At night, Zhao Hai asked Ju Buda to eat with them. Zhao Hai wanted to use this method to let Ju Buda be a role model for those slaves. He wanted those slaves to have new vitality and think of ways to change their current state of life. Only then could those slaves be more creative.
Ju Bida was very nervous. Although she was a commoner now, she knew that commoners were not qualified to eat with nobles, but Zhao Hai had called her to the main castle's dining room, making her even more nervous.
However, when Merlyn brought the dinner over, Ju Buda was stunned. She was only a commoner in the past and had not seen what the food of the nobles was like, but she had heard that the nobles would have a full course served to them. They were particular about the order of the courses. The cutlery they used was made of gold and silver, so when Zhao Hai called her over to eat, she thought that she would experience such a scene.
But when she saw the dinner Merlyn brought, she really could not believe that this was their dinner. There was ordinary bread, soup, vegetables, and meat, and only Zhao Hai had meat. Such a dinner was not much better than what the slaves outside ate.
Zhao Hai also noticed Ju's expression. Ever since Ju entered the dining room, she had been standing there nervously, not even daring to sit. Now that he saw Ju's expression, Zhao Hai couldn't help but smile and say, "Ju, come and sit. I've already given you the surname. According to the rules, you're also a member of the Buda family. Don't be so nervous. Sit."
As he spoke, Zhao Hai gave Meg a look. Meg immediately understood what Zhao Hai meant. She walked to Ju's side and smiled at Ju. "Sister Ju, sit down. The young master is very easy-going. We eat at the same table as the young master every day. The rules of the other nobles don't work with the young master. You don't have to worry."
Ju knew Meg's identity and knew that Meg and the others were retainers of the Buda family. Such people would have a high status in other places, at least much higher than commoners like them.
However, after the past few days of contact, Ju knew that Meg was a good person. Although she had been watching the slaves work, she had not beaten or scolded them. She had only told everyone what to do. Moreover, Meg was a girl, so Ju's nervousness slowly eased.
After a while, Merlyn served dinner to everyone. She looked at the nervous Ju and smiled kindly. "Don't be nervous. You are now a member of the Buda family. Don't worry, the young master is a very good person. By the way, you said that you were a commoner? How did you become a slave?"
Perhaps it was Merlyn's benevolent appearance that made Ju let go of the last trace of nervousness. She finally whispered how she had become a slave.
Zhao Hai and the others did not speak and listened quietly. Only after Ju finished speaking did Zhao Hai sigh and say, "With such nobles in existence, it's truly a miracle that the world is not in chaos. Alright, Grandma Merlyn, let's eat. Ju, you will be a retainer of the Buda family from now on. You will be paid monthly for your work. Tomorrow, you will follow Meg and learn from her."
Although Zhao Hai was excited about Ju's skills, he knew that Ju's skills were not very helpful to them now. Instead of saying that Zhao Hai had taken a fancy to Ju's skills, it was better to say that he had taken a fancy to her courage. No matter what the reason was, the courage she had to stand forward was worthy of Zhao Hai's praise. Moreover, with a role model like Ju, he believed that those slaves would definitely work harder.
While eating, Ju kept stealing glances at Zhao Hai and the others, but she realized that they did not seem to have any abnormal behavior. They ate very naturally and did not look like they were having difficulty eating such a simple meal.
After the meal, Zhao Hai and the others went to the living room. Zhao Hai sat down and said to Ju, "Ju, I'll get Wood and Rock to send you a bed and some bedding. Take good care of your brother. Follow Meg tomorrow morning. Do whatever Meg wants you to do. If there is no work, make grass curtains and send them to the people in the outer fort. The weather is still a little cold, let them hang the grass curtains on the window to block the cold."
Ju immediately said, "Yes, Master."
Zhao Hai smiled and said, "Ju, you're already a retainer of the Buda family. You're no longer a slave. You don't have to call me master. Just call me Young Master like Meg and the others. Wood, Rock, go and send bedding to Ju and An's room. Ju, go back and take care of your brother."
The three of them nodded and turned to leave. Meg and Merlyn stood beside Zhao Hai. Zhao Hai sighed and said, "I hope this matter regarding Ju can stimulate those slaves. Our Buda family is really poor now. If we can give those slaves more hope, we might be able to find some talents."
Merlyn nodded. She also knew about the difficulties of the Buda family. Although they had bought a lot of supplies when they came to the Black Soil Wilderness, those supplies were mostly food and clothes. They had not bought anything that took up too much space. Otherwise, they would have given beds to those slaves.
Although they were no longer under the pressure of food, they were now constantly worried about the Carrion Swamp. The pressure was even greater than before.
In fact, Merlyn was confident in her and Meg's skills. She believed that they could deal with the common magical beasts. Don't forget that she was a level eight mage, and Meg was a level six mage. Wood and Rock were level six warriors. Their total power was quite high.
The reason why Merlyn did not dare to say anything to reassure Zhao Hai was because she was not confident in the current situation. What kind of place was the Carrion Swamp? It was one of the five forbidden areas on the continent. Even a level-nine great mage would not be able to escape unscathed, let alone a level-eight mage like her.
Although they did not have to enter the Carrion Swamp, if the magical beasts that attacked them were too strong, she could not guarantee that she could defeat them, so she did not dare to say anything to Zhao Hai.
At this moment, Zhao Hai suddenly stood up and turned to Merlyn. "Grandma Merlyn, I'm going to the Space Farm. The magic radishes are ripe. I have to collect them. Do you want to come?"
Merlyn shook her head. "Young Master, I won't go. I have to clean the kitchen. Let Meg accompany you."
Zhao Hai nodded and turned to Meg. "Meg, come with me to a place. That place is our Buda family's greatest secret. Other than you, me, Grandma Merlyn, and Wood and Rock, no one else knows. Even Grandpa Grimm doesn't know about it now, so you can't mention it to anyone."
Seeing that Zhao Hai was so serious, Meg did not know how to react. She could not help but turn to look at Merlyn. Merlyn nodded and said, "Meg, listen to the young master."
Meg immediately nodded. "Yes, Young Master. Don't worry, I won't say anything."
Zhao Hai nodded. With a thought, the two of them entered the Space Farm. Meg's reaction when she entered the space was similar to Merlyn's. The radishes in the Space Farm had already ripened, while small seedlings had grown out of the corn.
Zhao Hai explained the use of the Space Farm to Meg before collecting the radishes. Just like last time, he kept the radishes and the leaves separately.
Meg looked at the magical Space Farm and understood why her mother and Zhao Hai had said that this was the Buda family's greatest secret. This was not only the Buda family's greatest secret, but also their hope of revival. No wonder the two of them took it so seriously.
After Zhao Hai put away the radishes, he bought a bag of radish seeds from the shop. He had nearly 3,000 kilograms of corn and three harvests of radishes in his space, but he only had 50 gold coins left. Although he had a few bags of other seeds, it was not the time to plant those things, so he could only leave those seeds there.
After doing this, Zhao Hai turned to Meg and said, "Meg, this is the magical space I obtained. This is also the hope of our Buda family. You can't tell anyone."
Meg said seriously, "Don't worry, Young Master. I know the severity of this matter. I won't tell anyone."
Zhao Hai nodded and said to Meg, "Let's go out. There's no need to worry about this place. It's getting late. Go and rest early."
With that, the two of them appeared in the living room again. At this moment, Wood and Rock had already returned. The two of them were not surprised by the sudden appearance of Zhao Hai and Meg. The two of them had already gone to the Space Farm and knew what was going on there.
Seeing that they were all here, Zhao Hai nodded and said, "Alright, everyone, go and rest. We still have things to do tomorrow. Meg, let Ju learn from you tomorrow." Only then did Zhao Hai slowly walk to his room.
Zhao Hai had to think carefully about what to do next. He only had 50 gold coins left. Should he sell the radishes or corn for gold coins? He could also only plant corn on the ten acres of land where the radishes were planted.
He lay on the bed and thought about the Space Farm. He only had 50 gold coins left. He had to sell the things for money. Zhao Hai was more inclined to sell radishes. Before Grimm returned, radishes were not very useful. Moreover, he had already put away the radish leaves. Even if he sold the radishes, he did not have to worry about not having anything to feed the blue-eyed rabbits in the future.
There was still a lot of corn, and it was more useful than radishes. Not only could it be used as food, but it could also be used as forage and fuel. Zhao Hai did not plan to sell the corn.
At the thought of this, Zhao Hai entered the Space Farm again. When he was in the Space Farm, he really did not like others watching from the side, but in order to reassure Merlyn and the others, he had to bring them into the space to take a look. The Buda family still had to rely on them.
Zhao Hai let Merlyn and Meg know about the situation in the Space Farm to increase their confidence. There was one crisis after another in the Black Soil Wilderness. If Merlyn and the others lost confidence, everything would be over.
After entering the Space Farm, Zhao Hai immediately sold the radishes. He sold the three batches of radishes and got a total of 1,500 gold coins. In addition to the original 50 gold coins, he had 1,550 gold coins. If he used these gold coins to plant radishes, he could plant radishes ten times.
It was not that Zhao Hai did not want to get seeds from the radishes, but radishes were different from corn. When they matured, the edible part was mainly the roots. He did not know if the Space Farm would allow the radishes to bear seeds. Moreover, even if the radishes bore seeds, the amount would be few. They were far less productive than corn, so Zhao Hai canceled the plan.
In any case, he could earn a lot of money by selling the radishes. If he sold them outside, he could earn even more. As long as he waited for Grimm to return, he could sell the radishes. At that time, he could buy some books about plants in the continent. This way, he could decide what to plant. He knew too little about plants in the continent, so he did not even have a correct direction to develop towards.
Anyway, he could harvest another batch of radishes tomorrow. He had also told Grimm that he only had 40,000 kilograms of radishes on hand, and a harvest of radishes was enough for now.
However, although he had more than 1,500 gold coins, this money was not enough. The radishes could be harvested three times a day. In other words, the gold coins he had were only enough for three days. After three days, he would have to sell the radishes again.
Zhao Hai was very helpless. His level was too low. Even if he wanted to buy some high-grade seeds, he could not. Therefore, he could only wait. He did not know when the Space Farm would level up.
After coming out of the Space Farm, Zhao Hai lay on the bed and fell asleep. He also realized that he seemed to be able to sleep very well. He had clearly slept in the afternoon, but he could still sleep at night. It was unbelievable.
The next morning, Zhao Hai was woken up by the Space Farm's notification regarding the radishes maturing. He went to the Space Farm and saw that not only the radish, but even the corn was about to ripen.
Zhao Hai immediately put away the radishes and bought another bag of radish seeds to plant. He looked at the corn and saw that it would ripen in a few minutes. Zhao Hai did not want to go out either. He washed his face with the water in the Space Farm and rinsed his mouth before waiting.
Looking at the corn, Zhao Hai was really hungry. He had lived in the north before. Although no one treated corn as a staple food at that time, it was very good to eat it occasionally. However, the corn at that time was high-yielding and was not as delicious as the waxy corn. In addition, most of it was planted with fertilizers, and the taste was far inferior to using manure. Therefore, Zhao Hai did not eat it often.
However, on the rare occasions Zhao Hai went to visit his relatives in the countryside, he had eaten good corn. They used large iron skillets to make corn pancakes. They were delicious.
The corn pancake was completely different from the corn pancakes bought in the city. Although they were very thick, they were very fragrant. The bottom half of the pancake was covered in vegetable soup. When one took a bite, not only did it have the fragrance of cornmeal, but also the fragrance of the crust. The places where the vegetable soup was stuck were even more fragrant.
At the thought of this, Zhao Hai couldn't help but salivate. He quickly swallowed his saliva and smiled bitterly.
Although he had eaten corn porridge and corn pancake, he did not know how to process this thing. He only knew that the making of the corn porridge was relatively simple. He just had to remove the hull of the corn. The cornmeal was even more troublesome. He had to remove the hull of the corn, then grind them into cornmeal.
If it were on Earth, it would be very easy to process corn. They just had to find a food processing plant and start the machine.
But it could not be done here. There was no grinder here.
Zhao Hai sighed. At this moment, the Space Farm notification sounded again. The corn was ripe. Zhao Hai immediately collected the corn and planted them across the two acres again. Then, he looked at the corn field in a daze. The yield of this corn was high, but this processing was a problem. He really did not know how people ate corn in the past.
Suddenly, Zhao Hai realized a problem. Corn must have appeared long before machines like the grinder. In the years when there were no machines, did people directly cook corn kernels to eat? The people at that time were not so stupid, right? Then how did they process corn?
Zhao Hai walked around the Space Farm a few times and touched his forehead habitually, thinking about how people had processed cornmeal in the past.
Suddenly, Zhao Hai slapped his forehead. He finally remembered two things. He had only seen people use these two things on television, but he had never used them before. Moreover, he had never seen the people in the countryside use them, so he did not think of it.
Roller and bedstone!
Yes, these two things. When Zhao Hai went to his relative's house in the countryside, he saw a millstone. However, it was a millstone that had been dismantled. No one used it anymore in the countryside. However, because of his curiosity, he had asked what it was used for. Only after asking did he know that this bedstone and roller were used to grind grains.
Most importantly, the main materials for these two things were stone and wood. Although there were not many stones in the mountain that could be mined, there should be enough to make them. There were not many stones to use, and there was no need for good materials. The small trees growing on the mountain were enough.
At the thought of this, Zhao Hai could not stay any longer. He immediately came out of the Space Farm and looked at the sky. Meg and the others should be awake. Zhao Hai immediately pushed the door open and walked out.
As soon as Zhao Hai came out, he saw Meg and Ju walking into his room with a copper basin. Seeing Zhao Hai come out, Meg was stunned and quickly said, "Young Master, why are you out? You haven't washed up yet."
Zhao Hai smiled and said, "It's okay. I got up long ago and washed myself. Ju, is your brother okay now? Is he up?"
Ju was standing behind Meg with her head lowered. Hearing Zhao Hai's words, she quickly said, "Thank you for your concern, Young Master. He is fine now. He is waiting outside."
Zhao Hai smiled and said, "Why are you being so polite? Let's go to the living room first. Call An over. I have something to ask him."
Meg and Ju were stunned, but they did not say anything. The two of them immediately agreed and followed Zhao Hai into the living room.
In the living room, Meg put down the copper basin and stood behind Zhao Hai, while Ju went out to call An.
The inner fort was divided into the main castle and the servants' rooms. The main castle was where Zhao Hai and the others lived, while the servants' rooms were some small houses behind the main castle. Now, Ju and An lived in the servants' rooms. Although they were already commoners and had been given the surname by Zhao Hai, their status was far inferior to Meg and the others. Meg and the others were trusted subordinates, while Ju and An could only be considered ordinary retainers.
After a while, Ju led An in. An looked really good and was very tall. He was a little thin, but he looked very sturdy.
He no longer looked like he was on the verge of death, but he still lowered his head and did not dare to speak.
Ju walked to Zhao Hai and lowered her head. "Young Master, An is here."
Zhao Hai nodded and looked at An, who was standing not far away. He smiled and said, "Call him over. There's no need to be so formal."
Ju immediately called An over. As soon as An arrived in front of Zhao Hai, he knelt down and kowtowed. "An greets Young Master. Thank you for saving my life."
It seemed like Ju had already told him before coming, which was why he called Zhao Hai Young Master and not master. Zhao Hai nodded and said, "You don't have to be so polite. You're already a member of the Buda family. It's only right to save you. Stand up."
An bowed again and said, "Thank you, Young Master." With that, he stood up, but he still bowed and lowered his head, not daring to look at Zhao Hai.
Zhao Hai frowned when he saw An's expression. He did not like people doing this. This was the resemblance of a slave. Zhao Hai shouted, "An, raise your head. You have to remember that you are a member of the Buda family now and a commoner. If you go out in the future, you will represent the face of our Buda family. Don't always bow and look like a servant. That will make people look down on our Buda family."
Seeing that Zhao Hai seemed to be angry, Ju and An knelt down and kowtowed to Zhao Hai. "Young Master, please punish us."
Zhao Hai was impatient and could only say, "Alright, stand up. Don't kneel for no reason." Seeing the two of them stand up and straighten their backs, Zhao Hai continued, "An, let me ask you, have you learned masonry?"
An quickly said, "Yes, Young Master. My father was a mason. I've learned some skills. Although I'm not very proficient, I can still make ordinary things."
Zhao Hai nodded and said, "That's good. I'll draw two patterns later. See if you can make them. If you can, I'll immediately organize people to mine a few stones for you to make what I want as soon as possible."
An's heart tightened, but he still bowed and said, "Yes, Young Master."
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