042 The Unruffled Calm of Yu Shangchen

Imperial Capital, a certain office.

Yuhua City regarded Yu Shangchen, who was lounging with one leg crossed over the other, looking utterly at ease. “Can’t you be a bit more serious? I’m trying to discuss official business with you.”

“You’ve paged me three times a day. With that kind of urgency, here I am. Go ahead, what’s so important?” Yu Shangchen uncrossed his legs, stood up, poured himself a cup of tea, and took a sip.

“Of course there’s something important. What’s the latest with that special unit of yours? The higher-ups are extremely curious and keep pressing me for updates. All because you haven’t revealed a single detail,” Yuhua City said, his business here clear: to inquire about the special unit.

Yu Shangchen had been given complete authority over every aspect of the special unit’s establishment. No one knew what progress he’d made, and curiosity had reached its peak. This meeting was called specifically to address that.

“Didn’t you all agree I’d have full control over everything related to the special unit?” Yu Shangchen took another sip of tea, this time with a refined elegance, his demeanor shifting back to that of a nobleman, as if the transformation happened in a blink.

“But no one even knows where you’re building it,” Yuhua City replied helplessly. “We can’t get any information at all.”

Nothing is more unsettling than the unknown, and Yu Shangchen’s secrecy unsettled many.

“If you were able to get any information, could I still call it my special unit?” Yu Shangchen looked at Yuhua City with a faintly wicked smile, as if to say, I simply don’t want you to know. “Don’t try to dig into my affairs. What’s mine is mine. Tell those people to keep their hands to themselves—the consequences are more than they can bear.”

“Not even a hint?” Yuhua City pressed, his own curiosity barely contained.

“Not a single word,” Yu Shangchen replied. “If you have any business in the future, I’ll leave a contact number. Just reach out, and someone will coordinate directly with you.”

Yuhua City was speechless. His younger brother was as stubborn as a bull; no matter how he asked, he’d get nothing. He knew better than to expect the truth now.

“Go home today. Mother has been looking for you these past few days,” Yuhua City suggested, resigned. If Yu Shangchen wasn’t willing to talk, there was no point pressing further. After all, they’d agreed to let Yu Shangchen have full control over the special unit, and they really couldn’t interfere.

“I’m not going back,” Yu Shangchen refused outright. He knew exactly what his mother was planning—if he went home now, there would be several young women waiting, supposedly neighbors visiting. He knew her schemes too well. It was better not to go back at all and nip her plans in the bud.

“You can’t avoid home forever,” Yuhua City sighed, his head aching. His little brother’s rebellious phase seemed never-ending.

“Just be direct with Mrs. Shan when you go home. Tell her that as long as she refuses to change her mind, I won’t set foot in the house. This isn’t rebellion—it’s a promise. Sometimes, meddling too much just makes things worse. She nearly ruined your and our eldest brother’s marriages, so she can forget about interfering with mine. I’ll call the old man, too. He bears responsibility—always turning a blind eye is just too much.”

Yu Shangchen tolerated Mrs. Shan only because he was borrowing the identity of her third son. There was cause and effect, and even as an immortal lord, he couldn’t ignore it.

“Alright then,” Yuhua City replied, sighing as he recalled Mrs. Shan’s meddling.

Yu Shangchen left his office, turned the corner to the nearby post office, and made a call. “Old man, keep your wife in check and tell her to stop interfering in my marriage. Her taste is terrible. Don’t let her make a mess. I’m not like my brothers, who nearly ended up lovers-turned-siblings because of her meddling. I may not be attached to anyone, but I’m doing just fine.”

On the other end, the old man was almost breathless with exasperation at his youngest son’s bluntness. But he couldn’t blame him—his wife was indeed the problem. “Alright, alright, I’ll talk to your mother.”

“I’m leaving now. Don’t worry about me—I’m doing well out here,” Yu Shangchen said, hanging up. Next, he considered his destination: Ailao Mountain. The Celestial Mirror Jade Marrow he needed for the Purifying Pearl was said to be there. He decided to set out at once.

Ailao Mountain was perilous for most, but he was no ordinary man—he was an immortal lord. Such dangers were nothing to him. Having made up his mind, he headed toward the train station.

Tianhua County, the Qi family.

Xie Yihuang and Grandpa Qi carefully brought out the freshly harvested licorice roots. There weren’t many, but as they were gathered in autumn, the roots were fully mature—if processed well, they would make top-grade medicinal material.

“Our ancestors handed down the methods of processing medicinal herbs. The most difficult is the nine-steaming and nine-drying technique, but licorice doesn’t require such complexity. While it’s still fresh, we’ll slice it up and dry it in the sun,” Grandpa Qi explained as he and Xie Yihuang took the licorice to the riverbank to wash, preparing the herbs for drying.

Fresh herbs needed to be handled promptly, or they would spoil easily.

Qi Jianshe returned from the evening market and, seeing Grandpa Qi and Xie Yihuang working with the licorice, came over to help.

“Uncle, there are plenty of chestnuts up on the mountain, and they’re all ripe. Let’s go collect them tomorrow. I’ve already told Senior Brother Xiaofei—we can all go together.” Even now, food was still a pressing concern.

The land was distributed by household, with each person—man, woman, young, or old—allocated only eight-tenths of an acre.

The Qi family’s land allotment covered Grandpa Qi, Grandma Qi, and Qi Jianshe.

Truthfully, the Qi family wouldn’t starve even without farmland, but everyone knew certain things had to be handled discreetly. Even if food was insufficient and had to be bought, transactions had to be kept secret—after all, never flaunt one’s wealth.

Still, with three people, they had a total of 2.4 acres. In spring, they planted spring wheat and early rice, followed by late rice or cotton after the first harvest. Once the late rice was harvested, the fields were planted with rapeseed or winter wheat. The land never lay idle.

Even so, the current yields weren’t high—just enough to feed the family.