Chapter 187: Yan Lao’er Enters the City

Yan Yu finished two bowls of the meat porridge that Nanny Rong had cooked in the morning.

It was made with the spirit snake meat from the fairy sister, giving off an enticing aroma. Originally drowsy, she suddenly felt revitalized. After giving her mother a rough account of what had happened during the night, she marched off with great vigor toward the plot of land south of her home, near the forest.

Accompanying her were the small subordinates she had gathered as the leader of the “Young Scouts.”

The children remained highly interested in earning work points from the Yan family.

Without any adults supervising, they were solely responsible for clearing a piece of land from scratch—this alone was an exciting prospect for them.

Yan Yu continued assigning them to pick stones and pull weeds.

She narrowed their focus to an area of about an acre, and the results were quite promising.

Since the plot was relatively small and there were plenty of children, she didn’t need to be too meticulous about the land preparation—just a simple cleanup would suffice.

When it came to digging holes, Yan Yu didn’t entrust it to anyone else. She wielded her hoe with great energy, measuring distances by eye before burying her head in work.

“Yan Xiao’er, what are you doing? Why are you digging so many holes in the field?” The other children gradually gathered around, curious.

“My dad went to buy saplings. Our family plans to plant fruit trees on this land near the forest.” Yan Yu pretended to wipe some nonexistent sweat from her forehead, even taking a couple of exaggerated deep breaths to act as if she were exhausted.

“Fruit trees?!” The children exclaimed, looking at the Yan family’s five-acre plot. “You’re planting fruit trees on all of it? That’s a lot! Can your family even eat that many?”

Yan Yu replied, “If we can’t finish them, we can sell them or make fruit preserves. Besides, we’re not planting all five acres at once—where would we get that much money for saplings? We’ll plant some first and leave the rest of the land empty for now. We’ll deal with it later.”

“Xiao’er, if your family doesn’t plant crops here, what about the grain tax later?” San Tie, being slightly older than the others, wasn’t as enamored by the idea as the younger kids. He knew that in three years, they’d have to pay a grain tax, and fruit trees weren’t staple crops or vegetables—some took years to bear fruit.

Plus, fruit wasn’t a staple food. One or two trees in a courtyard were enough to satisfy a family’s cravings, but dedicating such a large plot to them? Selling fruit—was it even profitable?

“We have other fields. If it’s not enough, we can sell the fruit and buy grain,” Yan Yu said matter-of-factly.

“Before the fruit trees mature, we can grow vegetables in the empty spaces. My family’s chickens and sheep can graze here, and if we raise pigs later, the vegetables can be used as feed…” Yan Yu’s thoughts grew wilder, her excitement escalating. “And the wild ducks by the river, the wild rabbits in the mountains—if we can catch them, we’ll raise them too! Let them lay eggs and breed, and whenever we want meat, we’ll just grab one and toss it in the pot, hahaha…”

The children were captivated by her vivid descriptions. Their eyes glazed over as they imagined a bustling land filled with pigs, sheep, chickens, ducks, and rabbits, alongside flourishing fruit trees.

Meat whenever they wanted. Fresh fruit ready to be picked.

Gulp!

No one knew which child swallowed their saliva first.

The rest couldn’t help but do the same.

“If you help my family work, I’ll keep track in my notebook. When the fruit grows, I’ll personally deliver some to your homes—no work points needed!” Yan Yu thumped her small chest with an air of grandeur. “Yan Xiao’er keeps her word!”

“Wow!”

The children cheered.

Their enthusiasm for work soared.

“Who are we?” Yan Yu suddenly shouted.

Everyone halted their movements, looking at her with bright eyes as they responded in unison, “The Young Scouts!”

“We will definitely—”

“Be better than the adults!” The children shouted at the top of their lungs.

“When we grow up—”

“We’ll have whatever we want!”

As they finished the chant, they burst into laughter.

Yan Xiao’er’s slogan was just perfect—it captured their dreams exactly.

Even Yan Yu had to stifle a laugh. The others could enjoy it, but as the leader of the Young Scouts, she had to remain absolutely convinced.

Serious! She had to be serious!

“Back to work!” Yan Yu urged at the right moment. “Once we’re done here, we’ll start training—the first mission is to round up the wild ducks in the reed marsh!”

“Yes! Catch them!”

“Eat them!”

The children chattered excitedly.

“Xiao’er, let me help you dig the holes.” Da Gouzi approached, reaching for her hoe.

“Big Brother Da Gouzi, I’m not tired yet,” Yan Yu clung to it tightly.

Da Gouzi wanted to insist, but Yan Yu changed the subject. “Big Brother Da Gouzi, what are you planning to exchange your work points for?”

“Si Tie made a deal with us. He wants to borrow work points to buy scented soap. He and Wu Tie are both saving up, and even San Tie got roped into helping,” Da Gouzi explained.

Yan Yu nodded in understanding. So that’s why San Tie joined in.

While keeping an eye on the surrounding children, she continued digging with swift efficiency.

Not long after, Nanny Rong arrived, hoe in hand, and silently began digging as well.

Everyone knew the Yan family had hired this mute woman. At first, they had curiously observed her, but after seeing her work diligently without lifting her head, they felt embarrassed to slack off and worked even harder.

—

After giving San Bao a quick instruction, Yan Lao’er lounged on the ox cart, closing his eyes to rest.

But there was no way he could actually sleep.

San Bao, relying on his own internal navigation, sped along the road whenever there was no one around, nearly jolting Yan Lao’er off the cart.

He was taking the most direct route. By the time they reached Yongning City, the gates were just opening, and a long queue had already formed to enter.

Standing on the cart, Yan Lao’er anxiously peered ahead.

His heart was uneasy.

This was his first time coming to Yongning City.

Previously, when buying bricks, he had only been to the towns under its jurisdiction.

Seeing what appeared to be inspections at the front, his heart sank.

He had nothing with him.

“Old man, come sit up here and rest your legs.” Yan Lao’er set his sights on an elderly man who was entering the city with his son and grandson.

The three of them were carrying heavy loads—strapped to their backs, balanced on poles, even the half-grown child’s hands were full.

“Thank you, then we’ll shamelessly take you up on that.” The old man, still energetic, set his large basket onto the empty cart and sat down himself.

Turning to his son, he instructed, “Get some water.”

“This is spring water from the mountains near my home—it’s sweet. Try it.”

Yan Lao’er took a sip. It did have a faint sweetness.

“Old man, are you going into the city to sell goods?”

“Just some homegrown vegetables, and to see if there’s any short-term work available,” the old man answered honestly.

Glancing at the empty ox cart, he asked, “You’re going in with an empty cart but paying the same fee as a loaded one. Are you in a hurry to buy something?”

Yan Lao’er understood what he was implying and chuckled. “I’m looking to buy fruit saplings. Us country folks get nervous when we see a big city. You seem trustworthy, so I thought I’d tag along. Besides, like you said, whether the cart’s full or empty, the fee’s the same. I also wanted to ask you where in the city I can buy saplings.”

Hearing that Yan Lao’er was willing to accompany them, the old man’s face broke into a wide smile.

Lowering his voice, he said, “If you trust me, pay the entry fee first. Once we’re past the gate, we’ll split it—you won’t be at a loss.”