I built a manor in the Middle Ages

Chapter 120: Planting Flax (35)

The wildfire burned all night.

Some people were specially arranged to take turns watching over the fire to prevent it from rekindling. By the next morning, the burning was basically completed.

However, the land after burning cannot be cultivated immediately. The remains of the trees need to decompose naturally for a period of time. Luke estimates that it will take at least one to two weeks before it can be cultivated, which means that it will take another half a month before it can be truly reclaimed.

Add to that a full twenty-four acres, and even with a donkey, a mule, and two ploughs, it was considered a good job if the land could be plowed by mid-August.

Only half a month is left for sowing.
This seemed almost impossible to accomplish in Old Eck's opinion.

So early in the morning, Luke got up and discussed a new farm tool with Ryan and others.

The third floor of the Knight's Castle.

The warm July breeze blew in through the window, causing the reddish bed curtains to sway gently.

Du Si slowly opened her eyes, her brown pupils staring blankly at the unfamiliar environment. After a while, she remembered where she was. She reached out to touch the bed next to her and found that it was empty.

"Lisa."

Du Si called softly.

"Ma'am, are you awake?"

The wooden door creaked open and Lisa, who had been waiting outside, walked in quickly.

"Please help me comb my hair."

Du Si sat up from the bed. She was wearing a set of light white linen pajamas. The narrow waist and wide sleeves highlighted her figure. Her light hair was draped behind her head, making her look particularly fresh.

Lisa skillfully put her hair up. She was Dusi's personal maid. She had been with her since she was a teenager and had a very close relationship with Dusi.

Lisa's hands skillfully tied her soft long hair into a bun. Feeling the other person's comfortable strength and the crisp birdsong in her ears, Du Si asked, "Where is Luc?"

"The master left right after breakfast, saying he had something important to do. When he left, he told us to let you sleep a little longer."

In a manor without laws, Luc's word is law.

Du Si nodded without saying anything.

Without a mirror, Lisa had to do all the combing herself. Fortunately, she didn't need any spices or silk like the nobles. She just needed to change into a darker dress and wash her face.

To be honest, the real person who is free from work in the manor should be Du Si. No one can ask her to work. She also followed Luc's example and started to do nothing after eating breakfast.

On the first day at the Knight's Castle, Luc set rules for Lisa and other servants.

He had no control over other places, but his manor had to be kept clean at all times, so another maid of a lower status who did rough work was constantly wiping the floor and table.

Du Si thought about it and called Lisa to take a walk in the manor. She needed to get to know this land better.

The two of them walked out of the fenced yard, bypassed the serf area and headed for the fields. The air in the forest was fresh, but still mixed with a hint of the smell of ashes. The serfs working along the way bowed respectfully when they saw her.

In some high-ranking aristocratic families, ladies are usually not allowed to meet outsiders except at banquets, let alone commoners. However, ladies of lower-class aristocrats are not so particular. As Luc's wife, she can even supervise the farmland and handicraft production of the estate.

Du Si was not beautiful only in Luc's opinion. In fact, when most women were either skinny or thick and hairy, Du Si, who was as white as snow, walked around the manor. No serf dared to look at her directly. Besides being afraid of being misunderstood as disrespectful, they were more ashamed of themselves.

Serfs growing flax.

Unlike the markets in larger towns, most farmers in Baron Castle don't sell seeds. Ryan toured the territory and finally bought about 20 pounds of flax seeds. The best months for growing flax are actually May and June. The end of July is a bit hot and not very suitable for sowing. However, in order to ensure that the serfs have clothes for the winter, they can only give up some of the yield.

After all, when Hoffman learned that he could indeed obtain sufficient charcoal, he naturally withdrew some of the goods, including linen. Now it is difficult to buy ready-made cloth.

Robert and eight men initially divided the land into half an acre, which was enough for growing flax.

Flax has the advantages of being drought-resistant and cold-resistant, not picky about the soil, requiring half the amount of seeds as other crops, and requiring no special care after growing into a plant, so growing it is relatively simple.

Du Si's eyes passed over the working people and took in the whole mountain forest: a small water mill sat on the trickling stream, and to the east of the mill was the gurgling water wheel. Several rafts floated on the rippling Agate River. Opposite were farmlands planted with various crops. A little further away on the hillside was a newly burned open space. The red church under the blue sky was particularly beautiful. Walking west, there were scattered huts distributed from north to south, with a dome bread oven in the south. The brick kiln and charcoal kiln at the foot of the mountain echoed each other in the distance. On the top of the mountain was a watchtower with only a black dot left. In the middle, of course, was the Knight's Castle surrounded by a pointed birch fence. On the west side was the livestock area, which contained a shooting range, a well, a granary, a woodshed, and a squire's house.
Du Si, with her keen eyesight, immediately saw that this piece of land seemed to have greater potential than Tiha Village.
Du Si inspected the territory and finally came to Luc's location. The real owner of the manor was having a heated discussion with several subordinates.

"Now that we've seen enough of this farm tool, let's get started!"

"Jill, you and Hans go split the necessary planks. Old Eck, take Paul to measure the donkey's size; we'll need it to pull the cart. Also, measure the spacing between each ridge in the field. This farm implement, when used with the curved plow, will allow for the most intensive cultivation. Ryan, you're a professional carpenter, so the most difficult parts, the plow and seed pipe, will be yours."

"It's the master!"

Everyone agreed in unison and then went to work separately without stopping.

That’s right, this is the powerful tool that Luc came up with for sowing - a three-ridge tiller, or a wooden plow!

Everyone left one after another, and Luke turned around and saw Du Si.

"Are you creating farm tools, dear?"

Du Si looked at Luke with a little surprise. She had not imagined that he had such ability.

"It's more than just farm tools."

Luc pointed to every place Du Si had just walked through and said with a smile: "Everything here was created by me."

Seeing Du Si's surprised expression and knowing that she was a little bored at home, he decisively brought out Gobang.

This time, Du Si was even more shocked than before.

"My dear, at first I thought you were an old man, then I thought you were a fallen nobleman, and then I learned that you were a landed knight, but I didn't expect that you were also an artist."

Girls are very interested in this kind of thing. If Luc built this manor and made her admire him, then Gobang made Du Si feel that he was a very interesting person.

Unable to wait, he pulled Lisa back to the house to play the next game, while Luc went to the sheep pen alone to check on the sheep.

In front of the sheep shed, Mary was skillfully carrying out a bundle of green grass, chopping it with a sickle, and then throwing the grass leaves to the goats and handing the roots to the sheep. Seeing the sheep and goats being raised separately, Luc nodded with satisfaction.

This was the result of his special instructions.

On the way back, I noticed that sheep are quieter or more timid than goats. Sure enough, before burning the mountain yesterday, Mary hurried over to tell me that the goats didn't like the two companions who fell from the sky, especially the living ram. The ewe released it after giving birth, intending to keep it as a breeding sheep. Who would have thought that when it saw the lambs, it treated them as enemies and kept butting them with its horns. If Mary hadn't discovered it in time, the bleating sheep would probably have been gored to death.

Fortunately, the partition that separated the rams was not removed, so Mary had to move the lambs to the other side.

"Sheep aren't suitable for grazing right now. Let's keep them in captivity for a while until they grow up. Also, this ram is a bit too wild. Let little Charlie teach it a lesson!"

Upon learning this, Luc was furious. Why did he want sheep? Wasn't it just for more wool, to be woven with linen into clothes? Sheep were hard to come by. If it weren't for his recent marriage, Berry wouldn't have sold him a sheep, and he'd even paid half the market price.

But speaking of little Charlie, two years had passed in a flash, and I had already gotten married, while this old friend who had been with me the first time was still alone.
"We need to find a companion for it."

(End of this chapter)