四库影院永久地址www9

“Haha, no worries, no worries! When 1 was his age, I was even more timid than he is!”

Steward Yan Qi said with a laugh, waving his hand.

“Sit, don’t stand there!”

Although this was taking place in Wang Furen’s mansion, it was apparent that Steward Yan Qi naturally assumed the role of the host.

Wang Furen showed not the slightest displeasure on his face; on the contrary, he actively implemented Steward Yan Qi’s wishes.

“All Niu, quickly thank Steward Yan Qi for granting you a seat!”

“Thank you, Steward Yan Qi!”

Qin Niu bowed his hands in thanks.

“No need for excessive courtesy, sit down and let’s talk!”

Steward Yan Qi gestured again for Qin Niu to sit, his tone exceedingly gentle, his face always wearing a faint smile.

Many people don’t know that ancient domestic slaves could be arrogant, but you can see a bit of that from Steward Yan Qi.

He was still one of the more cultured among the haughty slaves.

Moreover, the Yan Family could only be considered powerful locally and were far from comparable to the true grand households. Despite the Yan Family’s size, numerous members, and the vast resources they controlled,

they did not even qualify to carry the shoes of a real grand household.

It was not meant to demean.

A random middle-rank member from the Black Tiger Gang could treat the Yan Family like dogs, trampling them underfoot.

Not to mention the high-ranking figures such as the Gang Leader and deputy of the Black Tiger Gang.

Such terrifying entities could determine the life and death of the Yan Family with a mere word.

“Yao Xue, serve tea to Ah Niu!

Wang Furen called out to someone inside the house.

Soon, a young girl dressed in light pink maid attire came over with a tray.

On it was a blue and white covered cup.

Also known as the Three-Talents covered cup, it consists of a saucer, a cup, and a lid, symbolizing heaven, earth, and humanity.

The girl looked to be about twenty-four or twenty-five years old, well-proportioned, delicate, and very pleasing to the eye. Her complexion was much fairer than that of a typical peasant woman’s.

Don’t think that, because Wang Furen’s wife had passed away, he lived the hard life of a bachelor.

With money, he could afford to buy a couple of maids to serve him, pouring tea and carrying water during the day, kneading his shoulders and fanning him, and warming his bed at night. He lived a life of bliss.

“Please enjoy the tea!”

The girl placed the tea on the side table next to Qin Niu, curtseyed, then left with the tray.

The strong scent of powder invaded Qin Niu’s nostrils.

It emanated from the girl who had just been there.

Needless to say, those perfumes and face powders were definitely provided by Wang Furen.

If hired as a servant, she’d need a salary, and her body would be off-limits; touching her could lead to heavy punishment if reported to the authorities.

But a bought servant belonged to private property, and their owner had complete disposal rights.

Even their life belonged to the owner, let alone their body.

Someone as thrifty and shrewd as Wang Furen would surely not want to spend money hiring someone else’s daughter as a maid, preferring to buy one outright. He could afford to buy more than a dozen acres of good farmland, so the money for a maid was nothing to him.

“Qin Niu, I’ve heard that the fertilizer you mix from the mountain soil is quite good!”

Steward Yan Qi brought up the topic, going straight to the point.

But he communicated with Qin Niu in the manner and tone of casual conversation at home.

Those who came on strong with coercion or outright theft, like Wang Haikun and the like, were more often than not thoughtless brutes. They might be overbearing, but their lives were usually short-lived.

Running afoul of a tough nut would mean the end of them.

Take Wang Haikun’s target, Qin Niu, for example. He might appear to be a youth easily bullied by others, but in reality, he was already a soon-to-be Insect Master, and his cultivation was quickly approaching the twofold strength of an ordinary person.

If not for considerations regarding Wang Haikun’s elder brother, that guy would have been long gone eight hundred times over.

Even so, once Qin Niu grew in strength, he was bound to extinguish this vermin.

Therefore, the best way to ensure enduring prosperity was to follow the example of the Yan Family, who did everything by the book, winning people over with virtue.

Robbery, theft, and intimidation were ultimately lowly tactics.

They very easily sparked resistance from those oppressed.

“It’s just alright, usable! Uncle Wang knows my family’s situation. We are so poor that we can’t even have our fill of food, and 1 simply don’t have the money to buy domestic fertilizer.”

Qin Niu sat properly, appearing like a country lad in awe of an important person.

In front of Wang Furen, he claimed that the effectiveness of the fertilizer was guaranteed.

But in front of Steward Yan Qi, he said it would suffice.

This was because he feared that the Yan Family would exploit him like Wang

Haikun did, without spending any silver money to buy his fertilizer.

They might even force him to divulge the secret formula for the fertilizer.

He could disregard Wang Haikun, but when faced with the behemoth like the Yan Family, he currently had no strength to contend with them.

Even with the identity of an Insect Master, he still couldn’t compete with the Yan Family.

Unless he advanced to a Middle-rank Insect Master or above.

In fact, even if he became a Middle-rank Insect Master, it would only mean that he had the qualifications not to fear the Yan Family. What determined an Insect Master’s status and power were the strength and weakness of the insects they cultivated.

If the termites or bees he cultivated could even kill the lord of Black Tiger City, then even as a beginner Insect Master, he could still effortlessly play the Yan Family to death.

Therefore, strength was the ultimate determiner of status.

“I’ve been to your fields, and to grow corn so well in poor soil, you must have real skills. By the way, I have to remind you that pest infestation is forming in your corn fields, you need to find a solution as soon as possible.”

With just one sentence from Steward Yan Qi, Qin Niu’s farming skills could no longer be concealed.

From these words, it was evident that Steward Yan Qi also had considerable expertise in cultivation.

Otherwise, he could not have detected the pest infestation in Qin Niu’s fields.

Normally, common farmers often failed to detect the onset of a pest infestation. They would only notice it once an outbreak had commenced.

By then, it was usually too late.

Because the crops would have already been severely damaged by the pests.

Like curing a disease, the best doctors treat the illness before it arises, the mediocre doctors treat the impending illness, and the poor doctors treat the established illness.

A truly skilled farmer could detect the beginnings of a pest infestation and deal with it promptly, nipping it in the bud before an outbreak.

“Thank you for your kind reminder, 1’11 go and catch the pests in the fields later.”

Seeing that the other party was a cultivation expert and had seen through his true ability, Qin Niu no longer tried to argue.

Otherwise, it would only lead to contempt.

“Corn pest infestations are quite difficult to deal with, especially this year with the humidity and frequent rain, locusts, Core-Boring Worms, and various noctuid moths have become a disaster. If you have trouble, you can always come to the Yan Family to find me.”

With such a high status, Steward Yan Qi had been all smiles since Qin Niu arrived, constantly showing goodwill.

Quite the grand scheme!

“Alright, thank you!”

Qin Niu certainly wouldn’t go to him for help; otherwise, he might owe a debt of gratitude, making it difficult to refuse any requests later on.

The most expensive thing in the world is a debt of gratitude.

Fortunately, he had already mastered pest control skills the day before, and his proficiency had reached the stage of ‘making some progress,’ equivalent to a Middle-rank farmer’s pest control ability.

Plus, with the termites at his disposal, he had the capability to completely eliminate the pests from the corn fields.

“Have you ever thought about selling the formula for your fertilizer in exchange for a good sum of silver money? You appear to be sixteen or seventeen, right? With money, you could repair your house and marry a pretty wife.”

Steward Yan Qi was indeed clever.

He always discussed matters with Qin Niu from a friend’s perspective, avoiding any feelings of repulsion.

Instead, Qin Niu felt as if the steward had his best interests at heart.

This negotiating tactic, if applied to an ordinary rural youth, would have made them overflow with gratitude towards Steward Yan Qi, ready to repay his kindness with interest.

Unfortunately for him, Qin Niu was an exception.

He possessed wisdom far beyond his peers, and his determination had been forged stronger and stronger.

Qin Niu remained unmoved by the lucrative offer posed by Steward Yan Qi.

“I would like to sell it, but I’m afraid there isn’t any formula. I just collect suitable manure from the mountainside into a basket and then use it as fertilizer for the corn.”

Qin Niu lied without so much as blinking an eye.

As for a formula, there indeed wasn’t one.

As long as one understood the nutrient combinations, one could freely select various types of humus to make fertilizer.

“Haha, 1 see! So, buying the formula is out of the question! The master of my house was actually ready to trade three mu of good land for your fertilizer formula. It seems we can only disappoint him.”

When Yan Qi mentioned trading three mu of good land for the formula, he watched Qin Niu’s eyes closely.

He tried to gauge from Qin Niu’s subtle expressions whether the lack of a formula was the truth.

But what he found was that this young man was not simple; he was like still water in a well, without a ripple, not to mention any giveaway signs.

“If I can’t buy your formula, then 1’11 buy a basket of your fertilizer to test its effects first! Here is fifty wen money, for your trouble in collecting a basket of mountain manure these past few days and delivering it to the Yan Family’s tea garden.”

Steward Yan Qi promptly took out fifty wen money and stood up to hand it to Qin Niu.

Qin Niu hurriedly stood up and received it with both hands in a fluster.