Evil dragon has a warm heart
Chapter 317 - 317 316 Argument

Chapter 317: Chapter 316 Argument Chapter 317: Chapter 316 Argument The construction of Wuyao Snake Manor was no longer as bustling as it had been in the first year.

The manor office, court, and school that had been planned for completion this year had all been indefinitely postponed.

This was an order from Russell, which Charles could only carry out.

So for the time being, he was still crammed into the shoddy rooms of the Temporary Office, working.

“Has the Magical Medicine Field for wheat been carved out yet?” Charles asked with a furrowed brow in the noisy office, questioning Boris, the head of Wheat Hamlet, who was also known as One-eyed Boris.

“It’s all been carved out, a full fifteen hundred acres, Sir, not an acre less,” replied One-eyed Boris enthusiastically.

Now that Wheat Hamlet had its own Magical Medicine Field, the serfs’ enthusiasm for farming surged.

After all, the benefits of planting Magic Potion crops were much higher than ordinary crops, since the serfs were taxed based on a percentage of the harvest.

However, he added with concern, “Sir, you must have Rudi, the technical officer, visit our Wheat Hamlet frequently to provide guidance. Otherwise, I’m afraid the serfs might mishandle the wheat Magic Potion and delay Lord’s harvest, which would be disastrous!”

“Rest assured, I will arrange for Rudi to guide you,” Charles said.

Rudi was the manor’s technological officer, previously known as the serf technician Rudi with a red nose, and he was particularly skilled at cultivating Magic Potion crops.

After speaking with One-eyed Boris, Charles gestured for him to leave and then instructed the Chancellor of Records to call the next village head in.

The one who came in was Adolf, the head of Alfalfa Hamlet, who greeted with a limp, “I pay my respects to Sir.”

“Well,” Charles nodded indifferently, his gaze cold, perfectly embodying the authority of a Chancellor of Records. Being accustomed to the life of nobility since childhood, he knew how to exert control over commoners and serfs, “The hop fields have been placed under the care of your Alfalfa Hamlet, make sure they are well-attended to.”

“Yes, yes, Sir, everyone in Alfalfa Hamlet up and down will take good care of the hop Magic Potion field, and we won’t let a single Magic Potion plant be diseased or infested!”

“Rudi will come to your hamlet later to instruct on farming. Have all the serfs learn diligently; anyone who dares slack off should not blame me when my whip comes for them.”

“Yes, yes, Sir.”

In this busy humdrum, the morning slipped by.

Charles took out his pocket watch and glanced at the time; it was nearly lunchtime. He was inclined to make a round at Cigar Courtyard to report on his work.

But when he got up, he hesitated: “I’ve been going to Cigar Courtyard too frequently lately. Although Lord Charles hasn’t shown any disdain for me, I must have some self-awareness… Now Lord Charles is different from before, becoming more formidable by the day, even the Great Dragons have to glance at Lord…”

The Chancellor of Records brought over his coat, humbly asked, “Sir, do you need me to prepare a horse for you?”

“No need, I’ll head back to the officials’ dormitory,” Charles put on his coat and left the Temporary Office. As he reached the door, he dropped a few copper coins, “Go to the grocery store and buy two packs of sunflower seeds, later to be delivered to my house; Charli wants them.”

Charli was Charles’s younger daughter.

Upon arriving home, his wife was somewhat surprised: “Charles, aren’t you going to Cigar Courtyard for lunch… to report on work?”

“I’m not going today,” Charles said without explaining further, simply tossing his coat to the old maid who was attending to him.

At this time, his young daughter Charli ran over: “Father.”

“My dear girl,” Charles patted Charli’s head, without picking her up, as he was not fond of holding children.

Since Charles was having lunch at home, his wife instructed the old maid, “Aunt Connie, go tell the cook to prepare an extra serving for master’s lunch.” Despite not being nobility, their household still employed a cook and maids.

Charles sat down on a chair, glanced at his wife, whose figure had slackened, and a brief expression of repulsion flashed across his face.

When compared with Catherine, who often lingered in his thoughts, he felt even greater aversion for his wife.

Yet, reflecting on Catherine’s sister Katie, who had become a Phantom Beast Knight, he immediately reined in his thoughts, not daring to provoke Catherine any further.

Watching Charli play with her doll, he suddenly made a decision: “I plan to send Charli to the Knight Academy in town to take lessons, to train in Battle Qi alongside her brother Chad.”

“Ah, Charles, what made you think of letting Charli train in Battle Qi?” his wife didn’t quite understand.

Charli, however, jumped up: “Really, Father? Can I also train in Battle Qi?”

“Of course,” Charles looked at his daughter, already resembling a little adult, and couldn’t help but smile, “Now that father has money in his pocket, I can certainly afford to send my daughter to train in Battle Qi. But be prepared, Charli, training in Battle Qi is hard.”

Charli immediately straightened up: “I’m not afraid of hardship!”

“Good, that’s the spirit!” Charles exclaimed happily, “As long as you work hard, Father believes your future accomplishments will certainly not be inferior.”

Charli was overjoyed.

His wife, however, was somewhat puzzled, “Charles, what are you thinking? Sending Charli to the Knight Academy for classes, how much tuition will that cost? It’s hard enough for our family to support Chad’s education, where will we find the extra resources to support Charli?”

“A woman doesn’t understand these things!” Charles glared.

His wife glared back, “Then start bringing in more money. Apart from mooching meals at the lord’s house, I haven’t seen you demonstrate any other abilities!”

“Long hair but short on insight!” Charles retorted angrily, “Without me working hard in the service of the lord, do you think you can live in a stone house and afford servants and a cook?”

“Hmph, others become a head official and bring all kinds of benefits home. You, on the other hand, don’t dare bring home a single copper coin!”

“That’s why I say you’re short on insight. Lord Charles has a bright future, and only by faithfully working for him can I secure a future for us. Unlike some blind woman like you, always wanting to grab everything for ourselves, where would that get our fortune!”

“I am blind, yes, blind for marrying you, an old lecher. When you see her, your eyes nearly pop out of your head! It’d be one thing if she were pretty, but she’s 18 and looks 80, and yet you still go after her!”

“Keep blabbering and see if I don’t slap you!”

“You dare to slap me, and I will dare to complain to the lord.”

“You you you you…” Charles’s hands shook with anger, but he ended up sighing helplessly and sat back down in his chair.

Knowing she had won, his wife immediately gloated, “It’s only because I don’t despise you. Her sister is a Phantom Beast Knight; she would never take a second glance at an old lecher like you! Without luck, you wouldn’t even have become the Chancellor of Records!”

Seeing Charles remain silent, she took out a White Dew cigar, her hands trembling as she tried to ignite it, failing to light it after several attempts.

His wife probably felt that she’d been too harsh, but unwilling to back down, she muttered, “Hmph, don’t even dream of becoming a lord in this lifetime. Put away your lecherous thoughts and focus on raising Chad properly!”

The atmosphere became awkward for a moment, with neither of them speaking.

Their daughter, Charli, had already snuck back to her room, not wanting to witness her parents’ quarrel.

Knock knock knock.

The door was knocked, easing the stiff atmosphere slightly, and the junior clerk, holding a bag of melon seeds, stood at the doorway, “Ah, madam, hello. These are the melon seeds Lord Charles asked me to buy; I’ve brought them for you.”

His wife immediately showed a kind smile, “Is that so? Thank you for your trouble.”

She took the melon seeds but didn’t invite the junior clerk to come in.

The junior clerk had seen Charles trying to light his cigar on the sofa; he timidly greeted, “Lord Charles, I’ve brought the melon seeds you asked for… You’re busy, you’re busy, sir and madam, I will head back now.”

“You still have some conscience, buying some melon seeds for Charli,” his wife said, breaking the previously frozen atmosphere.

Charles exhaled a puff of smoke, seizing the opportunity to bridge the gap, and grunted, “As a father, I have never failed my duties toward Chad or Charli. It’s only you, wife, who always takes those trifling social graces for reality!”

“I know better than anyone what’s real!”

“You’re not wiser than anyone; you’re more suspicious than anyone… I warn you, keep it together in public and don’t cause a scene to be laughed at by others. I am, after all, the Chancellor of Records for the manor, in charge of five or six thousand people!”

“Hmph.” She snorted, then said, “So you’re the only one who can play along, and I can’t? Every time I accompany you to the Cigar Courtyard, in the presence of Lord Charles or your colleagues, have I ever spoken ill of you?”

“It’s good that you know.”

“You weren’t this cautious before. You haven’t hesitated to speak ill of Lord Charles behind his back…” his wife muttered.

Before she could even finish, Charles cut her off, “Shut up!”

“Why are you getting angry!”

“Times have changed; ever since the Qi Seed bloomed, the lord has fully demonstrated his genius,” Charles said earnestly to his wife, “Devotedly following the lord, Chad will surely become ennobled in the future, restoring our family’s ancient glory.”

He was unaware that Russell had already become a prospective Flying Dragon Knight.

But he was well aware that in the past year, Russell’s achievements, along with being acknowledged by the Shadowflame Dragon, all indicated that Russell had a bright future.

To follow such a lord with great prospects was the biggest fortune of his and his son’s lives.