Steward Li took Zhao Wu to Jiangjia Village and gave the Jiang clan chief the list of agricultural products that the shop needed to collect.
"Master, Madam said this is the list of agricultural products the shop needs. The vegetables need to be picked early in the morning, and the other food items also need to be prepared so they look good. Madam said that someone from the village needs to be responsible for delivering the prepared vegetables to the shop in the county town. At first, the quantity may not be too large. If the business picks up, the quantity can be increased little by little."
Butler Li explained it clearly, and both Third Grandfather and First Grandfather understood.
“Go back and tell your wife that we will be careful and will not allow anyone to pass off inferior goods as qualified ones.”
Third Grandfather took the order from Steward Li; this was the hope of their Jiangjia Village.
“Grandpa, the purchase price is on the order form. We deliver the goods to the shop every day, and you get paid right after unloading. Madam says that the villagers would prefer to see copper coins every day.”
“Your wife is very thoughtful. Tomorrow morning, I will have them send it over early so that we can get in as soon as the city gates open.”
Grandpa San sighed inwardly, thinking how meticulous Shuyun's family was in their considerations. Seeing copper coins every day brought joy to every household in the village and gave them more hope for the future.
After finishing explaining what his wife had instructed, Steward Li called the people who were going to work on the estate to get on the carriage, and Zhao Wu drove the carriage away from Jiangjia Village.
"Look, the Jiang family of four has all gone. They'll be rich from now on. When their two grandsons grow up and get married, good days are just around the corner."
"Who says otherwise? I never expected Shuyun's wife to be so capable. In such a short time, she has already bought servants, houses, and shops."
“Sigh, back then we thought it was shameful for Jiang Qi to return home after divorce, so we distanced ourselves from his family. Now, we want to curry favor with them, but they don’t even acknowledge us.”
...
The villagers were gossiping, and the third and eldest grandfathers overheard it and felt that they deserved it; they were unkind and now it was too late to regret it.
Let's put those people aside for now and think about how to distribute the vegetables, the dried goods that each family has saved up, and the people who deliver the goods every day...
There's a lot to do. After finishing this, he'll have to think about the village head's job and make several more trips to town. The Lin family should step down.
Third Grandfather was very busy. Although he wasn't particularly old, he wasn't young either. After discussing it with his eldest brother and Shuyun's father, he handed over the responsibility of overseeing the agricultural products to his eldest son and his eldest brother's eldest grandson.
Both of them had some schooling, were literate, and could do accounting.
The eldest son of the third grandfather, Jiang Qin, and the eldest grandson of the first grandfather, Jiang Shuhai, have complementary personalities. One is calm and quiet, while the other is cheerful, eloquent, and good at dealing with all kinds of people.
With the matter settled, my third grandfather and eldest grandfather observed for a few days and, seeing that it was done well, they were relieved. They then began contacting the leader of the Wang clan, and the matter of the village head should also be put on the agenda.
While Shaoming Academy was on break, Mu Yi'an had Zhao Wu drive the carriage. She and Jiang Qi, along with their three children and Sister-in-law Fang, went to the estate.
"Mom, there are lots of trees here, and big birds too!"
Upon arriving at the village, Shao Yun alighted from the carriage and eagerly shared his discovery with his mother.
"Bird, eat meat!"
Chuyue has turned two years old. She speaks much more fluently now, but she can't stop talking about food. She's also gotten quite chubby.
"The crescent moon, that's a magpie, you can't eat it."
Mu Yi'an patted his little girl's head. Why does she like to eat so much? Will she become a chubby girl in the future?
"I want to eat, I want to eat, Mom, I want to eat."
When Chu Yue heard that she couldn't eat it, she got a little anxious; she wanted to eat meat.
"Let's go inside. There are lots of chicks in the farm. We can eat them when they grow up."
Mu Yi'an held Chu Yue's hand, while her aunt held her other hand. Shao Ming held Shao Yun's hand, preventing him from wandering off; this was their first time here, and they were unfamiliar with the area and could easily get lost.
Mu Yi'an and his group entered the manor and went to the courtyard in the center of the manor first.
No one lives in the main house of the courtyard, and Xu's sister-in-law cleans it almost every day.
The family of five lived in a row of houses in the backyard, essentially a reverse-facing house. Uncle Li and Jiang Shuhe lived in the gatehouse on either side of the main gate, one room each.
The newly arrived Jiang Hua family of four lived near the pigsty, where there were specially built mud-brick houses, a row of six rooms specifically constructed when the pigsty was built. The farmhands from the estate also lived here; there were plenty of houses, and some were even vacant.
The watermelon seedlings have been planted for several days now, and the seedlings have recovered.
Uncle Li is now focusing his energy on the paddy fields. Last year's winter wheat is already heavy with ripe ears, and it will be ready for harvest in another month or so.
Harvesting several hundred acres of wheat is not easy; it requires a large number of temporary workers to quickly harvest it while the weather is good.
Uncle Li already had experience with this; the method his wife had come up with before was quite good: hiring day laborers, not paying them by the day, but by the amount of work they did. They would pay a certain number of copper coins for each acre of wheat harvested, with more work resulting in more pay, which would increase the speed of work.
Mu Yi'an let Jiang Qi take the children for a stroll around the estate, while she, along with Sister Fang and Uncle Li, began to inspect all the places on the estate.
“Madam, this is where Jiang Hua’s family and all the farmhands live. It’s close to the pigsty and sheepfold, making it convenient for them to take care of the livestock.”
"How are the pigs and sheep growing right now?"
Mu Yi'an came from afar and thought the person her third grandfather introduced was good, at least he was quite diligent, because she didn't smell the pungent smell of pig manure from the pigsty.
"The piglets and sheep are growing well. There is woodland here, so there is no shortage of fodder. The sheep are driven out to graze every day, and none of them are sick so far. The pigsty and sheepfold are cleaned daily as instructed by the madam, and the manure is pushed into the composting pit over there."
"Well done. In a clean place, livestock are less likely to get sick."
Although Mu Yi'an didn't understand animal husbandry, she still knew the basic conditions for raising livestock.
It's said that even the wealthiest families don't count when it comes to livestock. Raising too many livestock makes you vulnerable to disease outbreaks, which can wipe out entire flocks. Therefore, hygiene is of paramount importance in preventing disease outbreaks.
Mu Yi'an looked at the piglets in the pigsty. They had grown quite a bit bigger than before and were cleaner, without being covered in feces and urine.
Jiang Hua and his wife took their grandson to herd sheep and cut pig feed along the way. Mu Yi'an didn't wait for them to come back; she didn't know them and there was no need for it.
I looked at the pigs and sheep, and then I looked at the chicks.
The five hundred chickens have gotten used to the daily routine. They are released at a certain time and return to the coop when it gets dark; they are quite obedient.
After inspecting the livestock, Mu Yi'an went to the wheat field and explained the matter of saving the seed to Uncle Li, since the experimental results last year were quite good.
I've also looked at the melon patch. It's mainly under Jiang Shuhe's management now, and he's making fertilizer from eggshells.
Mu Yi'an didn't disturb them and went straight to the field.
"Uncle Li, these watermelon seedlings are growing well."
"It's not hard work. Watching the crops in the field slowly grow makes me feel good."
Uncle Li truly loves farming; he's been on the estate for so long that he's gotten used to it.
After making a general roundabout trip, Mu Yi'an had a better understanding of the situation.
"Mommy, come here quickly, he's so cute!"
Hearing Shao Yun's shouts and Chu Yue's giggles, Mu Yi'an wondered what interesting things the children had discovered, and she decided to go and take a look.
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