Chapter 211 Repairing the House, Ivy, Food
The Cher family acted swiftly.
Not long after Ray gave his instructions, Vincent began to deal with the plants on the wall.
While vines and ivy may look beautiful from a distance, they easily attract mosquitoes, snakes, and ants, making them a breeding ground for geckos and other small animals.
In addition, it can cause some irreparable damage to the walls.
This is why Ray insisted on eliminating them.
Ray didn't just watch Vincent work with the two children; he changed into his old clothes, grabbed a hacksaw, and worked alongside them.
At first, they were very reserved and felt that Lai shouldn't be doing these jobs.
But while tidying up together, they also realized that Lai was not like other young masters from noble families.
On the contrary, he was very skilled at farming and agricultural work.
"Can the land behind the villa be cultivated?"
"You mean the lawn?"
"Yes."
“That’s your land, you can use it as you please.”
Vincent replied.
"Can I build some warehouses or greenhouses like sunrooms on it?"
"Yes, but the nobles in the surrounding area rarely do this. Grassland is a symbol of family wealth; only ordinary people plant grass around their houses."
"I am just an ordinary civilian."
Ray laughed, thinking that the nobles were really putting on an act in this regard.
When they can't even afford to eat, they still think about using large tracts of vacant land to enhance the family's image.
In his eyes, the glory of the Victor family was a thing of the past. There had been no news of them for over twenty years; the Victor name had long been forgotten.
What he needs to do is the same thing he did back in the small mountain village—make money.
Living off one's savings is not in Lai's nature. Even with Saiya's financial support, he still has some savings of his own.
However, he is about to face a powerful noble family at the height of its power. To successfully rescue Neil, he must make careful plans to ensure that there are no worries about the future.
This will be a protracted battle, so he must take the initiative in terms of finances.
He had past experience and a large number of seeds that were not available on the market.
He wanted to invest in agriculture, take a high-end approach, and cultivate special vegetables exclusively for the nobility.
This also made it easier for him to obtain information from various sources privately.
Ray has big ambitions.
He wanted to use the land behind the villa to build a greenhouse that would suit the characteristics of the magical continent, so that fresh vegetables could be grown even in winter.
This will be an important source of income for him in the future.
Plants on the wall are relatively easy to manage.
After cutting off their stubborn roots, Ray, Vincent, and their two sons tied ropes to the vines near the fourth-floor window.
Then the four of them worked together to pull backward.
These plants, which had stubbornly clung to the wall for many years, were peeled off like a pancake, revealing the original color of the villa's walls underneath.
It forms a stark contrast with the weathered parts next to it.
The various little creatures hiding under the plants were suddenly thrown out of their homes by Lai and his group, and they fled in panic.
Thankfully, all the doors and windows of the villa were tightly closed, otherwise who knows how many more little ones would have crawled inside.
"How come there are so many geckos hiding inside?"
Karma and Diana frowned at the sight, and Jane was so frightened that she hid inside the house and didn't dare to come out.
"Fortunately, Master Vic had the foresight to deal with them, otherwise they would have crawled into the house."
"Karma said."
“Quite a few have already sneaked into the house,” Diana interjected.
"What should we do?" Kama said with some worry.
"Let's ask my brother or other neighbors later."
"All right."
Lei and his team only cleaned this one wall; there are still several others that need further work.
They didn't stop, peeling off these "pancakes" one after another.
It was very strenuous, but the scene was also very stress-relieving.
The most valuable and useful thing the Cher family owned was a donkey cart. After receiving orders from Lay, the old steward drove the cart out to buy tiles and glass and hired craftsmen.
These climbing plants that have been removed need to be transported out by donkey cart, but Cher hasn't returned yet, so they can't be thrown away for the time being.
Once the walls of the entire villa were finished, there was no more strenuous work to be done.
Vincent insisted that Ray return to the villa to rest, while he and his two sons would continue to clean up the remaining roots and branches.
Lai then went back to his room and washed his hands and face.
Kama and Diana have already cleaned up the second floor and the stairs.
They took down all the curtains in the villa; they were covered in dust and needed to be thoroughly cleaned.
This will be a very large project.
The curtains were piled up all over the living room floor, and Ray thought he should suggest that Cher outsource the curtain washing job instead of bothering the two frail women in the house.
Lai went down to the kitchen on the first floor to check how much food they still had.
The kitchen was empty except for two large iron pots and a few cooking utensils. These utensils were brought by Karma from their own home.
The only ingredients in the kitchen were a pitiful basket of green vegetables, a dozen or so bird eggs, and half a bag of flour.
Ray called in Karma, who was in charge of the kitchen, and to avoid suspicion, he also called in Diana, who was still working.
Do you have any food left?
Kama kept her head down, avoiding eye contact with Ray; she wasn't very good at lying.
"Tell me if you have it or not."
“It’s only a little bit; Vincent hasn’t received his wages for this month’s work yet.”
Ray knew this would happen.
His pendant space contained plenty of uneaten food and flour. It was more than enough to feed the five adults and three children for a month.
Right in front of Kama, Lei took out a whole bag of wheat flour and a whole bag of rye flour from his pendant space.
Karma and Diana stared in shock.
"Magic... Magic! You can use magic!"
"Um."
Living in the same manor, it was only a matter of time before magic was exposed. It wouldn't matter if it was discovered beforehand; being a magician wasn't anything shameful.
Then Lai took out a whole jar of salt, as well as dried vegetables such as dried green beans, dried potatoes, dried radishes, and dried mushrooms.
The entire counter was piled high with food.
Karma and Diana's eyes were filled with surprise and joy.
Are there any farmers nearby who sell bird eggs?
Yes! Yes, there are!
Kama replied.
"Have them send 150 red rockbird eggs every month for the next three months. That's enough for now, we'll buy more if needed. Boil one egg for each of the three children every day."
"Thank you, Mr. Vic!"
“It’s alright. This money will be paid from Steward Cher. If the farmers have any newly hatched chicks, we’ll buy a batch and raise them ourselves. Then we won’t need to buy from them anymore.”
"Okay, we'll follow your instructions. We'll definitely take good care of these chicks!"
"Yes, I also believe in your abilities."
After finishing what he needed to do in the kitchen, Lei turned and left, leaving the kitchen to the two ladies.
On the second floor, directly opposite the living room, hang portraits of successive Victor family heirs.
It was in these portraits that Lei officially met his deceased father, Valerio Victor.
When the portrait was completed, he was still very young, and looked about the same age as Ray is now.
He had neatly trimmed short hair, dark brown eyes, no long beard, and no signs of life's hardships; he was full of vitality.
Ray couldn't understand what made this resilient young knight, full of hope for the future, make the decision to leave his comfortable life and hometown and live in seclusion in a remote mountain village on the border of another country.
“You look very much like him, no wonder the old butler recognized you at a glance.”
"Rian said in Ray's mind."
Do they look alike?
They do look somewhat alike.
His body truly inherited Valerio's excellent genes.
"You need to be whiter."
"His skin tone is probably more like his mother Jennifer's."
Don't you remember them?
"Um."
Ray's impression of the couple was very vague; he could remember various events, but their faces were only silhouettes.
As time goes by, these memories begin to become increasingly blurred.
He didn't know if this was a good development.
"Let's go take a look at the study; I'm very interested in it."
"Okay, go ahead."
Rye pinpointed the location of the large study on the third floor, which was directly above Rye's room.
The study has two windows, one facing the garden behind, and the other offering a clear view of the main road and the distant scenery.
The bookshelves in the study are very tall, specially made to match the height of the ceiling, and almost blend into the entire room.
The bookshelves were filled with books, all securely protected by glass cabinet doors, each of which was locked. Unfortunately, Lai didn't have the keys to open them.
"It seems that your love of reading is a tradition of the Victor family."
Ryan made a lighthearted joke, and Ray responded with a smile.
"Hmm, maybe so."
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