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Half a month later, Hanno received three Embroidered Handkerchiefs sent over by the Porcelain Jar, each one more exquisite than the first. Hanno handed the Embroidered Handkerchiefs to Chang Miao, who immediately listed them in her Taobao Store. A couple of days prior, Chang Miao had signed a contract with a craftsman from Yuanmian Town and had posted images of lanterns online. Within just two hours, she received three orders.
Chang Miao set a high price for the Embroidered Handkerchiefs, charging one thousand yuan each. However, there were plenty of discerning buyers, and they sold out quickly. Hanno had sold them to Chang Miao for three hundred yuan each, and in that short span of time, they both made a profit of nine hundred yuan and two thousand one hundred yuan respectively. Trading lighters at ten yuan each for nine hundred yuan was indeed a huge profit.
Hanno sent the remaining six lighters to the Li Siblings. Li Zhoule instructed Li Yishu and Wen Zixia to make a trip to the county town to deliver the lighters to Sun Shopkeeper, exchanging them for six hundred taels of silver. Sun Shopkeeper wasted no time and hurried to the Provincial Capital to hand over the lighters to Jiang Haozhi. Jiang Haozhi immediately arranged for an auction, and one lighter surprisingly fetched a high price of one thousand taels, making Jiang Haozhi extremely pleased as he generously rewarded Sun Shopkeeper. Good fortune often comes in pairs; soon after, an imperial decree arrived, granting Jiang Haozhi the title of Third-Class Light Carriage Commander. Originally, he was supposed to be appointed as Cloud Knight Commander, but just as the emperor was about to issue the decree, Jiang Haozhi presented another lighter, which delighted the emperor so much that he elevated his title from Sixth-Rank Cloud Knight Commander to Fourth-Rank Third-Class Light Carriage Commander.
With this development, the Elders who had been hesitating between Jiang Young Master and Jiang Er Shaoye quickly made up their minds and appointed Jiang Young Master as the clan leader. Madam Jiang fainted from anger and could not stand or speak upon waking; she had suffered a stroke. Although Jiang Young Master was now a nobleman, Madam Jiang was still his biological mother in name; if she caused trouble, he would have no way to counter it. Now that Madam Jiang had suffered a stroke and could no longer rise or speak, she could no longer scheme against him. With a great burden lifted off his shoulders, Jiang Young Master took advantage of his newly conferred title to celebrate with three firecrackers. Others were unaware of his true intentions; only Jiang Er Shaoye understood that Jiang Young Master was celebrating Madam Jiang's inability to control him any longer.
Returning to the Li Siblings' side, upon hearing that they wanted to build a school and hire a teacher for the children, the villagers eagerly volunteered to help with the construction. In just half a month, the school was completed, and skilled carpenters even crafted twenty sets of desks and chairs for it. Behind the school was the teacher's residence, furnished with new beds and furniture.
Li Zhoule offered food as payment; the villagers did not ask for much. It was only thanks to Wen Zixia's persuasion that everyone felt justified in accepting it. The two carpenters received the highest compensation.
With the school built, it was time to find a teacher. The Li Family and Wen Family Brothers did not know any good teachers, so they asked Sun Shopkeeper for assistance. Sun Shopkeeper was eager to help them find a suitable teacher. The teacher's name was Guan Rulin; he was a scholar under twenty-five years old who had sold his family home and ancestral property due to his mother's severe illness. Now he lived in a dilapidated house on rent and survived by copying books; life was extremely difficult for him. When Sun Shopkeeper approached Guan Rulin about teaching in their village, Guan Rulin immediately agreed and brought his wife, son, and elderly mother along.
The Guan family's living supplies were pitifully scarce; aside from some books, they had only two thin quilts and a few pieces of clothing along with broken pots and bowls in their kitchen. Upon seeing this situation, Li Zhoule promptly took out some silver and sent Wen Zixia to buy three quilts and some food as a housewarming gift for the Guan family. The villagers also contributed various items over time until the Guan household was filled with gratitude.
Guan Rulin resolved to teach diligently and not let down the villagers' kindness.
The next day, Guan Rulin began classes at the school. He taught village children basic literacy skills during each hour-long session while covering texts like "Three Character Classic" and "Hundred Family Surnames." The villagers did not have high expectations for their children; being able to read was sufficient. Therefore, Master Guan did not delve into overly complex subjects—learning three hundred characters would be enough—while dedicating additional time specifically to instructing Li Yishu and Wen Family members. Wen Zixia attended two classes and returned to inform Li Zhoule that Guan Rulin was knowledgeable and very responsible as a teacher. Occasionally, when Wen Zixia encountered something she did not understand, she would seek guidance from Guan Rulin. Over time, Guan Rulin and Wen Zixia became good friends.
Before long, February arrived. Although spring breezes blew like scissors in February, people in the village began preparing for spring plowing.
With light rain refreshing new blooms and thunder heralding awakening insects—how many days can farmers rest? From now on begins their toil.
The cuckoo urged early plowing while spring hoes struck eagerly at clear skies. Layer upon layer of stone trees lined pathways while water fields echoed with splashing sounds.
Spring plowing represented hope for the year; it should have been a joyful occasion. However, villagers were feeling quite downcast this year because during times of food scarcity, nearly every household had consumed what little grain they had reserved for seeds—only a tiny bit remained that could barely cover an acre of land. From the village chief downwards, everyone wore heavy expressions.
Although the Li Family and Wen Family no longer owned land, diligent eldest siblings from both families tidied up their backyards in hopes of planting something. Unfortunately, no one in the village had spare seeds to offer them.
"Tomorrow we should go into town to buy some seeds," Li Zhoule suggested. "Should we buy extra to share with others in the village?"
Wen Zixia shook her head, rejecting the proposal. "The situation in other villages may not be the same as ours. With spring plowing starting now, everyone is short on seeds. I'm afraid there won't be any seeds for sale in the city either."
"What should we do then?" Li Zhoule asked, her beautiful face creased with worry.
Wen Zixia sighed. The current situation was indeed difficult to resolve.
Li Yishu's heart stirred, but she steadied her emotions and said nothing.
After Wen Zixia left, Li Yishu leaned closer to Li Zhoule and said, "Sister, we can ask Deity for some seeds."
Li Zhoule's eyebrows shot up. "Does Deity have seeds?"
Li Yishu replied, "Deity must have everything, including seeds. Who knows, he might even grant us Celestial Seeds. Then we won't have to worry about going hungry anymore."
Li Zhoule felt a spark of hope and nodded. "Alright. You go write a letter, and make sure it's sincere."
"Don't worry," Li Yishu said happily as she ran back to her room to get pen and paper. Oh yes, she could communicate with Deity again!
Li Yishu wrote about the changes in their family during this time, her husband's talents, and the situation with selling lighters. Finally, she described the difficulties faced by their village and their family, asking if it would be possible to receive some seeds so that they could plant food and avoid hunger.
The letter filled with youthful hope landed in Hanno's hands.
"Seeds?" It was a simple matter; there were plenty of high-quality seeds available in modern times. Hanno grabbed his wallet and took a taxi directly to his aunt's rural home.
Aunt Yao was not at home; she had gone to the town with her daughter-in-law and granddaughter for market day. Fortunately, Second Cousin was at home. He worked as a security guard in D City and had flexible hours since he had just finished a shift. Hearing that his niece wanted to buy seeds, Second Cousin took Hanno to his storage room and let him choose for himself. Lacking experience, Hanno asked Second Cousin for help and selected one hundred pounds of high-quality rice grains. He also requested a sack of sweet potatoes from Second Cousin. When Hanno offered money for them, Second Cousin firmly refused. Hanno tossed the money onto the large round table in Second Cousin's house, picked up a sack in each hand, and dashed away.
Second Cousin stared at Hanno's retreating figure in astonishment: Wow, his niece has such great strength!
It was impossible to take the two large bags home, as it would be difficult to explain their sudden disappearance to her parents. Fortunately, there were vacant houses for rent in the area. Hanno contacted the landlord and quickly rented a one-bedroom apartment, placing the two bags of seeds inside. After that, Hanno returned home, moved the Porcelain Jar to the rental unit, and had a very difficult lock installed.
In ancient times, there were likely no high-yield crops like Sweet Potatoes, potatoes, and corn. Worried that the Li siblings might ruin the Sweet Potatoes due to their unfamiliarity, Hanno wrote down the characteristics, planting methods, and preservation techniques for Sweet Potatoes.
The two sacks were tossed into the Porcelain Jar, and as she watched them disappear, Hanno felt a sense of relief. She couldn't imagine how miserable life must have been for people in the ancient world, who lacked even seeds for planting. Historical records indicated that those without food would resort to cannibalism. Hanno was not a saint; she couldn't save everyone in that world, but if she could help one person, she would. If she could help a thousand people, she would do that too. Sending high-yield Sweet Potatoes to that world should help many. Once the people there had grown Sweet Potatoes, she could gradually send potatoes and corn as well.
Since putting the plea for help into the Porcelain Jar, Li Yishu had stayed in the storage room, guarding it closely. A night passed with no response from the Porcelain Jar; another night went by with still no reaction... Li Yishu's eyelids began to droop as he fought off sleep. Suddenly, a noise startled him awake. He opened his eyes wide and looked at the Porcelain Jar, only to see it tipped over on the ground next to two large burlap sacks.
"Big sister! The Deity sent something!" Li Yishu shouted excitedly.
Li Zhoule, who had been embroidering in her room, quickly set down her embroidery frame and rushed to the storage room. Li Yishu had already opened one sack and pulled out a handful of rice seeds. Excitedly, he said to Li Zhoule, "Look at these rice seeds! They are so plump; they must be the best quality."
Li Zhoule took a handful of rice seeds and examined them closely. She smiled and said, "Yes! These are even better than any high-quality rice seeds I've seen before. Using these seeds will definitely increase the yield per mu significantly."
The seeds Hanno provided were indeed excellent; during cultivation at her second cousin's place, they achieved a yield of seven hundred kilograms per mu. While ancient planting techniques were not as advanced as modern ones, achieving at least half of that was possible—equivalent to a yield of seven or eight hundred jin per mu—double the average yield of three or four hundred jin in ancient times. The two siblings were unaware that when harvest season came around, they would be utterly astonished.
Li Yishu set down the rice seeds and opened another sack, pulling out a Sweet Potato with confusion. "What is this?" he asked.
Li Zhoule noticed a piece of white paper at the bottom of the sack and bent down to pull it out. Reading the black characters on it, she said, "This is called Sweet Potato; it's a high-yield crop that can thrive in various conditions. Once planted successfully, it can save seeds and propagate through cuttings..."
"A mu can yield up to One Thousand Jin?!" Li Zhoule's voice suddenly rose several octaves. Li Yishu was so shocked he nearly dropped the Sweet Potato he was holding; he hurriedly secured it back into the sack before stumbling over to Li Zhoule and asking anxiously, "Sister, are you sure? Is it really One Thousand Jin? Not one hundred?"
Li Zhoule dazedly handed him the note: "You read it yourself."
After reading it himself, Li Yishu was also stunned; he grinned widely and said foolishly, "It really says One Thousand Jin! No wonder they're called Celestial Seeds!"
Neither of them knew that in modern times, Sweet Potatoes could yield five or six One Thousand Jin per mu; Hanno's estimate of One Thousand Jin was merely conservative.
"Sister, let's hurry and plant these two things in the backyard. With the Celestial Seeds, even if we don't have land, the yield from the backyard should be enough for both of us to fill our stomachs, right?" Li Yishu said impatiently. "We can also give some to Brother Wen and let the village chief distribute the rest."
Li Zhoule was much more cautious than Li Yishu. Suppressing her excitement, she said to Li Yishu, "Li Yishu, I think we should inform Brother Wen about the Porcelain Jar. What do you think?"
Li Yishu was taken aback for a moment but then nodded. "Sure, after all, Brother Wen is not an outsider. Besides, I have a feeling that Brother Wen has already discovered our secret."
Li Zhoule replied, "He has indeed figured it out, but he's pretending not to know. The matter of the Celestial Seeds can't be recklessly shared with the villagers like food; we need to come up with a way to keep them from suspecting us. Let's discuss a plan with Brother Wen."
Li Yishu asked, "Should we tell Ziyu and Zi Jue?"
Li Zhoule thought for a moment and said, "Zi Jue is still young; I'm afraid he might let it slip, so let's not tell him for now. We can inform Ziyu."
"Then I'll go get Brother Wen and Ziyu," Li Yishu said.
With that, she dashed out of the house. After a while, Li Yishu rushed back in, followed by Wen Ziyu.
"Sister Zhou Le, I'm glad you're okay. My brother is right behind me and will be here soon." Wen Ziyu had no idea why Li Yishu had called him and his brother over to the Li Family so urgently; he thought something might have happened to Li Zhoule. Upon arriving at the Li Family and seeing that Li Zhoule was fine, he breathed a sigh of relief.
Li Zhoule shot an annoyed glance at Li Yishu and poured a bowl of hot water for Wen Ziyu to soothe him. After Wen Ziyu drank half a bowl of water, Wen Zixia also arrived at the Li Family, reacting similarly to Wen Ziyu's concern, which made Li Zhoule shoot another exasperated look at Li Yishu.
"Zhou Le, what happened? Why did you and Li Yishu call us over so urgently?"
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