The bard fantasized again.

Chapter 133 If you can endure hardship, then endure it for a lifetime (Please subscribe!)

Since Starp Town was occupied by the orcs, Lord Mel's mood has been getting worse day by day.

No one can maintain an optimistic attitude amidst the successive blows of losing territory, the death of their eldest son, economic losses, and the poet's accusations...

Oh no, my own son is fine, that kid is always so carefree.

He even dared to advise me not to oppose that bard—

“Father, we don’t need to go to such extremes… Perhaps by leveraging our connections and resources, his books could bring us more profit?”

"You child, in just one month, have you become so close that you're willing to disobey your father for the sake of an outsider like him?!"

Recalling those days, Lord Mel painfully untied his belt.

In his eyes, there was clearly fear, yet it seemed as if his son was determined to oppose him.

"No, of course not—I just feel that going against that poet has never ended well."

On the contrary, collaborating with him always yields some unexpected gains...

Even if you're going to hit me next, I still think that wasting money to block his path to publication is an unwise decision.

I have absolutely no idea what the point of you doing this is!

"Proving me right is the whole point of this!"

Anger overwhelmed his reason, causing him to finally succumb to his rage and swing the belt from his hand.

“I’m going to show that foul-mouthed guy that money can buy everything—I can use money to cut off his channels and I can use money to buy his respect!”

"How could he possibly respect you..."

"The moment he came to me begging me not to block his publishing channels, he was already showing me respect!"

Now, a month has quietly passed.

The poet was surprisingly composed and did not come to the mansion in the lower district to beg him.

But Lord Mel felt as if he were covered in lice, stinging him so badly that he couldn't sit still.

He felt that Tang Qi must be feeling just as bad as he was:
He's putting on a brave face, definitely.

But I am a merciful nobleman, and I am willing to give him a chance to repent, to change the protagonist of that book to my son's name.

If I go to him at this time, I can not only gain respect, but also take this opportunity to ridicule him mercilessly…

Lord Mel couldn't help but hum as he imagined Tang Qi gritting his teeth and having to bow down to him.

This will be the only thing that brings him joy in the next two months.

After that, he will use his influence to pressure the council to expel the orcs—

Two months of leave from work has already delayed him for far too long.

If he can't plant the star plum trees before winter, he will have no harvest next year, and the winery will lose its ability to turn around.

"We shout in our hard-working days that everything is moving towards a better future!"

“Look, child—even these folk songs are singing our hearts out.”

Mel pointed out the window to the farmers working diligently even in the rain, and patted his dejected son.

"Raise your head! Today I'll show you how Daddy demonstrates his tolerance and earns that poet's respect!"

"Do you remember the last time you made such a promise, you tried to reconcile just one minute later?"

Melard still remembers that his father enjoyed hearing people make fun of him.

Only in that way can we obtain the right to equal dialogue.

Even if it means getting a beating afterward.

But to be honest, the belt doesn't really mean much to me.

After all, back in the Brothers Club, he always had his brothers hold the wax and whips.

And as it turned out, the father did indeed enjoy being ridiculed.

He seemed to have gradually grown accustomed to his own sarcasm and was no longer willing to unleash his fury on this joyous day, so much so that he merely gave a cold snort:
"I forgot about it as soon as it got light."

Yes, I must satirize my father more in the future to gain more rights to equal dialogue!
Thinking this, Merad straightened his robes, puffed out his large belly, and followed his father down from the luxurious carriage.

The melodious and gentle singing echoed in my ears, harmonizing with the damp and chilly sea breeze.

Looking at the sign under the oak tree not far away, which still read "Closed," Melard said:
Should we wait until opening time to come back?

"I won't wait for a bunch of lowly people."

"I heard this place used to be a haunted house, but Tang Qi won over these departed spirits with his music, turning them into his own choir, and they would sometimes sing loudly in the tavern..."

"If we just push the door open, won't we be attacked by ghosts?"

"It's just a gimmick."

Mel snorted coldly.
"He's a clever man who knows how to use gimmicks; he's definitely more capable than the average poet."

"That's good. Only when someone like that begs for mercy do I feel respect."

Because he was wary of the heavily armored jar knight, this time Mel wisely decided not to cause trouble with force and instead had his mercenaries wait outside the golden oak tree.

He then pounded on the door.

"Boom, boom!"

No one responded.

Just as he was about to knock on the door again, he saw Holz, who had been cultivating the star plum and singing songs, approaching them from the open space outside the mansion and calling out:

"Hey, sir over there. It's not opening time yet, please come back later—"

He froze in place halfway through his sentence:
"Lord Mel!?" "Where is the tavern owner? Bring her here!"

"Good, good."

Holtz quickly shouldered his rake and fled back to the field.

"Quickly! Go and call the guards over!"

Hogg, the boy who was helping with the farming, blinked without asking why. He obeyed his father's order, put the star plum seeds on the ground, and hurriedly ran towards the gate of Dragon Tail Pass.

Old David also stopped working and came closer:
"What happened?"

Holz was panting heavily, and inevitably felt a lingering fear in his heart:
"It's Lord Mel. He looks like he's looking for trouble. Does he already know we've been secretly planting Star Plums behind his back?"

Old David brandished the iron rake in his hand, fearless:

"So what if we know? Mr. Tang Qi said that with the protection of guards, we don't need to be afraid even if nobles come."

"Should we get the boss back? She seems to have gone to the Friends House, intending to order ale through Mr. Chuck."

"George, go and call the boss back!"

"Okay, Dad."

Seeing his own child run off in a flash, old David calmed down a bit:
"Forget about that wild boar. We need to plant the star plums as soon as possible. These things only bear fruit once a year. If we miss the harvest time, we won't be able to harvest them before next year's harvest festival."

"But...but he came over on his own."

"What!?"

Old David quickly turned around and saw that Lord Mel seemed extremely interested in the field, having his mercenaries cut down the fence and stepping into the field himself.

He made a snap decision, commanding the other fruit farmers to come forward, each carrying an iron rake, and shouted:
"You are trespassing on private property. Please do not take another step!"

Mel bent down, surveying the slightly damp territory around him, while gazing at the raised mounds in the fields—

Unlike regular barley cultivation, planting star plum requires raising the soil or making raised beds before planting to ensure effective drainage of excess water, prevent root rot, and keep the soil around the roots loose and well-aerated.

After all, these were cash crops from his own territory, and he could tell almost immediately what the farmers were doing:
"What a bunch of rats from a stinking ditch! How dare you try to secretly plant star plum trees right under my nose? Who gave you the audacity to scatter my seeds on this land so recklessly?"

Old David raised his voice:

“These are our seeds, and we are not your slaves—of course we can plant them wherever we want!”

"Only I can grow star plum blossoms!"

Mel could not maintain his dignity as a nobleman.

He could be indifferent to the defection of his subjects, but he would never allow anyone to touch his sore spot.

Because all of his wealth, status, influence... depended on this special and unique economic crop.

Losing the monopoly on Xingmei is like a tower losing its pillars; everything one has could be destroyed because of it.

He must extinguish the flames before anything happens:
"Destroy all the fields and collect all the seeds!"

Mercenaries don't care what they do; they're paid to do things and follow their employers' orders.

If this violates Long Jincheng's laws, the employee will be bailed out by their employer or receive compensation; these are all stipulated in the contract.

So they each drew their long swords from their waists, intending to brandish them to force back the farmers in front of them, so as to prevent any deaths at this critical moment.

"no no!"

As the longsword gleamed coldly in the rain, Old David trembled almost instinctively.

The trembling iron rake constantly reminded him that he should avoid their swords and make way for them.

Suddenly, he seemed to return to the night he left Xingmei Town.

Let's go back to the moment when the gravel, disguised as a villain, kicked open his door.

Back then, I timidly handed over the purse containing the money I had saved up over half my life to a pile of rubble.

He clearly remembered the amount of loose coins in the purse.

44 gold coins, 16 silver coins, and 223 copper coins.

There was a time when he truly believed that if he worked harder and endured more hardship, he could provide a stable life for his family.

He only realized the truth after discovering that his life savings were nothing more than the cost of a lunch for the nobles of Longjin City.

If you can endure hardship, you'll endure hardship for a lifetime.

Obeying the nobles' orders obediently will not allow him to live a better life.

Only by striving for it ourselves can we hope to reach a brighter tomorrow.

That's why he teamed up with Holz to try planting star plum trees.

That's why he wanted to protect the hope behind him—

So he picked up his iron rake, and, mimicking the legal verses he had heard before, refused to yield an inch:
"You, you trespass on private land, you will be punished!"

Mel didn't care about his attitude.

He simply said in a cold voice:
"A pack of ungrateful dogs, nobody will care if they die."

The mercenary obeyed his employer's orders, raising his longsword and preparing to strike.

A bulky figure rushed onto the field and knocked him away.

Melard shouted at his father:

"No, we can't do that!"

(End of this chapter)