “Miss, I don’t mean to discourage you, but raising pigs may not be practical either. In times like these, people often can’t even fill their own stomachs. Where will you find enough grain to feed pigs?”

“Uncle Wang, you don’t need to worry about that. Until the crops on the wasteland are ready, I’ll provide all the pigs’ feed myself.” Han Lei was brimming with confidence.

“But poor people can’t afford pork, while the wealthy consider it lowly meat and refuse to eat it. Who will you sell your pork to?” Uncle Wang worried that Han Lei had acted on a sudden whim.

“Ha ha ha…” Han Lei burst into laughter at that. “You need worry even less about this. I guarantee that when the time comes, those noblemen will be lining up to snatch up the ‘lowly meat’ you mentioned. Anyone who arrives late may not get any at all. Ha ha ha…”

“What? Miss, are you serious?”

Han Lei’s words completely overturned Uncle Wang’s understanding of the world.

“Of course I am. If you don’t believe me, just wait and see. Before long, you’ll be running up and down between the floors so much that your legs will ache, Shopkeeper. Ha ha ha…”

Uncle Wang stared at her in utter disbelief.

“Hahaha…”

The wounded soldiers also began laughing at his expression. During their journey two days earlier, the boxed meals they had eaten had contained two meat dishes and two vegetable dishes, including one made with pork. The flavor had been superb.

Moreover, they had spent more than a month with Han Lei, and she was constantly surprising them. As far as she was concerned, they possessed an almost inexplicable confidence in her.

After laughing for a while, Han Lei wiped the smile from her face and began giving Uncle Wang serious instructions.

“Uncle Wang, put up a hiring notice at the entrance today. Besides recruiting staff for the shop, we also need craftsmen who can build houses and make tables and chairs. We need farmers who know how to raise pigs and grow crops as well. Men and women, young and old—all are welcome. As long as they work diligently, each person will be paid one tael of silver a month. Anyone who is lazy or dishonest need not apply.

“Tell them that these are not temporary odd jobs, but long-term positions. And to speed up the project, once the houses are finished, everyone will receive room and board.”

“Really? Then I’ll take care of it at once!”

Uncle Wang was overjoyed and turned to leave. After taking two steps, he turned back and bowed deeply to Han Lei.