Mu Yi'an has been here for over a year, but she doesn't know much about the Jiang clan.
As a habit formed in her past life, she didn't interact much with her neighbors. Back then, people lived their own lives behind closed doors, minding their own business. So, apart from the old house and her uncle's house next door, Mu Yi'an didn't know many people.
She wanted to hire two or three farmhands in Jiangjia Village, but she wasn't sure who to choose. She would discuss it with Jiang's parents later, and also ask her aunt when she went home to visit.
Meanwhile, Third Grandfather had already arrived at Jiang Hua's house.
"Third Uncle, what brings you here?"
Jiang Hua was repairing the roof when he saw the clan chief approaching from afar and eventually entering his courtyard.
"Jiang Hua, is the house leaking?"
"Yes, there's a spot where the grass is rotting and it's leaking a bit."
Jiang Hua worked quickly and repaired the roof in no time, then climbed down the ladder.
"Third Uncle, have some water."
Jiang Hua's wife brought out a bowl of plain water; they didn't have any tea leaves at home.
"Jiang Hua, I came here because I have something to tell you."
"Third Uncle, just say what's on your mind. Over the years, we've been so grateful for the care we've received from the clan. Otherwise, we might not even be here today."
Jiang Hua came over after washing his hands. He was not yet fifty years old, but he looked older than his actual age. Years of hard labor had made his once upright posture somewhat hunched.
"No way, we've made it through all of this. The two children will soon be old enough to support the family. Your good days are yet to come."
Third Grandfather was my parents' youngest child, not much older than Jiang Hua and his generation of nephews and nieces. He wandered around for many years when he was young, but later returned to Jiangjia Village and never left again.
"Yes, the two children are sensible and can help with many things now."
When Jiang Hua mentioned his two grandsons, a smile appeared on his face, weathered by time.
"There is always hope. Aren't we living for our descendants?"
Third Grandpa felt a warm glow in his heart when he thought of the little ones in the family, all chubby and adorable.
"Third Uncle, you still haven't said what it is. Is it forced labor?"
Jiang Hua's heart tightened, and his face also became tense.
“It’s not forced labor. Our forced labor isn’t heavy these days. It’s just that Shuyun’s family came back. She wanted to find people to do the work, so she told me that she needed to take care of the clan and find some people from Jiangjia Village.”
"Really, Uncle, you know my family's situation. I'm afraid I can't do it."
Jiang Hua was initially delighted, but then he was disappointed when he thought about his own situation. His wife was in poor health, and his two grandsons were obedient and capable of doing a lot of work, but they were still young and not yet able to support the family.
“You can do it. Shuyun’s family hires people to feed the pigs and herd the sheep. Your whole family can do that. It just requires going to the county town, where she bought her estate. Don’t worry about things here at home; I’ll take care of the house for you.”
"Third Uncle, Third Uncle, thank you!"
It is said that men do not easily shed tears, but when the time comes, whether it is joy or sadness, tears will fall.
Jiang Hua, a grown man in his forties, had tears welling up in his eyes; it was truly heartbreaking.
"Alright, I know your personality and that you're a hard worker. If you were to cheat or shirk your duties, no matter how many reasons you had, I wouldn't recommend you to Shuyun's family."
For over a hundred years, our Jiang family has produced no promising offspring. Now, Shuyun from the Ziwen family is the most hopeful to succeed. Our Jiang clan cannot help him, but we absolutely cannot hold him back; otherwise, we would be letting down our ancestors!
The third grandfather spoke with conviction, expressing his hope that he could witness the rise of the Jiang family in his lifetime.
"Don't worry, Third Uncle. I am a descendant of the Jiang family. I cannot disgrace our ancestors or do anything shameful. Has Shuyun's family said when we will go?"
"I haven't asked yet, but I'll go over and ask in a bit. You guys tidy up at home, then go there and listen to the instructions. Work hard, save up some money in a few years, and once you've got your two grandsons married, your mission will be complete."
After Grandpa San finished speaking, he got up and left. He still needed to ask Shuyun's family how the search for a long-term worker was going.
At the Jiang family's old house, Jiang's mother was also very excited after hearing her second daughter-in-law's words.
"If you're looking for long-term workers, you have to find honest and hardworking ones, not slackers who don't follow instructions."
“Mother is right. I need someone to do the work, not someone to support me. Mother, I don’t know the people in the village well. Can you help me think of someone suitable?”
Mu Yi'an was genuinely unfamiliar with the villagers; Jiang's mother should know whether they were human or ghosts.
"Second sister-in-law, what do you think of my family members?"
Jiang's wife listened for a long time and learned that Mu Yi'an had bought the estate and shops, and she was already extremely envious. But she could only listen; the family had been divided, and those things had nothing to do with her anymore.
“Sister-in-law, this time I mainly want to take care of the relatives in the clan, and also help our uncles and cousins who have always been helping us. I can’t take care of anything else for the time being, after all, my estate is just a small one.”
Mu Yi'an didn't have a good impression of Jiang's sister-in-law's family. She disliked her nephew's theory about the eldest son and grandson, as well as her sister-in-law's behavior. It wasn't that she was generalizing; the Lin family had quite a few members, but she didn't want to gamble, there was no need.
"Huh? Then, then..."
Jiang's sister-in-law couldn't utter a complete sentence for a long time, and it was unclear what she was saying.
"Second daughter-in-law, your uncle's eldest cousin should be able to go. He has many children and a heavy burden. He farms, so your uncle and cousin are enough."
Jiang's mother thought of her brother's family. Her second nephew was a good person, but his wife was a girl from the Lin family and not as kind as her eldest nephew's wife.
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
