After Being Abducted by the General

chapter 73

At the banquet, Yuan Li appeared to be cheerful and lively, but in reality, his mind was elsewhere.

It wasn't that the meal itself was tiring, but rather... it was him and Chu Hechao.

Throughout the entire banquet, they maintained a polite distance from each other, avoiding prolonged eye contact more than when they first met.

However, whenever their eyes briefly met in passing, it felt like a fiery collision, sending a surge of electricity through Yuan Li. It made him hastily avert his gaze, with a strange feeling lingering in his heart.

Itchy, as if there was an unseen force enveloping them. Others couldn't see it, but they understood it all too well.

Yuan Li felt that this state of affairs was somewhat dangerous.

Perhaps it would be best to see each other less...

He silently contemplated, deciding to minimize their interactions and social gatherings until they returned to a state of normalcy.

The heavy rain indeed arrived as Yuan Li had predicted, and it lasted for three days before stopping.

Even though the others had already known about Yuan Li's extraordinary abilities, witnessing the rain cease just as he had foretold left them in awe once again.

The timely arrival of the rain had filled the rivers and rejuvenated all living things. With the fields now nourished, Yuan Li was ready to start cultivating the uncultivated lands.

Only a small portion of the land would be allocated for growing potatoes and cotton, while the majority would continue to be used for growing grains. This was not only due to the scarcity of potato and cotton seeds but also because grains were the most essential crops.

Although potatoes had high yields, they were prone to late blight disease. Once the disease struck, the plants would weaken, leading to a significant reduction in yield. If they relied solely on potatoes as their staple food and such a situation occurred, it would be disastrous. Therefore, even when planting potatoes, they would still prioritize grain cultivation.

The workforce responsible for cultivating the uncultivated lands consisted of the captured prisoners. Yuan Li had intended to implement large-scale military-civilian farming to store food reserves for future conflicts. However, Chu Hechao's army of 130,000 soldiers needed to remain stationed in the northern frontier and couldn't be mobilized. If they wanted to initiate military-civilian farming, they would have to start conscripting soldiers.

As spring arrived, one task followed another. Apart from the busy schedule with the fields and waterwheels, there were also renovations to be done at the Chu Wang Residence, livestock to be castrated or taken out for grazing. After a period of busyness, Yuan Li realized that news of his ability to predict rain had spread throughout Youzhou.

The rumors were mystical, claiming that the Governor, out of concern for the lack of spring rain, had observed the celestial phenomena for several days before offering prayers in the ancestral hall, leading to heavy rain on the fourth day of the fourth month at the hour of You (5-7 p.m.).

According to the rumors, Yuan Li's ability to predict the timing of the rain was seen as a divine intervention, with the heavens responding to his benevolent heart. This not only spread awareness of Yuan Li's compassion for the people but also avoided drawing too much attention. After all, it wasn't the first time a governor or county magistrate had prayed for rain. Even experienced high-ranking officials from other prestigious families would simply think that Yuan Li had accurately predicted the rainfall, without arousing their suspicion.

Upon hearing this, Yuan Li knew it was a deliberately spread rumor. Before he could approach anyone, Liu Jixin and Zhou Gongdan came to find him, admitting that they were the ones behind the rumor.