CHAPTER 192 - TIME WAITS FOR SNOWONE

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I sank down in my chair in despair. “Fifty-five percent? But why?”

Fengying explained that the clans had increased the tax rate this year to raise funding for the demon extermination campaign. There were exceptions for commoners and poor people, of course. I was a wealthy noble, therefore, I was taxed at the highest rate.

Unfortunately, the moment I unrolled the scroll, the System’s stats tab updated itself with the new, higher tax. It’s not that I was hurting for money; it’s that the year-end evaluation was coming up and one of the factors it assessed was the farm’s finances. With a tax rate this high, the total profit from selling crops would be lower than I wanted. I could get a C grade, maybe even a D.

Other people might think I was doing very well, but the New Year’s Ghost was a different matter. His standards were extremely high.

Last year, I had tried to stay up all night to avoid the game event where the player fell asleep and was berated by the ghost for not living up to his expectations. I was forced to fall asleep by the System so that I could receive the yearly evaluation, but I couldn’t remember the dream I had.

Ghosts are too scary!

“There’s no helping it, I guess.” Shaking my head at my plight, I asked Fengying to ask Yinuo to bring me a slice of honey cake from the kitchen. That should cheer me up.

Maybe it would help if I was able to harvest a really good crop this winter.

***

On the first day of the winter planting season, I pulled down the hood of my fur-lined cloak over my head and then, on second thought, removed the entire cloak altogether. It wasn’t really needed. My thick robes and pants, along with my padded jacket, should be enough to keep me warm this winter morning while I work.

Looking around me as I descended from my front porch, I yawned as I took stock of the seasonal changes in the quiet landscape. Just a few days ago, the fields were teeming with lush plant life as we harvested the crops. Now the fields were brown and bare, and mist rose from the ground, blurring the edges of things, giving the farm a tranquil, almost ethereal quality.

Beyond the farm was the forest whose once vibrantly red, gold, and brown canopy was now a skeletal framework, the trees’ bare branches stark against the pale winter sky. The occasional evergreen tree or shrub provided deep green accents to the view, and moss-covered logs lay scattered about, their damp surfaces glistening in the weak sunlight that filtered through the canopy.

I met the kids along the way and we walked over to the center of the farm which we had earmarked for the future planting of Immortal Herbs. The prerequisite for that was [Black Soil].

I knelt and poked a finger into the soil. “It’s still not black.”

“Teacher, it’s much darker than before.” Kharli knelt beside me and used a trowel to dig a small hole in the soil. “It looks fertile.”

Lari and Mo made sounds of agreement.

“Based on the color, it could take another year before we can plant Immortal Herbs.” I took out my hoe. “Let’s get to plowing then.”

The day after the harvest season ended, whatever System crops were still on the ground showed up as generic brown leaves in the farm tiles, presumably to indicate that the plants had died and wilted. Here in the real world, the plants turned into brown crumbly matter which we plowed into the soil to enrich it.

Once we finished plowing, I gave the kids buckets of [Mysterious Goo] which we spread over the land before planting the [Winter Seed Mix].

[Winter Seed Mix:

A mixture of seeds, mainly frost-loving wildflowers, grasses, and legumes, that are used as winter cover crops. These plants protect the soil from erosion, improve soil structure, and add nutrients to it. The flowers also attract pollinators, and the grass is good for pasturing animals.]

Adventure Incarnate’s graphics showed the [Winter Seed Mix] plants as a palette-swapped icy white and blue version of the colorful [Wild Seed Mix] plants, which should look quite pretty. I looked forward to seeing the farm turn into a winter wonderland of frost flowers and snow grass.

The best thing about the cover crops was that they were totally hands-off. We didn’t need to water or weed them since they would grow on their own without any help from us.

I ripped the seed packet open and poured its contents into my hand. Then I flung the seeds towards the waiting field. It was quite amusing to see the seeds shoot out from my hand and helpfully embed themselves into the soil. I used up a few more packets until the entire area was planted before using my watering can on them.

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“This winter is going to be epic.” I gave the kids two thumbs up when they finished their work and joined me at my part of the field.

My apprentices exchanged worried looks. They held a whispered conversation and Kharli, as usual, was tasked to convey their thoughts to me. “Teacher, is it going to be epic like when we went to see the demon egg?”

“No, not at all! I told you, we’re going off to find a long-lost sanctuary in the North.” One by one, I pinched their rosy cheeks. “I’m excited! Imagine exploring the frozen North and farming in a lovely valley full of ancient treasures.”

Kharli looked at the other two and shrugged as if to say, “I asked; she answered.”

I hooked arms with Kharli, and the four of us started walking to the vegetable field.

“The legends say if you drink the water there, you get ten extra years of life! And if we find the islands we can eat fresh seafood every day.” I smiled at the thought. Deming and his staff were already making plans for a plethora of scrumptious dishes.

We had some energy left, so we went to the vegetable field to plant more of the [Winter Seed Mix].

“Let’s check the [Herb Garden],” I said.

“Teacher, we went there first. Half of the plants wilted, but the rest look fine,” said Mo. Today she looked very cute in a set of red robes and with a big red bow on the top of her head. She reminded me of a Christmas present.

“The wilted plants should return in spring. They’re self-seeding, after all.” I felt a little cold, so I picked up the pace.

When we arrived at the walled garden, Lari immediately went to his favorite plant. “I hope the winter snow won’t kill my [Ginseng].”

I bent down and peered at it. The plant looked normal. “It looks good to me. Let us cover the more delicate plants with mulch.”

The generic mulch from the System was made of a mixture of [Compost], sawdust, and shredded leaves. We spread it over the soil of the raised beds and then called the staff to help us cover everything over with frost cloth.

The cloth was not from the System, but, rather, a material that gardeners and workers used in this world to protect plants from temperature extremes by helping the area retain the heat from the soil. It was a white and gauzy woven material that sunlight and rain could penetrate, but just heavy enough to keep the soil warm. Made from spider silk, it was a gift from Lady Hoshi of the Fox clan. I’d sent her a lot of [Ageless Beauty Essence] in return.

I was eager to see if it would help with the [Herb Garden] in the winter even though covering the plants with cloth wasn’t a function of the System.

Fengying arrived with the staff and they built bamboo arches over the raised beds of plants which they then covered with the spider silk material.

“I wish we had more cloth,” said Mo. “I’d like to cover the [Insectary Garden], too.”

“Teacher, we could buy just regular garden cloth,” said Kharli.

“It won’t be as good as the spider silk, but it should work,” said Lari.

“Oh, good idea!” I went over to Fengying to ask her to buy the necessary supplies.

When the staff were done with their work, we all went to the main house for lunch.

In the next few days, we planted all of the fields with cover crops and covered over the [Insectary Garden] with more garden cloth. We also organized everything we would need for the trip to the Northern lands. The staff prepared the supplies and when Prince Baiyu sent word of how many people were coming with us, I summoned the [Solarium] and Fengying and I went over the room configuration.

Prince Baiyu, his parents, and the royal guards needed to have bedrooms on the ground floor, where the kids and I would also be staying. The staff could also stay there, but it would be a tight squeeze, so my housekeeper supervised the maids in setting up folding screens on the upper floor to make them into temporary staff quarters. I suggested putting proper beds there, but Fengying nixed the idea and had bedrolls put in.

Thus, the large open space on that level would function like a traditional Japanese house with futons set up during the night and put away during the day. The folding screens would also be unfolded for privacy when people were asleep and then closed and put away when they woke up. I added more toilets and shower rooms on that floor, too.

The days passed pleasantly as we sowed our winter seeds, and most people were excited about visiting the North for the first time, except for Fengying and Deming who had been there many times.

Scholar Wu gave us some books to read about the northerners’ culture.

I found out that the southern parts of the continent had a cold but relatively milder climate with a short growing season. Their main crops were barley and winter wheat, though they also grew other grains like millet and vegetables like carrots, turnips, cabbage, kale, etc. Further north, where fruit and vegetables were scarce, people relied on the sea for their food needs. All kinds of fish were eaten, and Deming told us that ingredients that were rare in the Westerlands, like seal, walrus and whale meat were commonly on the menu there.

Finally, we finished planting, and I woke up bright and early during the day of our departure. Outside, the day had just dawned a soft pinkish light and the morning mist bathed everything in a soft glow which made my chest feel tight.

“Home is so beautiful,” I said to Mr. Bear, who was wearing a limited-series premium [Winter Herald] outfit from the Cash Shop. He looked like a Santa Claus Bear with his red suit and fake white beard.

My first stop was to fetch Cutie from her house. Then I went to the main gate of the courtyard house where the others were waiting for me.

“Wow, you all look great!” I said.

Since it wasn’t bitterly cold yet, there was no need for furs. Instead, we were all wearing layered, heavy silk robes in deep jewel tones, sturdy leather boots, and thick cloaks. Lari was in yellow with black embroidery, while Kharli was in crimson and Mo in deep blue. We were exchanging morning greetings when a royal messenger appeared and quickly handed me a note before flying off again.

“Oh my.” After reading the contents of the note, I showed it to Fengying and smoothed my collar as I thought of what we could do to make more room. “Kharli, I think you might have to share your room with Mo. Or maybe I’ll move in with you. We need another set of quest quarters for an unexpected royal guest.”

“Teacher, may I?” Kharli gestured to the note I was holding.

“Sure.” I handed it to her.

My apprentices crowded around it and their eyes went wide when they read the message.

“The Silver-eyed Prince is coming?!” Mo clasped her hands together in excitement.

“They call him the Earthshaker!” said Lari.

“No, it’s Earthbreaker!” said Kharli.