Chapter 15

On the Matter of Siam 1

"Let's see what she's up to," Phraya Decha Damrongsak thought to himself.

"I won't abandon my garden. I've worked hard to build it, and besides, it's all money."

Phraya Decha Damrongsak's eyebrow twitched. My niece is money-minded!

Uncle Pai chuckled awkwardly.

Uncle Phin murmured, "Sigh… I figured it would be like this. After all, Little Man loves money the most."

Somyot tried his best to hold back his laughter. "She's quite a funny kid."

"Hmm... then can I have two years? When I'm fifteen, can I still go to school?" Manfah began negotiating with her grandfather.

Somyot nodded. "Yes, Miss. You can enter high school. The master can take you to enroll at Wang Lang School."

"Just the name tells you it's a school for the elite," Manfah said.

Somyot glanced at Phraya Decha Damrongsak and saw that he was still silent, indicating his agreement for Manfah to start school at fifteen.

"It's a school for the children of high-ranking families, a small high society."

"If I go, I might find friends with business connections to help my own growth. Not bad at all," Manfah's eyes sparkled, sensing the scent of wealth from afar.

Phraya Decha Damrongsak secretly smiled to himself. This child is clever.

Uncle Phin and Uncle Pai watched Manfah with amusement, as if she had a little fox tail peeking out, making her look quite funny.

It's fitting that little Man is always thinking about business.

Manfah furrowed her brow in thought. "I need someone to take care of the garden while I'm away, and I'll need to hire an accountant too. And then..."

Phraya Decha Damrongsak cleared his throat. "I'll find someone to help manage your business, including an accountant."

"If Grandpa can arrange that for me, I'll be relieved. I'm just worried about being cheated."

Somyot, Uncle Phin, and Uncle Pai laughed loudly, ignoring Phraya Decha Damrongsak sitting there.

Manfah puffed her cheeks in displeasure at the three of them laughing at her.

"This is serious business, and it's the most important thing."

"Alright, alright, I apologize. Haha," Village Headman Phin couldn't hold back anymore.

"You still have me, Little Man."

"Uncle Pai, you’re already handling a lot. It would be too tiring, especially with the pig farm. I want people in our province to eat pork at a reasonable price."

"But you sell ham and sausages at high prices."

"Well, I bought the machinery at a high cost," she shrugged. "Anyway, I'm selling to foreigners too." Manfah smiled slyly.

After the conversation, she asked Grandpa Puang to take Phraya Decha Damrongsak and Somyot to see her garden. Grandpa Puang looked at her with a hint of disappointment.

"He's not as intimidating as you think, Phraya Decha Damrongsak."

"But I feel tense and unsure around him." Having overheard today's conversation, he had a sense of what kind of person Phraya Decha Damrongsak was. He was just concerned for his granddaughter, wanting Manfah to have a good life. The demeanor of Phraya Decha Damrongsak now was different from the past when he had stormed to see Manfah's parents. The fierce and frightening attitude was gone. Now, only Phraya's aura of authority and nobility remain.

"You'll have to get used to it quickly because both of them will be with us for a long time."

Grandpa Puang pondered for a moment. It was true. "Alright, I hope neither of them holds it against me."

"They won't. They're both quite reasonable, except when it comes to my mother."

"Well, I'll be off then. You go talk to the others."

"Okay, good luck, Grandpa Puang," Manfah encouraged him wholeheartedly.

Grandpa Puang informed the two that Manfah had a total of nine rai of land. Somyot was astonished by the capabilities of the twelve-year-old girl. Phraya Decha Damrongsak said nothing, but he was quite surprised internally. Grandpa Puang suggested that it would be more convenient to take a ride around rather than walk, as it could be tiring.

The scene Manfah witnessed was Phraya Decha Damrongsak and Uncle Somyot riding in Grandpa Puang's trailer to tour her garden. In her mind, the most impressive person should be Grandpa Puang.

Manfah truly admired Grandpa Puang's skills. Who would have thought that the stern-looking Phraya was riding in Grandpa Puang's old trailer to tour the garden?

Manfah, Uncle Phin, and Uncle Pai gathered for a meeting under the mango tree. Manfah felt disheartened that she couldn't bring out her goods to sell anymore. Uncle Pai noticed her discouragement and gently patted her head to comfort her.

"Good girl, you know we can't always bring things from the dimension to sell. I'll find workers to help in your garden soon. It might be a bit challenging since the workers' quarters aren't finished yet."

"I'll pay for the workers' accommodation myself. Uncle Pai, just bring them here and take them to temporary lodging. Oh, right…! Please find someone to cook for them too."

"Sure thing. With your grandpa staying with you like this, he must be very worried about you."

"I can manage with Grandpa Puang alone. I even agreed to go to school over there, but neither of them will return to the Capital of Siam."

Uncle Phin crossed his arms and sighed. "You're still young, Manfah. It's not good for a little girl to be alone. After all, he's your real grandfather. Grandpa Puang isn't a blood relative. Phraya Decha Damrongsak must be even more concerned. It seems he just found out your parents passed away yesterday, which is why he rushed to see you today."

"That means he hasn't been keeping tabs on my family all the time."

"As far as I remember, the first time Phraya Decha Damrongsak came here was the day he decided to cut ties with Mrs. Jitlada. Since then, he hasn't bothered your parents anymore. When your parents were in Siam, Phraya Decha Damrongsak did everything he could to separate them, even blocking every company from hiring your father."

"That's harsh!"

"It's because he loved her so much. I have a daughter myself, so I understand. If anyone tried to take Mafueang away from me, I wouldn't stand for it."

Manfah rolled her eyes at the overprotective father.

Uncle Pai laughed. "Too bad I only have sons. If I had a daughter, it wouldn't be any different. Especially if Pipop tried to snatch her away... huh!"

I think there's something odd between Dad and Uncle Pai. ∼

"By the way, are you planning to build a big pig farm?"

"If we're going to do it, we might as well make it big. The machinery in the dimension can produce a lot of goods. Building small wouldn't be worth it. The pigs in my dimension are already of good breed, and they might even be the tastiest. We could even target the foreign market."

"That's right, your pigs are already a cut above the rest."

"But typically, how do they build pig farms?"

"Well, it's just a typical pen. It needs a good drainage system. The authorities emphasize cleanliness, and the pigs mustn't get sick. Pig waste and flies are a problem, so you'll need a lot of people to manage that."

"Then we should find a well-ventilated area, a bit away from residential homes. As for the barn, I'd like it to be like this." Manfah sketched a barn she had seen in her previous world onto a notebook.

"Are you planning to use steel frames and concrete for the barn? That's a bit pricey, but your barn design seems easy to clean. Installing water and feed troughs for the pigs, with water taps in every pen for cleaning, is not bad at all. It's very convenient."

"That's about it. If you want to add anything else, Uncle Pai, feel free. If we're going to do it, we should do it well."

Uncle Phin and Uncle Pai agreed with the young girl's suggestions. "As for the factory for producing sun-dried pork, ham, and sausages, we can build that after the pig farm is finished."

Uncle Pai added, "The contractor is a friend of mine, Watchara. The workers' quarters will be finished in another week. Watchara will be thrilled to have two big projects coming up."

"There aren't many jobs in our province, are there?"

Uncle Pai sighed, "That's right, Little Man. That's why Watchara often has to take jobs out of province."

Uncle Phin spoke, "Animal farms require a significant investment. You have to hire veterinarians to check the animals every three months, and taxes must be paid. It's not like farming or gardening, where you don't have to pay taxes."

"No wonder… our village doesn't have anyone running an animal farm."

"In the past, it wasn't this complicated. But due to outbreaks of animal diseases, the Westerners came up with ways to control these issues. They have a substantial influence in our country."

"I'll tell you the story of when the Westerners first visited Siam. Over twenty years ago, their king visited our Siam. Well… At first, we thought there might be a battle, but instead, they came to establish friendly relations."

"….."

Why is Uncle Phin sighing as if he's disappointed? Does he want to fight with the Westerners?

"Please continue, Uncle Phin."

Uncle Phin cleared his throat. "The king of the Westerners sailed to request an audience with His Majesty. His name was King William Anderson and he’s from England. He was said to be tall, strong, with blue eyes and blond hair. However, some of his entourage had black hair. When King William met His Majesty, our king welcomed him warmly as a guest. The two monarchs conversed and exchanged ideas about their countries, becoming quite close. His Majesty even traveled to England to observe the people and the country there. He realized how backward our own country was. From then on, Siam developed rapidly, and other countries began to establish relations and trade with us."

"How did our king get there, Uncle?"

"He traveled on King William's giant ship. It was quite famous. The ship was equipped with modern weapons. Seeing this, His Majesty was somewhat intimidated, which led to his relationship with King William. Fortunately, King William had no intention of conquering our Siam."

"I think conquering other countries might be more harmful than beneficial. Just because you can govern your own country doesn't mean you can rule the world."

"Hmm... your thoughts are... how should I put it? Maybe you're right."

"King William wasn't exactly a kind-hearted person. I think his initial visit was to gauge His Majesty's character and governance style. His Majesty was incredibly wise, as you saw, Uncle. Even though we adopted many Western innovations, we didn't let them meddle in our internal politics. His Majesty didn't need to say much; the Chao Phraya, ministers, and officials would never allow foreigners to dominate us. Initially, we might have been at a disadvantage, but we needed their knowledge. His Majesty remained neutral but had his people keep a watchful eye."

Manfah smiled slyly. "What do you think?"

"You see things more clearly than I do."

"And me too."

Uncle Phin and Uncle Pai looked at her in surprise.

"I do business, so I have to study politics a bit. I don't just go to the provincial town and city markets to spend extravagantly, you know. Haha." She had taken Grandpa Puang to several nice shops, and this idea came from Grandpa Puang himself.

"I'm curious about the Westerners. It's all about money."

Uncle Phin and Uncle Pai exchanged glances. "I thought it was about money."

"What do you think about our taxes, Uncle Phin and Uncle Pai?"

"Import taxes are higher than export taxes."

"Exactly."

"And what do you think about the Westerners settling in our country?"

"They are much better at trade than we are. Most of them are quite capable."

"Yes, the common folk don't settle here, do they? I mean, the ordinary people from England."

"Hmm," Uncle Pai pondered, recalling his school days up to the present, now that he had his own business.

"Most of those who come here are fairly well-off."

Uncle Phin continued, "After Siam established relations with England, many other countries sent their envoys to connect with us."

"Which countries?"

"France, Japan, India, America, Arabia, China, and so on. But there are more blue-eyed Westerners. Sometimes they don't even get along with each other. But we Siamese don't show favoritism. We're closest to the English, probably because King William was the first to establish relations."

It wasn't much different from her previous world, where there were conflicts among themselves. The novel didn't mention colonization. The king said that in her world, there were no wars now because they had fought before she arrived. Siam still didn't have ships to venture far beyond its territorial waters.

King William had just discovered the country of Siam. This continent might not be like her previous world. She was beginning to feel curious about the world map.

Ding! A world map appeared in front of Manfah from the system.

It really was different. Siam's neighboring countries were Mongolia, Laos, and Burma, while Malaysia was separated to the south of Siam and consisted entirely of islands.

In summary, King William intended to colonize, but due to insufficient food supplies and his fondness for our king, he chose to form alliances instead of waging war. King William didn't want the hassle of ruling colonies, as there were already governance issues with the vassal states. Siam was also far away. The problem with overly developed countries and frequent wars was the lack of sufficient food.

They were so obsessed with power and war that they forgot the basic needs of their nation's people. By the time they realized it, it was too late to fix. King William was probably tired of these issues. His Majesty could foresee the future problems of these countries very well.

She wondered why the Westerners ordered so many fruits and vegetables from the garden every day. It turned out it was due to this issue!

And they even competed with the Siamese for durians. Haha, she felt proud of the durians!

Humans can't eat iron, gold, or gunpowder.

Siam was lucky that these cunning colonizers arrived after the war!

"I have a question!!!"

"I heard that Westerners also became nobles in the palace. Did anyone ever reach the rank of Chao Phraya?"

"I can answer that," came a familiar stern voice.

"Phraya Decha Damrongsak!" Uncle Phin and Uncle Pai exclaimed loudly.

Manfah was so startled she couldn't even utter a word.

"Why are you all sitting and chatting under this mango tree? Couldn't you find a better place to talk?"

Grandpa Puang gave the three of them a look that seemed to say, I've shown them around the garden until there's nothing left to see.

Then we moved our conversation inside the house to the living room.