Chapter 226: Making Money Even Through This

Li Daoxuan watched this scene from outside the box, his mouth curving upward sharply.

Gao Yiye was going to earn a lot of money.

The better the book sold, the more she earned.

Moreover, her situation was different; she was essentially self-publishing, like an investment, and the return on that investment was much higher than what royalties might bring.

Simply put, royalties were like a eunuch writing a book on Qidian, with Qidian paying him a fee.

Self-publishing to make money was like the eunuch starting his own Qidian website.

Which model was more profitable went without saying.

Three days later, the second printed edition of five hundred copies was also snatched up instantly. The Gao Family Press had to rush out a third edition, again of five hundred copies, and again they were seized in a flash.

This mad rush finally ended at the sixth edition, when a total of twenty-seven hundred copies had been printed. Gaojia Village had achieved “each family having one copy or even two,” the market was saturated, and no more could be sold.

Gao Yiye made a huge pile of money.

As the Deity supported her, this money was useless to her. After thinking it over, she simply ran to Refugee Valley and gave away the money to the poorest elders.

By doing this, the news that the Saint Lady had earned a lot from her book and shared it out spread instantly across Gaojia Village.

Those skilled in painting in the village couldn’t help having a little thought: Making a comic book could actually earn so much money? Though I dare not draw the Deity carelessly, I could invent other stories. Maybe this could also strike it rich?

Chongzhen Year One, July Tenth. Finally, the reclamation work on the Loess Plateau near Refugee Valley achieved some success.

Large swathes of the Loess Plateau had their soil loosened and were turned into square farm plots.

Everyone cooperated without conflict; it was understood that whichever family cleared the land owned the resulting farm plot for their use.

The Qingjian County Villagers were not greedy, as each household worked within their limits, only digging two to three mu of land before finishing. They knew that with just a hoe and their own strength, they couldn’t overreach. Otherwise, they might not manage it well and could end up worse off than with a small piece of land.

But…

What should they plant in this small farmland?

They had rebelled and escaped from Qingjian County, so naturally they hadn’t brought seeds. To sow crops on this land, they needed to buy seeds, which required significant spending. Rushing in without caution risked a poor harvest plus losing the seed money, so they had to weigh it carefully.

Early in the morning, Dian Deng Zi Zhao Sheng came to find Gao Yiye here: “Saint Lady, I have a small request.”

Gao Yiye said: “What is it?”

Zhao Sheng said: “Our Refugee Valley group has finished clearing the land. Since it’s still mid-July, there’s time to catch the end of spring for planting crops. But everyone feels uncertain. Could you… perhaps… invite the Deity to advise us?”

“It’s only that matter,” Gao Yiye replied, pointing to the low cloud overhead. “The Deity happens to be up there; he has already heard you.”

Zhao Sheng hurriedly looked up at the sky, his face pleading.

Li Daoxuan was eating cumin-seasoned hand-torn pork ribs.

He had definitely heard Zhao Sheng’s words, but… the seeds he was waiting for from that person—brought by her—hadn’t returned yet. What was to be done?

As he thought this, the corner of his eye caught something, and he could not hold back a surge of delight.

Xing Honglang was back!

It neatly solved his problem, like someone offering a pillow just as he began dozing off.

The party she brought was indeed large. Beyond her thirty-eight salt smuggler subordinates, over twenty others came along.

Among them were threadbare scholars in scholarly robes and poor craftsmen in burlap clothing—it was a bustling, sizable group.

Also, her people no longer returned with empty carrying poles; the poles were packed with all kinds of strange goods.

Li Daoxuan had previously told her to bring anything not found in the village. She absolutely kept her word, collecting whatever was unavailable there.

They included Jingdezhen porcelain, glazed glass items transported from the West Regions, silk brocades from Jiangnan, samurai blades from Japan, chickens, ducks, and even several piglets…

Xi’an truly showed why it was the northwestern region’s biggest city—finally able to buy many peculiar items like a bundle of red chili peppers.

For a Chongqing native, spotting red chili peppers caught his eye and cheered him up inside. It clearly meant he’d have to find time to teach the little people to eat spicy food. Though teaching Shaanxi people spiciness might seem odd, who could blame him—their Deity was from Chongqing?

The Deity had to lead you astray!

Of course, this could wait; take it step by step. He needed to focus on what mattered now.

The most useful thing she brought was a carrying pole laden with corn.

Corn arrived in this land in 1531. By the end of Ming rule, it had spread to Hebei, Shandong, Henan, Shaanxi, Gansu, Jiangsu, Anhui, Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan and more—across ten provinces.

But its presence was only “spread to,” not widespread cultivation.

Li Daoxuan hadn’t found corn being grown in villages like Gaojia Village, Zhengjia Village, or Zhuangjia Village among dozens nearby, nor was it mentioned in Chengcheng County. Yet after Xing Honglang went to Xi’an, with only a little asking, she still secured some.

However, amid the drought, grain prices were terrifying—one dou of corn had soared to eight hundred wen cash.

Xing Honglang cared not for the price; she knew things the Deity explicitly requested needed no hesitation, only to be obtained. So she brought back a full carrying pole.

Seeing this, Li Daoxuan felt confident.

He bent his head and spoke to Gao Yiye: “Tell Zhao Sheng to have Qingjian County Villagers trial planting corn. The corn seeds have been brought back by Xing Honglang. Hand these out first to the Refugee Valley farmers for use; after harvest, repay the seed money to the village treasury.”

Zhao Sheng listened blankly: “Corn? My apologies, sir. I concentrate only on books—not laboring physically or recognizing grains. I don’t even know what corn is, embarrassing the Deity.”

“Not knowing is totally normal—no need to belittle yourself,” Li Daoxuan replied, retrieving a pre-printed sheet labeled “Planting Corn from Scratch” and setting it lightly before Zhao Sheng.

He also slid in a matching portion of celestial fertilizer nearby: “You read, so I entrust this method. Study it carefully to instruct villagers exactly. Follow every step to the letter; rich rewards will come.”

Zhao Sheng’s spirits soared on seeing that large sheet—indeed it must be planting wisdom from the immortal realm.

He’d heard Gaojia and Zhengjia Village’s wheat fields reaped bigger yields solely through celestial fertilizer. Now the Deity gave celestial fertilizer plus celestial farming arts—apparently Qingjian County farmers were about to rise up!