Chapter 250 – Changing the Live Map (5)
“Old man, teach me how to do this, and I’ll learn.”
Jiang Pengji smiled brightly, rolling up the wide hem of her garment to her knees and securing it with a rope, revealing her delicate, fair calves.
As for the large sleeves, she tied them up with arm ropes for convenience while working in the fields.
【Little Ghost】: “Hey, that rope to fix the sleeves looks like it’s from the island country…”
【Old Driver Alliance】: “It’s called an arm rope, and it’s not exclusive to the island nation. In fact, ancient people in Hua Country also used ropes to tie up their sleeves for work convenience, so that wide sleeves wouldn’t hinder their tasks. But now, no one wears wide robes anymore, so this thing isn’t needed.”
Well then, getting a full-on education here.
With Xu Ke’s help, Jiang Pengji secured her sleeves, standing next to the old tenant farmer, intently listening to him teach her how to harvest grain.
After all, the old farmer had a wealth of experience from working the fields his entire life.
Don’t let his age fool you; despite his graying hair, he was just as fast, if not faster, than those young strong lads!
At that moment, Xu Ke noticed something strange about his Young Master’s mood.
Could it be that the Young Master found it too difficult?
But what happened next blew his mind and shattered his expectations: the Young Master, who was labeled as having “lazy limbs” (open to debate) and lacking basic agricultural knowledge, only needed to watch once. After the old farmer shared a few tips, she was already getting the hang of it!
“The Young Master is truly perceptive, much cleverer than that little imp of mine…”
Suddenly excited, the old farmer complimented her but realized his blunder as soon as he finished speaking.
What was his grandson’s status compared to the Young Master’s? Absolutely incomparable!
If his grandson couldn’t learn this skill, he would probably starve, while the Young Master wouldn’t even need to know what grains look like to live in luxury! The thought sent a chill down the old farmer’s spine, and his face turned pale, nearly causing him to collapse.
However, Jiang Pengji instead revealed a bright smile and spoke gently to him.
“It’s not hard to watch, but there are many things to pay attention to regarding posture and strength; otherwise, after a while, your whole body will be sore.”
The old farmer had no idea about the finesse of posture and strength—these were experiences he had accumulated through a lifetime of labor.
Xu Ke’s expression improved slightly as he stood by.
Jiang Pengji seemed oblivious to the offensive remark made by the old farmer and instead busily cut down the remaining rice stalks.
Fifteen minutes later, she sat on the edge of the field, swinging her delicate white legs, beads of sweat forming on her forehead.
“If the Young Master wants, you could apply some medicine…”
Xu Ke held a small brown bottle in his hand, filled with a salve for bruises and to stop bleeding.
Jiang Pengji glanced at his hand, then at the tiny cuts on her calves and feet left by the rice plants and other debris, realizing he meant well. She shook her head and pointed to the spot beside her, signaling for Xu Ke to sit down.
“That old farmer didn’t mean to offend the Young Master…”
Xu Ke, perceptive of others’ emotions and slowly growing more familiar with his Young Master’s feelings, recognized that she wasn’t in a good mood.
After considering it, he figured it was that one remark from the old farmer that had unsettled her.
But Xu Ke was mistaken this time.
Jiang Pengji had many flaws: headstrong, self-absorbed, arrogant… These seemed to be common traits among young aristocrats of this era. However, she differed from them; she wouldn’t attack innocent weaklings, especially since the old farmer meant no harm.
“Are you defending him?” Jiang Pengji chuckled softly, “Xiaoyu, the premise for defending someone is understanding the situation fully and knowing the truth. If not, defending them can backfire. I’m not angry about that incident…”
Xu Ke earnestly said, “But the Young Master is indeed not in a good mood.”
Jiang Pengji smiled and asked him back, “Then do you know why I’m not happy?”
Xu Ke was at a loss.
He even doubted whether her mood wasn’t actually bad but was merely baiting him!
Xu Ke cupped his hands and blushed slightly, “I don’t understand, please enlighten me, Young Master.”
Jiang Pengji clicked her tongue and retorted, “Do you think I was dragging my feet while cutting the grain just now?”
Xu Ke: “…”
So it was directed at him!
Before Xu Ke could process this, Jiang Pengji continued, “Don’t think that just because I seem fine now, I’m not feeling the aches. Farming work isn’t just about having strength. Without knowing the tricks to save effort, you’re bound to tire your muscles and feel sore all over…”
Xu Ke quietly listened, gazing at her profile.
To be honest, he always felt the Young Master’s features were a bit too delicate, almost like a woman.
But that’s how the trend was these days—men had to perfume themselves, wear flowers in their hair, and dress flamboyantly.
What a bunch of flamboyant fools!
It was only natural for his Young Master to look delicate, especially at such a young age when one couldn’t distinguish between genders.
When they got older, the differences would be apparent.
“That’s too hard.”
In Jiang Pengji’s eyes, her physical condition was subpar, but compared to her peers and adult men, she stood out!
With that level of fitness, working for just fifteen minutes on the farm made her feel a bit tired.
She felt it was a bit of a loss; the effort she put in didn’t match the outcome.
However, while she thought this, others felt she was extremely capable, perceptive, and no less skilled than the seasoned tenant farmers.
The gap between their mindsets was too vast.
“The Young Master doesn’t need to work so hard,” Xu Ke said.
Her status was different from those tenant farmers; they depended on the land while she could live luxuriously without lifting a finger.
“You’re mistaken if that’s what you think.” Jiang Pengji pressed her fingertips together, resting her elbows on her knees. “Having personally experienced it, I realize how tough the tenant farmers have it. The hard work and sweat of the common folk don’t match their harvest in the autumn.”
Xu Ke couldn’t help but wonder—there were countless inequities in the world.
“If every household could use more advanced farming tools and finished harvesting an acre of land without breaking a sweat, increasing efficiency…” Jiang Pengji muttered to herself, knowing the solutions in her mind couldn’t be implemented in this world; she could only compromise and think of something else. “What was once a one-hour task could be finished in half a tea break…”
Xu Ke: “…”
His Young Master… had she gone crazy from farming?
“I need to go back and ponder this further. You watch over the situation here. If anyone from the borrowed troops dares to slack off, I’ll have the chief instructor whip them into shape.”
Jiang Pengji suddenly had an idea, stood up, and put on the wooden clogs beside her, completely ignoring Xu Ke.
Xu Ke: “…”
Hey, don’t just drop half a thought and leave me hanging like this, it’s so frustrating!
He reached out, but his Young Master moved with surprising speed, gliding effortlessly through the fields in those wooden clogs, almost like she was flying.
With a flick of her sleeve, she left Xu Ke standing there in utter bewilderment.
