Two days after Jiang Shuyun left, Manager Zhou came to deliver watermelons.
"Madam Jiang, the price of watermelons has dropped this year. The magistrate of Xinyuan County has attracted many merchants, and watermelons are no longer a rare commodity."
"I can understand it. It's a good thing. At least more and more people will be able to buy watermelons to eat in the future."
Mu Yi'an had already anticipated this outcome, and remained remarkably calm.
"I admire Jiang Niangzi's righteousness."
Manager Zhou was surprised that Madam Jiang could be so open-minded; most people couldn't do that.
"Manager Zhou, you're too kind. I'm just being easygoing."
Mu Yi'an didn't say anything more. Manager Zhou instructed people to weigh the goods and transport them to the dock.
Zhuangzi is not far from the dock, much closer than Jiangjia Village.
The watermelon field covers more than 200 acres, and the number of watermelons that are ripening for the first time is quite large.
After transporting the watermelons for half a day, they were sold for ten coins per pound, and Mu Yi'an received more than three thousand taels of silver.
This year, only one watermelon seedling was left on each watermelon vine to ensure that the watermelons grow big enough.
Mu Yi'an knew that if there were more watermelons, the price would drop, but high-quality watermelons would still be more expensive than ordinary watermelons.
After seeing Manager Zhou off, Mu Yi'an instructed Uncle Li and Jiang Shuhe to be more cautious about the melon field.
"Madam, we know that many people have seen what's happening today."
"You must be wary of others, and you should also pay attention to your safety. If the situation becomes critical, your own safety should be the priority. No matter how valuable the watermelon is, it is not as important as people."
Mu Yi'an could not take human life lightly. After so many years of education, she simply could not do this.
"Thank you, Madam!"
Uncle Li's voice choked with emotion. As servants, their lives were not in their own hands. This was the first time someone had told him that their safety was more important.
Jiang Shuhe was just a farmhand, unlike Uncle Li and the others who sold themselves into slavery, so he didn't feel it as deeply.
He repeated these words verbatim to the other farmhands.
“Jiang Niangzi is kind. We’ve worked as farmhands in other places before, but the treatment was far worse than here. The landlords, the rich men, and the ladies were very harsh on us. They wished we could work all the time without sleeping.”
The farmhands came from nearby villages. They used to work for other masters, and their food and supplies were much worse than here.
The two cousins of the Wang family had never worked as farmhands before, but on the estate, their food and lodging were quite good, no worse than at home, and they could eat as much as they wanted.
"Let's put in more effort and work hard so we can stay next year."
"Yes, be more vigilant at night, and don't let any petty thieves ruin the watermelon patch."
They've lived here for decades; how could they not know what kind of people live nearby?
Mu Yi'an was unaware of the gossip among the farmhands. She, along with Steward Li and Sister-in-law Fang, rode in a carriage driven by Zhao Wu toward the county town.
Because there were many watermelons, Mu Yi'an chatted with Uncle Li and the others for a while longer. By the time they left the manor, it was past Shenshi (3-5 PM).
"Steward Li, there are people lying in ambush in the bushes ahead."
"What? Someone's lying in ambush? Zhao Wu, you mean we've been robbed?"
"It should be. They don't seem like bandits; they're probably from a nearby village."
Zhao Wu had been a镖师 (bodyguard/escort) for many years and was able to detect even the slightest movement on the road; his reconnaissance skills were also quite good.
"You have experience, what should we do?"
This was the first time Manager Li had encountered something like this, and he was a little flustered.
"Steward Li, don't panic. Now, it's your turn to drive the carriage. I'll watch from the side. If there are too many people, I'll get off and stop them. You drive the carriage into the city and report the case to the county government. I reckon they've set up an ambush in this very spot."
Zhao Wu watched the grass rustling and estimated in his mind that there were probably not many people.
"Okay, I'm not panicking."
Butler Li pinched his thigh hard to pull himself together; he couldn't let Zhao Wu down. Besides, his wife and Fang Meizi were in the car; he had to stay focused.
The swaying grass inside the carriage was getting closer and closer, and Zhao Wu kept his eyes fixed on the road ahead.
"The car's here, let's charge!"
Three or four burly men in their thirties, carrying sickles and hoes, rushed out of the bushes beside the official road, their eyes gleaming with greed.
"Butler Li, what's going on?"
Hearing the shouts, Mu Yi'an, who was in the carriage, sensed that something was wrong.
“Madam, we’ve encountered some robbers. Hold on tight, Zhao Wu and I are outside.”
"Okay, you all need to be careful too."
Mu Yi'an was at a loss. How could there be robbery in broad daylight?
Zhao Wu looked at the three or four people who rushed out and felt relieved.
"I planted this tree, I opened this road; if you want to pass through here, leave some money to pay the toll."
The man in the lead had a fierce look on his face and was clearly no good. He spoke slang fluently, though I don't know where he heard it from.
"Steward Li, I'll go down and stop them. You drive the carriage back to the city."
Zhao Wu jumped off the carriage, snatched the wooden stick from the leader's hand, and kicked him several steps away.
The other three were stunned, not expecting the scarred man to be so powerful.
"Butler Li, let's go."
Butler Li cracked his whip and shouted, "Giddy up, giddy up..."
The carriage sped past; it was only four or five miles from the county town. Hopefully, Zhao Wu could hold on.
"Steward Li, go directly to the county government office and have the constables meet Zhao Wu."
Mu Yi'an had just lifted a corner of the curtain and saw several people blocking the road. They were probably idlers from nearby villages who knew they were selling watermelons and had come to rob them.
"Understood, madam, please sit tight."
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
