Chapter 152: Things About the Farm
However, as soon as Luo Tingshan took a sip, he could tell the taste was far worse than before.
He frowned but said nothing. He added several spoonfuls of sugar to cover up the fishy smell of the beans, and then drank it all in one gulp.
Jiang Feng naturally noticed it as well, but the method was the same, the only difference was the ingredients.
Why not buy some beans from Luo's kitchen tomorrow and try it?!
Zhu Mingqing, who had just left Luo's house, brought people to help the Chen family move their things, and then went to the farm that had been renovated long ago.
The two farms are located on the east side of the outskirts of Guancheng, very close to each other, and have a total area of more than 1,000 acres.
The manor belongs to a wealthy businessman. Its manager is named Ma and is known as Manager Ma.
There are thirty tenant farmers in the village, about fifty or sixty laborers, plus children, so there are probably nearly a hundred people in the entire village.
As for the farms belonging to the Guancheng government office, the tenants had decent food and clothing, but they looked no different from straw poles.
When the old-fashioned manager Ma and the short and agile manager Chao heard that the master was coming today, they immediately went to the door to greet him.
Looking at the people getting off the carriage, the last one to get off was Wen Baolu, their eyes lit up and they immediately stepped forward.
Wen Baolu smiled and explained that Madam Zhu beside him was the real owner of Zhuangzi. The two looked panicked and said, "It is my fault that I did not recognize the real master. Madam, please forgive me."
Seeing how nervous they were, Zhu Mingqing changed the subject: "I don't blame you. Take us to the farm first."
It would also be good to understand the detailed output of Zhuangzi in detail.
Except for some necessary living areas, the entire village is cultivated farmland.
Manager Ma divided the farmland into three parts: one part for growing fine grains, one part for growing vegetables, and another part for growing some miscellaneous grains.
The yield of grain fields is about four dan per mu, and this is when Manager Ma takes good care of them. Now, like this year, if God doesn't give us food, we will really have to starve.
The tenant farmers in the village would also go out to work to support themselves.
Like now, there are many strong laborers in the village who go out to find work.
As for Manager Chao, because they were previously affiliated with the government office, the people there worked more conscientiously than Manager Ma, but they were also thinner.
The conditions in the two villages are almost the same. People live in a numb state, busy all day long for a bite to eat. The young children have no clothes to wear and can only stay naked at home.
It’s okay in the summer, it doesn’t matter if you don’t have clothes to wear in the hot weather.
But in winter, there was no insulation at home, and the bedding was not windproof, so children froze to death every year.
Zhu Mingqing had a rough idea of the situation of the two manors. After all, this would be her base in the future, and all great undertakings started from small beginnings.
"Manager Ma." Zhu Mingqing turned to look at the middle-aged manager standing behind him and introduced him, "This Mr. Chen Nong will be directly in charge of the farm affairs from now on. You will cooperate with Mr. Chen in the future."
Manager Ma didn't expect the new owner to remove his position as soon as he arrived, and he couldn't help but look displeased. However, there were many people around, all staring at him. Manager Ma agreed in a split second, "Yes!"
Chen Nong smiled at him, but was met with a serious and cold face. He didn't care.
Anyway, Mrs. Zhu said that if you have any problems, you can just come to her.
Moreover, his focus is still on researching high-yield seeds. Now he is just doing some preliminary planning to help Mrs. Zhu better manage the farm.
Manager Chao was feeling anxious at the moment, fearing he would be replaced as well. Then he heard the new owner say, "This is Madam Chen. She has taken over Manager Chao's estate. Manager Chao, please cooperate!"
Hearing this, my heart dropped.
Yes, since the owner of Zhuangzi has changed, it is inevitable that the manager will also change.
Forget it, it’s better to leave a good impression on the new boss, maybe there will be a chance for promotion.
"Don't worry, ma'am. I am very familiar with this farm. If you have any questions, you can send someone to find me at any time." Manager Chao said to Zhu Mingqing.
The Chen family lived on the farm from then on. The farm managed by Chen Nong was only responsible for growing crops, while the farm managed by Mrs. Chen was responsible for growing flowers, fruits and vegetables.
The two villages have their own focuses, and they can help each other when the other is busy.
The first order Chen Nong issued was to process all 500 acres of land, even if they had already been planted with grain seeds.
Upon hearing the news, Manager Ma rushed over to look for someone. He shouted angrily, "Mr. Chen, the lady trusted you, and this is how you repay her? The grain has already been planted, and now you want them to pull it all out and replant the seeds you gave us? We've already missed the planting season, what will happen if the seeds don't survive?!"
He spoke in a loud voice and could be heard clearly outside the room. Those who wanted to listen to the excitement immediately ran away.
Seeing that he was getting a little angry, Chen Nong said calmly, "I'm not in a hurry, why are you? If something really goes wrong, I'll be the one responsible."
Upon hearing this, Manager Ma became even more angry!
Is this showing off?
However, after hearing the next sentence, he felt even more aggrieved.
"Besides, this is Madam Zhu's decision." Chen Nong stood up and sighed, "I have tried to persuade her, but Madam is adamant. How about you think of a solution?"
The little flame in Manager Ma's heart was immediately extinguished.
He looked worried. "Mrs. Zhu doesn't understand farming. It's already July, and it's too late to plant the seedlings again. By the time winter comes and they have nothing to eat, many of the tenants will starve to death again..."
He scratched his head in frustration and paced back and forth.
"Madam hasn't left yet, let's go." Chen Nong walked out. "If you have anything to say, talk to Madam directly."
Although Zhu Mingqing didn't know anything about farming, she knew the importance of food, and pulling up the seedlings and starting over was the decision she made after discussing it with Chen Nong.
But he was worried that Chen Nong had just arrived and couldn't control these people, so he asked him to push the blame on himself if anything happened.
After Manager Ma finished speaking carefully, he kept looking at Madam Zhu's expression, afraid that she would think he was meddling.
After all, this is someone else's farm, you can do whatever they want.
But these people rely on the fields for their livelihood. If he doesn't take action, I'm afraid the tenants will have no way to survive.
Zhu Mingqing smiled gently and said, "You are fine."
Manager Ma was actually feeling uneasy, wondering if he was angry.
Zhu Mingqing thought he was really good. At least he dared to stand up and express his ideas and point out the problems.
She thought for a moment and said, "How about this: if there is no harvest this winter, I will give each of you two ounces of silver to get through the winter. How do you think that is?"
Manager Ma suddenly opened his eyes wide and his words became unsteady: "Madam...are you serious?!"
Zhu Mingqing nodded slightly: "But the premise is that you can't deliberately cause trouble, and you must follow Mr. Chen's orders, otherwise you won't get a penny."
Manager Ma felt relieved immediately. "I understand. I will definitely supervise the work and the tenants won't dare to slack off."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
