The autumn wind swept through the valley, bringing with it a faint chill… and a strong whiff of success.
Yang Xu stood on a wooden platform hastily built beside the fields, arms crossed like a general overlooking a battlefield. Below, villagers bustled like ants—harvesting, sorting, and transporting golden grains that shimmered under the sun.
"Move faster! That cart's sagging like a lazy pig!" he yelled.
Old Li, puffing and panting while pushing a half-full cart, turned his head, "Xu-ge, you said not to overload it last time!"
"I said not to break the cart. This is called optimal usage," Yang Xu replied solemnly, adjusting his straw hat like a seasoned overseer.
The harvest had been beyond expectations. Fields that once produced barely enough to eat were now bursting thanks to Yang Xu's crop planning, irrigation channels, and that suspiciously magical fertilizer from the system. Barrels of grain were now being loaded onto newly crafted wooden carts, pulled by donkeys with expressions that clearly said, I didn't sign up for this.
The town square—now transformed into a proper farmer's market—had its first test today.
Makeshift stalls lined the wide path. Villagers brought not just grains but dried herbs, vegetables, yams, and preserved goods. No money was exchanged yet. It was all bartering—some gave three sacks of millet for half a cured boar, others traded soybeans for handwoven cloth. The place buzzed with laughter, haggling, and occasional shouts like "No, I won't take your rotten yams even if they're 'ancient and spiritual'!"
Watching it all, Yang Xu smiled. "This… this is what a living town looks like."
He turned to Zhao Yefu and Qian Su, the two new business talents who were working together like an oddly matched duo—one fussy and cautious, the other reckless and charming.
"Don't let them get too greedy," Yang Xu reminded.
Qian Su grinned, "Already set a maximum grain rate. Anyone inflating prices gets booted."
Zhao Yefu added with a nod, "Also planning rotating stall spaces weekly, so everyone gets traffic."
Yang Xu gave a thumbs up. "You two are already more useful than half the ministers I've read about."
Not long after, as carts trundled past and villagers settled into their new market routines, Yang Xu spotted someone standing by the kiln factory's new wall—a wiry man in his fifties, sleeves rolled up, eyes sharp, posture proud despite the sweat.
He was giving instructions to two younger workers about leveling the new brick supports with a kind of casual authority that didn't come from shouting but from knowing. His name? Shen Fugui. A veteran craftsman from the village who rarely spoke much… but everything he built lasted longer than Old Li's complaints.
Yang Xu paused, watching Shen correct a support beam angle with nothing but a level made from string and water.
That guy…
But he didn't approach him—not yet. Instead, he filed the image away in his mind.
He's the type you don't pull in with a speech. You give him a problem… and watch him solve it.
---
As the sun started dipping lower, carts full of excess grain had been piled neatly into storage. The village had enough to eat, barter, and even store.
But now came a bigger idea.
Yang Xu called over Qian Su.
"Get someone you trust," he said. "Send them to Chang'an. We need to find a shop, or rent a stall. It's time to plant our foot in the capital."
Qian Su raised an eyebrow. "Selling excess grain?"
"Selling opportunity," Yang Xu smirked. "Let them taste this year's grain… and they'll be back next year with money."
As dusk fell and the market slowly wrapped up, the village felt different—like it had taken its first step into something bigger.
Behind it all, Yang Xu yawned and stretched.
"System," he whispered, "Gimme that progress bar…"
A ding echoed in his mind.
[Hidden Achievement Unlocked – 'The First Market']
+1 Logistics Efficiency
+10 Reputation (Chang'an Region: Locked)
You've brought trade to the people. Now bring the people to trade.
Yang Xu chuckled. "One small step for me… one giant leap for Old Li's back."