Jiang Chen surveyed the bustling makeshift market before him, genuinely surprised.
Though it looked crude—just a haphazard collection of tents and stalls—it had everything.
Especially ready-to-eat food.
The construction site provided meals, but anyone who'd had cafeteria food knew the deal.
The taste was mediocre, but the portions were huge, enough to fill stomachs.
If you wanted something better, you had to pay extra.
Fortunately, Liyue paid its workers very well.
Hundreds of Mora per day—even thousands for skilled laborers.
So no one here was stingy.
Meal times were the liveliest.
Workers pooled money to buy meat for a better feast.
For many, this was pure bliss.
And if there was no overtime? A little drink in the evening made it perfect.
"It's a bit chaotic, so I've already ordered a proper market built."
"That won't take long."
"Soon, we'll have a dedicated marketplace."
"Some people even want to lease land for farming—near Dihua Marsh."
"I'm still undecided on whether to allow it."
Keqing shared her current dilemma.
"Farming?"
"Dihua Marsh is ideal for that."
"Go ahead and lease it—no issues there."
"Dihua Marsh and Qingce Village should become our breadbasket."
"Dihua Marsh is flat, with plenty of sunlight."
"Now that we're developing Guili Plains, we can also cultivate those areas."
"Freshwater flows down from Qingce Village—perfect for farming and aquaculture."
"But if leasing, we must plan carefully."
Once the dock at Stone Gate was built, transporting grain would become much easier.
Qingce Village already produced plenty of crops, but shipping them had always been a headache.
Now, with roads improved and boats soon available, logistics would be far simpler.
A definite win.
Those wanting to lease Dihua Marsh had clearly noticed this—hence their interest.
Keqing pondered Jiang Chen's words.
It did make sense.
As Guili Plains grew, so would its population—and its food demands.
Without increased production, feeding everyone would be impossible.
This was a real concern.
Preparations had to start now.
Currently, much of Liyue's grain was imported—from Sumeru and Mondstadt.
Cultivating Dihua Marsh could drastically reduce reliance on imports.
Seeing the benefits, Keqing instantly knew what to do.
Lease it!
Absolutely lease it!
"I'll renegotiate with those merchants."
"But terms need careful thought."
"We can't lease it indefinitely."
Dihua Marsh and Qingce Village couldn't be treated the same.
She had to be meticulous.
"Just set a time limit."
"Say, 30 years—with priority renewal rights afterward."
"And restrict land use to agriculture only."
Jiang Chen borrowed leasing models from his past life.
Hearing this, Keqing's eyes lit up.
She immediately grasped the advantages.
This could work.
"Explain in detail later!"
She was very interested in this approach.
Short-term leases were a great idea.
Was this how things worked in Jiang Chen's world?
Fascinating.
Keqing needed to learn more.
"Sure."
"We'll discuss it back home."
With that, Jiang Chen continued his inspection.
He even checked some completed houses.
With Keqing overseeing construction, no corners had been cut.
Because you don't mess with Keqing.
Try it and perish.
The "Civil Engineering Queen" had zero tolerance for shortcuts.
The houses were bare-shelled but already sellable.
Soon, Keqing might even organize a property sale?
Actually… a great idea.
But Ningguang would handle it better.
She was the sales expert.
If Keqing did it?
"Buy or leave. No haggling."
Jiang Chen could already picture it.
Yeah, let's leave this to Ningguang.
She'll make it glorious.
Mentally noting this, Jiang Chen decided to call Ningguang later.
After a thorough walkthrough—finding no major issues—he returned to Mingyun Village.
Keqing stayed behind, double-checking everything.
She would ensure perfection.
Back in Mingyun Village, many had already received their communicators from Albedo Junior.
Seeing this, Jiang Chen announced:
"Register your numbers."
"Compile them into a booklet for me."
"Easier to contact everyone later."
The workers quickly agreed.
"Understood, Lord Jiang Chen."
"We'll register right away."
This was only logical.
As their leader, he needed their contact details.
"Good. Everyone gets a copy."
"And don't harass me for no reason."
As a very handsome man, Jiang Chen feared late-night "distress calls" from his mostly female staff.
He knew exactly how attractive he was.
So, a warning was necessary.
Hearing this, the women giggled.
"No unnecessary harassment… so necessary harassment is fine?"
Hehe~
But they wouldn't actually risk their jobs over this.
With that settled, Jiang Chen headed to his new office.
A stack of documents awaited him.
Despite just arriving, there was plenty to handle—mostly Guili Plains-related.
Picking one up, Jiang Chen suspected Keqing had left it for him on purpose.
The date was from way earlier.
He hadn't even been here then.
This had to be Keqing's doing.
Jiang Chen sighed.
Never expected Keqing to be like this.