Yun Zhiyi suddenly realized and laughed, "That won't be necessary. I appreciate your kindness, but the rules can't be broken, so let's just continue as before. If everyone really wants to thank me, let's work harder next year, grow more grain, and get our lives back on track."

"This, boss..."

She waved her hand, "That's all. Tell Mr. Li that the sunflower field will be ready for harvest next month. If he really wants to thank me, there will be no end to it."

Li Fu paused, then chuckled and bowed deeply to her in gratitude.

"What the master says is right. Okay, then I'll go and tell them."

Some things cannot be calculated perfectly.

The boss is a kind and capable man.

She was willing to treat them well and take care of them as her own, so things like this would inevitably happen again in the future.

Always thanking someone can hurt feelings if you don't express it properly.

But that doesn't mean they'll take it for granted. In short, everyone just needs to work harder for their employer in the future.

Among the farmers, only those with good physical strength are truly capable.

Outside the manor at this time.

Princess Fu'an also stood not far away watching the commotion.

After a few days, the farmers had harvested all the wheat.

They selected plump, good seeds, dried them in the sun for two days, then packed them into sacks and delivered them.

Some carried wooden buckets or wicker baskets directly.

As you walk down from the entrance, all you see is golden wheat, a sight that soothes the soul.

Li Chengzhi, accompanied by two assistants, came out carrying a stack of account books. Upon seeing this scene, he couldn't help but raise the corners of his lips and smile with delight.

I haven't seen such a joyous, lively, and pleasant scene in so many years.

Ever since the new owner arrived, the entire village has been changing every day.

The changes in the spirit and morale of the farmers are quite obvious, to say the least.

In previous years, this would have been a time of worry and gloom.

After all, most people rely on those few acres of meager land in the fields to make a living.

After the harvest in September, the meager amount of grain had to be divided into three portions.

One copy was handed over, and the other was exchanged for money to purchase winter supplies.

We'll save the last portion to last until next autumn's harvest.

This portion will last for almost a whole year.

Those who cultivate more land are in a better position.

If you plant one or two acres, and rely on the remaining one or two hundred catties of wheat, no matter how frugal you are, it won't last that long.

Next year, we'll have to continue worrying about the low yield of our land while also looking for work outside to supplement our income.

But this year, not to mention that the yield per mu of land has increased by 200 jin.

Each household also has an acre of sunflower field.

Once you buy it and sell it, you can at least make twenty or thirty taels of silver.

With this money, we won't need to exchange a portion of this year's harvested grain for cash.

More than 300 catties can be left from one mu of land.

Even the worst-off family cultivates at least two mu of land. For example, the Zhou widow's family has 700 jin of land, which is enough for the mother and son to eat their fill for a year.

Not to mention that during this period, the employer has offered many odd jobs, and the wages are very generous.

Many families have seen a significant increase in income this year solely from wages.

With no worries about the future, how could one not be full of energy and spirit?

Even some frail elderly people seem to be much healthier lately.

Among them, Li Chengzhi's family benefited the most.

He and his youngest daughter worked in the village, and together they earned six taels a month from their monthly salary, plus bonuses and other rewards.

The second daughter is also working at the owner's cloth shop. As long as she works hard and is able to stay on, she will definitely have a good income in the future.

The family has many members and cultivates a considerable amount of land, about ten acres.

This year's wheat harvest yielded over 6,000 jin (3,000 kg).

Each family can keep 1,000 jin (500 kg) as enough to eat, and after handing over the rest, they can sell it for a large sum of money.

The youngest son also passed the imperial examination and became a Xiucai (a scholar who passed the lowest level of the imperial examinations), and his future

In addition to the compensation received for the incident that happened recently.

This year, our family's life has improved tenfold.

The only one who is currently unaware of the situation is the second son, who has not yet returned home from his business trip.

He thought that when his second son came back this time, he would tell him not to go out again.

He thought of the old man's suggestion that if Sunflower earned a lot of money, they would expand the house, and his heart was filled with enthusiasm.

He still felt quite guilty towards his children.

Previously, because of him, the family had been struggling to make ends meet.

The eldest son is alright; he has a child.

The second son is always away on business and has yet to have a child, leaving his wife to wait at home every year.

Now that life is better, they also need to have their own little family.

As the second daughter gets older, her marriage prospects need to be reassessed.

My youngest daughter is also of marriageable age.

And the youngest son, it's about time we started looking at potential partners.

The more Li Chengzhi thought about it, the higher the corners of his mouth curled up.

He put down the ledger and shouted loudly.

"Fellow villagers, the landlady already knows your sentiments. She said she accepts your kindness, but everything will still be done according to the rules. The amount from previous years will be the same this year. If you really want to thank her, then work harder next year, grow more grain, and make a better life."

Upon hearing this, everyone immediately began to buzz and shout.

"Rules are rules, and sentiments are sentiments. How about we give the extra 10% to the host to try?"

"Yes, yes."

Everyone was beaming with joy, and they gave away an extra ten percent of the grain without the slightest reluctance.

This one-tenth of the grain is still less than the increased yield per acre that the landlord gave them.

I wouldn't feel at ease if I didn't send it.

Li Chengzhi smiled and raised his hand to press down.

Once everyone had quieted down, he continued, "This is the boss's idea, so let's not be stubborn. We are truly grateful. Let's put our efforts into next year, plant more land, and deliver more grain. If everyone can live a good life and be happy every day, the boss will be pleased too, won't he?"

"Alright, it's getting late, so let's get started."

As he spoke, he spread out the ledgers behind and under the table that had been prepared beforehand.

The person who was first in line immediately stepped forward carrying a cloth bag filled with grain.

Two assistants, one of whom stepped forward to open the cloth bag and inspect the grain.

One person is responsible for weighing the scale.

They scooped out one-tenth of the grain and put it into the barley bucket next to them, returning the rest, along with the cloth bag.

"How wonderful." Princess Fu'an looked at it for a while and sighed softly.

He then turned and walked towards Yun Zhiyi's courtyard, a fire inexplicably rising in his heart.

It was not anger, not jealousy, and not resentment.

Rather, it was a blazing fire, as if it had finally found its target.

What she used to do was simply live in the moment and prepare for the future.

She was favored by the Empress Dowager and inherited her mother's estate, so she was never short of money or property.

Yet they still went to great lengths to develop Qiongge, building its reputation and status.

It's simply that she knows she doesn't have a proper maternal family. It's fine while the Empress Dowager is alive, but if she passes away one day, she might not be able to continue living comfortably in her husband's family.

But ever since she got together with Yun Zhiyi.

She seemed to realize then that life is more than just living in the small world of the inner courtyard.

Especially those in high positions, they can do even more.

"Good silver?" Yun Zhiyi was somewhat surprised to hear about the new project that Princess Fu'an had proposed for Qiongge.