Chapter 22: Mixed Feelings of Joy and Worry

  According to Yue Yu's knowledge, the land of this world, although far surpassing the ancient times of his previous life in terms of output, also costs two to three times more.

  In fact, in the fields, apart from various rodents that steal food, there are also many birds in the air that occasionally feed on various crops. And if you encounter those swarms of insects, it's even more disastrous. The danger posed by any living thing in this world far exceeds that of the ferocious beasts of his previous life.

  So here, apart from the normal farming labor force, more manpower is actually spent on guarding the fields.

  But like the valley controlled by the Yuejia City, the situation is still relatively good. Hundreds of years of clearing have made it impossible for the monsters here to pose a threat. The surrounding mountains also blocked the footsteps of those large monsters. However, even so, the fields outside the city and the tenant farmers responsible for farming need a certain amount of military force to protect them.

  The Yu family's estate employed two first-class martial artists and four ninth-class warriors. Compared to other large households in the city, where every thousand acres of land was guarded by one low-level martial artist and two high-level warriors, this was a much higher standard. More than half of the wealth produced by the fields each year was taken away by these people. However, this was also an unavoidable necessity, as the family's fields needed to be protected not only from demonic beasts but also from human threats, and without sufficient strength, they might end up with nothing.

  Actually, the resignation of the two martial artists at the manor is not a big deal in normal times. There are countless low-level martial artists in this city who have nothing to do, and it's no big deal to hire two more in the next few days. The problem lies in the timing, which coincides with today's proposal visit, and also happens to be during the autumn harvest season. If Jin Xu doesn't have any other tricks up his sleeve to coerce them into submission, Yue Yu would rather die than believe it.

  After sending away Xiao Cui, Yue Yu entered the main house. At this moment, the scattered porcelain pieces and dishes on the ground had not been completely cleaned up. Although Yue Zhang's face had returned to normal, her constantly trembling hands revealed that her owner's mood was far from calm as it seemed on the surface.

  "Mother, what's wrong? Don't get angry for these people and hurt your body!"

  Yue Yu didn't bow as he usually did, but instead walked directly to the back of Yue Zhangshi and started massaging her shoulders.

  "That guy has his eyes on your sister, how can I not be angry?"

  Yue Zhang's face looked unpleasant, and she coldly snorted, but didn't scold Yue Yu for his rudeness. Instead, she turned her head and stared at Yue Yu's face for a long time before sighing softly. "Yu'er, I'm thinking of sending you to Licheng temporarily, where you can be an apprentice in our family's pharmacy for a few years before returning. What do you think?"

  Yue Yu's eyes widened again in an instant, and even if he had a heart of stone, this moment would have moved him, and his heart rose with a few more warm feelings.

  Even if it were for the sake of her own son, despite being humiliated to such an extent, Madame Yue still didn't show any sign of blaming him, instead she was considerate of him in every way, this could already be considered as doting.

  If he were still the original Yue Yu, then leaving the Yue family castle would indeed be a way out. If he could become a pharmacist, he would also have the qualifications to inherit certain fields. In addition, within the maternal clan of Yue Zhangshi, he could temporarily avoid the dangers in the Yue family castle. Only his 'mother' didn't know how many people she would ask for help again, and how many people she would lose face in front of to beg.

  Yue Yu is now unwilling to see this scene no matter what, let alone, apart from emotional factors, going to a completely strange environment as an apprentice, for him, it's probably a restraint.

  Thinking of this, Yue Yu's gaze swept over Ruan Li again. He saw that the guy was fidgeting, with a look of wanting to speak but stopping himself, his face full of regret.

  Yue Yu couldn't help but think to herself, "As expected", that Ruan Li had been raised by Yue Zhangshi since his parents' death until he was seven years old. He completely regarded her as his mother and couldn't bear to see her suffer even a little bit of grievance. Five months ago, he had forced Ruan Li to keep a secret for him with a gamble, but looking at the current situation, it's hard to say how much longer he could keep it under wraps.

  If this guy was really as simple-minded as he seemed, Yue Yu wouldn't have to worry. However, Ran Lie's personality was far from being that straightforward. Even if Ran Lie had always kept his promise, Yue Zhangshi would eventually be able to sense something from his abnormal expression.

  Yue Yuexin thought that it would be better for him to speak out himself rather than letting things go on like this. He also couldn't bear the fact that Yue Zhangshi had been worrying about his affairs all along.

  With a decision made in her mind, Yue Yu no longer hesitated and directly mobilized the true yuan within her body, channeling it into her palm. Then, assisting with her massage technique, she helped Yue Zhangshi relax his muscles and invigorate his blood circulation. At first, Yue Zhangshi didn't feel anything out of the ordinary, but after a moment, his body suddenly trembled violently, and the teacup in his hand almost fell to the ground.

  Can't help but admire the composure of Yue Zhangshi, just a few breaths later, Yue Yu felt that all the trembling sensations transmitted from his hand had disappeared. After calming down, Yue Zhangshi's first action was to wave her hand, signaling those servants who had almost finished cleaning up the room to retreat.

  "Feathers, is this actually a fourth-level Chaotic Yuan Force?"

  When the last person closed the main house door, Yue Zhangshi slowly put down her teacup and turned to ask Yue Yu for confirmation. However, possibly even Yue Zhangshi herself did not notice that her breathing suddenly became extremely heavy at this moment, and in her eyes, there was an endless longing and eagerness.

  Yu Yu smiled but didn't answer, continuing to massage the shoulders of Madame Yue. On the other side, Ruan Li couldn't help but laugh, covering his mouth with his hand and saying: "Actually, three months ago he was already at level four. And in another ten or so days, Young Master's Great Chaos Technique might have another breakthrough. Didn't I say it earlier? Madame, you don't need to worry about him, Young Master said he's just hiding his true abilities..."

  "In other words, I'm not dreaming now?"

  From Yan Li's face, she got a definite answer. The expression on Yue Zhangshi's face suddenly became more complex. In addition to surprise, there was also a hint of satisfaction and relief. She first clasped her hands together, reciting the names of all the gods in heaven, then prayed to Yue Yu's father. And when she finished doing all this, Yue Zhangshi slapped her hand back, knocking Yue Yu's hands down, then turned around with a hint of anger. "It's good that you know how to hide your strength, but do you have to keep it from your mother too?"

  Yue Yu heard the words, but was not surprised and delighted instead. She temporarily put down her heart's worries. Indeed, a mother's love tolerates everything, one's own child, no matter how outstanding, is normal. With Yue Zhangshi's astuteness, she didn't even slightly suspect such an unusual situation.

  There's also Rong Li, this kid hasn't been foolish to the point of no return, and before he agreed. He brought out all his achievements and talents in knife and sword techniques at once.

  Actually, it's not that Zhang Shi can't know about this aspect. The problem is, if these things are exposed all at once, I'm afraid anyone would find it hard to accept. Especially with Zhang Shi, who had almost completely lost hope in him before, it's even more dangerous. Therefore, Yue Yu planned to let things settle for a while before doing anything.

  "It was originally unnecessary, but the child wanted to give his mother a surprise."

  Yue Yu continued to place his hand on the shoulder of Yue Zhang's family, seeing this nominal mother, no longer with the previous melancholy. He was indeed feeling happy. As for Yue Zhang at this moment, when the grievances and worries that had been accumulated for many years were suddenly released, he also understood a little. However, it would be better to shift her attention first at this time.

  "By the way, Mother! I heard that two martial artists quit their jobs on our estate today?"

  "Is it that gossip Xiaocui who told you again?"

  Yue Zhang first scolded a sentence, and when she mentioned this matter, she also felt somewhat worried. "It's true that there is such a thing, and the timing of the person's selection is extremely good. A few days ago, a fifth-level lion crocodile beast came from the north to the south, and almost all the martial artists in the clan had been gathered in the city to guard against it at the entrance of the canyon. I'm afraid that this year's crops in our fields will not be preserved."