As soon as Yan Qingqing entered the manor, a middle-aged man walked towards her and asked, "And this lady is?"
Yan Qingqing knew that anyone who could be in the manor at this time must be someone from the manor.
So he asked Ah Da to show him the land deed. The man gave a perfunctory bow and said, "I am Qian, the manager of this manor. I have been waiting for the owner to come and inspect it. I did not expect that you would only come today."
It's said that even a powerful dragon can't suppress a local snake, so the fact that Manager Qian has been able to stay at the manor shows that he has some connections.
Yan Qingqing replied with a smile, "I've been busy at home recently and haven't had a chance to visit. I just happened to be passing by today, so I came here specifically to take a look. Can you tell me about the soil fertility of this mountain villa, how the harvest was in previous years, and what crops you usually grow?"
Manager Qian had already thought of the questions Yan Qingqing asked, so he answered them without batting an eye.
Just as Manager Qian was speaking eloquently, Li Xiangping came over.
Manager Qian glanced at Li Xiangping and asked with a puzzled look, "And who is this young master?"
Yan Qingqing replied, "This is my eldest son."
Manager Qian bowed his head and greeted Li Xiangping again. Although his attitude was respectful on the surface, a hint of disdain flashed in his eyes. Yan Qingqing saw it clearly, but remained silent. It seemed that a major conflict was about to break out today.
Li Xiangping saw it too, but he remained calm and simply nodded without saying anything.
Yan Qingqing continued the previous topic, saying, "So, this villa has been abandoned ever since it was raided."
Manager Qian quickly replied: "This manor was raided last autumn. At that time, everyone was in a panic, and with government officials guarding it, we didn't have time to plant wheat. Some time ago, the county government sent someone to say that this manor had a new owner and told us not to touch it, so we didn't dare to move."
Yan Qingqing nodded and asked, "So how many people are currently living in this manor?"
Butler Qian replied, "Including me, there are five in total. It's mainly because our manor isn't very big, so we don't need that many people."
Yan Qingqing glanced at him and continued, "Are these people long-term laborers or have they signed indentures?"
Steward Qian replied, "They are long-term workers, but they have been working in this estate for many years and have always been diligent and conscientious."
Yan Qingqing said with an "oh", "Since you're so diligent, why is the land still overgrown with weeds and you haven't even turned the soil? Even if the government says there's a new owner and you can't touch it, don't you even have basic labor to do?"
Yan Qingqing's voice was cold, and her aura instantly intensified. Butler Qian felt a sense of oppression and a sudden, inexplicable panic. He knew he had underestimated this new master of the house.
Yan Qingqing looked at Steward Qian, whose forehead was covered in cold sweat, and said, "We don't need to keep those farmhands anymore. If Steward Qian feels that this place is too small to accommodate someone as important as you, you can find another way out."
Steward Qian knelt down with a thud and said, "Madam, please have mercy! My whole family is on this estate. If you drive me away, my whole family will have nowhere to live."
Steward Qian has been working on this estate for over twenty years. He finally managed to rise to the position of manager, and every year the farmhands would give him a considerable amount of money as a token of their respect. Naturally, he was unwilling to leave.
Yan Qingqing glanced at him and said, "If you really don't want to leave, that's fine too. You can sign the indenture, and I'll let you continue as the manager. I can even give you double the wages."
Manager Qian hesitated upon hearing this. If he signed the indenture, he would become a slave, losing even his personal freedom. What would he need so much money for?
Besides, Yan Qingqing clearly comes from a humble family. Otherwise, why would the mistress and young master of the house personally come to the estate to check? Thinking of this, Steward Qian stopped pretending and stood up, saying, "I sincerely want to serve you, Madam, but I didn't expect you to humiliate me like this. Although I don't have any great talent, I'm not so desperate as to sell myself into slavery."
As he spoke, Manager Qian brushed the dirt off his clothes, then threatened, "I advise you, Madam, not to boast in the future, lest you slip up and hurt yourself."
Yan Qingqing wasn't angry. She looked at him and said, "Thank you for your kind reminder, Manager Qian. Goodbye."
Upon hearing this, Manager Qian immediately flung his sleeves and stormed off in a huff.
Before long, several farmhands packed their bags and prepared to leave. Before leaving, Manager Qian glared fiercely at Yan Qingqing and said a few more dangerous words.
After they left, Ah Qi angrily said, "These people are too arrogant! They even dared to threaten us. Are we just going to let them go like that?"
Yan Qingqing looked at him and said, "Otherwise, can you beat them?"
Ah Da shook his head. These farmhands were all big and burly, and he knew he couldn't beat them. But he knew that his mistress and the young master of the house knew some martial arts. However, he was too ashamed to say it. What servant would encourage his master to fight instead of helping out?
Seeing Ah Da's conflicted look, Yan Qingqing knew what he was thinking. She called Ah Da over and whispered a few words to him. Ah Da's eyes lit up and he said with a smile, "Madam, I'll go and do it right away."
After saying that, he hurriedly left the village and drove the cattle to the county town.
Seeing this, Li Xiangping asked, completely bewildered, "Mother, what did you send Ah Da to do? Why is he so excited?"
Yan Qingqing replied, "Have him pass on a message for me. Okay, let's take a look around this estate first, and start preparing now for any areas that need improvement."
Li Xiangping was focused on farming, but Yan Qingqing's words quickly diverted his attention.
Fifty acres isn't a huge area, but it's not small either. The mother and son spent almost half an hour wandering around before they finished their tour.
Although the estate is small, it is quite well-equipped, with irrigation ditches, a well, and several rooms. However, the pots, pans, and utensils inside have already been taken away by the farmhands.
The mother and son sat down to rest on a stone bench when they got tired. Li Xiangping said, "The rest of the place is fine, but this ditch is dug a bit off-center, making it inconvenient to draw water. We can make some changes later."
Yan Qingqing nodded and said, "Your mother is not as good as me in this regard, so you can handle it yourself."
"But we need to hurry, the ground hasn't been turned yet, or it will cause problems."
Li Xiangping laughed and said, "Don't worry, Mother, it won't be delayed. I can prepare two acres of land first and we can start raising seedlings. When these seedlings grow and need to be transplanted, I will have finished tilling the land."
After all, having oxen at home makes the work much faster than before. Besides, this is all fertile land; all we need to do is till it.
Yan Qingqing nodded and said, "It's not a good time to hire long-term workers. I'll have A-Da and the others come over to help you." Li Xiangping nodded in agreement.
A while later, Ah Da returned, smiling as he said to Yan Qingqing, "Madam, don't worry, I've taken care of everything you asked me to do."
Yan Qingqing nodded, noticing that it was getting late, and the three of them drove the oxcart back to Canghe Village.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com