The next day, just after the little snow harrier finished coughing up a pellet, Namuzha arrived.
He had come to feed Xiao Ha, a routine he took quite seriously.
At the same time, he brought along an approval document from Red Pine.
The Martial Academy had authorized Wu Youren to erect greenhouses in the surrounding area, with the total area capped at under ten thousand square meters!
Indeed, Hong Da had returned and applied for a vegetable plot on his behalf.
She had previously entertained the thought of having the boy farm right under her nose to see what tricks he could pull off.
At the time, however, Wu Youren had tactfully declined, and the matter had simply fizzled out.
When the subject was brought up again this time, several instructors backed the idea, and the boy raised no objections. Once she put in a word with the Martial Academy, the matter was settled.
As for the exact dimensions, she had not even set them; anything under ten thousand square meters would do. All that was needed was to report the boundaries once they were marked out.
Namuzha said, "Hong Da was worried you'd take on more than you can handle, but if it isn't enough, you can always apply for more."
"It's plenty, more than enough," Wu Youren nodded repeatedly. Knowing Instructor Hong Da's influence, he knew this was by no means an empty courtesy.
When it came to greenhouses, building one too small was hardly worthwhile, but making it too large would drastically complicate the structure, which was equally impractical.
In his mind, about five hundred square meters was just right. Exceeding a mu would make the daily upkeep far too tedious.
Ten thousand square meters was utterly out of the question.
What he cared more about was: "Did Hong Da manage to collect what she was owed?"
"Probably not," Namuzha replied, not entirely certain either.
Both he and Manna followed Instructor Hong, but their statuses differed greatly; he was neither female nor an apprentice of hers.
When he first met the boy, he had merely served as a guard.
In truth, it was roughly just that—a senior instructor at Red Pine needed some semblance of an entourage.
Yet giving this answer only made him more irritated inwardly: Why the hell are you so valued by Hong Da?
"That's good," Wu Youren nodded instinctively.
In his previous conversation with Instructor Hong, she had already braced herself mentally, indifferent to whether she collected it or not.
A Guizu relic like that was certainly precious, but judging by how things were currently unfolding, failing to collect in the short term was not necessarily a bad thing.
At the very least, in the short run, Instructor Hong Da—and by extension Red Pine—would not be dragged into the vortex.
"What?" Namuzha's brow furrowed, his face darkening slightly. "Just what... do you mean by that?"
Hearing such a politically incorrect remark, he instinctively felt like throwing a fit.
However, remembering that he still needed something from the boy's pet, he could only force himself to hold back.
Then keep it bottled up! The boy looked at him calmly. "Hong Da said so herself."
Namuzha instinctively asked, "What did she mean by that?"
Wu Youren rolled his eyes, pointed at his own mouth, and gave no reply—my lips are sealed.
The subtext was clear: If you want to know, why don't you go ask her yourself?
Namuzha froze for a moment before saying in a low voice, "Hong Da doesn't seem to be in very good shape."
Sensing the awkward atmosphere, he was trying to ease the tension; otherwise, he would not have said even this much.
The boy remained placid, showing no emotional fluctuation. "Neither of us is in any position to worry about her."
Once Namuzha left, Wu Youren pondered for a moment and contacted the middle-aged knight, Kenpa.
He explained that he wanted to build a greenhouse and hoped Kenpa could recommend some experienced builders.
He specifically emphasized that he did not want Kenpa to personally intervene, so as not to attract unwanted attention.
Wu Youren could have built it himself, but the workload was rather heavy and would interfere with his cultivation.
More importantly, another wave of free experience could flood in at any moment, so it really was... better to spend some coin to get it done.
Kenpa had extensive connections and agreed without hesitation.
In passing, he added that there wouldn't be many workers and that Wu Youren needn't say much to them—just state his requirements and negotiate the price.
Clearly, he did not want the boy drawing attention either—a tacit understanding between worldly veterans.
The construction crew arrived the next day: an elderly man, a middle-aged laborer, and two young lads.
The one who discussed the plans with Wu Youren was the middle-aged man, an honest, down-to-earth person who asked no unnecessary questions.
The plan was finalized quickly. Covering roughly nine hundred square meters, determined mainly by the terrain, the deal included both labor and materials.
Wu Youren didn't mind either way. Even if the greenhouse was slightly larger, he didn't necessarily have to plant that many vegetables; he could play it by ear.
The four workers were highly efficient; having settled the terms that day, they began work the very next morning.
On the third day of construction, the administrator showed up.
He had noticed a few people digging the ground and clearing weeds earlier, but assuming the Martial Academy had arranged it, he hadn't inquired.
Unless someone was paying, who would bother wrestling with this barren patch of land?
He had come to collect liquor, his attitude lukewarm and clearly carrying some grievance.
This time he took four jars of liquor, mentioned he was still owed two, and said he would settle the tab all at once later.
Wu Youren nodded silently without a word, knowing full well that whatever relationship they had was finished here.
There was a ninety-nine percent chance he would never see the owed money. The Liang people had no credit and loved taking petty advantages—a fact recognized by everyone in Jin.
If even a grand knight like Jeff could go back on his word, it was all the truer for a petty nobody like the administrator.
Wu Youren had no desire to pursue it. As long as the man didn't push things too far, there was no reason to let such a trivial matter disrupt his plans.
Some people drifted apart over time, to say nothing of the fact that the two had never even been friends.
More and more people were growing distant from him; perhaps that was simply the life a hostage was meant to lead.
Seeing no reaction from him, the administrator walked straight over to the four workers. "What... are you doing here?"
None of the four uttered a sound, but a middle-aged woman helping out on the side answered, "Putting up a shed."
"Hmm?" The administrator turned his head toward the boy, his gaze instantly turning frosty.
He was still carrying four jars of liquor in his hands, yet he had turned hostile with astonishing speed.
He barked viciously, "Didn't I make myself clear to you?"
I just couldn't be bothered with you, and now you're actively courting death? Wu Youren gave a faint, innocent smile.
"Just clearing the ground first. It'll make planting vegetables easier later."
"Cut the crap!" the administrator snapped coldly. "You're not allowed to plant next summer either!"
He had seen the boy's tactics before—fencing off land first to create a fait accompli—but this time, he absolutely wouldn't permit it.
Wu Youren blinked twice and said very earnestly, "An instructor from the Martial Academy already approved it."
"I don't care who approved it!" The administrator was thoroughly enraged. He pointed at the ground beneath his feet. "Here, my word is law!"
Wu Youren could have produced the paperwork, but this matter... couldn't be handled like that.
He did want to keep a low profile, but treating symptoms as they arose was no way to get things done.
He looked down at the communication wristwatch on his hand. "May I have an instructor speak with you?"
"No need!" the administrator refused flatly. He knew the boy was acquainted with a few instructors.
But here, he was in charge. "Instructors handle their duties, and I handle mine. We don't interfere with each other."
Since pleasantries were already discarded, he had no intention of saving anyone's face.
Not to mention four men and a woman were working right beside them—did he not have his own dignity to uphold?
His cultivation was indeed meager, but he had superiors of his own!
Wu Youren put on a helpless expression and raised his hand to contact an instructor.
Ignoring him, the administrator turned to the workers. "Clear out, now! Don't make me call people to throw you out!"
None of the workers stopped what they were doing. Instead, the middle-aged man replied, "We've already taken payment. We have to finish today's work no matter what."
The administrator's face turned livid. Gritting his teeth, he snarled, "Forcing my hand to call backup, are you?"
He too raised his wristwatch and placed a call.
Three minutes later, a motorcycle roared up. Seeing it, the administrator hurried to call out, "Instructor Ranxue, these people are disrupting the grounds!"
He knew this was the discipline inspector responsible for patrolling this area, so the jurisdiction fit reasonably well.
Even so, that his superior had called in this particular person seemed outside the direct chain of command, didn't it?
Instructor Ranxue stepped off the motorcycle, walked over to the cleared plot of land, and swept his gaze back and forth.
The elderly worker and the middle-aged man stopped their work and looked at him, feeling somewhat uneasy—the one who showed up wasn't Instructor Kenpa.
The two lads paid no heed and kept their heads down, still working away.
Instructor Ranxue nodded slightly. "Mm, carry on..."
Then he turned his head to the administrator and asked impassively, "Is there a problem with them working here?"
"Huh?" The administrator looked at him in surprise. "I wasn't notified."
Not notified? Ranxue gave him a deep, penetrating look, having already grasped what was going on.
It wasn't that his mind was exceptionally sharp; rather, he had simply witnessed too much of this petty nonsense.
Young Wu had the paperwork, yet hadn't produced it... Ranxue nodded faintly. "I approved it. Do you have an objection?"
The administrator froze. He knew the Jin boy was acquainted with Rossi and Keli, but how did he know this one as well?
Yet matters had escalated to this point, leaving him no room to back down—besides, his superior already knew.
He said in a heavy voice, "Instructor Ranxue, I mean no offense, but this doesn't seem to fall within your jurisdiction."
"It improves the grounds," Ranxue looked at him coldly. "This isn't your private home; it's the Martial Academy!"
A measly nobody from general logistics challenging an official instructor like me? Who gave you the gall?
"He intends to grow crops to sell for money!" The administrator went all out. "Instructor, you can't let yourself be duped!"
"Are you saying you're smarter than me?" The discipline inspector's brows arched. Seizing on someone's words was his specialty.
His face then darkened slightly. "Whether I'm being duped or not is none of your fucking business!"
"You..." The administrator was stunned at first, then spun around and stomped away, completely unable to stay any longer.
Even so, he still clutched those four jars of liquor in his hands.
Only then did Ranxue glance at the boy. Conscious of the workers nearby, he asked coolly, "What's going on?"
He knew the boy wanted to keep a low profile, but there was no need to let someone like that walk all over him.
"He wants kickbacks," Wu Youren answered calmly. "He said he'd put the money for those four jars of liquor on credit."
"Holy shit," the discipline inspector understood. This little guy... could truly stomach things.
Then his eyes shifted, and he asked in a low voice, "Why didn't you show the document?"
Wu Youren replied equally softly, "Today it's him; tomorrow it might be someone else."
Chapter 166