Gulan and the others had been so kind to her, and Zhou Qiongyue couldn't bear to see them suffer such rumors. Besides, who wouldn't want to get married in this era? Why would she be the bad guy?
No matter what Gulan and the others think, it is too early to say it now. If the four of them want to get married, they will definitely have to wait until Zhou Qiongyue gets married before making a choice.
She could decide whether to find a job as a steward in the Marquis of Cheng'en's mansion or follow her to her husband's family. As for being released from the civil service, Zhou Qiongyue had thought about it when she first arrived, but she no longer thought so.
Although Gulan and the others were serving as maids beside him, he was not a demanding person. Their food, clothing, housing and transportation were better than those of some minor officials' daughters! Not to mention other things.
If they were freed, their lives wouldn't necessarily be as good as they are now. For people like Gulan, unless one of their descendants is particularly gifted in learning, they would ask their masters to free them; otherwise, they wouldn't.
In this era, life for ordinary people is not as easy as imagined.
Gulan and the other three didn't really have any ideas at the moment; it was too early to consider these things. They all knew that with the young lady's temper, she would definitely consider everything carefully before she got married, and there was no need to rush.
As soon as Zhou Qiongyue bought the farm, she planned to send Gumei's family to the farm to start working. They would check if there was any harvest in the fields at this time of year, and what to plant at this time of year so that they could quickly arrange for the tenants to plant.
Most importantly, Zhou Qiongyue wanted to build an underground granary in the village.
Otherwise, if there is a real drought, she is worried that someone will break into the farm and steal the food. It would be better to build a hidden underground granary so that if the Marquis's Mansion really runs out of food, it can provide support.
Of course Zhou Qiongyue can't be free. It's the family's money, so whoever makes money from it will make money!
She wanted to store all the food for the next two years, but it was impossible for her not to sell any of it, as that would be too conspicuous when the drought came.
Zhou Qiongyue planned to sell less every year and save the rest. She could lend some to tenants who had no food when the time came. She couldn't let people starve to death.
According to the situation in Yuan'an, tenants rent land from their landlords and can keep 30% of the grain for themselves.
The food production in this era is not high. If you keep 30% for yourself, you can barely survive! Don't expect to have enough to eat.
Many tenants could only barely get enough to eat during the busy farming season, and usually had to make do with just some soup or water.
Even in such a life, you still need to meet a good master. If you meet a stingy master, who deducts a little more, life at home will be even more difficult.
I can’t even get enough to eat, let alone afford the luxury of sending my children to school. Sometimes poverty is truly a vicious cycle.
Because they were poor, they had no money to send their children to school to learn to read. Because they could not read, they could not get any of the respectable jobs in the town. Life was really hopeless at times.
Although Zhou Qiongyue was not a saint, she was not a vicious person either. She instructed Hu Da that starting this year, the tenants could keep 40% for themselves and hand over 60%.
Don’t underestimate this extra 10%. If you are diligent, you can support one more child.
Zhou Qiongyue felt that her personal power was too limited and she could not guarantee that everyone would get through it safely.
But she still hopes that those who follow her can live well, and she tries her best to keep them alive.
Zhou Qiongyue had a goal in mind and started to get busy, busy running her small jewelry shop. All kinds of arrangements require money!
She was busy asking the tenants on the farm to plant crops quickly. Although it was a little late now, Zhou Qiongyue thought that every bit of harvest was good!
Xie Zixin had the same idea as Zhou Qiongyue. Although she had a quarrel with the Second Prince and stubbornly refused to accept the banknotes, Xie Zixin found a way to ask her father, Marquis Xuanping, for 10,000 taels of silver, and bought a small farm.
However, Xie Zixin bought it a little too late. The good farmland had already been selected, and the piece she bought was considered medium-quality. It was also not close to a water source, so she had to rely on manual irrigation or leave it to fate.
Xie Zixin did not complain at this time. She wanted to seize the opportunity of the drought two years later to make the second prince look at her with admiration.
She wouldn't allow any woman to put herself above her, not even her childhood sweetheart Zhou Qiongyue, and even less so Duan Jianing, who had saved her life.
Xie Zixin also trusted her father, Marquis Xuanping, and she solemnly told him the news that there would be a drought in two years.
At that time, Xuan Pinghou was silent for a long time, then he took out a silver note worth one thousand taels, "Xin'er, I know you are very sad to lose your position as the principal wife, but people should look forward to it. Since ancient times, the one who laughs last is the winner. Take this one thousand taels and spend it. Don't think about these messy things."
Xie Zixin······
So Xie Zixin was particularly concerned about her farm, waiting to make everyone regret it. But sometimes, the more people who don't know the business care about it, the worse the results will be.
Xie Zixin had been a pampered girl raised in seclusion for both of her lives, so how could she know anything about farming?
Zhou Qiongyue was different. In her previous life, there were many live broadcasts, and she, a farmer, followed many of them in her spare time. Although she was not an expert, she at least did not give orders blindly.
When Zhou Qiongyue finally arranged everything, the business of her jewelry shop was getting better and better. She was thinking about doing something fun to relax.
The invitation to appreciate flowers from the Zuo Xiang family was handed in.
"Miss, Miss Duan invites you to appreciate flowers? Or lotus flowers?" It's no wonder Gulan was so surprised. Apart from having a good relationship with Princess Yongchun in the palace, their young lady really has no friendship with other people.
What's more, it's not even summer yet! There are lotus flowers in the Left Prime Minister's Mansion?
Zhou Qiongyue was casually playing with the gilded post in her hand. When she heard Gulan's question, she nodded without hesitation.
As for whether there were lotus flowers in the Zuo Xiang Mansion at this time of year, she didn't know. But she still wanted to meet her future second cousin-in-law.
It was said that Miss Duan and Xie Zixin had a bad relationship, but the enemy of my enemy is my friend! Xie Zixin was clearly hostile to her, so Zhou Qiongyue had to prepare for a rainy day.
Gulan saw the young lady's interest and asked knowingly, "So, young lady, are you going?"
"Go ahead! I haven't been out for a walk in a while. I'll write a reply myself later, and you can deliver it to the Left Prime Minister's Mansion in person."
Zhou Qiongyue placed the invitation on the dressing table and gave serious instructions.
Gulan responded seriously, "I understand, Miss, don't worry."
Zhou Qiongyue was a little looking forward to meeting Miss Duan this time. Zhou Qiongyue thought about the original owner's impression of Miss Duan in her mind, and she thought that she was a person with not very strong presence.
Zhou Qiongyue was curious, how could such a person have the courage to block the arrow for the second prince? It must be so painful!
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