Volume One: In the Countryside

Chapter One: An Encounter in the Fields

The sky was a clear, flawless blue, and the golden rice ears swayed in the breeze, undulating like waves.

The farmers in the fields were busy harvesting, sweating profusely. In fact, they didn’t even have time to catch their breath, let alone sing a mountain song. Except for the occasional noisy bird flying by, only the rustling sound of harvesting could be heard.

Standing on a ridge by the official road, Ethan Bolton watched this scene of abundance with delight, holding a handful of rice in his hand and smiling at the farmers gathered around him.

“The harvest two years ago wasn’t as good as growing wheat, but last year we already had a bit of surplus, and this year, judging by the looks of it, as long as we hurry and finish the harvest, it might be sixty percent better than the year before last. Who says rice can’t be grown in the north?”

Hearing the agreement all around him, he recalled how, when he first discovered the abundant water systems near the village—perfect for growing rice—even though his mother Mrs. Smith hesitated before finally agreeing to try and opened up canals and reduced rent, the tenant farmers were still reluctant. He couldn’t help but sigh at the memory.

Other transmigrators always start with high specs and high status, but as the young master of a small landlord’s family, he struggled at every step. If not for this year’s bumper harvest, with all his efforts in the village—digging canals, planting rice, experimenting with cotton fields, expanding silkworm breeding, and persuading people to let their children recite poems and learn characters with him—he’d probably be cursed behind his back by these farmers.

These days, landlords can evict tenants, but tenants can also resist! With just him and his widowed mother, he’d stirred up so much trouble, but in the end, nothing disastrous happened, and the village’s situation steadily improved. He really was lucky!

Just then, wearing a bamboo hat, he caught a glimpse out of the corner of his eye: on the main road a few steps away, a group of seven or eight brightly dressed mounted guards were escorting a refined carriage at a leisurely pace, exuding an air of unhurried ease.

The carriage’s curtain was lifted high by a slender, fair hand. Though he only caught a glimpse from the side, he could vaguely see it was a young girl. Knowing that times were different from the modern era, he quickly averted his gaze after just a glance, turning his back to the road to continue discussing future replanting plans with the farmers. Who would have thought he’d suddenly overhear a conversation between two people in the carriage?

“Miss, you should know the current situation at home. The master’s military campaign is going badly, the eldest young master and his troops have lost contact, and many enemies at court are sharpening their knives. The second young master has no choice but to seek alliances to protect the family. Now he wants to marry into the household of Minister Lu from the Ministry of War, and that’s…”

“Protect the family? When he used to gamble and fool around, did he ever think about making progress? Who knows if Father’s defeat is real or fake, and Big Brother is just out of touch for now. Yet he dares to set his sights on me!”

“I know you look down on that pampered youngest son of Minister Lu’s family, but do you really believe in the so-called engagement the old madam mentioned? The master has always doted on you—how could he marry you off to someone of unknown background raised in the countryside? Besides, the old madam has the marriage contract but won’t let you or the second young master see the actual text. Who knows if it’s real or not?”

“That Lu family blockhead is useless in both civil and military matters, but he’s quite skilled at flirting. Every time he sees me, he looks at me like he’s drooling. I wish I could kick him over and beat him up! And he wants to marry me… Hmph, a toad lusting after a swan! Besides, I never promised Grandmother I’d marry according to that contract—I’m just here to take a look!”

Hearing the first part, Ethan Bolton sighed inwardly, thinking how even a noble young lady could be forced into marriage—truly pitiful. But after hearing her last bold statement, he couldn’t help but feel she really didn’t need anyone’s sympathy.

Still, the two of them spoke without any concern for being overheard, probably thinking that in the countryside, no one would understand the affairs of noble families.

But the next moment, he had no time to pity anyone else. Because he suddenly realized that the sound of hooves seemed to have stopped, and the man among the two speakers was actually using them country folk as an example!

“Even if the marriage contract is real, the master hasn’t mentioned it for years—maybe he’s long regretted it. The young miss used to be so pampered at home. Could she really live in the countryside, managing a bunch of rustic bumpkins, dealing every day with illiterate farm women?”

Just as Ethan Bolton was getting angry, the man went even further and pointed the finger directly at him.

“Miss, look at that young peasant—raised in the countryside, illiterate, ignorant of poetry and literature, spending his days with farmers, mountain folk, peddlers, and laborers. In the future, if he can get enough to eat, he’ll be satisfied, never leaving the fields his whole life. He’s a peasant, his son will be a peasant, and his grandson will still be a peasant. Growing up among such people, how could he not be mediocre?”

Even if Ethan Bolton had originally been too lazy to argue with strangers, at this point, he could no longer hold back.