Yan Wenxiu continued, âThe butler and his men have also gone back to their hometown to collect more seed grain, but the amount wonât be much, and it might be delayed. Iâm not sure if weâll still be on time for planting this year.â
Xiao Yeyang fell silent.
From Xingzhou to Yan Family Village and back, even if the horses never stopped, it would take ten days to half a month, and then sending it from here to Fenxi would probably take until the middle of November.
By then, the optimal planting season would have already passed.
Xiao Yeyang furrowed his brows, âHow many bushels can your family gather?â
Yan Wenxiu: âAround 2000 bushels.â
Upon hearing the quantity, before Xiao Yeyang could say anything, Defu anxiously blurted out, âSo little? How is that enough?â
Yan Wenxiu quickly added, âMy third uncle estimated that we could gather about 5000 bushels from our hometown.â
Defu: âBut the timing from your hometown might be too late, and even with an extra 5000 bushels, itâs still not enough.â
Xiao Yeyang tapped the stone table and said gravely, âEven if itâs not enough, thereâs no other way. Letâs send over what your family has collected first.â
Daohua sat beside them, watching the two of them converse with serious expressions. After they finished, she finally asked, âAre you collecting seed grain?â
Xiao Yeyang, preoccupied with the transportation issue, casually nodded.
While Yan Wenxiu was lamenting the Yan familyâs thin resources; if only they had more estate and manor lands, they could have been a great help to the Little Prince and the Governor Guo, but sadly, the Yan family had risen too late in the game.
Because he was so absorbed in his thoughts, he didnât hear Daohuaâs question.
Unsatisfied with their perfunctory response, Daohua asked again, âWhy donât you ask me if I have any seed grain?â After saying this, she looked puzzled at the two men, unable to comprehend why they would send people back to their hometown without asking her, the person right in front of them.
Xiao Yeyang and Yan Wenxiu turned to look at her in unison, their faces a mixture of confusion, surprise, and anticipation.
âMiss Yan, do you have seed grain?â Defu eagerly asked this question first.
Daohua tilted her head back slightly, âOf course, I do. Donât forget, I have several estates in my hands.â
Xiao Yeyang and Yan Wenxiu both inhaled sharply.
Forgive them, for they had truly forgotten, or rather, habitually overlooked this fact.
In their eyes, women from the inner house had no place in such a big affair and were powerless, so the idea of involving Daohua had never crossed their minds.
Not only them, but even Yan Zhigao had not thought of this.
Xiao Yeyang licked his somewhat dry lips and ventured, âHow much seed grain do you have?â
Daohua raised her eyebrows, âHow much do you need?â
Seeing her confidence, Xiao Yeyangâs eyes brightened, and he gestured with his hand: âDo you have 10,000 bushels?â His uncle had lost 20,000 bushels of seed grain; with over 10,000 bushels, the Guo family could find a way to absolve his uncle of the punishment.
Daohua laughed, âLook how cautious you are. Itâs just 10,000 bushels of seed grain, right?â She patted her chest pronouncing boldly, âIâll supply it for you.â
At her words, both Xiao Yeyang and Yan Wenxiu showed expressions of surprise and delight.
However, Yan Wenxiu, worried that Daohua was too young to understand the amount, hastily confirmed, âBig sister, itâs ten thousand bushels, not one, ten, or a hundred bushels, okay?â
Seeing herself underestimated, Daohua was displeased, âIâm not a three-year-old child. Of course, I know how much 10,000 bushels is.â
Xiao Yeyang trusted Daohua and quickly said, âYour seed grain is stored at your estate, right? Give me the address, and Iâll send someone immediately to collect it. We must hurry, as Fenxi is waiting to plant.â
Daohua said to Wang Manman, âGo call Brother Xiaoliu over, and have him take some men to the granary.â
Xiao Yeyang glanced at Defu, who promptly said, âIâll go with Miss Manman.â
After the two left, Yan Wenxiu turned to Daohua, âBig sister, how did you manage to store so much grain?â
Daohua spread out her hands and tilted her head with a smile, âI didnât store it. It was just harvested this autumn. Iâve been busy practicing horseback riding lately and havenât had the chance to sell it yet.â
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yeyang and Yan Wenxiu exchanged a quick glance, and then both smiled in relief.
They knew that Daohua liked to sell things to save silver, and then buy even more estates.
Xiao Yeyang soon furrowed his brow and asked, âThe autumn harvest? Could these wheat seeds withstand the cold?â
Daohua: âDonât worry, Daohuaâs products are definitely of fine quality, capable of not only resisting the cold but also pests.â
The seeds used on her manor were cultivated using the yellow soil from her space. The reason for planting so much was to spread the quality grains more quickly and widely.
Yan Wenxiu glanced at Daohua, knowing how his father had acquired the high-yield grains, so hearing what Daohua said, he wasnât worried about the quality of the seeds.
Soon after, Xiaoliu followed De Fu to join them.
Daohua said to Xiaoliu, âBrother Xiaoliu, take De Fu and the rest to the granary to collect the seeds.â Pausing, she cocked her head towards Yan Wenxiu.
âIs ten thousand bushels enough? Do you need more?â
Xiao Yeyangâs breath caught, and then he coughed a few times, clearing his throat, âIf you have extra, naturally, the more the better.â
Daohua immediately turned to Xiaoliu, âGive them all the seeds from the granary.â
Xiaoliu nodded in agreement.
Then, Xiaoliu led De Fu and the bodyguards brought by Xiao Yeyang to the granary on Daohua Manor to collect the grains, and Yan Wenxiu followed as well.
â¦
âAlright, the issue with the seeds is resolved, you need not worry anymore, just wait in peace,â Daohua said with a smile as she poured another cup of tea for Xiao Yeyang.
Looking at the freshly brewed tea, Xiao Yeyang felt truly thirsty. He picked up the cup and started to drink, contemplating as he sipped.
The matter of his uncle losing the seeds had indeed taken a twist for the better.
Now, as long as the seeds were quickly delivered to Fenxi, he no longer needed to worry about his uncle facing punishment.
With the situation resolved, he felt a great sense of relief.
After drinking most of the cup, Xiao Yeyang set it down and watched Daohua across from him, who held her cup and sipped it gently with a smile. A warm surge began to swell in his heart.
Although he was born into the Imperial Family, with a distinguished status, he didnât have many close people.
From his early years, his father had never supervised him; although his Imperial Uncle cared for him, he was preoccupied with state affairs. So, it had been his uncle who had educated him all along.
His uncleâs trouble with losing the seeds, facing possible punishment, had caused him real anxiety and concern.
Fortunately, there was Daohua.
This person, since their first meeting, had ceaselessly surprised him and unveiled unexpected delights, compelling one to draw closer.
âThank you!â
Upon hearing this, Daohua laughed, and seeing the seriousness on Xiao Yeyangâs face, she nonchalantly waved her hand, âThereâs no need for formality, weâre friends, after all!â
Xiao Yeyang was stunned for a moment, then knitted his brows, âFriends?â
Noticing his reluctance, Daohuaâs expression soured, âWhat, donât you consider me a friend?â
Xiao Yeyang found the term âfriendâ a bit odd, but seeing the look on Daohuaâs faceâthat she would be upset if he dared say otherwiseâhe promptly shook his head, âWe are friends.â
Daohua smiled again, âFriends should help each other, so you donât need to be so polite with me. Besides, havenât you also helped my family a lot?â
Xiao Yeyang fell silent for a moment, âI havenât actually done anything for your family.â
Daohua put away her smile, her face serious, âYou donât need to do anything to have helped our family.â Then her face broke into a smile again, âAnyway, Iâm very happy to have been able to help you this time.â