Bai Manshan was starving after a long day of running around. He picked up the rough earthenware bowl on the table, scooped water into it, steamed an egg, and prepared to mix it with rice.
Turning his head, he saw the five people standing dumbfounded at the table and shouted urgently, "What are you standing there for? Do you think this food will just disappear into your stomachs? Eat up!"
Although there were only four dishes, they included meat, eggs, vegetables, and a soup! What a perfect combination!
Today is different from usual. Ling Ran brought back fifty men who were transporting potatoes back and forth. Just preparing food for these fifty men was exhausting!
To still manage to prepare three dishes and a soup for them despite their exhaustion, she truly deserves to be his sister!
Gong Shang and his four companions were filled with disbelief and hesitated to sit down.
Zhou Youzhou thought about how his parents named him and how it was good enough if his family could have enough porridge to eat. But the four dishes in front of him all contained meat. This was no longer just having porridge or meat, but being full of meat!
Even his parents wouldn't dare name him like that! Now he's eating four dishes, four meat dishes...
Bai Manshan realized what was happening, deliberately put away his smile, and said seriously, "Sit down and eat quickly. Your master will definitely have something to tell you after you finish eating. You'll have the energy to work when you're full!"
"Aww, aww, good."
The five of them hurriedly sat down, picked up the large bowls, and the aroma of rice wafted out. The bowls in their hands felt heavier than hammers!
They picked up a piece of potato with their chopsticks, something they had eaten at noon in Zhulin Village. It was much smoother than black flour and would be their staple food from now on. They thought it would be fine to eat this.
Shui Qing saw this and said, "We try our best not to keep our food overnight. It's a waste if you can't finish it. If you really can't eat it, then eat the meat. It's a pity to throw away meat than vegetables."
Upon hearing that the uneaten food would be thrown away, the five hurriedly picked up the meat, then realized that their master wanted them to eat without being polite.
The five of them had tears in their eyes, and they lowered their heads, burying their faces in their large rice bowls, and shoveling food into their mouths.
The four dishes in the bowl disappeared at a visible rate. Bai Manshan didn't dare to be distracted and didn't care about her image anymore, quickly shoveling food into her mouth.
Finally, all the offal in the mutton soup was scooped out, and even the broth was drunk clean.
Bai Manshan stroked his round belly, wanting to slump in the chair and not move, but that was just a thought—there were still many things waiting for him, and time was too little and too precious to be wasted.
After resting for only half a cup of tea's time, he struggled to stand up and gave Shui Qing a wink.
The two went to the main room.
"Zhulin Village was severely flooded. There were many acres of land there, and the local gentry thought it was unlucky because too many people had died there, so the land hadn't been sold. After I went there, I bargained and finally bought all of it for 1.2 taels per acre, totaling 560 acres. The cost of the land was 672 taels, which was a little less than my budget."
Shui Qing: ...This is not just a little less. It used to be seven or eight taels per mu. After the flood and the war, it was sold at a discounted price of two or three taels. Now it has been bought by Bai Manshan for one tael and two mace per mu. It is now less than half of what it used to be!
She didn't think the dead were particularly unlucky, because the people in Zhulin Village were all Hong Daniu's family and relatives. What others were afraid of were the people Hong Daniu and Li Dani wanted to see but could never see again.
However, if they had been vigilant beforehand and taken precautions like Bai Manshan, they would have been just as devastated as the Bai family village.
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