"Okay, I’ll come back when Aunt leaves." After I return, I need to think carefully about what gifts to bring for Grandpa and Grandma.

After having lunch together, the two of them returned to Peony Garden. Seeing that everything in the yard remained just as before and the house was spotless indicated that someone had been cleaning regularly these past days.

"Chen, you rest for a while, I’ll be back soon.", just as she was about to go around the screen into the bedroom, she caught a glimpse of Yingsu out of the corner of her eye, seeing a flash of white crescent robe behind her.

"Wife, come back quickly, I’m waiting for you." He bent down to kiss his wife’s fragrant cheek before letting go of the petite waist in his large hand.

"Okay." She was mesmerized by the smile of the man before her and her eyes stared blankly at Dugu Chen.

Dugu Chen reveled in the way his woman looked at him, instantly filling with pride, his lips spreading into an even wider grin, laughter bubbling up from his chest.

Once Feng Xuxu’s senses returned, her face blushed cutely, and she threw Dugu Chen a glare, "Annoying." He always knew how to seduce her. With a stomp, she ran out.

Yingsu, catching her master’s eye signal, led Sun Xiangjie towards the study, where they waited for their miss.

"Are you ready?" Her piercing gaze swept over Sun Xiangjie who stood to one side.

"Ready." He responded calmly and confidently.

"Good, I will arrange for someone to take you to Mandala Villa, and the tea saplings will follow later." The mountain there was most suitable for tea trees. Although Nameless Mountain was covered in herbs, the other areas should not be left idle either.

"Thank you, Princess." The usually unemotional Sun Xiangjie was somewhat moved. He was no longer useless and could finally do what he loved. His sole aim was to completely break down Sun Xiao.

With vengeance filling his heart, he followed Yingsu out of the study. Feng Xuxu watched, her heart inexplicably aching for a boy who was merely fifteen, wondering what kind of hatred could fill a young heart so fully. She returned to her room, carrying some regret.

The day passed silently, and the next day, Baihe left the Prince Residence early, heading for Xuanyuan Mansion.

"Young Master, the Princess summons you."

Upon seeing Baihe and hearing that his sister was looking for him, Feng Xi’s curiosity immediately peaked, "Did my sister say what it’s about?" Even as he asked, he stood up anxiously, gave his robe a shake, and strode towards the door.

Following behind Feng Xi, Baihe pressed her lips together in a smile and answered, "The Princess didn’t say, Young Master."

Feng Xi nodded, boarded the mansion’s carriage, and headed straight for Prince Mei Residence.

Feng Xi followed Baihe, making their way unobstructed to the study.

"Commoner—," Before his older brother could bow, Feng Xuxu quickly pulled him up.

"Big brother, if you keep this up, I’m going to get really annoyed," she pouted unhappily and gave him a look.

Seeing this, Feng Xi pleaded, "Little sister, isn’t it enough that your big brother admits his mistake?"

"That’s more like it." She pulled her big brother down to sit on a chair in the study.

"Big brother, how is the construction of the houses in the village coming along?"

Yingsu pushed open the door of the study and brought in a pot of water. After pouring it, she stood up and left again.

"It’s almost done. The last group of people has already moved in. There’s some leftover space, and now each household has planted fruit trees at their front doors and has strawberries growing in their yards. The children can just pick them when they want to eat them. Every family is living well. Even the headmen of several villages from the neighboring prefecture have come to take a look, and it seems they’re very eager to join our village." As he spoke of the village headmen’s visit, pride was written all over his face. At first, those village headmen thought the butler was leading them around a few nice spots on purpose. But when they saw a large expanse of grey-bricked and tiled houses, they showed looks of disbelief. Only after seeing that the villagers’ clothes were even better than their own did they believe what people outside were saying.

Even Yunzhou Prefecture and the town have seen an increase in the number of people doing business. When Feng Xi himself went to the Capital City for his sister’s wedding, the Magistrate of Yunzhou Prefecture even made a special invitation for him to meet, treating him with great courtesy. In fact, Feng Xi understood in his heart that all this honor was due to his own sister, and he too felt proud of her.

Feng Xuxu just smiled without taking it to heart because now, more than half of the lands and mountains of Xueyan Country were in her hands. The merger of the villages was only a matter of time, and she hadn’t expected things to go so smoothly.

"Big brother, ’Spring Garden’ is nearly completed now, and the grain base has also taken shape. What remains is management. We are still short of talent in this area. I’ve written to Uncle Ma, and he will help you arrange everything. Next, we need to perfect the grain base model and turn it into a true Xueyan grain-producing major household. I plan to use ten prefectures as grain-producing bases. The most important thing left is the problem of selling grain. I’m planning to leave that to our cousin, which could also help boost the Xuanyuan Clan." She paused and gently picked up the teacup to moisten her throat.

The more Feng Xi listened at his side, the more astonished he became, until his brain was no longer under his control, his eyes widened, and his mouth hung agape.

"Big brother, big brother." She hadn’t heard her big brother’s voice for a while, so she looked up only to find him standing there, dumbfounded, one hand holding a teacup, and the other tugging at her big brother’s sleeve, calling out to her spaced-out brother.

"Ah, oh, ha ha." Her brother scratched the back of his head in embarrassment, as touching the back of his head was always his first action when he felt shy. Feng Xuxu had discovered this little secret and even specially mentioned it to Sister Jiaojiao.

Recalling what had just happened and shaking off the embarrassment, he looked at his little sister, "Little sister, you just mentioned using ten prefectures as a base for grain production, but we only have one prefecture." 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

She put down her teacup, poured herself another one, and topped up her brother’s tea. Hearing her brother’s worried words, she set down the teapot and waved her hand dismissively, "Don’t worry, I now hold over half of Xueyan Country’s land in my hands. As long as it can bring a better life to the people, they will willingly follow you." Which commoner doesn’t want a better life, free from worries about food and clothing, with money to spare?

Even if some are greedy for more silver, she wasn’t afraid. The key technology was in her hands, and the land was hers. Knowing only the surface wouldn’t help much.

"What?" Feng Xi stood up excitedly upon hearing this, even more astonished. He hadn’t expected that his little sister would act so swiftly, and it seemed that this was an intentional and targeted implementation. Hence, the idea of using ten prefectures as grain-producing bases wasn’t just talk.

His sudden standing shocked Feng Xuxu, as she looked at her greatly surprised brother, she couldn’t help but smile mischievously.

"Sit down, big brother, you gave me a fright."

With a wry smile, he pointed a finger at Feng Xuxu’s forehead, "Still laughing, you heartless little thing, I was scared by you. You bought so much land without a fuss, you’ve become a landlady."