Yina Yin was utterly shocked.
She had already figured out the income level of the locals here.
After subtracting costs and what they eat themselves, each mu of land only brings in about a thousand yuan in cash.
"Sure, no problem." Helping the villagers was a necessary step to blend into Liford Village as quickly as possible.
But the salt and sugar they need to survive are extremely expensive.
In the outside world, a bag of table salt costs one yuan, but here it sells for fifty.
Cathy Lee's gaze toward Yina Yin grew more and more intense.
Ethan Yin turned to see the village chief's youngest daughter, Emily Lee. She was just fifteen, her figure only starting to mature.
In the past, scholars could become licentiates (xiucai), recommended men (juren), presented scholars (jinshi), valedictorians (zhuangyuan), even high officials.
"Emily, you brought me wild greens again?" Ethan Yin stood up, brushed the dirt off his hands, and said, "I feel bad always troubling you."
Emily Lee's cheeks flushed as she looked at Ethan Yin.
"I wonder how Ethan Yin is doing," Cherry Miller said. "Hope everything goes smoothly."
Right, she could go to town to gather intel. Maybe she'd figure out the town's secrets even faster.
"It's no trouble, there's plenty in the fields. I just picked them while I was herding sheep." Emily Lee stole glances at Ethan Yin, finding it harder and harder to look away.
Of course Ethan Yin noticed Emily Lee staring at him.
He just pretended not to notice Emily Lee.
When it comes to writing, Yina Yin, Cherry Miller, or Ethan Yin could all handle it.
Saint Diana Academy even had calligraphy classes.
Copying calligraphy was a required course.
Cherry Miller watched in amazement as Yina Yin sat at the table, helping write letters one by one. The villagers brought eggs and vegetables as payment, and the kitchen was instantly piled high.
Yina Yin paused for a moment.
Ugh, what a messed-up world.
This is a world without cell phones or internet!
"Sure, no problem." Helping the villagers was a necessary step to blend into Lijia Village as quickly as possible.
When they heard Yina Yin's answer, the villagers crowded around, all looking for her help.
Yina Yin agreed to anything she could manage.
Xiaocao's gaze toward Yina Yin grew more and more intense.
In China, throughout history, ordinary people have always respected scholars.
In the past, scholars could become xiucai, juren, jinshi, zhuangyuan, even high officials.
That was the path to moving up the social ladder.
A farmer by morning, an honored guest in the emperor's hall by night.
After these people moved to Six Saints Town, they couldn't become imperial officials anymore, but those who could read and write could still get jobs at the mayor's factory and earn a lot of money.
So people in the village still envied those who could get an education.
But education was just too expensive.
Most people couldn't afford it and wouldn't spend on it, so only a handful of wealthy families sent their kids to the private school in town.
Those families' kids would work in town and pass it down generation after generation.
It became a tiny closed loop.
Now, hearing that the three newcomers could all read and write, everyone was excited and crowded around Yina Yin, bombarding her with questions.
Everyone helped fetch water and carried it back together, then gathered around Yina Yin, asking her to help write family letters.
Cherry Miller watched in amazement as Yina Yin sat at the table, helping write letters one by one. The villagers brought eggs and vegetables as payment, and the kitchen was instantly piled high.
After finishing the last letter and sending off the final villager, Yina Yin said to Cherry Miller with pride, "See? I don't even need to work in the fields to support you."
Cherry Miller burst out laughing, "Yes, yes, you're the most capable!"
Yina Yin lowered her voice and said, "I noticed something today. The Zhang family in Six Saints Town doesn't just control the villagers through myth—they use cultural domination to keep everyone tightly in their grasp. The less people study, the more ignorant they become. The Zhangs monopolize all cultural resources, so no one else even gets a chance to touch a book. Naturally, they have no idea how tempting the outside world is. They don't even want to leave for a better life."
"It's obvious," Cherry Miller said as she cooked, "Myth and culture control always end up in the same place. This is just the beginning. I bet there's a ton more we haven't uncovered yet."
"And even if people got their hands on books, the Zhangs would never tell them how amazing the outside world is," Yina Yin added.
Cherry Miller nodded in agreement, "Of course. If they found out how great the outside world really is, they'd risk everything to get out, right? So, dumbed-down education is a must. The Zhangs brainwash them—tell them the outside is a hell where people eat each other, and it's safer to stay here. They've lived this way for so long, they're used to the pace. As long as they have food, clothes, and kids, nothing feels missing."
"By the way, someone just suggested I could get a job in town. Maybe that would give me a shot at getting close to the Zhangs and figuring out why this place is really sealed off. Should I give it a try?" Yina Yin asked.
"Don't make any rash moves yet," Cherry Miller disagreed, shaking her head. "The Zhangs have ruled here for three hundred years—they must have their own intelligence network. The three of us showing up in Lijia Village is already suspicious. If we do anything even a little out of the ordinary, they'll notice. Let's play it safe for now."
Yina Yin listened and realized she had a point, but still felt a little unwilling.
The secret was right there, but she couldn't uncover it.
(This chapter isn't finished yet~ Please click 'Next Page' to continue reading!)
"I wonder how Ethan Yin is doing," Cherry Miller said. "Hope everything goes smoothly."
Time flew by, and a month passed in the blink of an eye.
The land was lush and green, the crops were all planted, and the farmers began another year of hope.
During that month, Ethan Yin diligently farmed, Cherry Miller did housework peacefully, and Yina Yin worked hard writing and calculating for the villagers.
That's right—Yina Yin found a job as the accountant for Lijia Village, handling all the income and expenses for the village chief and villagers.
Her work came and went, so her pay was never stable.
Sometimes it was five jin of coarse grain, sometimes a handful of eggs, sometimes a bundle of veggies—always stuff grown by the villagers themselves.
In a place with no disease or education, the countryside was its own little economic loop.
Grain, vegetables, eggs—they were all self-sufficient.
They could even make their own soy sauce and vinegar.
But for things like salt, which need high purification, they'd go to town to buy it.
Some farmers grew cotton, and some even spun their own cloth using old-fashioned hand-cranked spinning wheels.
Every household raised pigs—at least one or two, sometimes four or five.
Usually, a year's worth of meat was enough for a small family, and any extra could be sold to restaurants in town.
So honestly, country folks didn't spend much money—except on weddings and funerals.
"Brother Huai." A voice called from behind Ethan Yin. "I brought you some fresh wild greens. They're great for veggie buns or soup."
Ethan Yin turned to see the village chief's youngest daughter, Li Xiaomeng. She was just fifteen, her figure only starting to mature.
In the outside world, fifteen was just middle school age, but here it was old enough to talk about marriage.
"Xiaomeng, you brought me wild greens again?" Ethan Yin stood up, brushed the dirt off his hands, and said, "I feel bad always troubling you."
Li Xiaomeng's cheeks flushed as she looked at Ethan Yin.
Even though Brother Huai was an outsider, he was really good-looking!
They were all country folk, but why did Brother Huai seem so impressive? He didn't look like a farmer at all—more like a rich kid from town.
"It's no trouble, there's plenty in the fields. I just picked them while I was herding sheep." Li Xiaomeng stole glances at Ethan Yin, finding it harder and harder to look away.
Of course Ethan Yin noticed Li Xiaomeng staring at him.
He just pretended not to.
"Why did your family suddenly start raising so many sheep this year? You must be herding a lot every day, right?" Ethan Yin asked casually.
"Yeah, my dad said the Zhang family in town suddenly started buying up a ton of mutton, so we raised a few more." Li Xiaomeng replied. "Doesn't matter if it's one or ten—the mountain grass is enough for all of them."
Ethan Yin blinked, "The Zhang family in town is buying mutton?"
"Yep," Li Xiaomeng said. "They used to buy a lot of beef too, but draft cattle are every family's treasure—no one wants to butcher them for meat. Sheep are different; they can't plow or haul, so lots of families are raising more now."
Ethan Yin's eyes shifted. "Maybe they're going to use mutton for this year's ritual ceremony?"
"Could be," Li Xiaomeng answered innocently. "I heard people in the Zhang family are fighting over the Divine Blessing—apparently it's gotten physical."
Ethan Yin's eyes lit up, "Fighting? Who's fighting who?"
"I don't really know," Li Xiaomeng said, just as someone called her from afar. She placed the wild greens in Ethan Yin's hands, reluctant to leave. "My mom's calling me. I have to go. Don't forget to eat!"
"Here's a thank-you gift." Ethan Yin quickly pulled out some fruit candies from his pocket and handed them to Li Xiaomeng, winking. "Consider it payment for your hard work."
At noon, back home, Ethan Yin said to Cherry Miller and Yina Yin, "The Zhang family is fighting over who gets to go out. Clearly, someone has their eye on that billion yuan. Should we stir things up a little behind the scenes?"