After the Mid-Autumn Festival, the last batch of watermelons was sold, and Mu Yi'an earned a total of over nine thousand taels of silver. From the two watermelon harvests, Mu Yi'an earned a total of over twenty thousand taels of silver, her first pot of gold since arriving.
We'll plant watermelons again next year, but it'll be impossible to earn this much money again. But growing watermelons is still more profitable than growing other grains. Next year, we can grow watermelons on 300 mu of dry land in the village, and corn on the other 200 mu. We can also raise pigs and sheep on the village.
Mu Yi'an finally remembered why the pork had a gamey smell at this time: it was because the pigs hadn't been castrated yet, which gave the pork its gamey taste.
The reason I thought of this was because I was chatting with Jiang Shuyun, and we were talking about how pork doesn't taste good these days. Jiang Shuyun asked, "Have the pigs been castrated?"
Mu Yi'an then remembered that when she was little, people in the mountains raised pigs, and the piglets would all be castrated. There were people who specialized in castrating pigs, and each pig cost a few yuan, though she couldn't remember exactly. To put it simply, it was the castration of male pigs.
Mu Yi'an was quite surprised at the time, wondering how Jiang Shuyun knew about this.
How did you know that?
"Back in college, my male classmates were joking around, saying they were going to castrate so-and-so. One of them, whose family owned a large pig farm, explained the difference between castration and castration to me. That's when I learned that male pigs have to be castrated when they're young, otherwise the meat won't taste good. That left a deep impression on me!"
The two discussed it for a long time, eventually reaching the point where they wondered if eunuchs really existed in the palace at that time, and whether they were castrated like pigs. They got goosebumps from talking about it and then changed the subject.
After buying the estate, Mu Yi'an visited it several more times to learn more about the specifics. She knew which location was suitable for building pigsties and where was suitable for raising sheep.
There's a servant family on the estate now, which Mu Yi'an bought after he acquired it. For some reason, the original owner didn't have tenants; instead, they employed long-term laborers. After Mu Yi'an took over, he bought a servant family from a brokerage to look after the estate.
Uncle Li and his housekeeper would occasionally go over to check on the crops and also found short-term workers from nearby villages so that they wouldn't miss the harvest.
Mu Yi'an has been relatively free lately. The watermelons are all sold, and the watermelon patch has been cleared. This thirty mu of land can't be used to grow watermelons next year. Mu Yi'an has planted some purple clover in the field to help nourish the soil.
Purple clover was already quite common in this dynasty; I wonder which great god flapped its wings.
In short, Mu Yi'an easily bought the seeds and planted milkvetch on all thirty acres of land. He would then turn the milkvetch over to fertilize the soil.
Uncle Li took Jiang Shuhe to the manor, because Jiang Shuhe was tight-lipped and wouldn't talk about Mu Yi'an's family affairs.
Moreover, he seems to have already decided that he wants to work as a long-term laborer at Shuyun's house again next year, and Mu Yi'an has agreed. So, they're going to go to the estate together to help with the autumn harvest and planting winter wheat; there's quite a bit to do.
Fortunately, with help now, Mu Yi'an can finally be a hands-off manager.
But Mu Erge brought good news: a suitable house had been found, and he asked Mu Yi'an to go to the county town to take a look.
The day after receiving the news, Mu Yi'an had Butler Li drive a carriage to the county town in a great hurry.
After viewing the houses, Mu Yi'an planned to buy a servant, a woman who could accompany her, otherwise it would be inconvenient. At the very least, in the eyes of people at this time, it was against the rules for her to go out alone.
The house was not far from the Wanjuan Academy, less than 500 meters away, separated by a few houses.
“Yi’an, this house is a small courtyard house. There are six main rooms, five east and west wing rooms, and two gatehouse rooms on each side. There is a rear building, and a livestock shed at the back door. It’s a perfect size, enough for your family.”
Brother Mu has already come to see it once, and he thinks it's very good.
Mu Yi'an walked around the room and looked at each room. The broker in the brokerage firm had a key.
Most of the furniture in the house was still there, but the bed and dressing table in the master bedroom were missing; they were said to be part of the lady of the house's dowry and had already been moved away. The other rooms were quite well-preserved, especially the study, where the bookshelves were still there, and even the desk and display cabinet were in good condition.
Mu Yi'an thought the house was nice and felt quite comfortable.
"Hey sir, how much is this house?"
"Madam, the landlord has a fixed price of five hundred taels, no bargaining. The furniture inside can be left. Most importantly, the land outside the house is also included."
The broker quickly spoke up, knowing that a house of this size and condition would be quite expensive in their county. It was just an ordinary brick house, without any pavilions or towers, but the adjacent plot of land was indeed quite large, about half the size of the house itself.
Mu Yi'an thought it was a bit expensive; silver was very valuable these days. For an average farmer, the annual expenses would normally be only a few taels of silver. Otherwise, his uncles would have been overjoyed to have sold watermelons for over thirty taels of silver, and they were extremely grateful to Mu Yi'an.
"Okay, I'll buy it. When do I need to complete the formalities?"
Mu Yi'an finally decided to buy it. Firstly, houses in this area are hard to come by, and most people won't sell their houses unless they have a reason. Secondly, this house is very close to Wanjuan Private School, making it convenient for the children to attend classes. Thirdly, the attached land can be cultivated to grow seasonal vegetables, making it convenient to eat.
"Madam, if it's convenient, let's go to the county government office tomorrow to complete the formalities and change the house deed."
"Sure, how about tomorrow at 9 AM? I'd also like to buy one or two servants, do you have any?"
"Yes, madam, all the servants in our brokerage are innocent and healthy."
The broker was thrilled. He hadn't expected the lady to be so efficient, and to close two deals in one go, which would earn him a hefty commission.
This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
