Tao Wanniang was waiting for Ling Feng and Chen Yan to arrive in the back alley of the restaurant, but unexpectedly Chen Yan appeared behind her.
"You startled me! How did you come out from behind me?" Tao Wanniang exclaimed.
“Ling Feng has been recognized and is being chased by the Tatars. Manager Tao, I’ll take you back,” Chen Yan said cautiously.
Tao Wanniang was shocked; her fears had come true. "Let's leave quickly. Ling Feng is skilled enough to escape, but we mustn't fall into the hands of the Tatars. Their identities are sensitive, and if they are caught now, I'm afraid even Lingyunzhou won't be able to protect us."
Knowing the consequences, Chen Yan immediately protected Tao Wanniang and left the restaurant.
Ling Feng finally appeared half an hour after they returned to the Tao family home, which relieved Tao Wanniang and Chen Yan.
"It seems we won't be able to go out for the next few days," Tao Wanniang sighed. "At least not to restaurants."
“The Tatar prince recognized me, but they’re not familiar with the capital, so they couldn’t catch up with me,” Ling Feng explained. “They’ll probably start searching the city next.”
"Oh dear, when will the princess go to the Tatars?" Tao Wanniang couldn't help but sigh.
Ling Feng and Chen Yan both remained silent, hoping that the Tatars would leave the capital as soon as possible.
Not only should the three of them avoid going out, but Chen Lian and Xiao Qiao'er should also stay home. Xiao Qiao'er is fine, but Chen Lian's lessons won't start until after the fifteenth, and she hasn't even come to the Tao family yet!
Tao Wanniang thought for a moment and then sent Zhang Liang to make that trip to remind Prince Chen Lian of the Tatars to be cautious when traveling in the capital.
Since it was inconvenient for her to stay in the capital, Tao Wanniang thought of going to the estate to take a look.
Zhang Liang usually handled things at the manor, so once he returned from Chen Lian's place, Tao Wanniang decided to leave the city. To avoid attracting too much attention, Ling Feng and Chen Yan went out of the city first and waited outside.
Spring hasn't arrived yet, and once you leave the city, everything is desolate. Most of the grain has already been harvested, but the spring seeds haven't been sown yet, and the fields look like they haven't been turned over.
“Zhang Liang, I suddenly remembered that we didn’t give the people in the village any New Year’s gifts at the end of the year, did we?” Tao Wanniang suddenly remembered on the way.
As Zhang Liang drove the carriage, he heard Tao Wanniang's question and couldn't help but ask, "Do we still need to give New Year's gifts?"
Tao Wanniang was speechless for a while before she couldn't help but say, "On the first day of the Lunar New Year, I won't give each of you ten taels of silver as a New Year's gift. Every waiter in the restaurant will receive an extra month's wages. Zhang Liang, you need to broaden your horizons!"
Zhang Liang paused, then realized that made sense. "Then... Sister Tao, do you have any silver on you?"
"Zhang Liang, you will be the chief steward of the Tao family from now on. It is something you need to consider: how to ensure that my subordinates perform their duties satisfactorily," Tao Wanniang said earnestly.
“Sister Tao, your farm has plenty of food, drink, and lodging, the wages are good, and there’s not much work. Everyone is quite satisfied,” Zhang Liang said frankly. “And you’re a good employer. I think if you didn’t give us extra money during the New Year, everyone would be happy to work.”
What could Tao Wanniang say? The people in the village were all honest and simple; they certainly didn't have high aspirations!
When they arrived at the estate, the people there were eating. When they heard Zhang Liang call out that the master had arrived, they all came out.
"Manager Lin, the master has come to see you." Zhang Liang said as he saw the man come out.
When the steward Lin Zhuangshi saw Tao Wanniang, he immediately stepped forward and bowed deeply to her.
"Hello, boss."
The other two couples greeted Tao Wanniang in unison.
“No need for formalities, I just came to take a look. Also, Zhang Liang, has Manager Lin gone to check on the newly acquired fields? They’re going to start planting this year too.” Tao Wanniang said kindly. “Manager Lin, if you need any more manpower for this estate, you can hire people yourself after you’ve spoken to Zhang Liang.”
As she spoke, Tao Wanniang took out five strings of cash. Well, don't ask her when she prepared them.
“I went on a long trip and didn’t return until New Year’s Eve. This is a New Year’s gift for the five of you,” Tao Wanniang said, handing it to Steward Lin.
This string of coins is worth a tael of silver! When he saw Tao Wanniang make the move, Lin Zhuangshi's eyes widened. He happily took the money from Tao Wanniang's hand and thanked her repeatedly.
"Thank you so much, boss! You're such a kind person!" Although the others didn't say much, they were all overjoyed and very satisfied.
Zhang Liang, standing to the side, was somewhat surprised. Compared to his home and the restaurant, this place was less crowded. But seeing how happy the people on the estate were, he realized he was overthinking things. Perhaps everyone's needs were different.
"Um... boss, have you eaten by now that you're here?" Lin Zhuangshi asked tentatively.
"Are you still having lunch? Then go and eat first. I'll have Zhang Liang take you to the fields to take a look," Tao Wanniang said immediately upon seeing this. If she were there, she was afraid it would make them feel uncomfortable.
“You guys eat first, I’ll accompany the master and Steward Zhang to the fields to take a look,” Lin Zhuangshi immediately agreed.
Tao Wanniang nodded in agreement, as she also needed Lin Zhuangshi, the steward of the estate, to understand the land under her name.
"Manager Lin, do you all have any difficulties in your daily work?" Tao Wanniang asked on the way.
"The boss is very understanding, and everyone is doing well. Last year, we weren't very busy with the sorghum on those ten acres of land, except for the harvest, which took about a month," Manager Lin said truthfully. "If there are any difficulties, I'll venture to say a few words."
“Speak freely,” Tao Wanniang replied.
"That's right. Just now, the master mentioned that if there aren't enough people, we can add more. Mr. and Mrs. Chen mentioned that their son is already fourteen years old. Could he come and work at the estate?"
"Fourteen years old?" Tao Wan's mother was somewhat surprised, but then she thought about it and understood. In some poor families, children started working very early.
"As long as the person is hardworking and not bad-natured, Manager Lin can handle it as he sees fit," Tao Wanniang said. "The people on this estate are managed by Manager Lin, so naturally, if anything goes wrong, Manager Lin will understand."
Lin Zhuangshi immediately agreed. Once in the fields, he couldn't help but ask, "Master, other farms grow rice, but we grow sorghum on these ten acres. I suggest we also grow some rice. That way, you can produce your own rice on your farm."
“I do have this idea. Don’t we still have fifteen acres of land? Let’s plant five acres of rice and then another ten acres of vegetable garden. We’ll divide it into plots. I brought back a lot of seeds from Youzhou, some of which came from the wilderness. You can try planting them for me.”
Lin Zhuangshi's face stiffened. "You have to plant things you don't even know?"
"Master, in my humble opinion, how about planting ten mu of rice and five mu of vegetables?" Lin Zhuangshi suggested. "Rice is the most important thing!"
Tao Wanniang looked at Lin Zhuangshi, indicating she had taken his words to heart. However, back in Lingjia Village, rice was always planted only once a year, and she didn't know what it was like in the capital.
"How many times a year is this rice planted?" Tao Wanniang couldn't help but ask.
“One season of rice, one season of wheat,” Lin Zhuangshi replied. “Doesn’t the master know that?”
As for wheat, Tao Wanniang thought for a moment and then let Lin Zhuangshi decide. After inspecting all the fields, Tao Wanniang felt that she would have to come several more times before she could decide where to plant what.
"If the master wants to buy rice seeds, I can accompany him," Lin Zhuangshi said cryptically.
"Manager Lin is probably worried that I'll be scammed. Don't worry, I can handle the seeds." Tao Wanniang smiled. "Manager Lin may not know, but around this time two years ago, my hometown suffered a severe drought, and my family and I had to flee from the mountains."
Lin Zhuangshi was naturally shocked and couldn't reconcile the wealthy-looking Tao Wan woman with a village woman who had fled famine.
"It was my fault for being blind," Lin Zhuangshi said modestly.
"It's alright, Steward Lin, do a good job. I'm waiting for you to help me make this estate bigger and stronger," Tao Wanniang said with a smile. Looking around, it really was desolate!
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