One of the men, with thick eyebrows, large eyes, and a tall stature, went straight to the point.
"Mr. Bai, these are all your relatives. Are you planning to move out?"
Bai Houpu seemed to understand this person's temperament very well, and he didn't mind being asked such a question.
He chuckled as he answered them.
"Since you're all here, please have a seat. Now that you're here, let me tell you my plans."
Then, Bai Houpu introduced Scrophularia, Li Lanzhen, and Chang An to everyone.
...
"Therefore, my whole family and the people I brought with me will have to move back."
But I've lived here with you for about ten years, and I've developed feelings for you and can't bear to leave you.
Life in these mountains is tough, so I wanted to bring you all there so that life could be a little better.
As you all heard, the Mrs. Li I mentioned earlier agreed to let you go, but only after you sign an agreement.
As soon as she finished speaking, the eyes of the villagers were fixed on Li Lanzhen.
Li Lanzhen was not afraid of their gazes and spoke to everyone in a gentle tone.
"That's right," Mr. Bai told us. "This mountain village is too remote and isolated. There is little land to cultivate in the mountains, so life is not easy."
Most importantly, Mr. Bai said that you are kind and hardworking, so he wanted to take you there as well.
However, building Peach Blossom Spring wasn't easy, and now it belongs to me personally.
Upon hearing Li Lanzhen's words, Bai Zhiyuan was the first to react, staring at her in surprise.
He thought to himself: Who is this auntie? How did she manage to take over such a large canyon as Peach Blossom Spring?
He secretly rejoiced!
Luckily, I didn't say anything and listened quietly to my father's decision.
Otherwise, it would be a huge joke!
Making a fool of myself is a small matter, I'm thick-skinned anyway. The real worry is that it might create a rift between me and this aunt, and then we won't be able to get along in the future.
I noticed the familiar and friendly relationship between my cousin and this aunt.
There must be some connection between them.
From now on, Bai Zhiyuan became even more respectful to Li Lanzhen.
It was that same man with thick eyebrows and big eyes who spoke to Li Lanzhen.
"Mrs. Li, please tell me the contents of the agreement."
"If we can do that, we'll sign the agreement and go with you!"
Li Lanzhen knew they were all straightforward people, so she didn't beat around the bush.
He took out a few pages of paper from the basket, or rather, from his personal storage space.
She had Han Mingxiang write it, and then consulted with Master Xu and Lu Boyan to revise and finalize the draft.
After Li Lanzhen took it out, she handed it to Xuan Shen.
Xuan Shen read the contents aloud to them, and then explained them.
The first clause of the agreement states that the person cannot leave Peach Blossom Spring within three years.
The second rule states that while residing in Peach Blossom Spring, one must not reveal to outsiders any information about what is grown there, how it is produced, or how people live there.
The third rule is to be diligent and kind, not to spread rumors, and to abide by all the management regulations of Peach Blossom Spring.
After listening, the man with thick eyebrows and big eyes asked a question.
"Huh?! Only three? Hahaha, I thought there would be more than ten!"
He finished speaking and waved his hand dismissively.
"Okay, we agree, we'll definitely abide by it. Shall we sign and put our fingerprints on it now?"
Li Lanzhen also smiled. The three-year period mentioned in the first point was a decision made by her and Xuan Shen.
Xuan Shen told her that three years would be enough time, by which time the emperor and empress's power in the court and the harem would have been stabilized.
Moreover, the grain in Peach Blossom Spring had accumulated to a certain quantity after three years of spring planting and autumn harvest.
And in the past three years, the seeds should have been promoted nationwide.
As long as Li Lanzhen established her position as a major grain producer in the imperial court.
No one dared to touch Peach Blossom Spring, nor did anyone dare to covet its achievements!
At that point, there was no need to keep it a secret from the outside world.
As for processing grains or other skills, we can sign separate contracts when recruiting workers.
Li Lanzhen saw the man with thick eyebrows and big eyes and said.
"Can you represent the whole village by yourself? Let everyone know, go home and discuss it, and it's not too late to sign and put your fingerprints on it tomorrow morning."
After she finished speaking, the others chimed in with their own comments.
"Madam, Brother Hong can make the decision on our behalf, and we will all listen to him!"
Li Lanzhen looked at this man called Brother Hong San.
"Okay, since you can represent everyone, then sign and put your fingerprints on it. You have to make sure that the head of every household signs and puts their fingerprints on it."
Brother Hong stood up and said, "Then let's sign it now!"
Those who can write will write their names; those who cannot will put their fingerprints on the paper.
Li Lanzhen emphasized, "Those who can write should write their own names and also put their fingerprints on their names."
Li Lanzhen discovered that almost all the people who came to the village were men, but there was one exception.
This is a girl, tall but very thin, with a pair of big, bright eyes.
Li Lanzhen asked cautiously, "Young lady, is it you who signed the document for your family?"
The young woman said cheerfully, "Mrs. Li, it's just my mother and me at home, so I came." She then chuckled as she finished speaking.
Li Lanzhen stopped asking, assuming that her father must have passed away and that she had no older brothers.
Li Lanzhen picked up the agreement and counted; there were 11 households in total.
She looked at Brother Hong and asked, "Your village only has 11 households now, how many people are there in total?"
“Our village does indeed have eleven households, but there are 101 people.”
Li Lanzhen was surprised when she heard the number.
Based on this, it seems that each family has an average of ten people!
Li Lanzhen sighed again, "People these days are really good at having children, with so many people in each household."
Hong Sange looked at Bai Houpu and asked.
"Mr. Bai, when shall we depart?"
Bai Houpu glanced at Li Lianzhen and said, "We're leaving tomorrow. Everyone go back and pack your bags, and make some extra dry food for the journey."
Li Lanzhen recalled the scene when Han Minghai and Han Mingjiang tied ropes around the cabinets and large water vat in their house, preparing to carry them away, during their escape from famine, and quickly reminded everyone.
"Don't bring large pieces of furniture; they're difficult to transport due to the high mountains and long distances."
Someone in the crowd whispered, "That's such a pity. All the furniture at home is packed up. What will they do when they go to the new place?"
Li Lanzhen spoke to them gently.
"The temperature in Peach Blossom Spring is higher than here, and there are mountains on both sides with lots of wood."
Moreover, there's a carpentry workshop in Peach Blossom Spring with ready-made furniture. You can use it for now, and next spring you can pay with grain, silver, or even just your labor—just a low cost."
As soon as she said that, everyone's eyes lit up.
Brother Hong asked Li Lanzhen happily.
"Madam Li, is there really such a good thing? You can offset the cost of buying furniture with your labor?!"
Li Lanzhen said, "Of course, in our Peach Blossom Spring, there are many jobs that pay for work, so as long as you have strength and don't slack off, you can live a good life!"
Li Lanzhen's words reassured them about their lives after leaving the mountains.
A desire arose!
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