Chapter 19: Daisy

The day after the wedding, I took Jung's parents to see Hans.

"Hans, I'm glad to see you're doing well," said Jung's father, Lord Hochberg, greeting Hans. "Yes, I'm doing fine." The surroundings were lively with the sounds of tapping and banging as people were busy working on various projects. "Hans, you could come back home if you want. Won't you return?" "I must decline." His answer was immediate. I was happy, but I wondered if that was really okay.

"Here it's completely free. As long as safety precautions aren't neglected, I can do anything without anyone saying a word. I've never had such freedom and enjoyment before. If I went back home, I'm sure someone would have something to say about everything, and I wouldn't be as free as I am here. I want to stay here, and I will stay here."

With those words, my father-in-law seemed to give up on something. "I understand. Lord Han, I leave Hans in your care." "I gladly accept."

"By the way, it's quite lively around here. What's going on now?" "Well, we're not working on any major developments right now, but as we do various things here, all sorts of people come and start researching on their own." "Doesn't that cause problems?" "Not at all. Woodworkers, stonemasons, blacksmiths, and others gather and do all sorts of things on their own. If they find something interesting, everyone cooperates and focuses on that work. It's really fun. We haven't produced any major results yet, but I think something will come of it eventually."

"Is Hans paying them wages?" "I'm not paying any money at all. Everyone just comes here on their own and works on their own. I'm just providing tools and space. Maybe I'm also providing some materials."

I was surprised. By letting Hans research freely, similar craftsmen were being drawn to the free atmosphere, gathering like moths to a flame. This was incredible.

"Oh yes, recently a potter who somehow couldn't stay in the royal capital fled here and came to me. We've secured clay, and now we're gathering charcoal and building a kiln. I think we'll be able to make pottery here soon." I was astonished again—pottery could be made in my territory? Pottery had always been imported from the royal capital. If we could make it here, our expenses would decrease significantly. What a development!

"But the person I want you to meet today is this girl." "Hans, I didn't know you had a sister." "I'm the youngest child. I don't have a sister."

The girl next to Hans looked just like him. She was a small, thin girl with brown curly hair and glasses. Except for her freckles, she was the spitting image of Hans.

"Don't tell me, father-in-law..." I turned to my father-in-law. "I haven't done anything!" "Darling..." "Anna, believe me. I'm completely innocent." "Father, don't worry. This girl is from a nearby village and has no blood relation to me whatsoever. It's just a coincidence that we look alike." "You gave me a scare."

"The surprise is yet to come. Listen to what this girl has researched here." "Research? This girl?" She actually looked only about 12 or 13 years old. "Yes, research. Daisy, would you please explain?"

"Yes, I'm Daisy, the third daughter of the village chief nearby. I had been doing small experiments around my home, but when I heard that anyone who wanted to do something could freely research here, I came." "When I arrived, it was true. I could use the equipment and materials freely without anyone complaining. I've never had so much fun before." "Daisy, that's enough about that. Please tell us about your research findings," Hans urged her.

"I'm very sorry. I was curious about why harvests differed depending on the village fields. I thought fluffy soil like forest soil would be good, but even among similar fluffy soils, there were differences, and I wondered why." I thought it unusual for a 12-year-old to think this deeply, suspecting this girl was no ordinary person. But the truth far exceeded my imagination.

"So, I tasted soils from various places. I found that the soil that produced good harvests tasted slightly sour." I thought, "She tasted it?" but remained silent.

"This child has keen senses—vision, hearing, and taste so sensitive she can detect very subtle differences." "Then I remembered a childhood game with morning glories." "Morning glories?" "It's a game where you take the juice from morning glory flowers to make colored water. When you add vinegar to the blue water, it turns red, and when you add kitchen wood ash, it turns blue again."

"From this, I understood that there are sour things and their opposites, represented by ash." "I named these 'vinegar level' and 'anti-vinegar level,' and classified them into 14 levels based on the color of morning glory water. I also named the morning glory colored water 'Hans level determination liquid.'" "So it's not vinegar level then?" "It's Hans level," she said with straight eyes. This girl clearly idolizes Hans. Well, that's beside the point. "So I dissolved field soil in water and tested that water with Hans liquid."

She's boldly calling it Hans liquid. Well, that's not important. "The result showed that soil with a Hans level between 6 and 7 produced the best crops." "I also found that if the vinegar level is too high, the harvest isn't good. After measuring the Hans level of various things, I discovered that wood ash and lime have the effect of moderating the vinegar level. We're already seeing results on the farm. I'll compile these results into a document, but I think we should apply this to the fields in the domain." Daisy concluded her report with a flushed face.

I was amazed. This girl is a genuine genius. Not just for a 12-year-old—even adults couldn't do this. A true genius. "Hans, this girl is a genius. I want to hire her. What do you think?" "No way. This girl is indeed a genius as you say. But I, too, am a genius if I may say so. So I know very well what geniuses hate, and that's being constrained. She's here because it's free here, because no one gives orders, because she can research whatever she likes. If you take away this freedom, everyone will leave."

"Hmm, I understand well. Let's keep things as they are. However, I'll provide a budget and staff for chores. Gather more people. I won't constrain Daisy, but I'll give her authority. I'll give her the title of Agricultural Chief of Hans' Experimental Workshop. She can research freely." "Thank you very much," Hans and Daisy said with smiles. The Hochberg couple listened to this exchange in amazement.