Chapter 143 Friends should help each other

Daiyu giggled, and after a while of playful banter, she said, "Granny, Lansu said the streets outside are very lively. I can't go out for a stroll, but why don't you go out and see for yourself? When we were at Grandmother's house, you were always going out. Now that we're home, it's much more convenient, so why don't you want to go out anymore?"

Yuan Hongqu thought about it and realized that she really hadn't been out much lately, always preoccupied with various trivial matters, and she was spending less time with Daiyu each day than before.

This morning, Wu Tian came into town and brought her another problem.

Yuan Hongqu was somewhat disheartened, so she simply told Daiyu about the problems Wu Tian had brought up that day.

After thinking for a moment, Daiyu casually said...

"They are farmers who only wanted to become nannies because they saw the benefits, but they didn't consider what would happen if the nannies stopped letting them cultivate the land. Then they would have nothing. Only what you hold in your own hands is truly yours. If the nannies need more farmers on the estate in the future, they might as well hire them to do some work and give them some incentives."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Hongqu suddenly realized that she had been stuck in a rut. But she was still Daiyu, with her keen and insightful mind, and immediately found the crux of the problem.

"This problem can finally be considered solved. There are already enough fields and households on the estate. We're not looking to get rich from the estate; we're just thinking about how to make it more convenient for ourselves to eat. As for ensuring that the households eat and dress better than before, that's the responsibility of the head of the household." In this regard, Yuan Hongqu's way of thinking is still stuck in the modern model.

“Granny, although I’ve never managed a farm, from what I’ve read, almost no landowner has ever been able to feed their farmers. You’ve made sure they have enough to eat and even surplus grain. Those villagers who own their own land don’t necessarily have surplus grain, so how could they not envy the farmers who don’t own land?” Daiyu’s analysis was so logical and insightful that it was hard to believe a child would have such knowledge.

Yuan Hongqu herself wasn't quite sure if what she had done had gone too far.

However, Daiyu was able to point out incisively that Yuan Hongqu had gone too far.

She's only been a little kinder, paying the farmers their due wages so they can have enough to eat, and that's already making others envious. If she gave them a little more, she'd like to repair the road in the middle of the greenhouse next year, and also reinforce the farmers' houses.

Upon hearing Daiyu's analysis, Yuan Hongqu secretly thought that she could no longer handle matters at the estate with the mindset she had in her previous life.

Currently, only the villagers of E'er Village want to sell their land to Yuan Hongqu. If she does something else, I'm afraid that all the farmers in the suburbs of Beijing who can't get enough to eat will sell their land to Yuan Hongqu.

“If Wu Tian comes again tomorrow, tell him to go back and tell those people that we won’t buy their land…” Yuan Hongqu said deliberately, wanting to see what different opinions Daiyu would have next.

“Granny, you mustn’t!” Daiyu hurriedly stopped her. “The New Year is just around the corner. If you tell them you won’t buy their land, they probably won’t even be able to celebrate the New Year properly.”

"So what do you think we should do? I heard from Wu Tian that whenever he goes out, villagers follow him. Some villagers even offer their daughters to him in order to become farmers... This has scared Wu Tian so much that he has to sneak around when he goes out."

“Granny, we shouldn’t even give jobs to people like that, let alone let them work as farmers!” Daiyu said angrily upon hearing this.

“That’s for sure. It’s not a famine year where people are starving to death, otherwise people would have such thoughts. Even though there was that heavy snow, it’s not enough to sell children. People like that have no conscience.” Yuan Hongqu was also very surprised to hear Wu Tian’s words today.

Although buying and selling servants is legal in the world of Dream of the Red Chamber, she had never personally experienced such a blatant declaration that she would give her daughter away to someone else in exchange for a chance to sell land.

“Granny, why don’t we let Headmaster Wu postpone it until after the New Year? After the New Year, spring plowing will probably be in full swing. When things get busy, if the farmers can’t handle it all, we can let the villagers do it. They’ll find that they can get a good income without selling their land, and then the problem will be solved.” Although Daiyu didn’t go out much, she was well-read and had her own insights into things.

"My dear girl, you've done me a great favor. I must give you a truly unique gift." Yuan Hongqu smiled. Daiyu reads many books, so it's time to put them into practice. This kind of live, hands-on learning is far more memorable than anything learned from books.

“Granny, you’ve already given me enough gifts. It’s only right that I help you find solutions to your problems. Otherwise, if you’re just being nice to me all the time and I can’t help you at all, I’ll really feel like I’m a burden to you,” Daiyu said with a smile.

Yuan Hongqu was not only her nanny, but also her housekeeper and her teacher.

Most importantly, it was her best friend.

If one party is always giving while the other simply accepts, the friendship is unlikely to last.

Although Daiyu knew that her nanny would never abandon her, Daiyu still wanted to do some things for her nanny so that she wouldn't feel like she was always owing her nanny, and she would feel a sense of accomplishment.

Yuan Hongqu recently noticed that Daiyu seemed to be intentionally or unintentionally trying to help her with some things, so she would create some small opportunities. Today's event was a big one.

Daiyu felt very satisfied that she could help the nanny.

With the Lunar New Year just days away, the Lin family, having been away for less than three years since Jia Min's death and with Lin Ruhai no longer in the capital, will still keep their doors closed to guests for the New Year.

The Lin family has gotten used to celebrating the New Year quietly like this.

Before the New Year, the Lin family servants delivered New Year's gifts to families who had always been on good terms with the Lin family. As for the most important gifts, the Rongguo Mansion's New Year's gifts were delivered directly from Yangzhou by Lin Ruhai.

Daiyu, accompanied by several head maids, took stock of the items sent from Yangzhou. A small portion of them were destined for the Rongguo Mansion, while the majority were New Year's gifts prepared by Lin Ruhai for Daiyu.

“Miss, how about we go to the Jia family mansion together tomorrow to deliver gifts? It’s been a long time since you’ve been there,” Zijuan suggested from the side.

Daiyu pursed her lips, and after a moment said, "Forget it, just have someone send it over. It's almost New Year's, so why don't you let Zijuan go back with your family for a few days and come back after the New Year?"