What kind of girl would travel to another world?

Chapter 111 Daily Life. - The end of You Jiahui's afternoon.

In the previous chapter, You Jiahui was in the Merchant Guild, negotiating with the guild leader, Putuo Yalei. They had just finished discussing the "Human-Demon War" and then moved on to discuss the expansion of the Dwarven Kingdom's territory.

Guild President Putoyare continued his previous conversation, explaining to You Jiahui, "After the war, the land was left with nothing but ruins. Everywhere was devastated. Only the dwarves were able to so quickly build numerous towns and villages across that land, bringing it back to life. The dwarves are truly skilled in construction; no other race can compare to them in this regard."

Upon hearing this, You Jiahui asked the Guild President, Putuo Yalei, "The Dwarves are so good at construction, so what are we Tall People good at?" She had long been curious about why most countries in this other world were Tall People. She knew there must be a reason, but since her knowledge of other worlds was limited, she could only ask.

President Putoyare smiled and replied to You Jiahui, "Of course! For example, taming wild beasts and brewing wine, these are things that only our Gaoren tribe can do well. Especially wild cattle and horses, they can only be domesticated by our Gaoren tribe first before other races can use them. Just think about it, how much money we can make from these two things alone. Hahahaha." When he said these words, he looked very proud.

After hearing this, You Jiahui thought to herself, "If we put aside other factors and only consider the domestication of animals, then only the Gaoren race could possess cavalry and chariots on such a large scale. No wonder..."

Afterwards, the two of them fell into silence, both leisurely eating their meals.

A little later, they both finished their meals, and now the orange setting sun shone through the window. After their stomachs were full, the warm light cast a lazy atmosphere throughout the president's office.

After a brief pause, You Jiahui began to ask President Putoyare, "Let's get back to the previous topic. President, how much do you think the rent should be reduced?"

President Putuo Yalei told You Jiahui calmly, "In my opinion, a little bit is enough, don't reduce it too much."

You Jiahui was puzzled and asked President Putoyare, "Oh? Why is that?"

Guild President Putoyare said sternly, "If the rent is too low, it will certainly help recruit farmers, but it will also likely cause dissatisfaction among other lords. Sir Knight, you don't want to cause conflict between you and the other nobles, do you?"

This reminder made You Jiahui realize how naive she had been. She said to Guild President Putuo Yare, "I hadn't considered this. I'm glad I asked you. Otherwise, I'd be in trouble..." Then, she asked, "So, if I want to attract more people to my territory, are there any other ways?"

Seeing You Jiahui so receptive to advice, President Putuo Yalei smiled with satisfaction. He then gave You Jiahui some pointers, saying, "You can borrow some farm tools, especially oxen for plowing. These are very important tools."

You Jiahui also smiled and asked the president, Putuo Yalei, "Of course I don't have any cattle, but the Merchant Guild does, right?"

President Putoyare nodded and said to You Jiahui with a smile: "As for the cattle used for farming, our guild will naturally lend you them. After all, you just solved a difficult problem for our guild." He was talking about the matter of the "white-haired oxen".

You Jiahui was naturally delighted to hear this and immediately said to the guild leader, Putuo Yare, "Great! You're worthy of being the guild leader! We can mutually benefit!" She looked very happy as she spoke, but then her smile faltered. She then asked the guild leader, Putuo Yare, "But I feel like that's not enough. If it's just about lending cattle, other lords can do it too. Are there any other options?" Her thoughts were not unreasonable. Simply lending cattle for farming wasn't particularly special and clearly not attractive enough.

At this moment, the president, Putuo Yalei, smiled slightly and slowly told You Jiahui, "Of course you can go one step further. Since everyone is busy with planting in the second half of the year, if you can build houses in your territory in advance and provide them for people to live in, then more people will naturally be willing to come."

You Jiahui immediately understood what he meant and said to President Putuo Yare, "Well, this is where the Merchant Guild excels. Okay! Since we're talking about mutual benefit, you guys will build the house, and we'll use a portion of the rent from the land to pay the Merchant Guild." Then, she tentatively asked, "What do you think, President?"

Guild President Putuo Yalei had originally planned this, and he immediately replied to You Jiahui, saying, "Of course, that couldn't be better." But then he thought to himself, "While this kind of cooperation is excellent, our guild's strongest suit isn't construction..."

You Jiahui was extremely happy at this moment and immediately said to the Guild President Putoyare, "That's settled!" Then, she thought to herself, "I'll pay the rent on behalf of the farmers. This will be a covert way of reducing their rent without causing dissatisfaction among the other lords. Great! This guild president is truly generous..."

You Jiahui greatly appreciated President Putoyare's idea, but he hadn't initially considered You Jiahui using the lord's land rent to pay the peasants' rent. Now, President Putoyare saw You Jiahui's kindness towards the common people and naturally admired her. The two admired each other, but neither understood the other's true intentions. You Jiahui had always been generous with money, and after arriving in this other world, she hadn't changed her ways.

After her joy, You Jiahui quickly became concerned. She asked the president, Putuo Yalei, "But I heard it's hard to recruit staff recently, and will the project be completed on time?"

President Putoyare told You Jiahui, "Your concerns are not unreasonable. The issue of manpower will naturally be arranged by our guild." After saying that, he frowned slightly, indicating that it was indeed a bit difficult.

You Jiahui thought for a moment, then said to President Putoyare, "The construction materials also need to be reallocated. It seems that the construction of the manor house and other facilities will be delayed..." Having said that, she lowered her head helplessly, thinking that this is the "you can't have your cake and eat it too" situation.

Guild President Putoyare immediately shook his head and told You Jiahui, "Oh, no, no, no. You don't fully understand the full scope of your territory. Although there are fewer trees near your estate, there are still woodlands within your territory. By taking wood from there, we can build more wooden houses more quickly. That's right, you need a 'permit'."

As You Jiahui pondered this, she said to Guild President Putoyare, "Well, a wooden house would be faster. Great! That would require much simpler materials than my manor house. I'll grant you permission right away, allowing you to freely use local materials."

Immediately afterwards, President Putuo Yalei used the paper and pen in his office to draft a "permit" and had You Jiahui sign it. Although You Jiahui didn't know the language of the other world, she had learned how to write her own name. After all, becoming a lord would require issuing various "permits," so how could she not learn?

As You Jiahui signed the permit, she thought to herself, "Now, whether the manor house, other facilities, and those wooden houses can be built simultaneously depends on whether the Merchant Guild can recruit enough manpower..."

After You Jiahui finished signing, President Putoyare put the "permit" away and said to You Jiahui, "Sir Knight is very easy to talk to. Other lords might not be so accommodating."

You Jiahui also felt that giving away the wood for free wasn't quite right, so she immediately asked Guild President Putoyare, "Hey, don't say that for now. Since the wood is coming from my territory, shouldn't I reduce your rent?"

Guild President Putuo Yalei smiled and told You Jiahui, "Sir Knight, this is exactly what I was going to say. Rent and other matters are trivial matters and can be negotiated. So, can our guild purchase the grain produced in your territory from now on?"

Seeing the potential for a significant rent reduction, You Jiahui was instantly delighted, not even bothering to press the issue. She then happily said to President Putuo Yare, "Oh... so that's how it is. President, you're truly a businessman. I admire you! It's a deal, then! Long-term cooperation!" Still a young girl, she didn't fully grasp the implications. She simply assumed that President Putuo Yare was simply increasing their business ties.

After the two had agreed on the specific number of houses and the rent, You Jiahui asked President Putoyare, "Where do you think these wooden houses should be built?"

Guild President Putoyare thought for a moment and moved the used utensils to the corner of his desk. He then placed the map Noumi had brought in the center of the desk and gently spread it out. He pointed to two locations on the map and told You Jiahui, "Sir Knight, these are the two locations. Besides the one not far from your manor house, which could become a village, the other location I'm pointing to is perfect for growing crops. It's where the next village should be located."

You Jiahui said, "Oh?" and then stared at the spot President Putuo Yalei pointed to, pondering silently. After a while, she muttered, "Although I don't understand feng shui, this location feels interesting."

Guild President Putuo Yare was filled with curiosity when he heard the word "feng shui." He said to You Jiahui, "Feng shui? Sir Knight, your word is quite interesting." He then lowered his head to look at the map, repeatedly pondering the word "feng shui."

You Jiahui was terribly embarrassed when she thought about how she had actually spoken the word "feng shui" in another world. She was thankful that President Putuo Yalei hadn't seen her expression, otherwise it would have been even more embarrassing.

After the awkward moment ended, You Jiahui looked at the vast expanse of her territory on the map. The more she looked, the more worried she became. She couldn't help but mutter, "Oh, I wonder if I'll be able to pay the taxes this year..."

After hearing this, President Putoyare told You Jiahui, "Lords pay taxes every winter. You have no harvest this year, so you should consult with His Majesty the King."

It wasn't until this moment that You Jiahui finally grasped the true meaning of the saying, "You don't know how expensive firewood and rice are until you manage the household." With a look of helplessness on her face, she said to President Putoyare, "Well, I'll give it a try." Then, she asked President Putoyare, "By the way, speaking of expenses again. Is there anything else we need to spend money on?"

Guild President Putuo Yalei told You Jiahui, "There are many areas where you need to spend money. You'll need to hire people to guard various places in your territory, especially those with resources. And protecting your territory and assets also requires armed forces. While there may not be bandits, there will always be petty theft, not to mention those elusive low-level monsters. Just maintaining a team of fully armed followers is a huge expense, and at least this team needs to be able to handle any emergency."

You Jiahui suddenly remembered something and asked President Putuo Yare again, "President, speaking of arms... Since we're a long-term partner, can I ask you for some sponsorship money first?"

President Putoyare nodded and said to You Jiahui, "Yes, yes, yes! Speaking of money, let's not talk about sponsorship money. Our guild should pay the rent for this grassland in advance." Then, he told You Jiahui, "Sir Knight, please wait a moment, I will go to get the money." After that, he left alone, leaving You Jiahui waiting alone in the president's office.

If it weren't for Guild President Putuo Yalei's words, You Jiahui wouldn't have thought she could collect rent from the pasture. Only then did she begin to ponder the meaning of being a "lord." As a lord, everything within the territory belonged to her alone.

Not long after, You Jiahui, who was waiting alone, saw someone come and take away the tableware. Later, she saw another person come and turn on the light in the president's office.

By this time, the lingering aroma of dinner had gradually dissipated. A gentle breeze rustled the curtains, and the smoky aroma of everyday life drifted in, naturally replacing the office's original atmosphere. It was nearly evening, the time when families began to prepare meals.

You Jiahui was originally leisurely looking at the boundaries of her territory on the map, but then she fell into deep thought until she waited for the return of Guild President Putuo Yalei...