For the sake of money, Feng Ximan endured it.
"Uncle, Aunt, Yun-ge and I are going to the fields. Would you like to stay inside for a while, or come to the fields together?"
Gu Huaicheng hurriedly said, "Your aunt has been walking for most of the day and must be tired. Why don't you rest inside for a while? I'll go with you to the fields to see Shen Jingyan." He then arranged for Feng Ximan to rest in the farm's main hall and asked Zhang Guizhi to help look after her.
"Aunt, just pour her a glass of water and add some dried fruit and snacks. There's no need to stay by her side. Don't pay any attention to any unreasonable requests she makes."
Zhang Guizhi glanced at Feng Ximan and whispered, "Judging from her expression, she doesn't seem very happy."
Shen Jingyan scoffed, "If they're broke, they can't live like an empress dowager anymore. How can they be in a good mood? If they were rich, why would they condescend to come to a place like ours, a place only 'country bumpkins' would frequent?"
Every family has troublesome relatives. Zhang Guizhi understood Shen Jingyan and patted her on the shoulder, saying, "Go ahead, I'll take good care of her."
Shen Jingyan and Gu Zhiyun changed their clothes for going out, and she gave Gu Huaicheng a pair of cloth shoes.
“Uncle, it’s difficult to walk in the fields, and leather shoes are inconvenient. Please change into these cloth shoes.”
Gu Huaicheng frowned as he looked at the simple cloth shoes.
"This was newly made by my aunt for my uncle, and he has never worn it."
Gu Huaicheng, unable to relinquish his status, shook his head and said, "Forget it, it's too much trouble to keep changing them. I'm used to wearing leather shoes."
Not long after arriving at the field, Gu Huaicheng stepped into a muddy mess.
He looked at his expensive leather shoes, which were covered in mud, with distress, regretting that he hadn't changed into his cloth shoes.
Shen Jingyan and Gu Zhiyun pretended not to see it and continued walking forward.
Gu Huaicheng looked around at the newly harvested fields and the busy farm workers, shaking his head repeatedly.
"Jingya, you've been working hard for almost a year, covered in mud and water, how much money could you possibly earn?"
Shen Jingyan smiled but remained silent.
I earn enough money to buy ten large villas, but would I tell you that?
"The harvest was alright," she gave a vague answer.
To Gu Huaicheng, this answer meant that it didn't make much money.
“Look at your farm. It’s not that big, yet you’ve hired so many workers. What if a natural disaster hits and you harvest nothing? Wouldn’t all your hard work for the year be for nothing?”
Shen Jingyan replied, "This area around the capital is all fertile land, and it has rarely suffered from natural disasters since ancient times. The chances of me encountering one are too small. Even if I did, with the advancement of technology, there are plenty of ways to ensure production and increase income."
Gu Huaicheng then pointed to the newly reclaimed fields on the back hill: "That hill looks very barren. You spent a lot of money to lease it, what kind of crops can you grow there? You need to be more careful with your investments. Don't throw all your profits into it."
Shen Jingyan inwardly mocked Gu Huaicheng for his ignorance of agriculture.
"Uncle, you don't know this, but the mountains aren't suitable for growing crops. However, we can grow fruit trees. Our farm not only grows grains, but we also plan to grow many cash crops. Isn't it more secure to do both?"
With Gu Huaicheng's limited knowledge, he couldn't find any fault with it.
He had no choice but to change the subject.
"Your farm is indeed quite good, but it's making money too slowly. In my opinion, the most profitable industry in the future is still real estate. Jingya, I know real estate best. Why don't you take out some money and invest in real estate? In less than a year, you'll definitely double your principal—no, ten times!"
Shen Jingyan politely declined, saying, "High returns come with high risks. I prefer to earn money honestly and practically."
For the next while, no matter how much Gu Huaicheng boasted about how profitable the real estate industry was, Shen Jingyan just smiled and didn't answer.
Gu Huaicheng's silver tongue, which had fooled countless foreigners, proved utterly ineffective in front of a young girl.
Upon returning to the farm, the first thing von Scheringer did was ask him if there had been any progress.
Gu Huaicheng looked utterly defeated: "This girl is incredibly cunning; I can't reason with her."
"You're so stupid!" Feng Ximan cursed. "Marrying you is such a disgrace! You can't even make a penny, making a rich young lady like me suffer with you!"
"My dear wife, don't just stay angry. Help me think of a solution. I can't figure out what this girl is thinking. You're a woman, you should understand women's thoughts best."
Feng Ximan analyzed, thinking she made a very good point: "In my opinion, this girl must be very insecure deep down. Think about it, what is her background, and what is Zhiyun's background? If this were the Republic of China era, she wouldn't even be worthy of being Zhiyun's shoe-carrying maid! She still has some self-awareness and knows that she has to work hard to make money. She must feel that only with money can she be worthy of Zhiyun. Otherwise, how could she be qualified to marry into the Gu family!"
Gu Huaicheng readily agreed, "Yes, yes, yes, you're right, wife."
Feng Ximan continued smugly, "We need to make her realize that she's never good enough for Zhiyun. She's so focused on farming; Zhiyun will eventually get tired of her. We need to make her give up farming, go home to be a housewife, have a few children, and just serve her husband well."
With a beaming smile, Gu Huaicheng pulled Feng Ximan down to sit and said in a gentle tone, "Wife, I know you look down on that girl, but for the sake of her money, you should just put up with it and have a heart-to-heart talk with her. You're educated and well-mannered, and what you say makes the most sense. She'll definitely listen to you."
Feng Ximan was flattered by Gu Huaicheng and became a little smug.
Thinking of the huge sum of money Shen Jingyan had, she reluctantly agreed.
He thought to himself, "She grew up in a complicated family with countless brothers and sisters, and she's been in the circle of wealthy wives for years. What kind of women hasn't she seen?"
She can't handle a girl from the countryside?
After lunch, Feng Ximan took the initiative to find Shen Jingyan.
She took off the jade bracelet from her left wrist and generously placed it in Shen Jingyan's hand, saying, "Jingya, when you and Zhiyun got married, your aunt couldn't come back to China. This time, your return was rather rushed, and I didn't bring anything nice. This jade bracelet was part of my dowry; it's top-quality Kunshan jade, which you can't buy even if you have money now. I'm giving it to you as a gift from your aunt."
Shen Jingyan felt that there was something fishy about her change in attitude.
She carefully placed the bracelet gently on the table and pushed it toward Feng Ximan's side.
"Auntie, I appreciate your kindness, but it's not appropriate for me to accept something so valuable. Besides, it's not very convenient for me to wear a bracelet while I'm out in the field."
"Just keep it. A woman should dress herself up nicely. Look at you, always without makeup, what a waste of that pretty face. If you don't know how to dress up, just come to your auntie. I'll help you dress up, and I guarantee Zhiyun will be completely smitten."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com