Chapter 257 The Whole Family Cleans Up the Estate
The Feng family's estate is located at the border of Wanzhou County and Cheng'an County. It takes less than half an hour to get there from Changliu Village by mountain road, and even faster by horse-drawn carriage.
Du Wanchun and Zhang Qiuhe soon arrived at the entrance of the manor.
Just as Madam Feng had described, the village looked messy and overgrown with weeds, indicating that it had indeed been abandoned for a long time.
As Zhang Qiuhe parted the weeds with her hands and walked forward, she said, "The Feng family really knows how to waste things. Such a nice estate has been turned into this state."
After walking through the overgrown yard, the two continued walking and found a small house. The front yard of this house was where the owner of the estate usually rested, while the back yard was where the servants of the estate lived.
Because no one has taken care of it for years, the house has become dilapidated.
Zhang Qiuhe pushed open the door of the house and continued walking inside, only to find it filled with dust.
Since no one had lived there for a long time, the two did not go any further.
Du Wanchun took a quick look around the estate. It was quite large, with fields, vegetable gardens, and woods. In the woods, there were fruit trees that the Feng family had planted before. Although no one had taken care of them, they still bore a lot of fruit.
Zhang Qiuhe picked two plums and handed them to Du Wanchun, saying, "Wanchun, try some."
Du Wanchun took it, wiped it with a handkerchief, and then took a bite. "The fruit is very sweet."
Zhang Qiuhe smiled and nodded, "Yes, Wanchun, this estate is really a great place. I was worried before that we didn't have enough land, but with this estate, there's no need to rush at all."
After finishing the fruit in his hand, Du Wanchun looked up at the fields in front of him. The abandoned fields were nowhere to be seen, and it would take a lot of effort to reclaim them.
After a brief look around, the two returned home and told Aunt Zhou about the situation at the estate.
Aunt Zhou stood up with a smile, "Tomorrow I will spend money to hire some farmhands from the village to tidy up the estate."
The Third Prince also said, "Tomorrow, the Fifth Prince and I will go together."
Du Wanchun was delighted to hear this and began planning how to rebuild the estate.
The next day, not only did Aunt Zhou bring more than ten farmhands, but Zhou Ruiyuan also invited more than ten people.
Thirty people cleared all the weeds from the village in just five or six days.
The Third Prince hired three or four craftsmen to repair those dilapidated houses.
Du Wanchun followed them to the field and helped them reclaim the abandoned land.
Zhou Ruiyuan saw her from afar and quickly pulled her back. "Wanchun, don't do these heavy tasks. Just leave the rest to us."
Du Wanchun wiped the sweat from her forehead. "I was just bored, so I thought I'd help out if I could."
Zhou Ruiyuan took out a handkerchief and wiped her hands with a look of tenderness. "That won't do either. I said I wouldn't let you do heavy work from now on, and I will definitely keep my word."
As soon as he finished speaking, taking advantage of the fact that no one around was paying attention, he hoisted Du Wanchun onto his shoulder and then walked towards the nearby fruit trees.
"Husband, please put me down quickly, lest someone see us," Du Wanchun said to him.
Zhou Ruiyuan seemed not to hear her and continued walking towards the orchard with her in his arms.
Finally, they stopped in front of a fruit tree, placed Du Wanchun on a branch, and said, "You wait for us here."
The weather is getting hotter and hotter, and the fruit trees provide a cool and shady environment.
Du Wanchun felt much more comfortable sitting on the fruit tree.
Zhou Ruiyuan rolled up his sleeves and went to help weed and dig.
He was a prince and a county magistrate who had just passed the imperial examination and become a third-ranked scholar. At that moment, they were like farmers helping each other tidy up the land in front of them.
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