The transition from late spring to early summer happened overnight. The gentle breeze turned stifling, and the lush green of the hills began to deepen into a darker, thirstier hue.
On the East Hill, the heat was taking its toll.
The sheep were miserable. They spent the afternoons huddled in the shadow of the shed, panting heavily. Even the ram lamb, usually full of boundless energy, lay sprawled on the dirt, his breathing shallow.
"They're too hot," Chen Hu said, wiping sweat from his own brow. "Should we pour water on them?"
"No," Chen Yuan shook his head, checking the water trough. "Water on the wool will trap the heat and cause rot. They need to lose the coat."
He looked at the sheep. Their wool had grown thick and oily over the spring. It was a testament to the Ryegrass's nutrition, but in this rising heat, it was a death sentence.
"It's time to shear," Chen Yuan declared.
"Shear?" Wang Shi asked, looking up from the vegetable patch she was weeding. "Now? Usually, we wait until the autumn, or just pluck the loose wool."
"In this heat, waiting will kill them," Chen Yuan said. "And the wool is prime right now. Clean and long."
He went to the storage shed and retrieved the large fabric scissors his mother used for cutting cloth. They weren't professional shears, but they were sharp.
"Little Stone! Bring the sheep here. Gently."
* * *
Shearing a sheep was an art form, and Chen Yuan was an amateur.
His first attempt on the ewe was clumsy. He struggled to keep the animal still, and the scissors pulled at the skin, making the sheep bleat in protest.
"Hold her neck!" Chen Yuan instructed.
"I'm trying! She's strong!" Chen Hu grunted, wrestling the sheep.
Xu Tie watched from the side, shaking his head. "You fight the animal like it's an enemy. You have to flow with it."
Finally, after a messy twenty minutes, the ewe was free of her heavy coat. The wool came off in a jagged, greasy sheet. Underneath, the sheep looked skinny and ridiculous, her skin pink and sensitive, but she immediately let out a sigh of relief and walked over to the water trough, drinking deeply.
"Look at that," Chen Yuan panted. "She's comfortable."
The ram lamb was easier, being smaller. By the time they finished the three sheep, the sun was setting, and the men were covered in lanolin and sweat.
But on the ground lay three massive piles of wool.
Chen Yuan picked up a tuft. It was dense, slightly yellowed from the oil, but the fibers were strong and long.
"This is good quality," Chen Yuan said. "Better than the usual village wool."
"We can sell it?" Wang Shi asked, poking the pile with a stick. "It smells like the animal."
"We wash it," Chen Yuan said. "Tomorrow, we take it to the river. We wash it until it's white, then dry it. The spinning workshops in town pay by the catty for clean fleece."
* * *
The next morning, the Chen family—minus Chen Dazhong who was watching the fields—went to the river.
They spent hours soaking the wool in the flowing water, stomping on it to remove the grease and dirt (a task Chen Hu complained loudly about, as it made his feet slippery).
When the wool was finally clean and spread out on flat rocks to dry in the sun, it transformed. The yellow tinge vanished, leaving behind a fluffy, off-white cloud.
"It looks like clouds," Little Ming said, poking the drying wool.
"This is money, Ming," Chen Yuan corrected with a smile. "Clouds don't buy books. This does."
* * *
Two days later, a carriage arrived at Willow Village.
It wasn't the rough cart of a merchant, but a sleek, two-wheeled carriage with a canopy of blue silk. The horse was a sleek black stallion, a breed far superior to the scraggly ponies usually seen in the village.
The carriage stopped at the village entrance.
The driver, a man in a crisp blue uniform, jumped down and opened the door. A middle-aged man stepped out. He wore a long robe of dark silk, a jade pendant at his waist, and a fan in his hand. He looked out of place in the dusty village, like a peacock in a henhouse.
"I am looking for the household of Chen Yuan," the man announced, his voice carrying the distinct, clipped accent of the city elite.
The villagers froze. They were terrified of city officials.
Chen Yuan, who was just coming down the hill with a basket of eggs, paused.
"I am Chen Yuan," he said, stepping forward.
The man looked Chen Yuan up and down. He saw a tanned, muscular young man in patched clothes, but with a straight back and calm eyes.
"I am Steward Zhou, from the City Lord's Manor," the man said, fanning himself slowly. "I am here regarding the 'Spirit Soil' sold to the Benevolent Hall. The Shopkeeper said it was your creation."
"It is," Chen Yuan bowed. "Welcome to Willow Village, Steward Zhou."
"The City Lord's wife, the Lady, has taken a liking to the roses grown in your soil," Steward Zhou said. "She wishes to commission a larger batch. One thousand bags. To be delivered to the manor within the month."
*One thousand bags.*
The number struck Chen Yuan like a hammer. It was a massive order. It was also a massive trap.
"Steward Zhou," Chen Yuan said carefully. "That is a large quantity. I am but a small farmer. Do you mean the City Lord's Manor, or the City Lord's Estate in the Prefecture?"
"The Prefecture Manor, of course," Steward Zhou sniffed. "The City Lord is currently in residence for the summer."
Chen Yuan's mind raced. The Prefecture City Lord. That was a figure of real power. If he accepted this order, he would enter the radar of the official class.
"I can do it," Chen Yuan said, "but I need to discuss the price and the transport."
"The price will be the standard market rate for premium soil," Steward Zhou said dismissively. "Forty coins per bag. As for transport... that is your concern."
"Forty coins is acceptable," Chen Yuan nodded. He didn't haggle. This wasn't about squeezing a few coins; it was about establishing a relationship. "However, I have a request."
Steward Zhou raised an eyebrow. A peasant making requests? "Speak."
"I ask that the City Lord's Manor provide a letter of guarantee," Chen Yuan said. "For the safe passage of my carts through the city gates. I have had... trouble with the guards before."
Steward Zhou laughed, a dry, humorless sound. "You are cautious. Fine. I will have a token sent to you. Do not disappoint the Lady. If the soil is not up to standard, or if the delivery is late... well, let us just say the City Lord does not like to be kept waiting."
"I understand," Chen Yuan bowed again. "It will be ready."
Steward Zhou turned to leave, but then his eyes caught movement on the hill. He saw the white specks of the drying wool and the makeshift shelter.
"You raise sheep up there?" Steward Zhou asked casually.
"Yes. And a cow."
"Hmm. The City Lord enjoys fresh lamb," Steward Zhou murmured, seemingly to himself. "The market meat is often tough. Keep that in mind. If your ranch expands, the Manor is always looking for reliable suppliers."
He climbed back into his carriage and left as quickly as he had come, leaving a cloud of dust and a village full of gossiping neighbors.
* * *
That night, the Chen family held a council.
"One thousand bags," Wang Shi whispered, her eyes gleaming. "That is... forty thousand coins! That is forty taels of silver!"
"Calm down, Sister-in-law," Chen Yuan said, pouring tea. "That is the revenue, not the profit. We need to pay the children, buy charcoal, buy more clay for bags. The profit will be around twenty taels. Maybe less."
"Twenty taels!" Little Ming gasped. "That is... that is a fortune!"
"It is," Chen Yuan nodded. "But it is also a risk. If we fail to deliver, the City Lord can crush us. We need to work fast."
"Where do we get that much dung?" Chen Shan asked, worried. "The village animals can't produce that much in a month."
"We go to the neighboring villages," Chen Yuan decided. "Tomorrow, Second Brother and I will go to West Mountain Village and River Village. We will buy their dung. They will think we are crazy, but we will buy it all."
"What about the wool?" Chen Hu asked. "Are we still selling that?"
"Yes," Chen Yuan said. "But not to the workshops."
"Why not?"
Chen Yuan smiled. "Because Steward Zhou mentioned the City Lord likes fresh lamb. And he saw the wool. I have a better idea."
He looked at his sisters. "Mei, Lan. Can you spin thread?"
"A little," Mei admitted. "Grandmother taught us before she passed."
"Good," Chen Yuan said. "We won't sell the raw wool cheap. We will spin it into yarn. I will buy dye from the town. We will sell dyed yarn. The profit is higher."
"San Lang, we have to make the soil too!" Liu Shi exclaimed. "We don't have enough hands!"
"We will hire," Chen Yuan said. "We will hire the village women to help fill the bags. We will pay them by the day. We are not just farmers anymore. We are managers."
He stood up.
"This is the first step. With this money, we buy more cattle. We buy good breeding stock. We build a real ranch. A ranch that supplies the City Lord himself."
* * *
The next two weeks were a blur of activity.
Chen Yuan and Chen Hu traveled to three surrounding villages, buying manure by the cartload. The news that "Chen Yuan buys poop" had spread, and other villagers were happy to offload their waste for a few copper coins.
The backyard on the East Hill became a factory. Chen Yuan set up a production line.
Little Stone and the village boys mixed the soil and dung.
The village women (supervised by a stern Wang Shi) filled and sewed the bags.
Chen Yuan managed the fermentation process, using the System to monitor the temperature and bacterial activity of the piles, ensuring every batch was perfect.
**[Production Status: 65% Complete.]**
**[Quality: High (Consistent).]**
Even Xu Tie was pressed into service, guarding the piles at night to prevent sabotage or theft.
One evening, as they ate a quick dinner of cold buns on the hill, Xu Tie spoke.
"You are pushing them hard," the veteran said, nodding towards the workers. "But you pay them fairly. They don't complain."
"Fairness builds loyalty," Chen Yuan said. "And money builds motivation."
He looked at the bags stacked high under the tarp.
"Brother Xu, when this is over... I want to buy a horse."
Xu Tie paused. "A horse? You can't afford a warhorse."
"Not a warhorse," Chen Yuan smiled. "A sturdy pony. A riding horse. I want to learn to ride properly. A rancher should be on horseback, not walking in the mud."
Xu Tie's eyes softened. He looked at the hill, imagining the future.
"A horse," he murmured. "I haven't ridden in two years. My leg... I thought I never would again."
"If you teach me," Chen Yuan said, "I will buy a horse gentle enough for you to ride too. We will check the flocks together."
Xu Tie didn't speak for a long time. He just stared into the fire.
Finally, he nodded.
"Deal. But first, we deliver this dirt. Don't let the City Lord see you sweat."
"I won't," Chen Yuan promised.
But deep down, he knew the hardest part was just beginning. Dealing with officials was like dancing on a blade. One wrong step, and you bled.
But for his family, for his ranch, he was ready to dance.