THE LORD'S LADY FROM THE EAST

The next morning, Wei Wei woke up later than usual, but it was only eight o'clock. At this hour, the castle's residents were likely still deep in their dreams.

However, when she finished freshening up and went downstairs, she was informed that Felix had already left.

The ever-dutiful butler relayed his message: "Young Master Felix enjoyed the food you prepared. He asked me to thank you on his behalf."

"He's already eaten?"

"Yes, my lady. The young master left after having breakfast."

Wei Wei nodded, then took her usual seat at the dining table, waiting for Dolores to come down and join her.

Since the Earl was away, Father Matthew had not been dining with them these past few days. That meant only the two young ladies shared their meals together.

Breakfast consisted of the food Wei Wei had prepared the night before. The reheated buns and meat pies were still delicious, and the steamed mantou and flower rolls remained soft and flavorful. Paired with warm milk—its fishy taste removed with added fruit juice—it was a satisfying meal. The only regret Wei Wei had was the absence of soy milk.

Maybe I can make some next time, she mused. Even if they don't have soybeans here, other legumes should work just fine.

And if soy milk was possible, then making tofu should be feasible as well.

As she ate, her mind wandered, lost in these thoughts. Meanwhile, Dolores seemed more cheerful than usual—she had already heard that Wei Wei would soon become her tutor.

Ever since their first meeting, Dolores had taken a liking to Wei Wei, perhaps because she shared her brother's aesthetic preferences. After spending time together, her fondness only grew. So when she learned that Wei Wei would become her teacher, she was delighted—regardless of the subject matter.

Unfortunately, Wei Wei wouldn't be able to take on that role anytime soon.

After breakfast, as the servants were clearing the table, Butler Barton informed her that the steward of the land she had purchased yesterday had come to see her.

Wei Wei couldn't help but feel that the butler was being even more attentive than usual today. Could it be because of the breakfast buns?

In reality, the steward had come not only to handle the land transfer but also to confirm a piece of gossip he had heard.

"Many people saw the Earl riding side by side with the young lady yesterday. They looked incredibly well-matched."

The butler, unaware of any such event, hesitated upon hearing the steward's account. Could it be that our Young Master Felix has finally confessed to Miss Wei Wei?

However, given that Felix was currently away and Wei Wei was not someone he could directly question about such matters, the butler chose to keep his thoughts to himself—apart from being extra courteous to Wei Wei.

When Wei Wei met the steward, she learned that he was responsible for managing the land she had bought. Of course, he oversaw more than just the hundred acres she had acquired. Upon learning of the land transfer, he had already gathered the serfs working there to inform them of the change in ownership.

At first, the serfs were nervous. Even if they were still serfs, working the Earl's land and working for someone else were two very different things.

But when they heard that their new landowner was Wei Wei, their unease vanished.

Since the serfs lived in close-knit communities, news traveled fast. Yesterday's rumors had already reached their ears—some had even witnessed the scene with their own eyes. In their minds, whether their master was the Earl himself or his future Countess, it made little difference.

The steward had come to discuss one matter in particular.

"I heard that you plan to build a house on the land. If you need manpower, the serfs are at your disposal."

Wei Wei frowned. "Aren't they busy farming? Do they even have time for this?"

The steward replied matter-of-factly, "Serving you is their honor. They will certainly find the time."

But Wei Wei didn't see it that way. She knew that these serfs not only had to farm the land they rented but also spent half of each week working the lord's land as a form of tax. Rising early and working late, they barely had time to rest—where would they find time to build her house?

"I won't start building until I have a proper design," she said. "For now, I don't need any workers."

She had already abandoned the idea of hiding her gold beneath the house. The system's deadline was approaching fast, and constructing a new house in time was impossible. Burying the gold underground was also problematic—if it was too deep, she wouldn't be able to dig it up easily; if too shallow, it might be discovered when laying the foundation. It was better to hide it in parts of the forest where ordinary people wouldn't venture and retrieve it little by little later.

At this moment, the steward spoke again.

"Miss Wei Wei, the land has already been plowed. We were planning to start planting wheat today. If you have no other instructions, I'll inform them to proceed."

Wei Wei snapped out of her thoughts and nodded. "Go ahead, but leave one acre untouched. I have other plans for it."

Crop yields were low in this era. If she reserved too much land, it could impact the serfs' harvest. This year, her main focus was cultivating high-quality seeds, so she didn't need much space. One acre should be sufficient, and if not, there were over thirty acres of fallow land she could use.

The steward acknowledged her request and was about to take his leave when Wei Wei suddenly stopped him.

"Do you know all the serfs in the Earl's domain?" she asked.

The steward straightened proudly. "I wouldn't say I know every single one, but I've met most of them."

In the estate, stewards could be either free men or former serfs who had earned their master's trust to oversee serf affairs. Unlike regular workers, stewards received no wages. Instead, they were granted certain privileges—such as free access to the well and mill, as well as partial tax exemptions. Many successful stewards could even afford to hire others to work their fields.

This particular steward had been born a serf and had lived in Sardinson Castle all his life. Naturally, he was familiar with most of the local serfs.

Wei Wei nodded. "Tell them this—if anyone is willing to collect livestock manure, I will pay them one small copper coin for each full basket."

To give him an idea of the quantity, she asked the kitchen staff to bring out a basket for reference.

She had carefully considered the price. At first glance, it seemed low, but animal droppings were everywhere—piled up along roadsides, accumulating for years. If someone worked diligently, they could collect a considerable amount in a single day.

She also needed livestock urine, but to prevent people from watering it down to cheat her, she decided not to mention it.

Hearing a noble lady speak so openly about "manure," the steward looked at her in horror, as if she had been possessed by a demon. But when she mentioned the payment, all his fear disappeared.

Before he could respond, the butler and two maids, who had been silently listening, all showed disapproving expressions.

The butler frowned. "Miss Wei Wei, are you truly planning to hire people to collect such filth? And even pay them for it? This sounds utterly absurd."

Wei Wei lifted her chin proudly. "I come from an Eastern land where manure is fermented into fertilizer that keeps the soil fertile and even increases crop yields. In my homeland, we never need to let fields lie fallow. We cultivate crops year-round, and with proper fertilization, the harvest per acre is at least double what you produce here."

"Double?!"

Now, not just the steward and the maids, but even the well-traveled butler was staring at her in shock, swallowing hard.

Wei Wei gave them a look of mild disdain. "That's nothing. Back home, my family's tenants once harvested 500 pounds of grain from just one-sixth of the land you use for a single plot."

500 pounds from one-sixth of a plot? That meant a full plot would yield 3,000 pounds?!

The air in the room seemed to freeze. The butler looked as if he might faint.

The steward gasped audibly, and even the maids paled as if they had just witnessed a miracle. Meanwhile, the butler, who considered himself someone who had seen much of the world, looked like he was about to lose his footing.

Wei Wei remained calm as if what she had said was nothing extraordinary. She turned back to the steward.

"Alright, what's your name?"

The steward quickly lowered his head and answered humbly, "My name is George, my lady."

His attitude was even more respectful than before. After all, he had just realized that the young noblewoman before him was likely far wealthier than even their lord.

The casual, slightly condescending way she spoke of their farming practices—almost as if she pitied their ignorance—made George feel that she was undoubtedly someone of great status.

Wei Wei nodded. "Alright, George. You don't need to start collecting manure right away. First, go back and have some people dig a few large pits in the fallow fields. Dig them according to these measurements."

She proceeded to outline the precise dimensions for the pits—length, width, and depth.

George had a sharp memory and repeated the numbers back to her verbatim.

Wei Wei was pleased. "Good. That's exactly right. Find people to do the digging, and I will pay them for their labor. Can you handle this?"

"Of course, my lady."

George immediately understood that she didn't want the serfs who were already busy farming to do the work. Instead, she wanted others hired specifically for this task.

Wei Wei added, "While you're at it, let the people who are willing to collect manure know that I will cover the taxes on it myself."

In this era, feudal lords claimed ownership of everything on their land. Whether it was hunting, raising livestock, or even collecting firewood, the serfs had to pay taxes on it. Wei Wei didn't want to create any friction with Felix over such a trivial matter, so she decided to shoulder the tax costs herself.

She figured Felix wouldn't dare ask for an exorbitant sum.

The butler opened his mouth as if wanting to say something, but in the end, he remained silent.

At this point, whether it was the butler or George, even though they remained somewhat skeptical about her claims regarding manure improving soil fertility, they couldn't completely dismiss the idea.

They were beginning to hope it was true. If they could learn farming techniques from Wei Wei, they could potentially improve not only the Earl's lands but also their plots.

George left with a complicated expression, so preoccupied with his thoughts that he forgot to ask Wei Wei for the wages she had promised.

Of course, Wei Wei wasn't planning on avoiding payment. She simply instructed him to send the workers to the castle once the work was done so they could be paid.

The butler, however, was very proactive. "If you trust me, my lady, I can send a few literate servants to oversee the payments. I will ensure that every transaction is properly recorded, with no room for errors."

Wei Wei could tell that his suggestion wasn't purely out of goodwill—he likely wanted to learn her methods for himself. But she had no intention of keeping such knowledge secret. If someone was willing to help her with the work, all the better.

So, she readily agreed and handed the butler five gold coins. "Use this to exchange for small copper coins to pay the workers. If it's not enough, come back to me for more."

The butler carefully accepted the coins and promptly set about making arrangements.

Then, after some hesitation, he wrote a letter to Felix and instructed a servant to deliver it as quickly as possible.

The butler had been watching Wei Wei carefully all morning. What the steward had only vaguely suspected, he had already confirmed—Wei Wei had spoken about her farming knowledge with absolute confidence. She wasn't lying.

And if she wasn't lying, that meant the idea of using manure as fertilizer was likely true.

More importantly, if what she said about crop yields was real—if it was even half-true—this could be a turning point for all of Sardinson County.

This was no trivial matter.

The butler firmly believed that Felix needed to be informed immediately. If this technique could truly increase the land's productivity, the Earl had to be the first to implement it. Otherwise, once other nobles caught wind of it, their advantage would be lost.

With that in mind, he urged the messenger to ride as fast as possible, ensuring that Felix received the letter without delay.