Chapter 2: A Daily Divination
Half a month passed in a blink of an eye.
The boundless golden rice fields, under the gentle breeze, resembled golden waves.
These past few days, every household in Dongxi Village had been busy with the harvest.
This morning.
Xu Chuan performed a Daily Divination to predict his fortune.
【Today's Divination: Upper-Middle. When you harvest rice today, you will encounter Chen Bo's Family, and there is a good chance you will hear news about an Inner Strength Manual and ownerless rice fields from Chen Bo's mouth.】
Xu Chuan's face lit up with joy.
It wasn't in vain that I've been divining this matter these past few days; I finally didn't miss it.
An Inner Strength Manual?
It is indeed time to consider practicing Martial Dao.
However, Xu Chuan hadn't yet decided which child would pursue the Martial Dao, as this would determine the allocation of second-generation Aptitude.
In the fields.
"Chuan Ge, your Family's rice is still the best! Every grain is plump and large. Ten mu of your yield is comparable to fifteen or sixteen mu of mine."
A dark-skinned man looked at Xu Chuan's Family's rice fields, his eyes clearly filled with envy.
This person was Chen Ergou, Chen Bo's second son, only a year younger than Xu Chuan.
He had admired and revered him since childhood.
Their Family's rice fields were next to Xu Chuan's Family's.
"Do you have a secret recipe? Teach me, please."
"What nonsense are you talking about? If there's a secret recipe, why would I tell you?" Chen Bo walked over at this moment, scolding him.
"Chen Bo, there's no secret recipe. It's all a gift from the Heavens."
Heavenly Dao rewards diligence, so what Xu Chuan said was also correct.
Chen Bo chuckled, "Who in Dongxi Village doesn't know that San Shu, you are a master farmer? Otherwise, the Xu family wouldn't have insisted on you staying back then."
"You were wise, though, to quit being a long-term laborer. Now your life is getting better and better."
"Still incomparable to your Family, Chen Bo."
Chen Bo's Family had two sons, two daughters, 120 mu of rice fields, 20 mu of farmland, and 30 mu of mountain forest, making them a wealthy household in Dongxi Village.
Moreover, his eldest son was very promising, possessing some Martial Arts Aptitude.
He was already a Third-Rate Martial Artist, settled in Qingjiang County, and married the youngest daughter of a wealthy merchant.
"These days are busy with farming, isn't Eldest Brother Ming coming back?" Xu Chuan's thought arose, and he asked subtly.
Speaking of his eldest son, Chen Ming, a complex expression of pride and helplessness flashed in Chen Bo's eyes.
"Your Eldest Brother Ming is a Martial Artist; he has his own matters to attend to."
Family shame should not be aired, so Chen Bo naturally wouldn't speak ill of his son in front of outsiders.
"I really envy Eldest Brother Ming. When I have money in the future, I'll also buy an Inner Strength Manual for my son to practice. Chen Bo, if you see Eldest Brother Ming, remember to ask him for me."
"No problem, it's a small matter." Chen Bo grinned, patting his chest, "This world is still quite unstable; practicing some martial arts for self-defense is good."
As he spoke, he sighed slightly, lamenting, "If Old Yu had your idea, he wouldn't have been robbed in the middle of the night, and his entire Family, old and young, wouldn't have died tragically."
"How pitiful!"
"However, the path of a Martial Artist is very expensive, San Shu, you must be mentally prepared." Chen Bo's tone shifted, and he earnestly cautioned him.
Without Aptitude, and only with money, in the end, it would all be for naught.
"I understand, Chen Bo."
"Uncle Yu's Family is a pity. What happened to their land?"
"When people die, everything becomes empty." Chen Bo's eyes lit up, with a smile in them.
"The government will naturally take it back. It's probably a matter of these two days. If you happen to encounter the yamen runners, it's best to act immediately."
"After all, your Family's population is constantly increasing, and your children are growing up. Even if your rice field yield is several tenths higher than others, ten mu of land is too little."
His thoughts being seen through, Xu Chuan didn't feel surprised. He scratched his head and flattered, "Nothing can be hidden from Chen Bo. I also have this plan.
Now that life is gradually getting better and the population is gradually increasing, I'm starting to consider increasing my land holdings."
Whether it was ordinary commoners or wealthy households, they all valued land holdings greatly. Unless absolutely necessary, they would never easily sell their rice fields.
This was their fundamental means of survival.
Even if the Family declined after several generations, as long as the land holdings remained, it was always a guarantee for the lives of their descendants.
Buying rice fields depended on luck.
Fortunately, Xu Chuan's luck wasn't bad, allowing him to wait for an opportunity.
As for the Inner Strength Manual, it wasn't the most important thing at the moment. If the price was too high, he could only give up for now and plan for it later.
Xu Chuan was very clear about what the Xu Family needed most at the moment.
His mindset was as stable as an old dog!
The Great Wei Imperial Dynasty integrated Martial Dao and Immortal Dao, establishing two distinct official systems: Martial Officials and Immortal Officials.
However, because Immortal Dao had high Aptitude requirements, only one in ten thousand could cultivate immortality. Once successful in cultivation, their strength was far beyond what a Martial Artist could compare to.
Therefore, the status of Immortal Officials was clearly higher in the Great Wei Imperial Dynasty.
But no matter which one, one needed to possess a certain level of strength and, even more so, connections.
Becoming a Martial Official or Immortal Official of the Great Wei Imperial Dynasty was equivalent to entering the civil servant system of Xu Chuan's previous life.
This was an iron rice bowl!
Any Martial Artist and low-level immortal cultivator yearned for it greatly.
If managed well, a Family could rapidly grow stronger in ten or twenty years.
After chatting for a while, both families began harvesting.
Xu Chuan's Family only had ten mu of land. They had already been harvesting for over ten days, and not much was left. Because he was quick, he finished in half a day.
After lunch.
Xu Chuan had to go to the threshing ground to dry the harvested rice to reduce moisture and prevent mold.
"Father, where are you going?" the two little ones asked.
"Father is going to dry the rice."
"Father, I'll help you." Xu Mingwei looked up at Xu Chuan, his small hands clenched into fists, his tender face firm.
"Good, Little Stone, go help Father."
Xu Chuan rubbed Xu Mingwei's head, his eyes full of doting affection.
Which parents wouldn't be delighted with such a sensible child?
At this moment, Xu Mingyuan also clamored in a milky voice, "I want to go too, Father."
"Go, go, go, all of you go!"
There were many people busy at the threshing ground. Seeing Xu Chuan bring his two children over, they all smiled and praised his children for being sensible and capable.
Xu Chuan also smiled in response, beginning a brief session of parent-style mutual praise.
However, the two little ones were still children after all. They didn't work for long before they were lured away by something and disappeared.
Xu Mingwei was already very sensible, so Xu Chuan was relatively at ease.
However, when they returned, covered in mud, Xu Chuan still scolded them.
Then he stripped them clean and put them into a wooden tub, letting Bai Jing wash them.
Xu Mingwei and Xu Mingyuan played in the wooden tub, splashing water that wet Bai Jing's clothes, putting on a 'wet body' temptation show in front of Xu Chuan.
Deep into the night.
Stars twinkled, and the evening breeze, carried by the moonlight, brought a hint of coolness.
Bai Jing practiced her skills again.
Her skills became increasingly proficient, earning Xu Chuan's praise.
— — — — — — — — — —
The next day.
【Today's Divination: Auspicious. At one quarter past 巳時 , the Qingjiang County Clerk will arrive at the entrance of Dongxi Village. You have a high probability of buying fifty mu of rice fields.】
"Fifty mu of rice fields?"