There is a door at the entrance of the back alley. It is open during the day and there is a special old woman guarding it. The door is locked at night.
The alley was wide enough for two carriages to run side by side.
Everyone took their keys and looked for their own homes. When the house number matched, it was their home.
The Zeng family was of low status and had been yamen runners for generations, so making a living was certainly not a problem, but there were certain restrictions on their food, clothing, housing and transportation.
For example, they were not allowed to employ slaves, wear silk and satin, and their descendants were not allowed to take the imperial examinations.
There were only seven people on this trip, including a family of five and two hired strong men.
As his parents were old and it was inconvenient for him to travel far, he stayed in the capital and was taken care of by his brothers.
When Mrs. Zeng opened the door, she saw a large courtyard divided into two sides by a straight cement road. On one side was a vegetable garden, and on the other side was a small flower garden, which looked a bit messy.
Deputy Captain Li accompanied him personally, "Brother Zeng, I just randomly scattered some seeds here, but I didn't expect some of them to grow. You can tidy them up when you have time. By the way, did you see that toilet? It's clean and sanitary, and can be used as a bathhouse. It was designed by the young lady. There's a water tank at the door, which is used for flushing."
What he was most satisfied with was this toilet. It was so convenient and if it was flushed promptly there would be no pungent odor.
He insisted on dragging people in to visit and see the bricks, cement mixing, and sewer facilities, and how much thought they had put into them.
He also demonstrated a simple sheepskin bag shower, which can be turned upside down to spray like a shower head, making bathing very convenient.
This made the Zeng family's eyes widen, and they felt like a new world had opened up.
Deputy Captain Li pointed to the main room again and said, "The furniture inside is all designed by the young lady. Each family can get one. If you are not used to it, you can give it to others. Many families want it."
Simple and practical, you will realize its benefits only after using it for a long time.
Mrs. Zeng saw that the furniture did not have complicated patterns or expensive wood, but it was harmonious and unified, and was very comfortable to look at.
Zeng Lihua was a little disgusted, it was too simple. "Dad, I want a step-out bed."
A step-out bed would cost about one hundred taels of silver, while a rosewood one would cost several thousand.
Mr. Zeng became generous when he had money in hand, "Okay, I'll prepare a good bed for you as a dowry."
Deputy Captain Li chuckled, "Lihua, you don't know the value of things. How can the things designed by the young lady be bad? I'm not kidding, they are very useful."
Zeng Lihua pursed her lips and said, "Uncle Li, you keep talking about Miss. Aren't you afraid that Auntie will get jealous?"
"How could that be?" Deputy Captain Li said as a matter of course, "The young lady is a deity, your aunt will definitely like her."
Mr. Zeng was very satisfied with his living here. He had everything he needed and didn't have to worry about anything. "Let's go and have a look at other houses. Madam, I'll leave everything at home to you."
"Don't worry, husband."
As soon as Master Zeng left, Zeng Lihua couldn't help herself, "Mom, Dad and the uncles actually worship a little girl as their master. Isn't it embarrassing? They are all officials, at least eighth rank. What does Mu Wanqing have?"
Although he was transferred to a military household, he was no longer a soldier but a general, in charge of fifty people.
Her father is not too old and can still work hard. If he moves up a level, he will become a household name and his status will change.
The scene of Lord Zeng and his group kneeling down to Mu Wanqing deeply stimulated the young and frivolous Zeng Lihua.
Mrs. Zeng pointed to a long row of houses and said, "She built all of this by herself. Can you do it?"
"Do you think it's easy to be pardoned by the king? If you have this ability, your father will be willing to recognize you as his master. Men are more realistic than you think."
Zeng Lihua: ...
Madam Zeng held the secret recipe tightly in her hand, her eyes sparkling. "This kind of family secret recipe cannot be bought even with money, but she gives out dozens of them at a time. Even the powerful families in Beijing may not have such a background. Those powerful families in Beijing definitely look down on families like us, and would rather be their dogs. However, Miss Mu is different. She and your father's uncles knew each other when they were little. This is an opportunity for your father."
Zeng Lihua understood everything, but she just didn't understand, "But, a girl's final destination is to get married, where is the opportunity? Can she still become the queen?"
Madam Zeng glared at her unhappily and said, "Don't talk nonsense. Your mouth will get you into trouble one day."
The neighbor next door came and knocked on the door, "Sister-in-law, have you heard?"
"What?"
The neighbor frowned, "All children under three and over twenty must be sent to school, including girls."
Mrs. Zeng was stunned. "Ah, who said that?"
The neighbor was gloomy, "Our head of the family said, what should we do? My Ru Niang is fifteen years old. How can she get married at this age if men and women live together in the same room? Sister-in-law, please help me with some ideas."
Their children cannot take the imperial examinations, so it is enough for them to just recognize a few words.
Mrs. Zeng is not opposed to going to school. It is always good to learn more. "Who made this rule? Who?"
The neighbors didn't dare to go against their own men, so they had to get everyone together.
"Probably not. She only takes care of the children of the Mu family. It is said that she is looking for the best teachers to teach them. When she is free, she will teach them personally and learn some strange things. Our head of the family went to ask her to treat everyone equally. She also said that as long as they learn a few tricks, it will be enough for the children to benefit."
"What's so weird?"
The neighbor only wanted to marry his daughter off to a good family. What's the point of a girl being well educated? In the end, she's still someone else's.
"I don't really understand. She said that this street was designed by the young lady herself. She was the one who came up with the idea for the bricks and cement. Maybe she's teaching them. Boys can learn, but what's the point of girls? They don't have to support the family."
Mrs. Zeng thought of the new toys in the toilet, and her eyes lit up. "You must learn. If the young lady refuses to agree, our whole family will go and beg her on our knees."
Zeng Lihua's face turned red with excitement, "Mom, I want to learn!"
No matter what these people thought, Mu Wanqing agreed to the request to go to school together.
They are not outsiders. If they are trained well, they will become good helpers. The more social animals, the better.
Once you enter the school, it is hard not to be influenced by her thoughts, and you will become her fan unknowingly.
Even Zeng Lihua, who was very resistant, was immediately struck by how stunning Mu Wanqing was after a few days of classes and watching her do some chemistry experiments. She called her teacher more affectionately than anyone else.
Also because of the entry of these people, the children of the Mu family had a strong sense of crisis and worked harder. The two sides engaged in healthy competition, chasing each other and learning enthusiastically.
On this day, someone came to the door and said, "Miss, please accept Mu Zhong's greetings."
Mu Wanqing looked at the thin man and asked, "Isn't your name Chen Zhong?"
The man knelt on his knees and bowed his head to the ground, "From now on, I will be your most loyal servant. Please accept us mother and son."
Mu Wanqing looked not far away and saw Song Yaren supporting an old lady with gray hair.
"Is the old lady feeling better?"
"Okay, thank you Miss for saving my life."
Mu Wanqing hesitated for a moment, "I'm currently in need of someone to manage the farm, I wonder if you're interested?"
The man spoke without hesitation, "Miss, I will go through fire and water to die without hesitation."
"I don't want others to die for me. I just want everyone to live well." Mu Wanqing readily bought the mother and son. The old lady couldn't do much work, so she just considered it a buy one get one free deal.
When going to the government office to handle the formalities, the man insisted on changing his name to Mu Zhong.
Okay, then let’s call him Mu Zhong. His mother’s surname is Ji, and she is an old lady with great wisdom in life.
Be cautious and don't take advantage of your seniority.
Ji's body had not recovered yet, so Mu Wanqing simply took them both to Shuimu Farm.
The air in the farm is good and suitable for recuperation.
The group rushed to the farm in a mighty manner. It would take about half a day by carriage and more than an hour by fast horse.
Seeing the endless wall of the farm from afar, Mu Wanqing poked her head out and said, "Dad, how about you buy a piece of land nearby? Then we can take care of it together."
“Okay.” Now that Mr. Mu has experience, it will not be a problem for him to set up a farm. By growing some vegetables and grains to supply the snack street, he can form a complete industrial chain.
"But will there be overcapacity? If people don't buy their products, they won't have money to spend at our snack street."
Every time his daughter had a class, he would find a way to attend and learned a lot of new knowledge.
Mu Wanqing couldn't help but laugh, "I plan to plant something different, I'll just wait and see for the next two years."
Half of it is used for conventional crops and the other half is used for experiments.
On the other side, Master Zeng narrowed his eyes and looked to the other side, "Our small farm has not yet been named, Miss, please help to come up with one."
He has already reported to the government office and is waiting to be assigned to a garrison.
Before leaving, they all wanted to see the small farm they had bought together.
Mu Wanqing rolled her eyes, and asked with some evil interest, "How about the Federation?"
"Federation? United Help?" Mr. Zeng liked it very much. "This is a good name."
Mu Wanqing's mouth corners raised.
The head of Hemu Village came out with the villagers to greet them, "Mr. Mu, Miss Mu, it's great that you are here. We are all looking forward to seeing you two."
We are short of manpower at the moment, so we can only temporarily ask villagers from the surrounding areas to come and help.
Hemu Village had a long history with them, so they went over to tell them about it. The villagers were worried about not being able to make money, so they all rushed over to work.
Shuimu Farm only built infrastructure, surrounded it with walls, and reclaimed wasteland. Mu Wanqing had people collect rotten garbage and feces from the city, and through special treatment, made them into organic fertilizer for fertilization. Note (1)
Half of the land is planted with wheat and the other half is planted with rapeseed. Rapeseed has a history of thousands of years in my country and is best used for oil extraction.
She also planted all the seeds she had collected on the road, and a small number of them sprouted, took root and grew.
The Federal Farm next door raises pigs, chickens, ducks and other poultry. It is a small poultry farm.
The group of people walked around the farm. The place was very large. After walking for a long time, they arrived at a hillside where a row of bungalows had been built for the workers to temporarily live in.
Three of the rooms were locked; they were where the Mu family's father and son temporarily stayed when they came to the farm.
Mu Wanqing pointed to two rooms and said, "Housekeeper, you and your son will stay here temporarily. If you need anything, just let me know."
"Yes." Mu Zhong was very respectful and had already started thinking about how to manage it.
It's not just a lack of housekeepers, there is also a lack of hard-working farmers. It's in the early stages and nothing is ready.
The village chief asked cautiously, "Who is this?"
Mu Wanqing glanced at him calmly and said, "My housekeeper, Mu Zhong, will be in charge of managing the farm from now on."
The village chief's expression changed several times. "Is this... you don't want our help?"
Help? Is this too careless? Mu Wanqing looked at him steadily, and her pair of dark eyes made the village chief a little panicked.
"We have been working hard these days..."
He was a very honest person, but after not seeing him for a while, he has changed a lot.
Mu Zhong said coldly, "Didn't our Mu family pay you? We paid you to do the work. Don't you think you are the master?"
The author has something to say:
Note (1) I saw this on Baidu. I haven’t experienced it myself, so I don’t know if it’s true or not.
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