Allure of a Country Maiden
Chapter 801 - 799_1

Chapter 801: Chapter 799_1

Boss Feng, having received the payment for the goods, paid the silver to the flower farmers.

The flower farmers, pumped up by the receipt of the silver, insisted on inviting Xiao’er and Shangguan Xuanyi for a meal at their home.

Upon the enthusiastic invitation of the flower farmers, Xiao’er and Shangguan Xuanyi came to have dinner at the village chief’s house, where several women brought over food like chicken, eggs, duck, and cured meat.

Xiao’er knew that people in the village only slaughtered chickens and ducks for special occasions like traditional festivals.

Now, without hesitation, they brought these delicacies for her, which touched her deeply.

Feeling uncomfortable sitting idly while the others prepared the meal, and being the only woman in a room full of men, Xiao’er said to Shangguan Xuanyi, "I’ll go and help prepare the meal."

Shangguan Xuanyi nodded in agreement.

Xiao’er left the room and saw women preparing different foods in the courtyard. Some were killing chickens, others were dealing with fish and ducks. It was like a grand banquet was taking place.

"Let me help!" Xiao’er rolled up her sleeves, preparing to help cut potatoes.

One of the women recognized the expensive fabric of Xiao’er’s clothing. Considering her delicate, soft hands, she was sure Xiao’er wasn’t used to these kinds of chores. Fearing Xiao’er might cut her fingers while attempting to slice the potatoes, the village chief’s wife quickly intervened, "Young Mistress, you don’t have to do this. We can handle it."

"Yes, Young Mistress, the knife is really sharp. What if you hurt your hand?" Someone else also expressed their concern.

Xiao’er avoided the hand the village chief’s wife reached out to take the knife with a casual dodge. "Don’t worry, I often do this," she said.

None of the women present believed Xiao’er’s words. Her soft, smooth hands did not resemble those of someone who did housework often.

But as soon as Xiao’er started to work, they were stunned. Before they could see quite what was happening, Xiao’er swiftly cut a potato into thin strips - even and delicate.

The village women were still in shock when Xiao’er proceeded to slice seven to eight other potatoes into shreds.

This convinced them that Xiao’er was indeed experienced in cooking. Otherwise, how could she have developed such knife skills? It was a skill they themselves lacked!

In the end, Xiao’er’s culinary skills won the hearts of the village women.

Everyone agreed that the dishes she made were so delicious that not a drop of sauce was left.

Being beautiful, having a sweet voice, and possessing an elegant yet approachable demeanor, not to mention her great cooking skills, Xiao’er gained the affection of the village women.

If only their own daughters could be like her!

However, recollecting that Xiao’er was a wealthy young mistress who knew how to farm, cook, and was more capable and knowledgeable than them, made them fret about their own daughters. In comparison, their daughters seemed far less attractive and less skilled. How could they ever get married?

They felt a strong sense of urgency and decided that they should encourage their daughters to do more chores in the future!

...

Xiao’er’s cooking skills were admired by the men in the village, who commended Shangguan Xuanyi for marrying such a good wife.

Although Shangguan Xuanyi didn’t say much, a smile lingered on his lips, indicating his good mood.

After the meal, Xiao’er and Shangguan Xuanyi went for a walk.

They were looking for a suitable place to set up a flower tea workshop.

Since Tian Niu and Mrs. Ma were already stationed in the town to gather intelligence, Xiao’er thought it would be convenient to have them oversee the workshop, making it even easier for them to gather information.

They quickly found a location which was a homestead in Huatian Village. Its location was not far from the flower fields but slightly far from the village, making it a good fit for a workshop.

Because drying roses requires a large space, Xiao’er felt the plot was a bit small; it was just over three acres. She suggested buying the run-down mansion nearby and its accompanying courtyard. This would expand the size of the workshop to nearly five acres, which should be enough.

Xiao’er asked the village chief about the ownership of the abandoned mansion and stated her intention for it.

The village chief was delighted when he learned Xiao’er planned to establish a flower tea workshop in Huatian Village. "That house belongs to Liang Dashan. I’ll take you to him! It’s been a long time since anyone lived there as it’s so far from the village. Besides, the house itself has collapsed. It’s just lying there unused, but they’ll surely sell it."

"Thank you, village chief!" The two of them followed the village chief back towards the village.

The village chief led them to a house at the edge of the village and knocked vigorously on the door. "Dashan, Dashan! Open the door!"

Despite his age, the village chief was full of energy.

However, there was no response from inside.

"Dashan! Dashan!" Still, there was no answer.

But the door was latched from inside, indicating there was indeed someone home.

"Watchman! Watchman! Open the door!" When calling by his real name had no effect, the village chief turned to the man’s nickname, obviously irritated.

"Coming!" A faint answer came from the house.

On hearing this nickname, Xiao’er asked, "Village chief, is the owner a watchman? Is our visit interfering with his sleep?"

"Yes, he’s a watchman, which is why we call him that. But he doesn’t work anymore; his adopted son does it for him. Don’t worry, at this hour, Dali is already up. He probably went to get water."

Relieved by the chief’s response, Xiao’er didn’t want to intrude on a watchman’s sleep since they worked night shifts.

"Watchman, watchman."

"I’m coming! Village chief, are you trying to summon my spirit?" Liang Dashan, dragging a lame leg, came out.

"Who asked you not to respond after I called you for so long!"

"Didn’t you call me ’Dashan’ at first? I forgot that was my name! I didn’t know you were calling me!"

Upon hearing this, the village chief nearly choked with frustration. Calling him by his real name was his own mistake! He had intended to save him some dignity in the presence of distinguished guests. He was the one in the wrong!

"You, you are so forgetful, you can’t even remember your own name!"

The watchman smiled awkwardly and invited them into his house.

He wanted to make tea for his guests, but since he was disabled, both the village chief and Xiao’er stopped him. The village chief got straight to the point: "Watchman, this is Young Master Shangguan and his wife. They plan to set up a workshop near the entrance to the village. As the homestead there isn’t large enough, they want to buy your old courtyard. How much do you want for it?"

"That house is already in ruins and not good enough to live in. We can sell it as a lot. It consists of a front yard and back garden, about an acre and a half. How about six taels of silver?" The watchman hadn’t expected anyone to be interested in buying his ruined house. After all, it was quite far from the village and slightly off the beaten path, with few neighbors.

However, having it sold would bring in some extra money. This made the watchman happy.

Six taels of silver was a fair price, so the village chief was satisfied.

Xiao’er took out six taels of silver: "Uncle, here are six taels of silver. If you are willing to sell, could you please take out the land deed? We can have the village chief help us with the transfer."

"Sure, let me get it!" The watchman took the silver and hobbled off to find the land deed.

At that moment, a voice came from outside the house. "Father, who has come to our house?"

Upon hearing this voice, Shangguan Xuanyi’s body stiffened.