Chapter 31: Chapter 31

C31 – The Value of the Village

Sun’s father nearly had a fit of rage.

Using rosewood for cooking and firewood?

That’s extravagance to the extreme!

But Zhao Yuegu’s reaction made it clear he had no idea it was rosewood.

“Promise me you won’t burn it again!”

“If you don’t want it, I’ll take it off your hands. I’ll trade you ten carts of firewood for it.”

Zhao Yuegu just smiled.

“Now I see its value. This treasure must be preserved.”

Sun’s father almost wanted to slap himself.

Why did he have to be so impulsive with his words!

Had he waited a bit longer, he might have managed to swindle some rosewood from Zhao Yuegu.

But now, that opportunity was gone.

“Take good care of it. Rosewood grows incredibly slowly, only adding a ring every five years, and it takes 800 years to mature. It’s the hardest of all woods.”

“Its current market price even surpasses that of Phoebe zhennan wood.”

“As for your home, it’s beyond monetary value now.”

“It’s a historical artifact that needs special protection.”

Sun’s father’s eyes were ablaze with envy, his hands trembling as he caressed the wood.

“I’ve been thinking the same.”

Zhao Yuegu nodded in agreement.

Before, he and Xueman had burned the wood out of sheer survival.

But once the road is open, he could liquidate his assets and bring a wealth of supplies into Walden Village.

No more worrying about freezing or starving tomorrow.

The ancient, three-sectioned courtyard at home certainly deserved a thorough restoration.

What he hadn’t anticipated was the staggering value of the courtyard.

“There are plenty of vacant rooms in the courtyard. We could take down a couple and repurpose these aged timbers.”

Zhao Yuegu had plans of his own.

“Exactly. Using new rosewood would lack the historical character.”

Sun’s father was equally thrilled.

“Your main courtyard, the largest of the three, could be restored to its original splendor from centuries past.”

“There are few, if any, across the nation preserved so impeccably.”

“Just imagine the prestige of hosting guests in a rosewood courtyard.”

“Oh, right, let’s skip planting vegetables in the courtyard. We can add some landscaping later, maybe create something inspired by the classic Su-style gardens.”

Sun’s father was beside himself, gesturing excitedly at the garden.

Zhao Yuegu pondered the idea and had to admit that Sun’s father was onto something.

Clearly, the man had a rich sense of history.

The courtyard could indeed be transformed just as he suggested.

But…

There was one point of contention for Zhao Yuegu.

“Let’s not worry about the landscaping. I think planting vegetables is a good idea.”

“You want to plant vegetables in such a beautiful courtyard?”

“Vegetables can look quite stunning when they’re grown. Don’t you agree?”

“…”

Sun’s father was on the verge of a meltdown.

Yet, seeing Zhao Yuegu’s resolve, he felt powerless to argue.

He could only hope that once the repairs were complete, he might find a way to intervene.

“I’m determined to have Susu marry this young man.”

“Then, even if I stay in this courtyard forever, he won’t have any leverage over me!”

“When I decide to add a landscape, will he be able to stop me then?”

“But… is he even capable of marrying Susu?”

“Or perhaps…”

“Susu could simply become his lover.”

Zhao Yuegu was well aware of Sun’s father’s machinations.

But it didn’t bother him in the slightest.

He was content staying in Walden village, where could the scheming possibly reach?

Besides…

He had personally funded the construction of the road leading to the village.

Anyone wishing to use it would have to get his permission first!

“If you’re up for it, help me start by wiping off the dust.”

Zhao Yuegu began to delegate tasks.

The program team had stayed in the village recently, but they were mostly preoccupied with filming tasks.

The house had only received a cursory cleaning.

This, however, made the job much easier for the two of them.

Father Lin was elated, grabbing the wooden bucket and getting ready to work.

Zhao Yuegu watched, taken aback.

“I never expected him to work with such fervor.”

“He’s even more meticulous than I am.”

Shaking his head, Zhao Yuegu doused the wood with a bucket of water.

Sun’s father caught sight of this and his eyelids twitched with irritation.

“What are you doing?”

“How can you treat such a precious house with such disregard!”

“Get out of here! Move it, I don’t need your help—I’ll do the cleaning.”

Zhao Yuegu was taken aback.

“Sun’s father is a renowned entrepreneur in the county, worth hundreds of millions. He even holds significant influence throughout Strathmore.”

“And yet, he’s here volunteering as a cleaner?”

Since Sun’s father was up for it, Zhao Yuegu wasn’t about to argue.

Who would turn down free labor?

And the attention to detail was something else…

He’d never been that meticulous in his farming!

Sun Ying was mortified at the sight.

Driving Zhao Yuegu around was one thing, but her father? He was a heavyweight in Strathmore, someone whose very step could make the province tremble.

And here he was, cleaning with such gusto?

That custom suit of his cost a small fortune, and she wasn’t even allowed to touch it usually.

Now it was being used as a dust rag?

“I’m disowning this dad, okay?”

She couldn’t help but grumble to herself.

Zhao Yuegu gained a profound appreciation for Sun’s father’s passion for antiques.

He could even pinpoint the era of family heirlooms with remarkable accuracy.

“Wow, this rosewood table is pure Southern Song style, but it must have been crafted during the Yuan Dynasty.”

“This incense table has a late Tang design, but it’s likely a Ming Dynasty reproduction, or it wouldn’t be so well-preserved.”

Zhao Yuegu listened, astounded.

Late Tang style, but made in the Ming era?

That’s hardly different from modern-day Ming replicas!

To the uninitiated, that incense table might as well be an original Tang piece…

And some of the porcelain at home? Sun’s father had identified pieces from the Southern Song Dynasty.

In the realm of antiques, Sun’s father’s breadth of knowledge was staggering!

With each of Sun’s father’s discoveries, Zhao Yuegu’s net worth skyrocketed.

He never imagined that a simple farmer, thanks to his system and the relics in his ancestral home, could be sitting on a fortune worth well over a billion!

“Perhaps it’s because Walden is so remote, where every item is treasured, that so many antiques have survived here.”

“There’s already so much in my home—what about the rest of the villagers?”

Zhao Yuegu was acutely aware that, from a cultural preservation standpoint, the value of Walden was almost incalculable.

Just the antiques alone, if auctioned, could fetch billions.

It was beyond imagination.

Yet despite sitting on such a treasure trove, the residents of Walden remained impoverished.

The issue was the lack of circulation of goods.

But with the arrival of Sun’s father, Zhao Yuegu identified a grave concern.

“Once this road connecting us to the outside world is completed, who knows how many will covet the village’s cultural treasures?”

“Sun’s father might refrain from exploiting us to save face, but others may not show the same restraint.”

“Perhaps, it’s time for me to take preemptive action to safeguard these assets.”

“Of course, what needs protection isn’t just the artifacts—it’s the people of the village.”

“Nothing in Walden will be disturbed without my consent.”