A Good Country Wife
Chapter 499 - 493_1

Chapter 499: Chapter 493_1

"Uncle Youfu, don’t you know what kind of person I am by now? It’s true what I say, and I can follow through on my promises! After all, we’re all from the same village, and my family has often received help from our fellow villagers. As our family has prospered, we hope that everyone in the village can share in this prosperity. That’s why I’ve come to discuss this matter especially with you, Uncle Youfu. As the respected head of our village, this task couldn’t do without your involvement."

"That’s easily said. I’m the village head of Zhao Family Village, and this is my duty. Erhu’s wife, for you to make such a charitable offer, leave the rest of the details to me." Zhao Youfu didn’t even inquire about the specifics before readily agreeing.

"Then I’ll have to trouble you, Uncle Youfu. Since we’re to plant sweet potatoes, naturally we’ll need seeds. I’m planning to distribute twenty catties of the harvested sweet potatoes as seed potatoes to each household to use for next year’s planting, which will be more than enough. I won’t take a single coin for these seed potatoes. However, the distribution will still require the village head to oversee according to the household registry to prevent anyone from missing out or falsely claiming more. Of course, if someone wants more, they’ll have to purchase any amount beyond the initial twenty catties at the market price. What do you think about this arrangement, Uncle Youfu?"

"This is excellent, very good indeed. Erhu’s wife, you’re truly generous. If everyone hears this news, they’ll be overjoyed. I’ll inform everyone immediately, then draw up a charter. Your kindness will be remembered by all." The village head was so excited that he barely knew what to say. He hadn’t expected Erhu’s wife to be willing to teach the villagers how to plant sweet potatoes, let alone promise to give each household twenty catties of seed potatoes free of charge. How could he not be thrilled?

Even the village head’s wife, listening from the side, felt it was somewhat surreal. If not for the fact that Erhu and his wife had always been kind, she would hardly believe in such luck, as if pies were falling from the sky. Erhu’s wife was willing not only to teach the villagers how to plant sweet potatoes but also to give away ten catties to each household without asking for a penny. This was such great generosity the likes of which she had never seen before, especially considering that sweet potatoes were not cheap at the time; twenty catties would cost almost a tael of silver, which was a significant sum for ordinary farming families, making their lives much better for the next year.

"I came just to sort out this matter, and now that you have agreed, Uncle Youfu, I can rest assured. I still have some things to attend to on my end. Once you have confirmed the total number of households in the village, send someone to let me know, and I’ll arrange for the sweet potatoes to be delivered according to the number."

The matter was nearly settled. Lin Yue hadn’t intended to invest too much effort in this world to begin with; she was no living Bodhisattva, empathizing with the common people’s suffering—that was the Emperor’s job. She only thought that since the harvest was so abundantly eye-catching, it would inevitably attract envy from others, which the recent thefts in her fields proved. That’s why she had come up with this approach, both to garner a good reputation and to dispel any envious sentiments with these sweet potatoes.

Lin Yue believed that most people in the village were good and knew how to show gratitude. With this act of giving twenty catties of sweet potatoes as a goodwill gesture, surely they would be grateful towards her family. Not only would they refrain from stealing from the fields, but they might even offer to help guard them. Zhao Family Village was after all a small community with, altogether, no more than a hundred families; twenty catties per family would total only about two thousand catties, an amount that could be covered with the yield of less than one mu of land. Why wouldn’t she do it?

Of course, not everyone knows gratitude. There are both good and bad people in the world. For those ungrateful wretches, if they insist on stealing from the fields again, they should not blame her for being inhospitable. They would also become pariahs in the village, as the common moral standards of the time had little tolerance for such ingratitude.

"Madam, how can you be so generous, offering twenty catties of sweet potatoes to each household free of charge? You’re making it too easy for them. Who knows if those stealing from the fields are among these people? Madam, your heart is just too kind." When Xixi heard about this from Lin Yue, she immediately expressed her indignation, unwilling to just give away so many sweet potatoes for nothing. It hurt her even more than giving away her own belongings, and her loyalty to Lin Yue was beyond question.

Upon hearing Xixi’s words, Nurse Xu shook her head with a touch of resignation, "Silly girl, what Madam is doing is the wise approach. The sweet potato harvest is too bountiful, causing the envy of the villagers. Strictly guarding them won’t solve the problem. We have too much land and too few hands to defend it. Giving everyone a bit of sweetness not only earns a good reputation, but also puts villagers in an awkward position to harbor any further bad thoughts. Those who are grateful for the twenty catties will feel even more appreciation towards our lady and will stand by her side in any future matters. To secure such goodwill with just a little favor is a worthwhile exchange."

Lin Yue smiled and nodded, "Nurse Xu understands my intentions. After all, it’s just the produce of one mu of land. If I can exchange that for peace, I’m naturally willing. Besides, we are all part of the same village community. These days are tough for everyone. If I can lend a hand, then I will. It’s not easy for anyone."

"That’s why I say Madam has a kind heart." Xixi persisted, still somewhat unconvinced, despite understanding the rationale behind Lin Yue and Nurse Xu’s words. At heart, she was a young servant girl. Since Lin Yue had bought her from the slave market and given her a good life, Xixi’s concerns centered on her own welfare and her mistress’s interests, not so much on others.

These words met with Nurse Xu’s agreement too, "Madam indeed has a kind heart. Not just towards the villagers, but to us servants as well, I have never seen a more lenient household head than our lady."

"Isn’t that the truth? There’s not a servant in the house who doesn’t say Madam has the heart of a Bodhisattva."

"Alright, stop praising me, or else you’ll flatter me to the point of losing my bearings. I’m not as good as you all say. Let’s talk about the embroidery room. I’ve already picked the person. Xixi, please call Musheng’s wife for me. I have instructions for her." Lin Yue was still somewhat bashful when showered with compliments from Nurse Xu and Xixi, so she interrupted their conversation and asked Xixi to summon Musheng’s wife.

In recent times, competition in the embroidery room had been fierce. Everyone was desperately trying to improve their skills, hoping to gain Madam’s approval and be taught the art of double-sided embroidery. Moreover, being close to Madam to learn the craft meant their status was elevated.

As for the proudest, it had to be Lun Qin. From a young age, she had learned embroidery and had become the best embroideress in the room. Confident that she would be chosen, she couldn’t help but feel a certain pride towards the other women in the room.

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.