Farm Girl's Manor
Chapter 54 Going up the mountain_1

Chapter 54: Chapter 54 Going up the mountain_1

Liu Yang Village currently has over one hundred and ten households, and more than eighty of them have benefited from the Mo Family’s generosity. Knowing that the Mo Family was looking for people to clear wild land, every household with spare labor was willing to help. Even if the adults were too busy, they would instruct their older children to come over and help with tasks they could manage, such as weeding and picking up stones.

As a result, there were over thirty adults and about seven or eight older children who came to work.

Of course, the wages for adults and children couldn’t be the same. Mo Qingze calculated the wages according to the common rates in the city: twenty Wen Money a day for adults and eight Wen Money a day for the older children. Naturally, these wages would be offset by the previously mentioned cotton and grain, as agreed beforehand.

However, Mo Yan proposed providing one meal at noon. Those who worked had hearty appetites, and their own modest amounts of grain hardly seemed enough to fill them. How could they work if they were not well-fed? Two middle-aged women from the Lin Clan were responsible for cooking, also making ten Wen Money a day, and they too would be paid with cotton and grain.

Mo Yan did not want to go overboard with showing off, so the prepared lunch was modest, intended only to fill stomachs. The main dish was dry rice with sweet potatoes, accompanied by potatoes, cabbage, and boiled eggs. While such a meal was nothing special for the Mo Family, who had fish and meat with every meal, it was a luxurious feast for the peasant households who often went hungry and had to trade eggs for oil and salt.

The sight of Mo Qingze bringing two large baskets of vegetables and over seventy eggs made the two women responsible for cooking widen their eyes in amazement. They had been recommended by Lin Yong, known for their good character, and despite their surprise, they did not indulge in idle gossip or contemplate secretly keeping some of the food to take home for themselves.

The workers didn’t need to say anything. The fact that their employer was providing lunch was already something they were grateful for. They didn’t expect the meal to be so substantial. Therefore, after eating, they worked even harder. However, the two boiled eggs allocated to each of them were too precious to eat right away, and they discreetly set them aside, planning to take them home to nourish their elderly and children in the evening.

Mo Qingze noticed this and said nothing. Having the consideration to think of their families showed their good character. Once the greenhouses were built, and vegetables started growing, he definitely would need people to guard them daily, and such character was a must. It was important to observe their behaviors closely on ordinary days.

It didn’t take long for the word of the Mo Family’s generous meals to spread through the village. Many people wanted to come and work for them, but their own houses were not yet built, and their uncultivated land not yet tended. They could only silently envy those households with an abundance of labor.

When the news reached Mrs. Hong, recalling how her own family subsisted on chaff and vegetables made her burn with envy. She let loose her temper and sat at her doorstep, railing against Mo Yan and the others all afternoon.

When Mo Qingze heard about Mrs. Hong’s outburst from a gossip, he simply smiled faintly and said nothing.

Twenty acres of land isn’t much, and with the workers putting in so much effort, the barren land was tidied up in just over five or six days, with not even a blade of grass left in sight.

After the land was prepared, the next task was to dig irrigation ditches and build frames. Mo Qingze divided the thirty adults into two groups: one went up the mountain to cut down bamboo and wood for the frames, while the other stayed behind to continue digging the irrigation ditches. The groups rotated, preventing disputes over who had the heavier workload and who might have had an easier time.

The Mo Family’s twenty acres were somewhat distant from the river, which meant that digging the ditches would inevitably pass through other people’s land. Fortunately, the owners of these lands had also fled from calamity and received help from the Mo Family. Upon learning about the project, they quickly assured Mo Qingze that it was no problem, even remarking that they wouldn’t have to dig their own irrigation ditches in the future, which would save them a great deal of trouble.

Mo Yan hadn’t interfered at all with the land cultivation. As winter deepened (around November on the lunar calendar) and the weather turned colder, she spent her spare time sitting by the brazier sewing clothes for her family. Occasionally, she would roast a few potatoes and sweet potatoes in the brazier, sharing them with the younger children, and although her days were monotonous, they were far from boring.

One evening, Mo Qingze returned home carrying a plump wild rabbit. Upon inquiry, it turned out that Lin Yong had inadvertently found a rabbit hole while cutting wood. He instructed others to block off all but two of the exits and smoked out an entire litter of rabbits. He kept the fattest one for Mo Qingze to take home for a meal.

"Brother Lin’s days have been tough, and since Dad couldn’t decline the rabbit, when we go over tomorrow, let’s bring him some eggs!"

Mo Qingze, while deftly skinning the rabbit, sought Mo Yan’s opinion.

Mo Yan thought for a moment, feeling it was not quite right, "Dad, that seems too deliberate. Brother Lin might think we are treating him like an outsider. Let’s return the favor next time we have a chance."

Mo Qingze thought about it and realized she was right, and couldn’t help but be annoyed with himself, "Dad has been muddleheaded. In these matters of reciprocity, even you are better than me!"

Mo Yan chuckled. Her father’s intelligence was certainly not lacking; he just wasn’t very skillful in social niceties. However, his straightforward nature and deep sense of loyalty meant he was unlikely to be disliked by others when out and about.

The rabbit was cleaned up in no time, weighing probably around five jin. Thinking of delicious dishes like spicy rabbit head, fried rabbit patties, and crispy fried rabbit strips, Mo Yan couldn’t help but drool.

On such a cold day, the rabbits were still so plump, which indicated that the natural environment of Yuhua Mountain must be quite good. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be fierce animals like tigers and wolves. It’s likely there were also many large herbivores. If she could catch some rare herbivores to keep in Space...

No, no, no, she didn’t even wear fur in her previous life, so in this one, she certainly couldn’t commit such wrongs. However, if she could find some fruit trees or medicinal herbs on the mountain, that would be excellent. Considering that over half of the hundred mu of land in Space was still unused...

With these thoughts, Mo Yan became restless, wishing she could visit Yuhua Mountain right away. With Space, she wasn’t afraid of danger. If lucky, finding precious medicinal materials like ginseng and lingzhi that could save lives in critical moments would be fantastic.

Not to mention that Mo Yan had already decided to follow Mo Qingze to Liu Yang Village tomorrow, that evening she prepared two rabbit dishes—crispy fried rabbit strips and spicy rabbit hot pot. The crispy fried rabbit strips were for the three little ones, and they were incredibly delicious. The spicy rabbit hot pot became the perfect drink pairing for Mo Qingze and Lizhong. They drank quite a bit, and although Mo Yan secretly tried a little, she had to admit she had no taste for the spicy liquor.

The next morning after breakfast, Mo Yan mentioned she wanted to visit Liu Yang Village. Mo Qingze, without giving it much thought, rented a donkey cart with a canopy and went with her to Liu Yang Village.

Compared to the scattered few houses from their last visit, this time they saw uniform thatch-roofed houses. The village appeared more lively, with people plowing the nearby fields. Half-grown children were also helping, gathering weeds and removing roots; these weeds could be used to compost the soil and, once dried, could be used as firewood.

The father and daughter alighted from the cart and headed to the fields. Seeing the villagers already busy digging ditches, they didn’t approach.

Mo Yan saw that the land was well tilled, soft, and fine. Most of the irrigation ditches were dug, and there was a sufficient stack of bamboo wood by the field. She knew these people had worked hard without slacking, and her impression of them improved considerably.

Mo Yan was drawn to Yuhua Mountain. Making up an excuse, she slipped away to the edge of the mountain, found a path that seemed easier to navigate, and cautiously made her way into the mountains...