"Auntie, Manager Hua instructed that these ten people should be kept in your house and at your beck and call."
The others are all individual households; these are their indentures.
As he spoke, he pulled out a stack of indentures from his pocket and handed them to Li Lanzhen.
Li Lanzhen glanced at the maids, servants, and two boys standing beside her.
Seeing that she was looking at them, one of the old women stepped forward.
"Greetings, Madam. We have eight maids and servants in total. The families of these two young ladies are all over there."
Li Lanzhen wondered what to do. She decided to take them to Lishu Village first, and then bring them back with her.
Li Lanzhen put the indenture into her bosom, but actually threw it into her spatial storage.
"Alright, you guys come with me first. We'll go to Lishu Village together, settle things there, and then you can come back with me."
The second brother also went with them.
Before Li Lanzhen could make any arrangements, these people came over and picked up the baskets filled with sweet potato vines.
The group set off in a grand procession towards Pear Tree Village.
The pear blossoms that covered the hillsides of Lishu Village have already fallen.
The leaves spread out like open green umbrellas.
Then, one green umbrella after another joined together, covering one hill after another.
One of the men looked at the pear trees covering the hillside and said...
"Madam, these pear trees are growing so well, it's just that they haven't been properly pruned and managed."
Once we settle in, we'll prune and manage it properly, and next autumn should bring a bumper harvest.
Judging from the growth of these pear trees, there must be groundwater beneath these mountains.
Li Lanzhen smiled happily as she spoke.
"It seems you really are a good expert at growing fruit trees."
There are indeed underground rivers flowing beneath these mountains.
Therefore, the pear trees on these mountains do not lack water.
"Once you've settled in, the village chief of Dunzi will teach you how to graft these pear trees. After grafting, they should grow large, delicious pears next autumn."
"Grafting? Madam, we've never heard of that before!"
"It's alright, your village chief Dunzi can do everything, he'll guide you through it."
Another old man walked along with a furrowed brow.
At this moment, he also spoke to Li Lanzhen, saying, "Madam, there is very little arable land here."
I see that this newly reclaimed wasteland is barren, and I'm afraid the harvest will be poor!
"Yes, the land here is indeed very barren. That's why I prepared sweet potato vines."
Sweet potatoes and potatoes are not picky about soil. Once planted, they will yield a harvest if managed carefully.
Moreover, its yield per mu is very high. As you just saw, in the Peach Blossom Spring Grand Canyon, the soil is fertile, and the yield of sweet potatoes and potatoes grown there reaches over 5,000 jin per mu.
"A yield of 5,000 jin per mu?!"
A group of people were secretly astonished.
A yield of 5,000 jin per mu is simply a fantasy, a myth!
None of them voiced their doubts; they simply kept telling themselves to take good care of the sweet potato vines that looked wilted.
The old man glanced at the basket of sweet potato vines he was carrying and then asked Li Lanzhen another question.
"Sweet potatoes? Potatoes? Madam, we've never seen these before, and we don't know how to grow them. What should we do?"
Li Lanzhen waved her hand dismissively and said.
"It's alright, your village chief Dunzi knows how to do it. He'll just tell you what to do when the time comes."
Throughout the journey, Li Lanzhen kept saying that your village chief Dunzi could do everything!
Before they even met Dunzi, these people were already thinking that this village chief was truly remarkable!
He can grow crops they've never heard of, and he can also use technologies they've never heard of.
It seems they've come to a great place; not only can they learn new agricultural techniques, but they can also have a full stomach!
Sanwang and the others ran down the mountain first to inform Dunzi and Maisui'er in the village.
Li Lanzhen led everyone to the ancestral hall in Lishu Village.
Several people had already boiled water and were waiting for them.
Everyone sat down, rested for a while, and drank some water.
The waiter quickly found a chair and placed it on the steps under the eaves of the main hall of the ancestral hall.
"Auntie, please sit here. This is the first time you've met everyone, so you should give them a few words of advice, explain the rules, and give them some instructions."
Li Lanzhen thought about it and realized that it made sense; management, after all, is about rules and regulations.
She stepped onto the three steps and sat steadily in the armchair.
Below the steps, not only were all the purchased servants standing in neat rows, but even Dunzi Sanwang and his men were standing to the side.
Li Lanzhen's smile faded as she looked around.
Then he looked at the eight maids and servants and said...
"I will tell you about your duties and rules when I get back. For now, just listen."
Then she visited eleven other households.
“You eleven households live in this Pear Tree Village, and the village chief is Dunzi.”
Li Lan was waving at Dunzi, signaling him to stand in front.
After this period of training, Dunzi is still able to stand on his own.
He walked slowly, dragging one leg, with neither arrogance nor servility, and stood in front of them.
"Hello everyone, I am Dunzi. Aunt Lanzhen sent me to be the village chief of this village. My job is to manage everyone here so that we can do farm work and live a good life."
After saying that, he turned around and smiled at Li Lanzhen.
Li Lanzhen said, "Okay. Dunzi, sit down on the stool over there."
The group of people saw that Dunzi was actually a fifteen or sixteen-year-old boy, and he was dragging one leg.
His face was still very youthful, but his wise and cold eyes made people not dare to underestimate him.
So this is the village chief that the lady was talking about all along the way, this child.
I thought about it, but then I erased it from my mind and thought about it again.
No! The village chief of Dunzi is just the village chief; he manages the village on behalf of his wife!
They must treat him with the same respect as a master!
Once this was understood, everyone's eyes showed only respect, not contempt.
Li Lanzhen sat on the steps, able to clearly see the expressions on everyone's faces below.
Looking at them now, these people are indeed quite good; we really have to thank Manager Hua for his careful selection.
"Alright, although Village Chief Dunzi is young, he has a lot of skills and is good at farming. I hope everyone will respect him in the future and listen to his arrangements."
Of course, if you have any opinions or suggestions, you can raise them with him. He will consider them appropriately and will not suppress anyone.
He paused after speaking and looked around at the people.
"If we're talking about rules, the first rule is that all of you 11 households, along with these eight maids and servants, are now my people."
I do not tolerate betrayal. As long as someone is loyal, I will throw them into the mountains.
Second, be hardworking and kind, and don't always gossip and cause trouble. I don't like gossipy women!
I hope everyone will treat this place as their own home, take good care of it, and work hard here.
Finally, as long as you abide by the village rules, are hardworking, and kind, I will not treat you unfairly.
You will know my character and conduct in the future, and the village chief of Dunzi Village will also tell you a thing or two.
One more thing, as long as you work here for three years and you don't have any married children or grandchildren, you can participate in the scientific expedition!
The old man was so excited that he immediately stood up and knelt down, staring intently at Li Lanzhen.
"Madam, do you mean that after we've worked here for three years, our children and grandchildren can be freed from slavery and participate in the imperial examinations?"
Li Lanzhen glanced at him and nodded, "Yes, that's the idea, but the prerequisite is that you must be hardworking, kind, and diligent, and not betray your master for three years."
The old man kowtowed three times rapidly and said quickly.
"Don't worry, Madam. We are all hardworking and kind people. We will work hard and will not slack off or cheat. We will never betray our master!"
Especially our best master, thank you, Madam!
Suddenly, a whole group of people knelt down in the courtyard.
They were all saying, "Thank you, Madam, we will not betray you!"
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