Mu Yi'an took some time to visit the estate. Now, besides the five members of the Xu family who were bought, Jiang Shuhe is the manager, and he also works there. Uncle Li manages the entire estate, handling personnel allocation and technical support, and he can handle it all.

"Uncle Li, do we have enough people to do the work right now?"

"Madam, we have enough for now, but the watermelon seedlings have already sprouted and will soon be planted in the ground, so we'll need more people."

Although Uncle Li is over fifty years old, he is in good health and has a tanned complexion, making him look very energetic.

“Uncle Li, here’s what we’ll do: when planting the seedlings, you, Shuhe, and a few people from the Xu family will be in charge of supervising and guiding the work. We’ll hire the rest from nearby villages, men and women are all welcome, as long as they’re hardworking. We won’t pay by the day; we’ll pay you whatever amount of money you get for each acre of sweet potato seedlings you plant. The more you work, the more you earn.”

"Ah! Madam, this is a good idea. It will prevent anyone from being lazy and wasting time."

Uncle Li never expected that his wife could come up with such a good idea, which could be used in other places in the future.

"Yes, those who come out to work are all doing it to earn a few coins. We need to calculate their wages carefully so that we don't shortchange them. This way, we save time and effort, and they'll be happy to earn their money and work willingly."

Mu Yi'an felt this was a win-win situation. They had already mastered the technology, and hiring some short-term workers would save them trouble.

"That's the idea. We have five oxen on the farm that can work, and they all have the right tools. The dry land has been plowed, but the wheat harvest will take some time. As for the sheepfold, pigsty, and chicken coop, shouldn't we hire two people to feed them regularly?"

Mu Yi'an thought about it and realized she needed to hire a few people to raise the animals. She needed to decide whether to hire them from nearby villages or from Jiangjia Village.

Xu's sister-in-law was in charge of the farm's meals and cleaning the farmyard. She also took care of the sewing and mending for Uncle Li and Jiang Shuhe. She couldn't do anything else.

Mu Yi'an and Sister Fang took a walk around the village and saw that the livestock in the sheepfold and pigsty were growing well. These days, Xu Wu and his three children have been taking care of them.

Mu Yi'an read it once and understood. She would go back to Jiangjia Village tomorrow to discuss some things with Jiang's father and her third grandfather.

Back home from the village, Shao Yun and Chu Yue played in the courtyard, with Li Qiang keeping them company. Jiang Qi and Fang Mianhua sat on the porch sewing shoe soles, able to watch over the children.

"Mom, you're back! You've worked so hard!"

"Mom, it's painful!"

Shao Yun and Chu Yue ran over, hugged Mu Yi'an's legs, and said sweet words to him.

"What are Shao Yun and Chu Yue playing? Are they listening to their aunt?"

"Mother, we listened to Aunt and are teaching our little sister to read."

"Yes, be good, learn to read, the beginning of life, the beginning of life..."

Chuyue is not yet two years old and her speech is not very fluent. She can speak short sentences, but she can't speak longer ones.

"At birth, people are inherently good; their natures are similar, but their habits differ. Sister, don't rush, speak slowly."

When Shao Yun saw that his younger sister couldn't remember, he quickly comforted her, acting very much like a good older brother.

"Yes, hello brother!"

Chuyue held her brother's hand and ran off to play again.

Jiang Qi waited until the children had run off and her second sister-in-law had finished the tea that Sister-in-law Li had brought over before coming over.

"Second sister-in-law, you've worked hard!"

"It's alright. We'll go back to Jiangjia Village tomorrow. I have something to discuss with Dad and Third Grandfather. Take the two children with you, and you can go back and talk to Mom. She's been missing you all this time."

“Okay, I also miss our mother a bit. I feel more at ease going back with my second sister-in-law.”

Jiang Qi is now really dependent on her second sister-in-law, especially when they go back to the old house. Sometimes she doesn't know what to say, and she feels that there are too many things to do at home, and she has no right to say anything. She feels a deep sense of powerlessness.

"I'll have Sister Li go buy some pastries and drinks later. We can't go back empty-handed."

After Mu Yi'an finished speaking with Jiang Qi, she went inside to change her clothes.

After hearing the instructions, Sister Li took her basket and went out, buying the vegetables she needed for lunch.

A short while later, Steward Li came to report that the shop had been cleaned up.

"Steward Li, this is a sketch I drew. Have a carpenter make it and put it in the shop. I'll go back to Jiangjia Village tomorrow to discuss the goods with the villagers."

"I understand, madam. I'll go look for one tomorrow. There's a carpenter's shop near ours. He does a good job and his prices are reasonable."

"Okay, go ahead and get busy. Just make sure the accounts are in order. We don't have much to do right now. We'll find someone specifically to handle the accounts later, and that will save you a lot of trouble."

Mu Yi'an couldn't put all the blame on Butler Li alone, but time was tight and she hadn't had the time to look for someone yet. If all else failed, she could ask at the brokerage firm if they knew anyone suitable.

The next day, Mu Yi'an asked Steward Li to take them back to Jiangjia Village.

"Steward Li, when you get back, go to the brokerage and see if there are any suitable candidates. Buy one who can both guard the door and drive the carriage. It would be best if someone agile, so that you won't have to follow us around when we go out. Especially after the shop opens, you'll have even less time."

"Understood, Madam. I'll go to the brokerage firm as soon as I get back."

"Okay, you go back and get busy. We'll be picked up around 3 PM, and we'll have dinner at home."

Mu Yi'an dismissed Butler Li and, carrying their belongings, led the two children into the courtyard of the Jiang family's old residence.

"Second sister-in-law is back!"

"Sister-in-law, are you busy?"

"I'm so busy. This year I'm going to plant five acres of watermelons. I'm busy looking after the seedlings, and I'm a bit overwhelmed."

Li Qiuniang had just come out of the shed, beaming as she spoke, saying that she had now learned how to care for watermelon seedlings.

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