The Hidden Immortal

Chapter 10 Reclaiming Wasteland

The next day.

Zhang Sanchun was called back and was shocked to learn that Chu Xun wanted to reclaim thirty acres of wasteland.

"This, this is too much! How can we possibly finish it all?"

"We have to finish it even if it kills us! The villagers are all waiting to see Xun Ge make a fool of himself!" Zhang Anxiu shouted.

Zhang Sanchun looked troubled. Although he was dull-witted, he still knew a thing or two about how much farm work a person could do.

Chu Xun said, "We have oxen at home. You can work during the day, and I'll come at night. We should be able to make it in time."

Even with the help of oxen, aside from wind and rain, there is still time for sowing, fertilizing, weeding, and harvesting on another seventeen acres of farmland.

All that's left is a little over a hundred days.

All told, it would take at most five days to cultivate one acre of wasteland.

The wasteland in Songguo Village is mostly rocky, with large and small patches mixed together.

Understanding it is not that simple.

Otherwise, people would have started clearing the land long ago; there would have been no need to wait for the land reclamation order to be issued.

But since Chu Xun was so confident, Zhang Sanchun had nothing to say.

While Chu Xun was preparing farm tools, such as iron crowbars, hammers, hemp ropes, bamboo baskets and other items.

Zhang Sanchun pulled Zhang Anxiu aside and asked in a low voice, "Have you discussed the marriage with A-Xun yet?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Anxiu immediately became coy: "No, Brother Xun is very busy, he doesn't have time."

"How could it not take the time to ask a question? Otherwise, I'll go ask for you."

Zhang Anxiu quickly grabbed him: "What's the rush? You're not even married yet!"

"I..." Zhang Sanchun wanted to say, "You're a girl, how can you be like me?"

But for some reason, upon hearing his sister's words, he couldn't help but think of the eldest daughter of the Lin family.

The thought that she would one day get married made Zhang Sanchun's head droop.

When Chu Xun returned, he saw the brother and sister, one with their heads hanging low and the other clutching the hem of their clothes, and couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong with you two?"

Zhang Anxiu looked up at him, too embarrassed to reply.

Zhang Sanchun didn't want to ask directly, so after stammering for a while, he finally blurted out, "A-Xun, do you know how to pluck the stars from the sky?"

"The stars in the sky?" Chu Xun asked with a smile, "Who are you giving this to?"

"No! I wasn't going to give it to anyone!" Zhang Sanchun denied instinctively, but seeing the strange expressions on Zhang Anxiu and Chu Xun's faces, he immediately lowered his head: "The young lady asked, but I'm not very bright, and even with a bamboo ladder, I couldn't reach it. You're the smartest in the village, do you know how to pick it?"

Chu Xun laughed and said, "Brother, have you ever seen a shooting star?"

"Yes, I've met you." Zhang Sanchun nodded.

Chu Xun said, "A shooting star is a star that falls from the sky to earth. If you are lucky enough, you might be able to find one by chance."

Zhang Sanchun's eyes lit up when he heard this. So it was possible to do it without climbing to the sky!

He exclaimed, "Ah Xun, you're really smart!"

Chu Xun was both amused and exasperated; what kind of cleverness was this?

He then divided the farm tools among himself and his sister, who worked during the day and he worked at night.

If this is repeated, the time is effectively doubled.

That's what they say, but in complete darkness, how much can you actually do?

Zhang Sanchun and Zhang Anxiu wanted to find a few more people to help, but every household in the village had already announced their land reclamation tasks.

Even orphans and widows went there carrying iron shovels and bamboo baskets.

Three-year-old children, with their bottoms exposed, were helping to pick up stones in the field. How could they possibly have the nerve to call anyone else?

The brother and sister led the water buffalo, filled bamboo baskets with all the stones they could dig out of the wasteland, and carried them out one basket at a time, marking the boundary lines around the measured field ridges.

When encountering a large piece, they would use an iron crowbar to pry it up, and then have a water buffalo pull it out with a rope attached.

Reclaiming wasteland is the most troublesome kind of work.

Some stones are deeply rooted, and it takes half a day to find just one.

It wasn't until nightfall that the brother and sister had walked ten meters and three meters wide.

At this rate, it would take twenty days just to clear one acre of land.

But when the land surveyor comes to inspect, he doesn't just look for stones in the ground.

According to the land reclamation order, the land must be tilled to a depth of at least seven inches and the seeds must be sown.

If the reclamation rate of a mu (unit of land area) is less than 80%, even if the reclamation quota is insufficient, a fine will be imposed.

When Chu Xun came out of the woodshed with the food, he saw the brother and sister squatting next to the water buffalo, sighing.

Thirty acres of wasteland is definitely not enough to finish.

On the contrary, the water buffalo leisurely chewed on the ruminant grass, occasionally flicking their tails to shoo away flies and insects.

"Brother Xun, why don't we go talk to the village chief and ask him to reduce the amount?" Zhang Anxiu stood up and suggested.

Chu Xun smiled and said, "It's alright, let's eat first, and then rest. I'll take care of the rest of the work."

Zhang Anxiu wanted to say something more, but seeing his insistence, she could only give up.

On the way home after dinner, Zhang Anxiu said worriedly, "Brother, why is Xun so stubborn? Thirty acres of wasteland, how can the three of us possibly finish it?"

"I don't know," Zhang Sanchun answered honestly, "but Ah Xun is so smart, since she agreed, she should have a way."

"It's all the village chief's fault! He bullied Xun-ge because he's honest!" Zhang Anxiu said angrily.

When night falls and all is quiet, every household closes its doors and windows.

Chu Xun did not start working immediately, but sat on the edge of the field, looking up at the stars.

ga-

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A large flock of crows fluttered over and landed beside him.

Several of them even jumped onto his shoulder, tilting their heads familiarly.

Chu Xun smiled and patted their small heads. Their feathers were smooth and incredibly resilient.

A moment later, a hissing sound came.

Two snakes, one green and one white, each nearly two meters long, also swam over.

They swam up to Chu Xun, curled up, and rested their heads on him, as if waiting for something.

Then, several gray and white rabbits hopped over.

Then came the weasel family...

The gathered poultry and livestock surrounded the area, so many of them, yet there wasn't much noise.

Chu Xun didn't stand up until a few toads croaked twice.

Interlace your fingers and form a mudra.

Soil control technique!

Patches of soil began to wriggle as if they were alive, pushing up all the pebbles and grass roots hidden beneath.

The birds and livestock hopped, flew, ran, or climbed, pawing at each other with their claws, curling up with their tails, and carrying each other in their mouths.

In their own way, they moved all the movable stones and debris to the edge of the field and arranged them.

Only when they encounter large rocks that they simply cannot move do Chu Xun need to do it himself.

Who would have thought that in the pitch-black night, in a desolate place that should have been silent, there would be such a diligent young man?

There was another group of animals that were even more diligent than him.

Once the debris and stones have been cleared away, the land has been tilled and is ready for planting.

This efficiency is much faster than Zhang Sanchun and his sister leading the ox.

The clanging and banging continued until late at night. Looking at the flat field that was fifty meters long and three meters wide in front of him, Chu Xun smiled with satisfaction.

The livestock, which had been busy all night, did not leave but remained around him.

Chu Xun seemed to understand what they were waiting for, and smiled as he began to form a magic seal.

Great Cloud and Rain Technique!

The fine rain was contained within a certain range, ensuring that all poultry and livestock received the rain without exception.

This is the reward they deserve.

When the rain subsided, the birds and animals, as before, either bowed or cried out a few times before dispersing.

In the blink of an eye, they disappeared without a trace.

Only a dozen or so crows landed on nearby tree branches.

After the cries of Chongchuxun a few times, one of their eyes slowly closed.

This is a unique sleeping posture of crows, so that they can sense danger at any time.

Chu Xun didn't disturb the crows' rest; after a long night, he should go back to sleep too.

As dawn broke, Zhang Sanchun and his sister had already arrived in the courtyard.

They could faintly hear the sound of someone sleeping soundly inside the house through the window. The brother and sister did not disturb them. Instead, they led the water buffalo, picked up their farm tools, and headed towards the fields.

Although they didn't ask Chu Xun how much he had done, both siblings had thought about it.

In the dead of night, it's considered good if you can manage to drive three or four meters.

Since that's the case, my brother and I will just have to work harder during the day.

Even if the land surveyor couldn't complete the reclamation of thirty mu of wasteland when he came, he could at least reclaim a few more mu, which would reduce the fine imposed on Chu Xun.

However, when the brother and sister arrived at the wasteland, the farmers and village women who had come early to clear the land all looked up at them.

His tone was full of surprise and envy: "It seems that having an ox really saves a lot of effort. No wonder Ah Xun dares to contract thirty acres of wasteland all by herself."

The brother and sister didn't understand. Having a water buffalo to help them did make things easier, but it wasn't as fast as they had imagined.

But when they reached the dividing line set up yesterday, the scene before them made the brother and sister's eyes widen in surprise.

Following the traces they had cleared the land the day before, a leveled field, still three meters wide but fifty meters long, appeared.

The soil appeared to have been thoroughly tilled, and its smoothness was even better than what they had achieved after a long day's work.

The brother and sister exchanged a glance, both seeing utter astonishment in each other's eyes.

This……

Could it be that Chu Xun did this all night?