Luan Tree Village

A new day.

Sylutia, dressed in a black dress, held her suitcase in one hand and stepped onto the small wooden stool to board the waiting carriage.

The coachman flicked the reins, and soon the sound of rotating wheels rang out. Rolling over the slightly undulating cobblestone road, a line of six carriages headed out of Scorched Stone City.

Inside the carriage, Sylutia sat with Comia and Karen, surrounded by a fair amount of luggage.

"Did the teacher say where we're going?"

As Sylutia asked, she bit down on her white hairband, then reached behind her head to tie her hair up, preventing it from getting messy inside the carriage.

"I heard them say it's Luan Tree Village," Comia replied after a moment of thought.

"I've been there once before. It's not far from Scorched Stone City; I expect we'll arrive by noon."

"The village is built beside a forest of Luan trees, and there's a small river nearby. The scenery is quite nice."

"It seems to be the direct fief of Viscount Xuefeng. Every year, he sends servants there to purchase chickens, ducks, cattle, and sheep as food supplies for the Castle, and occasionally he brings his family there for outings and horseback riding."

"In that case, the environment must be very good." After fixing her hair, Sylutia lowered her hands. She had tied her hair into a high ponytail, revealing her graceful neck and the contours of her cheeks.

"Yes." As she said this, Comia looked at the young girl for a long time.

"You look so beautiful, Tia." As she spoke, she tugged at Karen beside her.

"Karen, look at Tia. Doesn't she look much better like this?"

"Yes, after changing her hairstyle, she looks so much more spirited." She also noticed the difference.

"Eh? Did I look that listless before?" Sylutia tilted her head.

"Perhaps just too plain, lacking a sense of vitality," Comia mused.

"You should wear your hair like this from now on, Tia~" She gave a thumbs-up, and Karen followed suit after a moment's thought.

"Mm, that won't do. I only relaxed a little today because it's just the three of us," the young girl blinked.

"Why? It clearly looks very good."

"That's exactly why it's good," the young girl replied with a smile.

"It would be quite troublesome." She looked out the carriage window behind them. The carriage the three of them were sitting in was structured like a cargo wagon, not the box-style carriage specifically designed for passengers.

"Because of Miss Iona, the noble students are often jealous and competitive. I'm a bit afraid of that kind of life; the plain and simple life now is best," she said, tucking her hands under her legs and watching her calves swing back and forth beneath her skirt, as if playing on a swing.

The two who had originally wanted to persuade her, seeing Sylutia's tranquil and contented appearance, suddenly felt that she was indeed meant for this life away from the world's strife, so they kept their mouths shut.

"I suppose I might like a life like this in the future, though right now I still have a lot of curiosity and impulse," Comia said, touching her chin in thought.

"What about you, Karen?" She suddenly turned her head to ask the other girl beside her.

"Me?" Karen pointed at herself with her finger.

"I don't want much. I just want to be an excellent hunter, have my own log cabin in the forest, raise two dogs, go hunting occasionally, trade with the villagers, and live a life like that."

"Wow, Karen's goal is so clear. I don't even know what kind of life I'll live in the future," Comia said in surprise.

"That's because Comia still has many possibilities," Karen said, occasionally coming out with surprising remarks.

"That's true, too. My personality is flighty; it's hard to say I'll stick to one goal for a long time," Comia replied, resting her chin on her hand, her eyes closing and opening at random.

"This trip to Luan Tree Village, I must have a good time. That's my goal for now."

The three sat in the creaking carriage, chatting and laughing all the way, and before they knew it, it was noon.

The carriage stopped, and the three of them bent down to hop lightly off the carriage, then stood on the grass.

Not far away, a peaceful and serene village appeared in their field of vision.

There were about fifty households here, dotted along the village's main road, followed by large, sprawling grid-like wheat fields. Much of the wheat had already been harvested, and bundles of wheat stacks were piled up in some of the fields.

"Leave your luggage on the carriage; the coachman will take it directly into the village. The teacher will lead us on foot and tell us a few things," Yero notified the students one by one. Although his figure was a bit stout, he was exceptionally agile on this country path.

"Alright, we understand," Tia replied, and then Yero walked toward another group of students.

Soon, the students gathered around Scholar Heide to listen to his teachings.

"Is everyone here? Very good, then I shall begin." He turned around to introduce the place to the students behind him.

"This is Luan Tree Village, located about 20 li northeast of Scorched Stone City. It is famous for the yellow-flowered Luan tree forest surrounding the village." He led the students down the mountain path.

"As you can see, the main crop here is wheat, along with some flax. Do you remember what I taught you before? How flax is made into thread and woven into cloth? Today, you can go to the villagers' homes to see how they operate."

"Although linen is coarse, it is exceptionally sturdy and durable. Moreover, flax grows quickly and can be planted everywhere, which keeps its cost low. It is the preferred clothing fabric for many farmers. A crudely made linen garment can sell for about 70 copper coins, and if it is custom-made and carefully tailored, some will buy it for 150 copper coins."

Scholar Heide walked along, introducing the crops along the way to the students, explaining the influence of local climate, rainfall, soil fertility, and so on, on various crops.

"Generally speaking, you cannot farm the same piece of land for a long time, as this will lead to soil exhaustion. So, you can see that the fields here are roughly divided into four sections for rotation," he introduced again.

"The output of food is crucial, whether you are a noble managing a fief or an ordinary peasant farming the land."

"You cannot survive without food. You may not understand this deeply yet, but as an old man who has lived through two cold Seasons of Sinking Fog, I have seen too many tragedies caused by hunger in the bitter winter." He leaned on his wooden staff and stopped in front of a wheat field.

After negotiating with the villagers in the field, he brought the students to the field that had just been harvested.

Picking up the scattered wheat stalks in the field, he counted the grains on the ears of wheat, then rubbed the grains off with his fingers to observe whether they were plump or shriveled, analyzing the fertility of the local soil.

"This wheat field is not bad; it should yield about 60 to 70 catties of wheat per mu," Scholar Heide estimated.

"Teacher, is 60 catties of wheat a lot?" Some of the noble students did not know much about this.

"Neither a lot nor a little. A catty of wheat sells for about one copper coin, so the value of a mu of wheat is roughly 60 copper coins." Scholar Heide placed the wheat grains into a small cloth bag he carried, intending to take them back as samples.

"Let's go. The village is just ahead, and your accommodations should be ready by now." He clapped his hands to shake off the dirt, then stepped forward.

The group entered the picturesque village, filled with curiosity.