A new day.
Sylutia, dressed in a black gown and carrying a suitcase in one hand, stepped onto a small wooden stool and boarded the waiting carriage.
The coachman shook the reins, and soon the sound of turning wheels echoed as they rolled over the slightly uneven stone brick road. A convoy of six carriages headed out of Scorchstone City.
Inside the carriage, Sylutia sat together with Koa and Karen, with quite a bit of luggage also stored here.
"Did the teacher say where we're going?"
Sylutia asked while biting on a white hair ribbon, then reached behind her head to tie up her hair, preventing it from getting ssy in the carriage.
"I heard them say we're going to Goldenrain Tree Village." Koa thought for a mont before answering.
"I've been there once before. It's not far from Scorchstone City. We should probably arrive by noon."
"The village is built next to a grove of goldenrain trees, with a small river flowing nearby. The scenery is quite beautiful."
"It seems to be Viscount Xuefeng's direct territory. He sends servants there every year to purchase chickens, ducks, cattle, and sheep as supplentary food for the castle. Occasionally he brings his family there for outings and horseback riding."
"From what you say, the environnt must be quite pleasant." After arranging her hair, Sylutia put her hands down. She had tied her hair into a high ponytail, revealing her elegant neck and the contours of her cheeks.
"Yes." As she said this, Koa looked at the girl for a long ti.
"You look really beautiful, Tia." She even tugged at Karen beside her.
"Karen, look at Tia. Doesn't she look much prettier like this?"
"Yes, after changing her hairstyle, her whole deanor seems much more spirited." She could also see the difference.
"Eh? Did I look depressed before?" Sylutia tilted her head.
"Probably too plain, lacking vitality." Koa thought about it.
"You should always wear your hair like this from now on, Tia~" She gave a thumbs up, and after thinking, Karen followed suit.
"Well, that won't do. It's only because it's just the three of us today that I'm relaxing a bit." The girl blinked.
"Why not? It's clearly very beautiful."
"Precisely because it's beautiful." The girl answered with a smile.
"It would bring trouble." She looked out the carriage window behind them. Today the three of them were riding in a carriage structured more like a freight wagon, not the specialized passenger compartnt type.
"Because of Miss Iona, the noble students often engage in jealous rivalries. I'm sowhat afraid of that kind of life. It's best to keep things plain and ordinary as they are now." As she spoke, she placed both hands under her thighs, watching her calves beneath her skirt gently swing back and forth, like playing on a swing.
The other two, who had wanted to persuade her otherwise, seeing Sylutia's tranquil, contented appearance, suddenly felt that she truly should live this kind of conflict-free life, and so they closed their mouths.
"Maybe I'll co to like this kind of life in the future too, but for now I still have lots of curiosity and impulses." Koa touched her chin thoughtfully.
"What about Karen?" She suddenly turned to ask the other girl beside her.
"?" Karen pointed at herself with her finger.
"I don't want much either. Just to beco an excellent hunter, have my own wooden cabin in the forest, then keep two dogs, occasionally go hunting, trade with villagers, and live that kind of life."
"Wow, Karen's goals are so clear. I don't know what kind of life I want to live in the future." Koa expressed surprise.
"That's because Koa still has many possibilities." Karen occasionally could say surprising things.
"That, well, is true too. My personality is flighty, it's hard for
to stick firmly to any particular goal for long." Koa answered while propping her chin, her eyes casually closing then opening.
"This ti going to Goldenrain Tree Village, I must have a good ti. That's my recent goal."
The three sat in the creaking carriage, chatting and laughing along the way, and before they knew it, it was noon.
...
The carriage stopped, and the three bent down to lightly jump off the carriage, then stood on the grass.
Not far away, a peaceful and harmonious village ca into their view.
There were probably about fifty households here, dotted along the village's main road, with large checkerboard-like wheat fields extending outward. Much of the wheat had already been harvested, with bundled wheat stacks piled in so fields.
"Leave the luggage on the carriage. The coachman will take it directly into the village. The teacher will have us walk, telling us so things along the way." Yero notified the students one by one. Although his figure was sowhat plump, he moved with surprising agility on these country paths.
"Alright, we understand." Tia responded, after which Yero headed toward another group of gathered students.
Soon, the students gathered around Scholar Hyde to listen to his instruction.
"Is everyone here? Good, then I'll begin." He turned around, introducing to the students behind him.
"This is Goldenrain Tree Village, located about 20 li northeast of Scorchstone City, famous for the goldenrain tree groves surrounding the village." He led the students down a hillside path.
"As you can see, the main crops grown here are wheat, with so flax. Rember what I taught before? How flax is made into thread and woven into cloth? Today you can visit villagers' hos to see how they operate."
"Although linen cloth is rough, it's exceptionally sturdy and durable. Plus flax grows quickly and can be cultivated everywhere, making it relatively low cost. It's the fabric of choice for clothing among many peasants. A roughly made linen garnt might sell for about 70 copper coins, while a custom-tailored, carefully cut one could fetch 150 copper coins."
Scholar Hyde walked while introducing the crops along the way to the students, explaining how local climate, rainfall, fertility levels, and so on affected various crops.
"Generally speaking, you cannot cultivate the sa piece of land continuously, as this will lead to soil exhaustion. So you can see that the fields here are roughly divided into four sections for rotation." He explained further.
"Grain production is crucial, whether you're a noble managing territory or an ordinary farming commoner."
"Without food, you cannot survive. This is sothing you might not yet fully comprehend. But I, as an old man who has lived through two cold Sinking Mist Seasons, have seen too many tragedies caused by hunger during harsh winters." Leaning on his wooden staff, he stopped before a wheat field.
After negotiating with the villagers in the field, he brought the students to this recently harvested land.
Picking up scattered wheat stalks from the field, he carefully counted the grains on the wheat ears, then rubbed off wheat grains with his fingers, observing whether they were plump or shriveled, analyzing the local soil fertility.
"This wheat field is quite good. Probably yields about 60-70 jin of wheat per mu." Scholar Hyde estimated.
"Teacher, is 60 jin of wheat a lot?" So noble students didn't know much about this.
"Not too much, not too little. One jin of wheat sells for about 1 copper coin, so one mu of wheat is worth about 60 copper coins." Scholar Hyde placed the wheat grains into a small cloth bag he carried, planning to take them back as samples.
"Let's go, the village is just ahead. Your accommodations should be arranged by now." He clapped his hands, dusting off the soil, then moved forward.
The group stepped into this scenic, pleasant village filled with curiosity.
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