Mdm Liew quickly responded that they had paper and ink, and sent her youngest daughter to fetch them from her second brother's study.
Luther Liew, Liam's second brother, had just gotten married during the New Year. He was the one Martha Liew had mentioned—sent by his parents to study in the county town, only to quit after half a month because he couldn't bear the cost of carriage rides.
What Mdm Zhang hadn't said was that afterward, Luther moved in with an aunt who lived in Willowridge County Town and began studying at a local academy.
He was originally supposed to take the county-level exam this spring. If he passed, he'd qualify for the provincial exam—and if he passed that, he'd become a scholar.
Unfortunately, the recent bandit attack derailed that plan for the entire year.
Thankfully, his fiancée did not call off the engagement due to his leg injury, and the wedding proceeded as planned.
Watching Clara sketch with the brush and ink, Luther couldn't help but find her unusual. Though her brush grip was odd, her strokes were firm, lines straight and even—done without the aid of a ruler. It was clear she was someone used to drawing.
Everyone in Liew Clan Village knew Clara was a refugee from another region, but no one knew her family background before she fled.
Luther now suspected she had to have come from a wealthy, noble household.
Otherwise, how could a woman not only read and draw, but also possess such refined skills and practical knowledge? That wasn't something your average villager could learn.
Clara, of course, was well aware of Luther's scrutinizing gaze. But with no evidence, everything came down to what she chose to say—and she wasn't about to break a sweat over it.
So she answered openly and calmly, lying with ease. She claimed an uncle back home had been fond of carpentry, and she had learned bits and pieces from him.
The truth, though, was that in her previous life at the survival base, she'd taken all sorts of odd jobs to get by, including training at a medical equipment factory.
She finished two drawings—one of a pair of crutches, suitable for Luther and his younger brother who each had only one broken leg.
The other was a sketch of a wooden wheelchair. The design was simple: no extravagant large wheels, just four small ones for temporary use. The seat panel could be lifted for toilet use, and it had handles so that Liam's wife could push him with ease. Clara had thought it through in every detail.
She handed the diagrams to Mdm Liew and turned to leave.
Mdm Liew didn't even get the chance to thank her and was surprised by Clara's generosity. Such delicate designs, and she gave them away without the slightest attempt to hold anything back.
Though the symbols on the drawing were a bit confusing.
But Clara had said that Carpenter Liew would understand them, so she passed the diagrams on to him.
"Oh, these? These are arabic numerals," the carpenter explained. "They use these in the Western Regions—same as our one, two, three. The provincial capital and the imperial city both use them now."
Lady Liew nodded in sudden understanding.
"Miss Clara knows so much!" marveled Luna Liew, the youngest of the Liew daughters.
Carpenter Liew gave a nod of agreement. "Of course—Miss Clara has been to the provincial capital."
To be precise, it was the original Clara who had been.
Clara herself was a bit surprised to find the original host's memories even included familiarity with Arabic numerals.
She couldn't be sure if they had really spread into this world from afar, or if another transmigrator had introduced them before.
Also, in Sheng Nation, women didn't menstruate. They experienced something called a "silent cycle," which had no visible symptoms but still preserved fertility.
An absolute blessing for transmigrated women!
So far, Clara found this world mostly agreeable—except for the whole farming bit.
"Darling, how about these ten acres?" Lester stood on a narrow ridge between fields, gesturing at a neatly connected plot near the river. "Close to the water, easy to irrigate."
Clara nodded. These fields were all good anyway. That afternoon, she visited Frank Liew's house again to finalize the lease with Liam.
Other households were already plowing. Those without livestock paired up: one pulling the plow, the other guiding.
Some worked alone, awkwardly dragging the plow by themselves.
Plows came in various materials too—iron for those who could afford it, stone or wood for those who couldn't.
The old Liew estate had two plows: one iron, one stone. Thankfully, they had borrowed the village chief's ox—otherwise plowing 100 acres would've been impossible.
And because the land was scattered, it was already a stretch to plow each acre once. Only the good fields by the water got a second pass.
Clara and Lester spent a day at the Liew estate, observing how to use oxen to plow. Under Clara's none-too-subtle insistence, Lester rolled up his pants and gave it a try, gaining just enough hands-on experience to make them feel bold.
The next day, they started plowing.
Each took five acres. Lester used the ox-drawn iron plow they'd borrowed from Frank. Clara, ever the powerhouse, wielded another iron plow purely by hand.
They figured it'd be a breeze—she was strong, and he had the ox. Two acres each per day should be easy!
Then they actually got to work and realized how wrong they were.
The riverside fields were desirable precisely because of easy water access. But that also meant they were flooded. With one foot in water and the other sinking in mud, every step was grueling.
Villagers often quarreled over irrigation—family or not, if you tried to steal water from someone else's plot, they'd fight you like mad.
So the fields Clara had rented were already fully saturated. They had to release water while plowing, slogging through mud that clung to their legs like glue.
But humans are adaptive creatures.
After two days, both of them had somehow gotten used to the labor. Though exhausted from dawn to dusk, their bodies no longer felt as strained.
And since their souls were already numb from stress, they were practically in high spirits now.
Adam and Ben took over the housework and cooking. Every midday, they brought hot meals out to their parents in the field to make sure no time was wasted.
It took three and a half days to finish plowing.
Others with no ox or iron plow still moved faster than them, turning the couple into the village's favorite comedy act.
Fortunately, neither of them cared what others thought. Lester, in particular, could laugh off a direct insult like it was a friendly greeting.
Old Walter Liew and Mdm Zhang had been silently watching their third son and daughter-in-law work themselves to the bone—and they were secretly touched.
That fortune-teller hadn't been wrong. Their third son needed a fierce wife to keep him in line.
Just look at him now—doing housework, plowing fields. The transformation was almost unbelievable.
Too bad his shamelessness remained entirely unchanged.
"Father, hand over some rice seed for ten acres, will you?" Lester leaned against the main hall doorframe of the old estate, holding out his hand confidently.
Clara had given him money to buy the seed, but if he actually paid, he wouldn't be Lester Liew.
To his surprise, Old Walter didn't say a word—just went inside and brought it out.
He had already guessed that Clara's household wouldn't have saved any seed and had prepared in advance.
Only Logan, sitting in the courtyard, rolled his eyes hard. "Shameless. Already split from the family and still mooching off our parents."
Lester never got offended. He grinned and replied, "A son taking from his father—heaven's natural order."
Logan had never seen anyone this thick-skinned. Fuming, he grabbed a plow and stormed off to the fields.
Knowing full well Logan would channel that rage into productive labor, Lester waved cheerfully. "Work hard! Plow deep! When autumn comes, your brother will be back to collect grain!"
They say not to push people too far. Logan suddenly turned and snapped, "Lester Liew, you wait! I'm telling Clara everything!"
Like hell he didn't know his brother was hiding secret stashes of money!
Tell Clara, that fierce wife?
Lester's face changed in a flash. With a sharp step forward, he caught up. "Wait, little bro! Listen—let me explain—"
(End of Chapter)
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