In fact, Chunxiao had already anticipated this. If they wanted cotton, it would be right in front of them. Why would they go so far away?
"What's the big deal? I expected this a long time ago. The military camp is also a purchase. 90 wen is not a low price. After deducting the wages I have to pay, I still make a lot of money. It doesn't matter."
"None of the people from the three villages near Guanshan Manor have left. They're probably thinking the cotton is ready for harvest. If the higher-ups didn't know about this, they'd definitely force them out." Dongsheng smiled. "They're also interested in this batch of cotton."
"So every advantage has its disadvantages. Just think about it, if my people were evacuated and locked up there, my cotton would rot in the fields."
Dongsheng sent them to a place where there were no checkpoints halfway and then returned to the military camp.
"You usually talk a lot, but why are you so quiet today?"
Xiaohua turned to look at Chunxiao, "I wouldn't dare, Miss. He's wearing armor and holding a sword. He's really scary. He's nothing like usual."
"Why didn't I feel that?"
"Miss, don't you think so? Anyone who sees it will be scared." That knife must have killed someone.
When the two were approaching Guanshan Manor, a group of soldiers suddenly came over to check them.
"Our young lady is the owner of this farm." Xiaohua bravely spoke to the few people.
The soldier was skeptical, "Where did you get in? The surrounding area is clearly sealed off."
"Don't you know that Captain Xu is our young lady's younger brother? He brought us in."
The soldier half believed it, but he didn't dare to act rashly. "Wait a minute, I'll send someone over to identify it."
Soon, Ersan was called over. He saw Chunxiao was so excited that he didn't have time to care about the soldiers. "Boss, boss, why are you here at this time? Why did you come in?"
"Don't rush into reminiscing about the past. Is she really the owner of the cotton farm?" asked the leading soldier.
Chun Ersan nodded repeatedly, "Yes, sir, she is the owner of our village. She taught us how to grow cotton."
"Okay, let's go."
Chun Ersan got on their carriage and said, "Master, why are you here? I'm afraid it will be difficult to get out now."
"How can I not come and take a look? This place is sealed off. I don't know the situation and I'll just be worried from outside. Come in if you want. Are all the people in the manor okay?"
"Everything is fine. A while ago, the military camp mobilized to evacuate, and many nearby villages had some people leave, but no one from our area left. We were busy working in the fields every day, so we didn't care about anything else. But people from the military camp came and said they wanted to requisition our cotton."
"Let's collect the money, but what are we going to do with our daily needs after we seal it off?"
"The vegetable garden is now growing a lot of vegetables, and the food has been prepared long ago. Don't worry, this place won't be unsealed until after the cotton harvest. Mo Cang Pass has been uneasy recently, and those soldiers are not here often, so it basically has no impact on us."
"Let's go to the cotton field. Xiaohua, drive the cart back and feed the horses."
Chun Ersan took Chun Xiao to see the cotton. As expected, just like over there, the first batch of harvest would start in about ten days. Several managers were surprised when they met them on the way, "Boss, why are you here?" Soon, everyone came over.
"This is the first year of our farm. I originally wanted to check the harvest and discuss business matters. Now it's good that it has been conscripted by the military camp. We don't have to worry about it anymore, which is a good thing."
Many people in the village also knew her, and they smiled at her warmly when they saw her coming. This year, almost every family in the village selected one person to come to the village, and they earned 500 coins a month, which made their life much better.
They were frightened when they were asked to relocate temporarily some time ago. If they left, the farm would have no harvest, and when they had money to buy people in the future, where would they find work? The village unanimously decided not to move. If they left now, their lives would return to the hardship they had before, and they were completely unwilling to do so.
Chunxiao was watching and chatting with everyone in the field, and did not feel the tense atmosphere brought to them by the war blockade of the town.
In the evening, Zhuangzi's stewards gathered together for dinner.
"Thank you all for your hard work this year. I'd like to offer you a glass of tea instead of wine." Chunxiao picked up the teacup and clinked glasses with everyone.
"Master, please don't be so polite with us. This is our duty. There's no question of whether it's hard or not." Several women stood up. "If you want to talk about hardship, it's naturally Master who's hard at work. You've been running back and forth between the farms, while we stay here and do fixed work. Master, there are many people here, so the work isn't tiring at all."
"I know whether you are tired or not. Don't worry, I will take your hard work to heart and will definitely give you a generous bonus at the end of the year."
Everyone grinned when they heard about the bonus.
"I really didn't expect you to come here at this time. This place is closed, and you still found a way to get in."
"There are so many things you wouldn't expect," Xiaohua interrupted while eating. "When we first arrived at Fangzhou Prefecture, it was sealed off. They said people were allowed in but not out, but our young lady went in without hesitation. Later, when we arrived at Fengyue, we were even more barred. The young lady and I even spent the night in a shabby house. She said that it didn't matter if the manor was gone, but she had to come with you here. She wouldn't feel at ease if she didn't. Our young lady puts you first."
The person in charge of the meal began to remain silent.
"Boss, we are so lucky to be able to follow you."
"Yes, it's because I accumulated virtue in my previous life. This is my reward."
Two women suddenly wiped away their tears.
"Okay, why talk about this when we're just eating? You are all my people. If something happens, it will be my loss, so we all have to protect ourselves. Now everyone says that the situation at Mo Cang Pass is not good, so everyone should be alert. If there is an accident, escape as soon as possible. I hope that we can all evacuate after the cotton is harvested." Anyway, it's time to rest for the winter.
"I heard from the villagers that there were two battles over there, and some people were killed or injured. I don't know if it's true."
"Didn't a lot of carriages and horses pass by us a while ago? I heard they were all there to invite doctors, and some of the seriously wounded soldiers were sent away."
"There are so many casualties here. I wonder if they're going to recruit men again? They've almost recruited all the men in Fengyue."
"Well, I just hope this war ends soon so we can have some peace."
Everyone started chatting one after another. Although most of them were women, the topics they talked about were no less narrow than those of men, as they were concerned about the country and the people. It seemed that they had become more knowledgeable and no longer cared about trivial matters.
Everyone had a very happy and satisfying meal. Because Chunxiao came, several women came to her in the evening and talked to her about the daily situation of Zhuangzi. Ersan seemed a little helpless at this time. His report time was originally snatched away like this.
Although it is the harvest season now, there are soldiers patrolling near the village, so they don't need to arrange personnel to patrol at night, which inexplicably gives them a lot of sense of security.
On the second day, Chunxiao went to the fields with everyone else. The managers of each group took her to the fields to check on the situation of Jiexu.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
