Farm Girl's Manor
Chapter 174: Planning Retribution on the Strange New House’s Rafter (8)_1

Chapter 174: Chapter 174: Planning Retribution on the Strange New House’s Rafter (8)_1

The Mo Family offered high wages and good food, and after only three months of work, the more than fifty villagers who came to help had each earned a few taels of silver. None of them wanted to leave and all were eager to stay on and continue working.

Because of this, Mo Qingze was quite troubled. These were his fellow townspeople, all hard workers, and over the past few months, they had grown close. In the last couple of days, they all approached him to speak kindly and express their hopes to stay, leaving him unsure of whom to dismiss.

When Mo Yan found out, she laughed and said, "Just have them draw lots. Whoever draws the lot with the word on it will go. It’s a matter of luck, and no one will say you’re being unfair."

Though the method was somewhat juvenile, it offended no one, and after all, their family couldn’t possibly pay wages just for people to idle around on the worksite!

Mo Qingze’s eyes lit up, he patted Mo Yan on the head, and laughed heartily: "My daughter is the smart one, we’ll do just that."

The next day, the villagers who drew the marked lots felt rather dejected. However, after seeing the extra hundred Wen paid by the Mo Family, they returned home overjoyed.

The remaining twenty or so people weren’t envious; after working another half a month, they could earn over four hundred Wen!

...

"Xiao Zhu, why have you brought over so much pickled chili again?"

As soon as Mo Yan opened the pottery jar Xiao Zhu had brought, a tangy spicy scent rushed into her nose, causing her to sneeze several times.

But the taste of this pickled chili was really good, it made her mouth water just smelling it!

"Hehe, last time when I went back, I mentioned you liked this, and Aunt Tong from next door made another jar and asked me to bring it over for you," Xiao Zhu said, scratching his head and grinning.

Mo Yan said helplessly, "Don’t do this next time. Times are tough for Aunt Tong’s family. Making this jar of pickled peppers must have cost several Big Money!

Xiao Zhu said embarrassedly, "I didn’t want to bring it over, but Aunt Tong insisted, and I couldn’t refuse her."

With no alternative, Mo Yan picked thirty eggs from Space and gave them to Xiao Zhu: "Take these back to Aunt Tong and tell her it’s because I’m concerned about Uncle Tong’s health, and these eggs are to help nourish him."

Mo Yan was always generous to kind people. She had simply bought quite a few pear and peach seedlings from the Tong family, temporarily alleviating their hardship, and Aunt Tong felt deeply indebted to her, frequently sending over homemade dishes through Xiao Zhu.

This pickled chili was one of them, with a particularly good flavor that Mo Yan enjoyed, and now Aunt Tong had sent over such a large jar through Xiao Zhu. Mo Yan felt embarrassed to accept it.

Giving money directly would be insulting, and she had plenty of eggs to spare; even if she gave several baskets to the Tong family, it wouldn’t be a problem. But doing so could pressure Aunt Tong, known for her pride and kindness, to reciprocate with other gifts. Good intentions could increase someone else’s burden, so it might be better not to give at all.

Xiao Zhu took the eggs, hesitating as he looked at Mo Yan as if he had something difficult to say.

Seeing his hesitation, Mo Yan asked with a smile, "What’s wrong? Do you have something you want to tell me?"

When Xiao Zhu heard this, the hesitancy on his face deepened, and he finally asked cautiously, "Miss Mo, you have such a large orchard. Must be tiring to look after it, right?"

Mo Yan’s thoughts shifted, and she guessed his intention, so she pretended to say, "Not tiring, I hire people to manage the orchard. I just visit from time to time."

Sure enough, disappointment was written all over Xiao Zhu’s face. Seeing this, Mo Yan couldn’t bear to tease him any longer and said, "Actually, I’ve been thinking about finding someone who knows how to manage an orchard to help me oversee it, but it’s not easy to find such a person, and I haven’t found one yet."

While the orchard did have villagers coming in at fixed times to water, weed, and fertilize, they didn’t understand the nature of fruit trees. Some fruit seedlings that disliked moisture were overwatered and became sickly, and it was only with the water from Space that she managed to save them. She now wanted to find someone knowledgeable to take care of things, as it would be more convenient.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Zhu’s eyes crinkled with happiness: "How about Aunt Tong’s family? The Tong family used to have a large orchard and lived comfortably, but after Uncle Tong fell ill and their only son died, the Tong family’s fortunes gradually declined. However, they are very skilled at managing an orchard. Just look at the fruit seedlings they cultivate."

"Hmm, the Tong family’s fruit seedlings are indeed good. The ones in half of my orchard are flourishing," Mo Yan agreed, as she wouldn’t have bought so many otherwise.

Yet, the fruit seedlings cultivated by the Tong family were too common, and couldn’t fetch a high price. Furthermore, with the limited season for selling seedlings, Uncle Tong’s long-term illness requiring medication, and their grandson to care for, Aunt Tong was unable to work outside to support the family, making their life extremely difficult.

Seeing that Mo Yan was taking the suggestion seriously and seemed interested, Xiao Zhu happily continued, "The Tong family are good people. Though Uncle Tong isn’t in great health, he’s even better at managing the orchard than Aunt Tong. Their grandson is also five or six years old now and can do some light chores. In a few years, he’ll be able to help out even more! They’re having a really hard time right now, and if Miss Mo would help them out, they would undoubtedly do their best to manage your orchard well."

Mo Yan was quite moved and did not look down on the Tong family, despite them being all old and young with nobody really robust. After all, the orchard was so large that even three strong men couldn’t handle it all. She was merely looking to find someone with the know-how to guide the villagers in watering and fertilizing, which only required giving verbal instructions.

Thinking this over, Mo Yan asked, "Is this your idea, or does Aunt Tong intend this?"

Xiao Zhu scratched his head sheepishly, "It’s my idea. I was going to mention it to Aunt Tong after you agreed!"

Mo Yan speechlessly asked, "And what if Aunt Tong doesn’t agree?"

"Ah?" Xiao Zhu was taken aback; he truly hadn’t considered this possibility. After all, with times so tough for the Tong family, why wouldn’t they welcome the opportunity to earn money?

Mo Yan said with a helpless smile, "Just go back and mention it to Aunt Tong. If she’s willing, she can come over anytime to help manage the orchard."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Zhu was ecstatic, he thumped his chest in promise, "Aunt Tong will definitely be willing. I’ll go right now and share this good news with her."

With that, he picked up the basket of eggs and ran off.

Mo Yan shook her head and chuckled, though she was actually quite looking forward to Aunt Tong agreeing...