Chapter 418: Chapter 418: So Talkative

Song Zhang handed the horse to his attendant, walked forward, squatted in front of Qin Yao, pointed to the soil used for demonstration on the ground, and asked the same question again.

“Besides the conditions you mentioned earlier, can’t other lands be cultivated?”

Qin Yao didn’t expect him to arrive so discreetly, bringing only one attendant, without notifying them in advance, sneakily.

However, it was also clear that Song Zhang did not intend to let the villagers know his identity. He nodded in acknowledgment and replied:

“Other lands can be cultivated, but it would greatly affect the quality of the melons.”

Song Zhang appeared to be pretending to listen, speaking to himself: “Cool melons come from the Western Regions, rarely seen in the Central Plains. I didn’t expect Miss Qin even knows how to cultivate these cool melons.”

Qin Yao tugged at the corner of her mouth and, seeing Mrs. Zhang looking puzzled, stood up and explained: “Mother, a guest has arrived, I’ll first take the guest home for a visit.”

Mrs. Zhang, although not knowing who Song Zhang was, vaguely guessed something, since earlier Liu Zhong did mention that Lord County Magistrate would be visiting Qin Yao’s house.

Hastily, she waved her hand, “Go ahead, go ahead, I’ve got this.”

After saying this, she smiled politely at Song Zhang.

Song Zhang nodded politely, stood up, and gave Mrs. Zhang a junior’s bow, called his attendant, and happily followed Qin Yao’s lead.

“The last time I went to Jinshi Town, I only visited a few other villages, but missed out on Liu Family Village, which has quite a beautiful scenery,” Song Zhang said somewhat surprised.

Without responding to him, Qin Yao continued curiously asking, “I heard that scholars have even built a courtyard to live in your village. Do you know which one it is?”

When it came to the house, Qin Yao’s eyes lit up slightly. She stopped by the bridge, raised her hand, and pointed towards the depths of the village, “Look over there, see the open terrace? That’s the place.”

“Would the lord like to have a look?” Qin Yao asked with a slight eagerness, almost enticingly saying: “It was designed by Mr. Gongliang himself, reconstructed from an abandoned old house in the village, a very unique Lotus Courtyard.”

She glanced at Song Zhang again and added, “If the lord is interested, you can also choose a scenic old house in the village to renovate yourself.”

Not waiting for Song Zhang to speak, she continued hurriedly before him: “After renovation, you can stay as long as you like, after all, you are the Lord County Magistrate. If it is known that you want to come here often for a short stay, the village will surely offer the old house deed with open arms, without costing you a penny!”

The attendant was tempted, not for the old house of Liu Family Village, but for the opportunity to live near the scholars.

He immediately looked expectantly at his own Lord County Magistrate, “Sir, haven’t you always said you wanted to find an opportunity to visit Mr. Gongliang? Isn’t today just right.”

Qin Yao apologized with a smile: “I’m sorry, the scholars are not in the Lotus Courtyard right now, but in three days, you’ll be able to see him.”

Calculating the days, in three days, Gongliang Liao would arrive.

Song Zhang’s attendant sighed regretfully, he thought he could meet the scholars today.

“But even though the person is not here, it’s still good to take a look at the courtyard,” Qin Yao continued to entice.

She suddenly realized that Song Zhang was also a good client.

If the rich merchants and gentry in Kaiyang County knew that even the county magistrate had renovated an old house in Liu Family Village, wouldn’t they all come flocking?

At that time, the land in Liu Family Village would be worth a lot!

Song Zhang stared suspiciously at Qin Yao for two seconds, unable to figure out why she was so eager to recommend the old houses of Liu Family Village to him.

But since he was already here, and couldn’t meet the scholars, he might as well see the house where he lived.

“Since you’re so hospitable, Miss Qin, let’s take a look,” Song Zhang replied with a smile.

Qin Yao finally flashed him a smile, gestured for him to follow, and introduced the beautiful scenery of Liu Family Village as they walked, highlighting how living there could heal the soul.

Song Zhang hadn’t interacted much with Qin Yao, only twice in total, once during the bandit suppression and the other outside the Ding Family Ancestral Hall.

Most of the time, he had only heard about Qin Yao through others.

Some said she was a fierce shrew, others said she was a cold, unerring hunter; some even claimed she was the domineering leader of Liu Family Village.

But no matter which one, no one had ever told him she was this chatty!

When the trio finally arrived at the Lotus Courtyard, the constant subtle and explicit sales pitch in his ear finally ceased.

He watched as Qin Yao went ahead to find the key to unlock the door, quietly exhaling a big breath.

The owner wasn’t home, and the courtyard was unattended, already covered in a layer of dust.

Qin Yao pushed open the door and fanned it a few times, sweeping away the dust floating in the air.

This was due to the small rain over the past few days, otherwise, entering would have meant breathing in a big whiff of dust.

Qin Yao patted her pants and planned to call Ah Wang and Liu Ji to come and clean the house tomorrow.

Looking back, seeing Song Zhang politely standing at the door, curiously peering in, she gestured to invite him: “Come in, it’s okay to have a look, the rooms are all locked, I don’t have the keys, so let’s just look around the courtyard.”

The aesthetics of Qi Xian and Gongliang Liao were quite good. The courtyard, already extraordinary from the outside, was filled with detailed and cleverly arranged decorations and the master’s whims, making one’s heart surge with excitement.

The attendant, containing his excitement, politely asked, “Miss Qin, was this indeed an abandoned old house before?”

Qin Yao nodded, “Yes, we still have the original drawings from before. If you don’t believe me, you can come to my house later, and I’ll show them to you.”

These drawings weren’t easy to come by.

It was Qi Xian who couldn’t stand his junior brother not even being able to draw, who modeled from the old Lotus Courtyard. He personally guided Liu Ji, and it took them three days of painstaking effort to sketch it out.

Little did they expect that when they took it out again, they could use it to compare the before and after of the Lotus Courtyard.

“So, how about it? Are you a little tempted?”

Locking the Lotus Courtyard door, leading Song Zhang on the way to her house, Qin Yao confidently asked.

The attendant nodded frantically but, getting a glare from Song Zhang, quickly lowered his head and obediently led the horse behind.

Seeing the attendant behave, Song Zhang finally showed a shallow smile, casually saying: “Not bad.”

Qin Yao didn’t give up, smilingly said: “Would the lord support rural development by choosing an abandoned house to set an example for the county’s wealthy folk and gentry?”

Song Zhang, worthy of being the county magistrate, immediately sensed an unusual flavor in this statement.

The same poor village, yet Liu Family Village had a new look every year and was getting better, anyone would be curious and want to explore.

Initially, Song Zhang only speculated from the various information he gathered that the change in Liu Family Village was related to Qin Yao.

Now, hearing Qin Yao’s words, he could already be sure that she was the source.

A woman in her early twenties, who fled from abroad, had immense strength to suppress bandits and kill tigers, could come up with clever inventions like watermills and the Divine Power Book Box to build factories, and even knew how to cultivate exotic cool melons and set up seedling rooms.

So all-knowing and capable, if she weren’t human, no one would believe she wasn’t a god.

Yet, here she was, a very real and tangible person, standing alive right in front of him.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep