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墨書 Inktalez
The process of capturing the nobles was surprisingly easy, with "Miracle" displayed prominently, making their crimes crystal clear. The officials from the Ministry of Justice and the Dali Temple used "Miracle" as evidence against these nobles. The nobles were so stunned by "Miracle" that they offered no resistance and were swiftly taken into custody. Li Xuan Zong acted decisively, and the Ministry of Justice along with the Dali Temple followed suit, quickly convicting these nobles and exiling them to distant lands. Their titles were stripped away by the emperor, marking the end of an era for these once-powerful figures. Li Xuan Zong showed some mercy by only punishing the main offenders; their families were not implicated in their crimes but were reduced to commoners. He even allowed them to keep a third of their wealth, enough for their families to live comfortably.
After dealing with the nobles, Li Xuan Zong announced that the previous examinations were nullified and would be rescheduled for mid-March as part of a Scientific Expedition. No students protested this decision; it seemed only fair to everyone except those who had received advance copies of the exam questions and had others write their answers for them. These individuals were terrified after the nobles were captured, and realizing their own lack of ability without cheating, they chose not to participate in the second examination and quietly slipped out of the capital.
The second examination was set for March 18 to March 27. By then, March had warmed up considerably compared to February's cold weather. The scholars felt much better—although the emperor had taken Elder Brother Li's advice to renovate the examination hall and placed many braziers inside, February's chill could not be easily dispelled just by adding more braziers. Many students fell ill due to the cold. The emperor postponed the start date to late March to allow those who had fallen sick time to recover.
Spring was also a season for planting. Hanno was busy during the day with farming tasks and only found time to chat with Elder Brother Li at night. What was she busy with? Farming, of course! This story had shifted from fantasy to farming, but no one seemed to mind.
In addition to purchasing a homestead, Hanno rented two plots of land in the village. One plot was only about one-third of an acre, which Mom Han and Han Dad planned to use for vegetables: one-third for lettuce, one-third for eggplants, one-third for cucumbers, one-third for loofahs, and the last portion for snow peas, which could be harvested young as tender greens known as pea shoots. The other plot was a full acre of rice paddy where they would naturally grow rice. By the time it was officially time to transplant seedlings in late March or early April, Seventh Cousin had already helped prepare Hanno's land and flooded it with water; he also grew seedlings for them.
This spring, Seventh Cousin would begin planting Azure Stem Rice.
Mom Han and Han Dad managed to transplant just a row of seedlings before giving up entirely; neither had ever done farm work before. Watching experienced farmers transplant seedlings looked interesting until they tried it themselves and realized how hard it was on their aging backs—bending over continuously was unbearable! Mom Han believed that transplanting seedlings had a higher survival rate than broadcasting seeds and stubbornly chose that method—only later did she regret not having planted all vegetables instead! Although growing vegetables was also hard work, it seemed easier than transplanting rice seedlings. What she regretted most was impulsively deciding to farm without fully understanding what she was getting into while signing a ten-year land lease agreement. Wasting ten years would be disastrous.
With Mom Han and Han Dad stepping back, all the burden of transplanting fell on Hanno's shoulders—Mom Han initially wanted to hire someone to do it but still saw Hanno as their delicate little girl whom they feared might break easily. Even though their daughter knew martial arts (??), they didn't think she could handle farm work. Little did they know that out of sight, Hanno had grown into a strong woman capable of handling more than just physical labor. Transplanting seedlings? Just an acre’s worth; give her ten or twenty acres, and she'd manage just fine.
So, Han Dad and Mom Han each sat by the field with a cup of hot tea in hand, watching their daughter busily working in the field—bending down, planting seedlings, standing up slightly, moving around, bending down again… her movements were precise and swift. In no time at all, an entire row of neatly planted seedlings stood like soldiers in formation.
Before they could finish their tea, every seedling in that field was planted!
Mom Han and Han Dad stared in disbelief. They gazed at each other; it wasn't even noon yet—had an entire acre been planted already? Wasn't it impossible for even seasoned farmers to finish half an acre so quickly?
“Girl, Nono, are you tired?” Mom Han quickly poured another cup of hot tea for her daughter. “You’re going too fast!”
“Fast?” Hanno tilted her head in confusion; how could this be considered fast? She felt she could have slowed down tenfold—was this really fast?
“Does your back hurt?” Mom Han asked with concern.
"It doesn't hurt," Hanno said casually, shaking her head.
Han Dad asked, "When did you get such good physical fitness, girl?"
Hanno chuckled, "Of course, it's the result of practicing Inner Power. Didn't I tell you? That martial arts manual I gave you can really strengthen the body. My physical fitness is incredible now; I could even take down a tiger."
"Keep dreaming," Mom Han replied, but inside she felt a stir of excitement. Could that manual be more effective than practicing Tai Chi? They knew very well how weak their daughter used to be; she was delicate and fragile, nothing like the strong person she was now.
"Old Han, why don't we study that Martial Arts Manual Nono gave you tonight?" Mom Han said, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Han Dad. Although Hanno had given the book to Han Dad during the New Year, the couple hadn't taken it seriously and had forgotten about it. As a result, they hadn't started practicing yet.
Han Dad nodded; seeing his daughter's remarkable progress stirred something in him as someone who had practiced martial arts.
After finishing their work in the fields, the family of three returned home. Although Mom Han and Han Dad had only been planting rice seedlings for a short while, they were tired and assumed Hanno was equally exhausted. They decided not to let her cook lunch and headed to the village restaurant instead. The restaurant was run by Third Cousin, who usually had little business but thrived during busy farming seasons. Farmers were too tired to cook after working in the fields and relied on Third Cousin's restaurant for meals delivered right to their fields. Fortunately, they didn't mind whether the dishes were cooked in large pots or individually; Third Cousin prepared several dishes in bulk and divided them into portions for the villagers.
By the time the Han family arrived, Third Cousin had already prepared all the dishes. Aunt San and their granddaughter Lao Shuangchen were busy serving food into a large sea bowl. Lao Shuangchen was six years old, the same age as Brat Han Bin, but she was a very well-behaved girl who often helped her grandparents with chores.
"Eldest sister, brother-in-law, Nono is here! Come sit down quickly," Third Cousin called out from his reclining chair against the wall as he saw the Han family enter. He immediately got up and invited them to sit at one of the tables. The restaurant was quite small; with Aunt San serving food at one table, there were only three tables total. However, all three were large round tables that could accommodate over ten people if everyone squeezed together.
Mom Han was the eldest among her mother's generation and often took care of her younger siblings, so she had a good relationship with her cousins. Hearing Third Cousin's greeting, she smiled and said, "Old Three, we're here to support your business. Make us some of your signature dishes."
"Sure thing! You all sit tight; I'll go help you in the kitchen right away," Third Cousin replied as he rushed off to the kitchen. Aunt San came over with Lao Shuangchen to greet the Han family. Hanno liked this well-behaved child very much and pulled out a piece of oat chocolate from her pocket to give to Lao Shuangchen so she would come over to play often.
Third Cousin worked quickly since all the ingredients were ready; he had prepared everything early in anticipation of the busy farming season. He served a plate of twice-cooked pork, a plate of garlic shoots stir-fried with cured meat, a bowl of tofu buns, a dish of stir-fried greens, and a bowl of mushroom chicken soup—all home-style dishes that were rich in flavor and delicious. The Han family praised each dish as they enjoyed their meal together.
“Cousin, with such great cooking skills, why don’t you open a restaurant in the city? The business would surely be good,” Hanno asked curiously.
Third Cousin chuckled lightly, “I’m getting older and have lost the passion to strive. Besides, I’m quite content with my current situation. The income from my rice bowl and the money I make from handling funerals is enough for me and Aunt San to live on. Your cousins send us living expenses every month, which we hardly need; we save it all.”
If taken positively, Third Cousin is content and happy; if taken negatively, Third Cousin is complacent. However, Hanno really appreciated his attitude towards life—leisurely and carefree, living like an old man when not busy with farming.
After lunch, it was already midday. Third Cousin, Aunt San, and Lao Shuangchen each took a basket to deliver meals to those working in the fields. The Han family strolled back home slowly. As they passed by their grandparents' graves, the three of them stopped to pull out the weeds that had just started to grow on the tombstone. Grandma was the youngest among her generation in the Lao family but married early, making Mom Han the eldest of the second generation. Grandma had only brothers above her, and her uncles doted on her as their little sister. Therefore, after Grandma passed away, her brothers allowed her to be buried back in the village despite being married off long ago and even reserved a piece of land for Grandpa as her son-in-law.
Upon returning home, Hanno dashed into the bathroom of her room for a bubble bath. With the matters in the fields finally settled, Hanno felt an instant wave of relaxation wash over her, making her feel lazy and unmotivated to move. She lost interest in writing or playing games. Eventually, she collapsed onto her bed and fell into a deep sleep without even having dinner. If it weren’t for Elder Brother Li calling her, she wouldn’t have known how long she would have slept.
“Did the potatoes also yield a good harvest? The land resources in ancient times are truly remarkable; even if agricultural techniques aren’t advanced, such good yields can still be achieved!”
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