Farm Girl's Manor
Chapter 460: Achieve Cooperation to Cause Trouble (3)_1

Chapter 460: Chapter 460: Achieve Cooperation to Cause Trouble (3)_1

Stepping out of the small room, Mo Yan saw Lizhong counting out several pieces of broken Silver and handing them to a stranger. Once that person had left, she approached and asked, "Who was that? Does the shop owe him Silver?"

Lizhong locked the drawer and said with a smile, "He’s a worker from the mill. The grain in the shop is all processed by the same mill, and we settle last month’s processing fees on the fifth of every month. Today just happens to be the fifth, so the mill’s owner sent a worker over to settle the accounts."

Hearing this, Mo Yan nodded without saying much. This expense would be recorded in the ledger, the amount wasn’t that large, just three or four Silver a month, and compared to the substantial profits the shop made each month, this bit of Silver wasn’t something she was concerned about.

However, Lizhong felt it was a pity and couldn’t help but say, "The shop processes so much grain every month, and over time, it adds up to a considerable expense. If we had our own mill and hired a couple of Helpers, not only would it be more convenient, but we could also save a good amount of Silver over a year!"

Mo Yan thought it over, and it did sound inconvenient. It was easy to stockpile the grain from Space into the warehouse, but before selling it, they had to transport it to the mill for processing and then back to the warehouse once processed. If the shop ran out, they had to go back to the warehouse for more, which indeed was a hassle. After all, the mill couldn’t just set aside their processed grain, not when it had other business to attend to and couldn’t delay retrieving it when needed.

Seeing that she hadn’t spoken, Lizhong continued, "The fields in the valley will be planted with rice this year, and the harvested grain will definitely supply the shop. It would be better to build a mill in the village, store the processed grain at home, and transport it directly to the shop when needed. With this arrangement, we wouldn’t need to rent that warehouse anymore. The Silver saved would be enough to pay the workers. Plus, there’s no mill in the village, so when the villagers need to mill their grain, they have to travel far to the city or another village. We could also take on the village’s milling work for a small profit."

Mo Yan was very tempted by the idea. Building a mill wasn’t difficult or expensive, and it was, importantly, very convenient. Without giving it much thought, she agreed and planned to get the mill set up before building the distillery.

Seeing that it was still early, she guessed that Mother and daughter of Mo Wu clan hadn’t returned from their Southern Market stall, so she drove over in the carriage to pick them up and head back to Liu Yang Village together.

When she arrived at the street where the stall was, there weren’t many pedestrians about, so Mo Yan drove the carriage straight in.

From a distance, she saw a large crowd gathered around the stall where Wu’s mother and daughter were selling their goods, unable to see the situation inside. However, the occasional shrill cries that came out made Mo Yan’s face change color, and she urged Da HongZao to move quicker.

"Now that we’re all here today, please help this old woman settle a matter!" In front of the onlookers, Mo Hong’s family, with profound grief, pointed at the silent Mo Wu and tearfully said, "Wu’s is my eldest daughter-in-law. Our family is so poor that we’re barely scraping by, and I was delighted that she has this business to make money, thinking that the ten plus mouths in our household could finally have some porridge to drink. But good heavens, she keeps all the Silver she earns to herself, and I, an old woman, haven’t heard a single clink. Even so, I don’t blame her—after all, the Silver is hers to keep—but she shouldn’t have neglected her own children, keeping all that Silver to herself and not bringing any back to feed them. At home, the children cry from hunger, crying out for their mother day and night. As I watch and listen, my heart aches. Oh, woe is me, it’s truly sinful!"

Fearing the crowd wouldn’t believe her, Mrs. Niu supported Mo Hong’s family and feigned wiping her eyes as she harshly scolded, "Elder sister, you can ignore the others in the family, but how can you be so heartless toward your own flesh and blood? Those poor children would be better off without such a mother!"

The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law acted in concert, pretending to be pitiable, which led most passersby who were initially skeptical to believe their words and start accusing Wu’s, "I regret coming to your stall every day. If I had known you were such an unfilial and unkind person, I would never have patronized you. Hmph, I might never eat your food again."

"Exactly, keeping all the earned Silver to yourself, neglecting your in-laws and children, are you keeping a paramour with it? Everyone, take a good look at this woman, and don’t buy her things in the future. It’s disgusting!"

"Alas, the world is getting worse and worse!"

"..."

The accusations grew harsher, and Wu’s face turned pale. Looking at her in-laws who were still putting on an act, she plaintively cried out, "Mother, sister-in-law, how can you accuse me like this for Silver? I’ve said before that this stall is the Yan girl’s. She’s too busy to tend to it, which is why she asked us to help. We only earn a hard-earned wage. Why won’t you believe me? You’re not satisfied causing a commotion at home and now aim to ruin my reputation with these accusations; are you trying to drive me to my death?"

"Mother! Mother! Don’t do this. It’s grandma and Auntie who are making things up. Please don’t take it to heart!" Mo Danier clung to Mo Wu, crying profusely, obviously traumatized by the previous incident where Mo Wu was nearly driven to jump into the river by Mo Hong’s family.

Reminded by this incident, Mo Hong’s family grew even louder in their accusations of Mo Wu, in an attempt to cover up their own guilt, "Wu’s, don’t try to deceive me with those words. It’s clear that Yan girl taught you the trade because she’s close to you. You started this stall because of her, and it has nothing to do with the Yan girl in the end! I’ve said that we wouldn’t take the Silver you earn, just take care of your own children. But you are too cruel, even neglecting your own kids. I had no choice but to expose your actions and ask everyone here for justice. If you have any conscience, you’d either provide Silver to support your children or let your sister-in-law help. After all, we are family, there’s no need to split hairs. When you make money, just share a little with your sister-in-law, and all will be well."