The Cornflower Witch Chapter 33

Chapter 33

Luanshu Village

A new day.

Hylial, dressed in a long black dress, carrying a suitcase in one hand, stepped onto a small wooden stool and boarded the waiting carriage.

The coachman shook the reins, and soon the sound of wheels turning echoed, rolling over the slightly uneven cobblestone road. A procession of six carriages drove out of Burntstone City.

Inside the carriage, Hylial, Komia, and Karen sat together, surrounded by a good deal of luggage.

“Did the professor say where we’re going?”

Hylial asked, biting a white hair tie, then reached back to tie her hair, preventing it from getting disheveled in the carriage.

“I heard them say we’re going to Luanshu Village,” Komia replied after a moment’s thought.

“I’ve been there once before. It’s not far from Burntstone City, so we’ll probably arrive by noon.”

“The village is built next to a Luanshu forest, and there’s a small river nearby. The scenery is quite lovely.”

“It seems to be Viscount Xuefeng’s direct territory. Every year, he sends servants there to acquire chickens, ducks, cattle, and sheep to supplement the food in the castle. Occasionally, he also brings his family there to play and ride horses.”

“So, the environment must be very good,” Hylial said, putting her hands down after tidying her hair. Her hair was now tied in a high ponytail, revealing her elegant neck and the side profile of her face.

“Yes,” Komia said, gazing at the girl for a long time.

“You look so good, Lia.” She then tugged at Karen beside her.

“Karen, look at Lia, doesn’t she look much better like this?”

“Yes, after changing her hairstyle, she looks much more energetic,” Karen also noticed the difference.

“Huh? Did I look very sloppy before?” Hylial tilted her head.

“Perhaps too plain, without any vitality,” Komia thought for a moment.

“You should wear your hair like this from now on, Lia~” She gave a thumbs up, and Karen also followed suit after considering it.

“Hmm, I can’t do that. It’s only because it’s just the three of us today that I’m a bit more relaxed,” the girl blinked.

“Why not? It looks so good.”

“Precisely because it looks good,” the girl replied with a smile.

“It would be too much trouble.” She looked out the back window of the carriage. Today, the carriage the three of them were in was more like a cargo truck, not a dedicated passenger carriage.

“Because of Miss Iona, the noble students often get jealous and compete. I’m a bit afraid of that kind of life. Staying plain and peaceful like this is best.” She said, placing her hands under her legs and watching her calves, which were visible beneath her skirt, gently sway back and forth, like playing on a swing.

The two had intended to persuade her further, but seeing Hylial’s serene and content demeanor, they suddenly felt that she truly belonged to a life free from worldly strife, and thus they closed their mouths.

“Perhaps I’ll also like this kind of life someday, but for now, I still have a lot of curiosity and impulses,” Komia mused, stroking her chin.

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

“Me?” Karen pointed to herself.

“I don’t need much. I just want to become an excellent hunter, have my own wooden cabin in the forest, raise two dogs, occasionally go hunting, trade with the villagers, and live that kind of life.”

“Wow, Karen, your goals are so clear. I still don’t know what kind of life I want to live,” Komia exclaimed.

“Perhaps because Komia still has many possibilities,” Karen occasionally said surprisingly insightful things.

“That’s true, I suppose. My personality is quite erratic, so it’s hard for me to stick to a long-term goal,” Komia replied, resting her chin on her hand, her eyes casually closing and opening.

“This trip to Luanshu Village, I must have a good time. That’s my most recent goal.”

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 bowed to jump lightly from the carriage, then stood on the grass.

Not far away, a peaceful and tranquil village appeared in their sight.

There were about fifty households scattered along the village’s main road, surrounded by large square fields of wheat. Much of the wheat had already been harvested, and some fields had neatly stacked bundles of wheat.

“Leave your luggage on the carriage; the coachman will take it directly into the village. The professor will walk with us and tell us a few things.” Jero notified the students one by one. Although he was a bit stout, he was exceptionally nimble on the country roads.

“Alright, we understand,” Lia replied. After that, Jero went to another group of students.

Soon, the students gathered around Scholar Hyde, listening to his teachings.

“Is everyone here? Good, then I’ll begin.” He turned around and introduced it to the students behind him.

“This is Luanshu Village, located about 20 li northeast of Burntstone City, famous for the yellow-flowered Luanshu forest around the village.” He led the students down a path on the hillside.

“As you can see, the main crop here is wheat, and some flax. Do you remember what I taught you before about how flax is made into thread and spun into cloth? Today, you can go to the villagers’ homes and see how they do it.”

“Although linen is rough, it is exceptionally strong and durable. Furthermore, flax grows quickly and can be cultivated in many regions, which keeps its cost low. It is the preferred fabric for many farmers’ clothes. A roughly made linen garment can sell for about 70 Copper coins, and if it’s custom-made and carefully tailored, people will even pay 150 Copper coins.”

Scholar Hyde walked along, introducing the crops along the way to the students, explaining the impact of the local climate, rainfall, and fertility on various crops.

“Generally speaking, one cannot continuously cultivate the same piece of land, as this will lead to soil exhaustion. Therefore, you can see that the fields here are roughly divided into four sections for rotation,” he explained further.

“Food production is paramount, whether you are a noble managing territory or an ordinary farming commoner.”

“Without food, one cannot survive. You might not fully understand this yet, but as an old man who has experienced two cold, foggy seasons, I have seen too many tragedies caused by hunger in 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 this recently harvested field.

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

“This wheat field is quite good. It can probably yield 60-70 pounds of wheat per mu,” Scholar Hyde estimated.

“Professor, is 60 pounds of wheat a lot?” Some noble students didn’t know much about this.

“Not too much, not too little. One pound of wheat can sell for about 1 Copper Coin, so the price of one mu of wheat is about 60 Copper coins.” Scholar Hyde put the wheat grains into a small cloth bag he carried, intending to take them back as a sample.

“Let’s go, the village is just ahead, and your accommodations should already be arranged.” He clapped his hands, shaking off the dirt, then stepped forward.

The group stepped into this scenic village with curiosity.

Thanks to Elysia for the support among others.

Qiu Zi, Sheng Chi Bai, uYexi u, Salted Fish Cuisine, You Xie Q, Tao Li O, Tu Ya T, TKsanoky and other readers for their generous support~

(End of this chapter)