A Good Country Wife
Chapter 382 - 376_1

Chapter 382: 376_1

Zhao Erhu looked hesitant, seemingly entangled over the matter of the silver. Seeing him like this, the village chief’s convoluted thoughts dissipated considerably. After all, he had seen the Zhao family’s business with his own eyes. If there was money to be made, it would be from the restaurant, but that had only recently started up. Fearing Zhao Erhu’s silver was limited, how could he otherwise hesitate to grab such prime farmland? Furthermore, the Zhao family’s new house was yet to be built, necessitating a significant investment. Asking Zhao Erhu to do anything for the village now seemed somewhat unrealistic.

"This is a rare opportunity. Many people are eyeing the eighty mu of good land owned by Landlord Zhang. Erhu, if you want it, you’ll have to make a move quickly, or someone else will buy it. I can’t stop them; after all, this is a transaction entrusted to me by Landlord Zhang—first come, first served."

"Uncle, I understand. I really want these eighty mu of prime land, but I can’t come up with that much silver all at once. Here’s what we’ll do, give me a day to borrow some silver from business friends. Keep the land reserved for me, and I’ll bring the money tomorrow at this time to purchase it."

"Alright, it’s settled then. I’ll hold it for you until tomorrow. If you can’t bring the money by then, I’ll have no choice but to sell the land on behalf of Landlord Zhang to someone else."

"I understand; I’ll trouble you to keep it for me, then. Now, I must go to raise the silver." Although Zhao Erhu worried that things could change before a deal was finalized, his family had risen to wealth too quickly, attracting unwanted attention without a substantial foundation. Now that the Magistrate had been recalled to the Capital City, the only connection they had left was Zhao Xinglin, who served as an arrest officer at the government office. However, Xinglin’s own situation was unpredictable. The saying went, "With a new emperor comes a new court," and although the former Magistrate Chen had favored Zhao Xinglin, it was unclear what the temperament of the new Magistrate would be. The position Xinglin held was coveted by many, and whether he remained an arrest officer was at the whim of the Magistrate.

"Erhu, you’re back. What did the village chief say? Did you find a suitable piece of land?" Lin Yue was airing out the quilts when she saw Zhao Erhu returning and hurriedly asked.

Usually expressionless, Zhao Erhu’s face softened upon seeing Lin Yue, smiling as he wrapped his arms around his young wife. "We’re in luck this time. Landlord Zhang’s eighty mu of good farmland is up for sale, and I want to buy it."

"Landlord Zhang’s good land is for sale? That’s great, didn’t you say before that his land is well-located and fertile, perfect for growing grains and vegetables? Surely many people would want this land, so we better finalize the deal quickly. Didn’t you bring a silver note earlier, or are you back to get the silver?"

"No, it’s agreed that I’ll bring the silver tomorrow at this time to buy the land. I told the village chief I’d be gathering it."

Lin Yue became anxious upon hearing this. "Lots of people will want that land, why didn’t you seal the deal right away? Don’t we have silver at home? Just take it and buy the land now, otherwise, who knows what might change!"

"It should be fine. Landlord Zhang only just spoke to the village chief, and the news hasn’t gone out yet. I made a deal with the village chief; as long as I bring the silver by tomorrow at this time, there shouldn’t be any issues. The village chief is a man of his word, don’t worry," Zhao Erhu explained.

At first, Lin Yue had been momentarily panicked, not thinking things through, but now she understood Zhao Erhu’s intentions and felt a bit helpless. It seemed human nature was such that when their family was poor, people had their designs on them, and now that they were wealthier, even more were eyeing them. It was an unavoidable situation, but fortunately, Zhao Erhu was perceptive and knew how to avoid trouble, sparing her much worry.

Zhao Erhu had planned to help at the construction site today, but since he said he would go to borrow money from friends, he’d better make it look convincing. Deciding to head into the city, he thought he might as well check on the restaurant. His wife had wanted roast chicken, which he had specially brought back, but now he had given it to the village chief. So, he decided to swing by the restaurant and bring another roast chicken back.

Just as Zhao Erhu was getting ready to leave, Shopkeeper Liu showed up at the door, pulling a cart loaded with goods. Seeing Zhao Erhu coming out with a horse cart, "Brother Erhu, are you heading out?"

"No, just a casual trip to the city. You must have something on your mind, Shopkeeper Liu?" Seeing Shopkeeper Liu’s arrival, Zhao Erhu led the horse cart back, after all, it was just an excuse to fool the nosy. Since Shopkeeper Liu was here, he’d stay to entertain his guest. The village chief might assume the borrowed money came from Shopkeeper Liu.

"Shopkeeper Liu, what brings you here today? Please, come in and take a seat." Lin Yue was also surprised by Shopkeeper Liu’s sudden visit, especially seeing him personally arriving with others, and she guessed it had to do with news from Jiang Ziqi. Indeed, Shopkeeper Liu continued.

"The Family Head sent a letter and some items from the Capital City especially for Mrs. Lin." As he spoke, he directed his men to carry off the items from the cart into the house: two large chests and several big hemp bags, one couldn’t tell what was inside just yet.

"What’s all this?" Lin Yue asked, intrigued by the array of items being brought in.

"These are gifts from the Family Head to Mrs. Lin. Not daring to open them myself, I’m not sure what’s inside. But there’s a letter from the Family Head to Mrs. Lin, which should explain," Shopkeeper Liu said, handing the letter to Lin Yue.

Upon opening the letter, Lin Yue found the explanation she was looking for. The large chests and hemp bags contained seeds gathered from various places by Jiang Ziqi, some even from barbaric countries and other small nations that she couldn’t recognize. They were all sent to her. Remembering a past conversation with Jiang Ziqi about seeds that she had mentioned only in passing, Lin Yue hadn’t expected him to take it to heart and gather such an array of seeds for her.

"Zhao Erhu, Brother Jiang says these are seeds collected from various places. Let’s open the chests and bags, I want to see what kinds of seeds we have," Lin Yue said excitedly, thrilled by the unexpected treasure. She had visited the Seed Store once, asking the storekeeper to gather more varieties of seeds. Although the storekeeper had promised to help, his capabilities were limited, certainly no match for Jiang Ziqi.

Brother Erhu, Mrs. Lin, I have delivered the letter and the goods. I need to attend to my store now, so I must take my leave," Shopkeeper Liu, having completed his errand, felt it inappropriate to linger and bid farewell to the couple.

Zhao Erhu quickly stood up upon hearing of Shopkeeper Liu’s departure. "We’ve troubled you, Shopkeeper Liu. I wanted to invite you to stay for a meal, but since you’re busy, I won’t hold you up. Let me walk you out."

"No need to be so courteous, wise couple. I’ll visit another day. Farewell!"

Zhao Erhu saw Shopkeeper Liu out and then turned back into the house, where Lin Yue could hardly wait to see what seeds Jiang Ziqi had collected; she had already opened both chests and the hemp bags.