The Prime Minister’s Little Wife

Chapter 26: The Land Deed is Secured

Xu Zhizhi returned home just in time for lunch and immediately started preparing the meal.

She estimated that around noon, the village chief would bring the stamped land deed to her.

She wanted to prepare a lavish feast to reward the elderly village chief, but that would be against the rules—she couldn’t break them.

After purchasing the mountain, Xu Zhizhi planned to plant autumn sweet potatoes. It was already July, and she needed to plant them before the autumn harvest. She decided to call her second and third uncles over to discuss the matter.

She asked her younger brother to invite both families for a meal.

She cut a few sweet potatoes and took out some premium rice she had bought during her first trip to town from her portable space, then cooked a large pot of porridge.

Cooking rice for so many people wasn’t practical—it would either be too extravagant or not enough. Porridge was the most suitable option.

Fortunately, they had hunted a wild boar, so there were plenty of hearty dishes to prepare. She decided to stir-fry pig intestines, make cured pork, and sauté pork liver.

She also picked two vegetable dishes from her portable space. In a place where food was scarce, five dishes were more than enough.

“Sister, when did you go out to pick so many wild vegetables?” Xu Xiaowu, who was tending the fire, looked up and saw two baskets of greens, curious.

“Yesterday, just before dark. When I came back, you were already asleep, lazy pig,” Xu Zhizhi replied without batting an eye.

Looking at her younger brother, who now had a bit more flesh on his cheeks, she felt a sense of accomplishment and worked even faster.

“Then remember to call me next time,” Xiaowu said sheepishly.

Just as she finished cooking two dishes, the village chief arrived.

“Xu Dagen, look, this is the stamped land deed,” the village chief said, already smelling the delicious aroma from afar.

Father Xu happily took it but couldn’t read it, so he handed it to Xu Daniu.

Mother Xu and the others had just returned from work, and Xu Daniu excitedly took the deed to the kitchen. “Sister, take a look.”

Xu Zhizhi took it and examined it. Everything was in order—this was her first piece of property in ancient times.

If you live by the mountains, you might as well own one. She had bought an entire mountain.

She casually placed the deed into her portable space and continued cooking, while Xu Daniu went to set the table.

Third Uncle’s family arrived. Xu Honghua had already smelled the food and was ready, dragging her parents over as soon as they returned from work.

Once everyone was seated, they began eating. The food was as delicious as ever, and everyone enjoyed it thoroughly.

“Zhizhi, your wild vegetables taste even better than the meat at my house,” the village chief praised her happily.

“She’s generous with the oil, and it’s lard too, so of course it’s delicious,” Xu Honghua couldn’t stand the village chief praising Xu Zhizhi.

“Yes, we rendered a lot of oil from the wild boar we hunted last time,” Xu Zhizhi was glad someone had helped her come up with an excuse.

Xu Honghua thought to herself: Just as I suspected, this cousin is a wasteful fool. What else could she possibly be capable of?

Xu Zhizhi secretly scoffed: This cousin has the aspirations of a young lady but not the fate of one. She’s ambitious but lacks the ability.

She didn’t stop to think—if she were given lard, could she cook something this delicious?

Xu Zhizhi saw through it but didn’t say anything. It was a small matter, and she didn’t feel like dealing with it for now.

The other siblings ate in silence, savoring the delicious meal. The village chief was right—they also thought it was better than the meat dishes at their homes.

After the meal, the younger sisters went to wash the dishes, while Xu Zhizhi brewed some tea. The village chief, Father Xu, and a few others sat in the courtyard chatting.

As she poured tea, Xu Zhizhi said, “Village Chief, our family recently came across some new seeds—the sweet potatoes in today’s porridge. We’ve already planted some, and they’re growing well. We’d like to share them with the villagers so everyone can plant some. They’ll be ready before winter, and they’re very filling.”

“It was really delicious! I was wondering what kind of porridge it was,” the village chief said excitedly, standing up.

He immediately knelt down and bowed to the heavens several times, thanking the gods.

He had heard from his grandchildren that on the day Xu Zhizhi broke off her engagement, Mother Xu had broken down, screaming and shouting.

The whole village knew how much their family had sacrificed for that future son-in-law and his mother. Now that the engagement was off, they had lost everything…

Even the gods couldn’t stand it, but they couldn’t punish Jin Zijun, the literary star, so they compensated with this food…

The villagers were half-believing and half-doubting, but the Xu family had been eating meat every day, and the aroma had wafted across half the village.

The villagers’ reverence for the gods was something that could only be understood, not explained.

No one dared to ask the Xu family about it, and no one dared to tamper with what the gods had given.

Even the village chief and the elders didn’t dare to covet it.

Now, Xu Zhizhi was offering to share the seeds with the villagers. How could the village chief not be excited?

Xu Zhizhi thought that since she had bought a large mountain at a bargain, she could share the sweet potato vines with everyone without affecting the yield.

It was better to let everyone plant them rather than risk envy and sabotage from the villagers. Happiness shared is happiness multiplied.

She didn’t just want to help the Xu brothers prosper—she wanted to help the entire village live a better life.

Her journey to this ancient era wouldn’t be in vain.

“Village Chief, please let everyone know that starting tomorrow, each family should send one person to help us plow the land. I want to use that mountain to plant sweet potatoes. Each person will get two acres of sweet potato seeds, and the daily wage is 20 coins, but meals aren’t included,” Xu Zhizhi said.

Third Uncle said, “Zhizhi, isn’t 20 coins too much? Your father and I only earn 20 coins a day with our skills.”

“Third Uncle, this is hard labor—it’s very strenuous,” Xu Zhizhi replied.

The Xu Dahu family now knew that their cousin was making good money selling bean sprouts, so they kept quiet.

The next day, almost every family sent at least one person, and some families even sent three or four.

With the autumn harvest approaching, they had returned from working odd jobs outside, fearing they might miss the harvest. But now, they had work right at home, and it paid even better!

Everyone brought their own hoes and worked with great enthusiasm.

Xu Dahu and Xu Daniu went to deliver bean sprouts to Drunken Fragrance Pavilion.

Xu Zhizhi stayed home to direct everyone in plowing the land. She marked out sections and dug drainage ditches to prevent waterlogging during rain, carefully calculating the distances based on the terrain.

“Dazhuang, have you finished the work in your fields? How do you have time to come and plow here?” a villager who had just returned from outside asked.

“My wife and kids are working in the fields. If we can’t finish, we’ll do it later. Zhizhi is asking everyone to plow the land to plant sweet potatoes. Do you know what sweet potatoes are? They’re seeds given by the gods,” Xu Dazhuang said mysteriously.

“This mountain hasn’t yielded anything in decades. Can sweet potatoes really grow here?” another villager asked.

“Exactly, this barren mountain can’t grow anything. No one wants it.”

“Will sweet potatoes even grow here?”

“You don’t understand. The gods must have a way—they won’t let the divine gift fail.”

“Yes, yes! But my family will still plant it in the most fertile land we have.”

“Same here. We’ll pick the best plot. The village chief said sweet potato porridge is fragrant and soft.”

“Zhizhi said roasted sweet potatoes are even more delicious.”

“Uncles, you haven’t tried sweet potatoes yet, have you? Then I’ll cook a big pot for everyone to taste at noon today,” Xu Zhizhi said boldly, hearing their mysterious talk.

Hearing that there would be food—and divine food at that—they worked even harder, eager to impress Xu Zhizhi.

She still had plenty of sweet potatoes in her portable space, but she didn’t want to cook for so many people—it was too tiring. That’s why she didn’t offer to provide meals.

(End of Chapter)