With Aunt Shen around, Mo Qianshang didn't have to remember everything herself. She followed behind Aunt Shen, watching them measure the land dimensions and make sure there were no problems—a full two hundred acres.
"So, is this considered settled? I'll go and get someone to write up the contract."
Mo Qianshang had been walking for a long time and was now slightly sweating: "Do we need to ask someone to write the contract?"
One of the gentlemen, Mr. Xu, said, "If you all trust me, why don't I write the contract?"
Mo Qianshang originally wanted to write it herself because she thought it was too much trouble, but now that someone was willing to do it for her, she naturally didn't say anything more.
The group went to the village chief's house. Only after Master Xu finished writing the contract did Mo Qianshang go up to check it.
Seeing that she seemed to be reading, Master Xu was taken aback: "Madam Mo can read?"
Mo Qianshang nodded: "Of course."
She read it carefully and found no problems with the contract; Mr. Xu had not written anything he shouldn't have.
Mo Qianshang first wrote her name on it and pressed her fingerprint on it. Since everyone needed a copy, Master Xu helped write all three copies.
After all the land deeds are signed, they still need to go to the government office to go through them again. Mo Qianshang looked at the sky and felt that it was probably too late to do it today.
"What do you all think? Let's arrange to go to the yamen together tomorrow."
After setting the time, Mo Qianshang paid for a few people to leave by oxcart, while she herself stayed in Dongshan Village to attend to other matters.
After everyone else left, Mo Qianshang said to Village Chief Zhao and Aunt Shen, "I have something else to tell you, and I may need your help."
"Hey, just say what you need! There's no need for us to talk about helping each other out!"
Mo Qianshang was just saying that; what she was talking about was also very beneficial to Dongshan Village and a good thing for them.
"Here's the thing, I've bought two hundred acres of land, but I haven't found anyone to cultivate it yet. I wonder if Village Chief Zhao and Auntie could help me ask around the village if anyone is willing to farm it?"
Village Chief Zhao had wondered if this was the case as early as when Mo Qianshang intended to buy the land. Now that he heard Mo Qianshang say it herself, his excitement immediately overflowed.
"Of course, of course! How many people do you think we need, Lady Mo?"
Mo Qianshang thought for a moment: "These two hundred acres of land are approximately..."
She did the math: two hundred acres could be managed with fewer people, but Mo Qianshang wanted to do things meticulously, and she also wanted to cultivate her own people.
She can't just buy land to farm forever. The stones on her mountain are a problem, and who knows if she might want to get involved in other industries in the future. She needs to take this opportunity to learn more about the people in Dongshan Village and see who she can use.
I wish I could meet more simple and straightforward people like Aunt Shen. But trustworthy people are hard to come by, and I don't know if I'll ever meet another one.
Thinking back, the reason she had set her sights on Dongshan Village was because she met Aunt Shen and her group while traveling by oxcart, and felt that she could learn more about the people in the village.
"Here's what we'll do: find me forty people, four people per group, each responsible for twenty acres of land."
Aunt Shen and the village chief exchanged a stunned glance: "These four people only cultivate twenty mu?"
Mo Qianshang nodded: "Yes, we need forty people. These people may be useful in the future. They can be men, women, young and old. They don't all have to be men."
When she said that, the two of them thought about it and were both genuinely happy.
It should be noted that the majority of those without work in the village are the elderly, women, and children. Although they have Mo Qianshang's land, which allows the men to work for her while the others tend to their own fields.
However, some families have little land to begin with, and the rest of the family consists of elderly people, women, and children. Many of these families can only eat what they grow in their own yards and rely on collecting firewood from the mountains to make a living, leading very difficult lives.
If Mo Qianshang is willing to take in families like that, then the village could truly support a lot of people.
Mo Qianshang wasn't in a hurry. She told the village chief and the others to keep looking while she went back to the village. She didn't wait for Uncle Niu to return; instead, she walked back on her own.
Half an hour later, she sat on the edge of the cliff, weighing the raw stone she had just discovered in her hand. Looking at the price of only a few hundred coins in the system, she helplessly rubbed the bridge of her nose.
This is terrible! She's living on wild vegetables while sitting on a mountain of treasure. She knows absolutely nothing about the jade trade here. Even if she hires people to mine it, how to process it herself afterward is a huge problem.
The next day, Mo Qianshang went to the county town early in the morning and went to the county government office with the others.
"Hey? Lady Mo!"
Many of the yamen runners were familiar with Mo Qianshang, and they greeted her with even more enthusiasm than they had shown to the other gentlemen, which surprised everyone else.
"Hehe, we've come here today, so don't worry about me, just tell us where to go!"
The constable trotted inside, and Master Xu couldn't help but whisper, "Is Madam Mo acquainted with the people in this yamen?"
Mo Qianshang smiled slightly: "No, we just met before when I came here on business, but we're not exactly acquainted."
She spoke modestly, but others felt there was more to it than met the eye.
Mo Qianshang did not expect that the yamen runner would actually bring out Clerk Li when he went in.
"Registrar Li, what brings you here?"
Li, the registrar, was all smiles as he waved his hand: "I heard that Lady Mo has arrived. I happen to have nothing to do. I heard it's about transferring the land deed? Come with me!"
Li, the registrar, naturally walked over to Mo Qianshang and exchanged pleasantries with her, discussing the land purchase.
"...Oh, I see. It's not easy to buy land at this time. I've approved the land deed for everyone."
With Clerk Li around, the land deed process was incredibly smooth. In less than a quarter of an hour, Clerk Li had registered it and stamped it.
Mo Qianshang kept her share and inquired with Master Xu about the most famous gold and jade jewelry shops in the county.
She looked around with great interest, examining each piece of jade and checking its price in the system, but they were all just ordinary items. She asked the shop assistant if they sold any raw jade, but the assistant said no, they only sold finished jewelry.
Mo Qianshang couldn't find out anything, so she had no choice but to go back and honestly farm the land.
After buying the land, she spent a lot of her remaining money, and she would have to tighten her belt to make ends meet. Mo Qianshang exchanged potatoes and grain seeds at a low price in the system and sent them to Dongshan Village, where they quickly started planting before summer fully arrived.
Some of the land was already wasteland, but fortunately she had a lot of people, so everyone could work non-stop. For the land that was really difficult to manage, Mo Qianshang decided to use it to grow potatoes.
After all, potatoes are easier to feed than grains.
As July arrived and the weather grew hotter, Mo Qianshang enjoyed a rare period of peace and quiet.
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