Farm Girl's Manor
Chapter 45 The Best Pink and Ink Makes an Entrance (1)_1

Chapter 45: Chapter 45 The Best Pink and Ink Makes an Entrance (1)_1

The preparation of cotton and grain was in order, and Mo Yan had also purchased a batch of coarse cotton and hemp fabric from the Cloth Shop. Peasants often engaged in heavy labor and, except for visiting relatives during festivals and holidays, they rarely wore good clothes, so the coarse cotton and hemp were just right.

A grain of rice of benevolence, a bucket of rice of grudge! Although Mo Yan was willing to help others, she was by no means a soft touch. If the villagers of Liu Yang Village urgently needed grain and clothing to keep out the cold, she was willing to provide it, but she wouldn’t give it away for free. Moreover, she hadn’t priced these goods at market rates—strictly speaking, she was the one "at a loss."

Lizhong volunteered to draft the written contract, which could be considered an ancient version of an employment contract. The terms outlined in the document were clear and very equitable.

Since they were unsure how many people would be willing to do this, Mo Qingze and Lizhong prepared only fifty copies of the contract. Once everything was ready, in the afternoon, Mo Yan couldn’t wait to call several ox carts and take a portion of the cotton fabrics and grain to Liu Yang Village.

The children had never been there before, and seeing that the adults were all going, they begged to go along to see the place. It was a trivial matter for the three members of the Mo Family, so they spent a few more copper coins to hire a donkey cart with a canopy that could shield them from the wind, and they headed to Liu Yang Village, leading a procession of carts.

The once-quiet Liu Yang Village became bustling after welcoming over a hundred households.

Many villagers swarmed the mountains to cut wood and build houses. The small path from the village to the mountain had been widened considerably from being trodden on. Along the way, villagers carrying wood together were a common sight. A gust of cold wind brought with it the sounds of conversation, sawing of wood...

When Mo Yan and the others arrived in Liu Yang Village, what they saw was a scene of busy activity, and in the center of the village, numerous thatched houses had already been erected.

These hundred or so households were refugees who had fled from the South, relegated to such a place where they could barely fill their stomachs—poor families who couldn’t even afford tiled houses, let alone mud-brick ones. The vast majority could only cobble together a couple of thatched houses to get by, hoping to build better homes when they could afford it later on.

Lin Yong knew that the Mo Family would be coming to handle affairs in the next couple of days. He had been paying attention to the village entrance while working, and as soon as the Mo Family’s convoy entered the village, he knew right away. He quickly put down his work and went to greet them.

After exchanging some brief pleasantries, Lin Yong led them to the Lin Family’s newly built thatched houses. There were a total of three rooms, which were empty and redolent with the unique fragrance of wood. The ground was covered with a lot of wood shavings and straw, giving the place a rather messy appearance.

Nonetheless, Mo Yan and her company didn’t mind the state of the place, and had the coachmen unload their goods, piling them inside the house. They also spent a few copper coins to rent a table and four chairs from the original residents of Liu Yang Village.

The Lin Clan had known about this matter the day before yesterday. Seeing that the Mo Family had brought so much stuff, they weren’t surprised at all. Some were cutting wood on the mountain, so others took the initiative to go up the mountain and call them down.

The other villagers, seeing the procession of ox carts and donkey carts bringing in so much stuff, secretly wondered which family was making such an elaborate move.

The curious villagers crowded around to watch the excitement. Once they understood what was going on, their minds became active, and after doing some quick calculations, they felt that this was an incredible bargain. So, they hurried back home to discuss it with their families.

"Brother Lin, do you think this is appropriate?" Mo Yan called out to Lin Yong to sit down, took out a contract, placed it in front of him, and sought his opinion.

Without even glancing at the contract, Lin Yong picked up the pen, wrote down the required amount of cotton fabric and grain, and vigorously signed his name. Then, he firmly pressed his thumbprint beneath his signature, and after the ink had dried, he handed the document back to Mo Yan with both hands. His voice, deep and resonant, uttered three words: