Chapter 62: The Villagers Are Somewhat Indignant

Drawing on their previous experience, the people began cutting the stones from the very edges inward, little by little. Every single cut was made with extreme caution, out of fear of damaging the precious jade hidden within. After all, since the previous batch had yielded top-quality jade, everyone held high expectations this time.

Instead of leaving, Luo Yunhe entered the small room and placed a portion of the money on the table.

The man in green gazed at the money on the table, then looked at the young girl standing before him, falling silent for a moment. He would never have imagined that the casual stones brought in by this young girl could actually yield top-quality jade. More importantly, every single stone she had brought had been successfully sold, which left him utterly astonished.

"Shopkeeper, this is the money we agreed upon. Here you go!" Luo Yunhe said with a smile.

The man in green nodded, then asked, "Young lady, how on earth did you determine that there was jade inside those stones?" Knowing whether a stone contained good jade required a long accumulation of time and experience to judge. Yet the young girl before him did not seem like someone particularly interested in this field, making him deeply curious about how she had managed it.

Luo Yunhe knew he would ask, and after a moment of thought, she gave a jaw-dropping answer: "Me? I relied on my intuition! My intuition happens to be pretty good, though!"

The man in green: "..."

Just as the two of them were talking, the commotion outside grew loud once again.

"It's out..."

"Quick, take a look! Is there any?"

"Oh... It's out! It's red..."

Upon hearing the sound from outside, the man in green in the room could no longer sit still. He quickly stood up and walked outside, where he indeed saw that red jade had appeared inside the newly cut stone.

A fist-sized piece of red jade came into everyone's view. Their eyes widened in disbelief, never expecting the color to be red. Most importantly, the shade of red was exceptionally pure, and the quality of the jade was evident at a glance.

"Hahaha, I've struck it rich!"

Surrounding onlookers were thrilled at the sight, once again scrambling eagerly to start cutting their own stones.

Because of the massive crowd, Treasure Pavilion simply hired three or four additional stone-cutters.

Luo Yunhe watched the joyful expressions of the people without showing much emotion, patiently waiting instead. One, two... seven, eight... after all the stones were cut, every single one contained treasure. Though the colors varied, the quality was uniformly excellent.

In the end, Luo Yunhe left with a feeling of deep satisfaction. She now had a substantial amount of silver in her hands. All she wanted now was to return and properly plan out that plot of land so she could build her house.

Returning to Moonlit Village, Luo Yunhe headed straight for the thatched cottage. It truly was a thatched cottage; even with the door closed, anyone passing far in the distance could see the belongings stored inside. Fortunately, no one coveted them.

Luo Yunhe inspected the surroundings again and again. Drawing a piece of paper and a charred wooden stick from her tunic, she began to sketch. She regarded this land as her future home, thoughtfully planning the use of every single inch.

She carefully considered the location of the winery, deciding to build it in a spacious and well-ventilated area to ensure the fine wine brewed there would be of top quality. Next, she mapped out her living quarters, hoping for a comfortable and pleasant living environment.

Brewing was a craft that required strict control, a fact whose importance she knew all too well. Although she had once lost her life due to drinking the wine she brewed, she firmly believed the problem lay somewhere in the brewing process—perhaps improper operations had left the wine insufficiently pure, or poor sanitary conditions had caused bacterial infection. Therefore, in this ancient society with its limited resources and technological conditions, she had to be meticulous and strive for perfection to ensure everything was flawless.

The brewing workshop needed to be sufficiently large, and maintaining cleanliness and hygiene was crucial. To this end, she not only needed to raise enough funds to build and operate the workshop, but she also had to custom-order several key pieces of equipment. These special tools were indispensable for guaranteeing the quality and efficiency of the brewing.

Having finished the design for the brewery, Luo Yunhe turned her attention to the layout of the living quarters. She carefully studied the terrain and chose a location far from the road yet with an open view for building the house. This would allow her to avoid noise interference and enjoy a tranquil life.

Next, she began drafting the structural blueprint of the house, meticulously designing the size and layout of each room to meet the needs of daily life.

By the time she finished her busy work, evening had arrived. As she was briefly tidying up and preparing to leave, she saw a large crowd of villagers surging toward her in a mighty procession.

At first, Luo Yunhe paid it no mind, but seeing the indignant expressions on the villagers' faces, she suddenly remembered a very important matter she had forgotten.

"There she is!"

"Too infuriating! Didn't she say we'd settle accounts daily? This is already the second day, why hasn't she paid yet? Is she trying to swindle us?"

Most of those speaking were women, while the men simply followed along behind.

Luo Yunhe felt a bit embarrassed. Fortunately, she now remembered, so she immediately put down her things and walked swiftly over to the villagers.

"Everyone, I am truly sorry. As you know, my family's relative injured his leg, and I've been running off my feet with no time to come back. I had no intention of breaking my promise! Since everyone is here, let's tally up the timber everyone cut over the past two days, and I will distribute the money to you right away!"

The crowd had been furious, but upon hearing this, their anger subsided slightly, though their expressions remained quite displeased.

"Fine, we've delivered all the wood you wanted to your plot of land. Let's go over there and tally it up right now!"

The group marched in a mighty procession to the grape field.

When Luo Yunhe saw the massive pile of timber stacked in the field, she was stunned, never expecting them to have cut so much wood in just two days. Looking across the pile, there were easily three to four thousand logs. Although some pieces were not entirely up to standard, their lengths were sufficient.

Luo Yunhe took a look and nodded with satisfaction. "Thank you all. Since we're settling accounts, I'll need everyone to state how much timber you cut yourselves, and someone can help me count!"

"I'll do it!" One of the men stepped forward.

"That works too!"

"We have a ledger right here, just read from it!"