"Zhuangzi?"
During their meal, they chatted about Master Xu, who had previously bought land. For some reason, he was now selling his estate.
"In this kind of year, it's normal. At least other people still have their own products to sell, while we ordinary people are really poor."
Mo Qianshang, however, showed some interest: "Does the village chief know what kind of estate it is?"
The village chief nodded: "That manor, in good years, when Master Xu needed people, I took the villagers there. It's only three miles from the county town, near the road from the county town to here, very easy to find."
How big is Zhuangzi?
"It must be at least 600 mu, with paddy fields, houses, and a lot of fruit trees. The paddy fields alone must be 200 mu, most of which are good or medium-quality fields."
Hearing the village chief describe it this way, Mo Qianshang was immediately tempted.
Needless to say, there are rice paddies and fruit trees. According to the village chief, there is also a large open space in the area, which Master Xu originally intended to use for raising horses.
Mo Qianshang didn't have much of a interest in horses; she had other things she wanted to do.
With the system at her disposal, she and her family would never starve, but what she wanted to do was not just to become rich herself.
Most people in this world are "not worried about poverty but about inequality." She wouldn't boast that she wanted to help everyone in the world, but as Mo Qianshang, she fled here from famine and was supported by the land and helped by the people here. She felt that she had to do something for the people here.
Ordinary farmers almost always have to tough it out in the winter. They can't afford coal, so they can only use firewood for heating. Some families have no labor force or money, and even if they know how to keep warm, they don't have enough food to get through the winter, so they freeze or starve to death.
"Village chief, how do you think everyone in the village is living these days?"
Mo Qianshang is a hands-on person. The affairs of Dongshan Village are not complicated. Everyone is just living their lives. But she is also curious about the thoughts of the villagers.
When the village chief mentioned this, the fine lines on his face smoothed out considerably.
"Thanks to Madam Mo, everyone in the village is doing much better now. The wages you pay are really generous, and everyone is able to support themselves. You even let the younger children help out. Most people in the village are doing much better, and everyone says behind your back that you are a living bodhisattva!"
Mo Qianshang almost spat out her water: "Don't say that, I'm afraid of shortening my lifespan."
The village chief wasn't just flattering Mo Qianshang on purpose; the people of Dongshan Village were genuinely grateful to her behind her back.
Mo Qianshang knew that every time she came to Dongshan Village, the villagers would often bring things over after they found out. Sometimes it was a few eggs, and sometimes it was even children holding wild fruits.
The adults in the family are grateful to her and often talk about her at home, which the children overhear.
Children from poor families tend to mature earlier. They are born into families that suffer hardship, and some people will remember the person who lets them eat meat for the first time for the rest of their lives.
Wherever Mo Qianshang went in Dongshan Village, she was always met with respectful gazes.
"We can't be satisfied with the current situation, village chief. We need to let the people in the village know that they need to keep working hard to make a better life for themselves and their families. Even if I have money, I won't help those who don't work hard, but on the other hand, I will do my best to help those who are working hard to live a good life."
Mo Qianshang had said these things before. Although the village chief was not young and lacked the drive of younger people in some things, he had lived most of his life and understood this principle to some extent, even just by looking at the time.
"Don't worry, Madam Mo. I don't know what others think, but I know that as long as we follow you, the villagers will be able to live a good life. We farmers are not very educated, but it doesn't matter if they don't understand. There are some things they don't need to understand. As long as they know how to work hard and make a living, that's enough. With me here, I'll be the first to object to anyone in this village who doesn't work hard!"
It has to be said that having a reliable village chief has made Mo Qianshang's work much easier.
Mo Qianchang pondered for a moment: "The next step for the village is to solve some things that need to be done during the off-season, otherwise a lot of people's lives will be wasted throughout the year."
The village chief didn't speak; she could tell that Lady Mo had her own ideas again.
Mo Qianshang said, "If I have time tomorrow, the village chief will accompany me to see Master Xu's estate. I plan to raise some chickens, ducks, and pigs there."
The village chief nodded, seemingly understanding but not quite.
“Raising these doesn’t require much effort, but you have to feed them every day. The land in the manor is planted in the same way as here, but there are also quite a few fruit trees over there. The busy days for fruit trees and the busy days for the farmers don’t necessarily overlap completely, which is not bad.”
The village chief nodded: "Yes, it would be great if this could be done, since the fishpond you dug can't be used to raise fish in winter."
Speaking of this, Mo Qianshang had considered raising fish indoors, but she didn't want to make it her main job and felt it wasn't worth the trouble.
"With this plan, I can grow wheat and potatoes on this land, and rice, fruit trees, and vegetables on the other side of the village, as well as raise chickens, ducks, and pigs. Isn't that great?"
The village chief hesitated, "But is planting so many fruit trees useful? Wouldn't it be better to plant more crops?"
Mo Qianshang shook her head without explaining further. She had already planted enough grain; cash crops were for making money, and she couldn't put all her eggs in one basket.
Although the products produced by the system are almost never likely to fail, having a wider variety is more beneficial than harmful to her.
The next day, accompanied by the village chief and Aunt Shen, Mo Qianshang went to the county town and made an appointment with Master Xu.
She also invited Chen Jin along, so that if she really bought the estate, Chen Jin could take a look at it on-site and the two of them could discuss how to renovate it, saving them the trouble of making another trip later.
When Master Xu saw Mo Qianshang, he couldn't quite describe his feelings. His businesses weren't doing very well, and he needed more and more cash to manage; otherwise, he wouldn't have planned to sell the estate.
On the contrary, it seems that Mo Qianshang is making more and more money, and now she can even buy his entire estate.
They rode together in a horse-drawn carriage to the village, and just as the village chief had said, the village was indeed in a good location.
Upon arriving nearby, it became inconvenient for the carriage to go inside, so the group got off and walked in.
"Master Xu, let me get straight to the point: how much silver do you intend to sell this estate for?"
Master Xu's estate has been listed with the real estate brokerage for some time now, and there's no need to hide the price. The asking price is 1,500 taels of silver. The land alone is over 600 mu, and that includes the unused area, as well as the completed houses and courtyards.
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