stingy landlady

Chapter 243 Young Master Du's First Hearing of Huanghua Village

Guizhi laughed and said:

"Hahaha! Eldest sister! Second sister! This is a small matter! Getting our family's life back on track is the important thing!"

Now that my family is better off, they don't need me to feed them, so no one is keeping an eye on my marriage prospects.

Guizhi thought for a moment and then said:

"Eldest sister, second sister! If I really marry someone off to some far-off place like the capital or the prefectural city, who will help our parents earn money?"

Think about it! By then, you'll all be married by now, leaving only my fourth sister and me. If I were to marry far away, our parents would definitely be heartbroken!

I reckon he'll just pick any young guy around! Why worry about it? It's pointless!

As Guizhi spoke, she jumped off the kang (a heated brick bed), putting on her shoes as she said:

"I'll go check if the water's boiled yet. Let's hurry up and cook dumplings, then we'll eat dumplings, meat, and vegetables. Shutting my mouth and filling my stomach is the most important thing! Hahaha!"

Gui Hong and Gui Xiang shook their heads as well. They laughed as they tidied up the work surface, washed the rolling pin, and wiped the flour off the kang (a heated brick bed).

Jinxiu peeled a lot of garlic cloves and was mashing them into minced garlic. Seeing Guizhi approach, she said to her:

"Miss! The water's boiled, we can cook the dumplings now!"

Gui Xiang, who was inside the room, had already heard everything and started taking dumplings to the stove, popping them into the pot with a clattering sound!

Soon, the aroma of stir-fried dishes filled the courtyard.

Young Master Du became interested in the different ways Steward Han addressed the three sisters and asked:

"Manager Han! I think I heard you call Gui Hong's sister 'Master'! Shouldn't the order be 'Eldest Miss,' 'Second Miss,' and 'Third Miss'?"

Manager Han didn't think it was a secret; everyone in the village knew it, and of course, outsiders had never noticed the different ways the villagers addressed the three sisters.

Manager Han glanced at Young Master Du before explaining:

"We're used to it! Miss Dong was the first to come into contact with us, and we all call her Dong. The eldest and second young ladies had other things to do at the time, and they came to our village later."

To make it easier to distinguish them, we just call them "Eldest Miss" and "Second Miss" again!

These words were as good as saying nothing at all. Young Master Du felt that it wasn't as Steward Han described, but he couldn't find any fault with them.

Since there were only five people at the meal—the three sisters, Steward Han, and Young Master Du—there was no distinction between men and women, and they all sat around the table. There was no adherence to the rules of not speaking while eating or sleeping; the young men and women spoke freely.

Young Master Du took a bite of the fresh, rare mushroom and asked Gui Xiang:

"Big sister! These rare mushrooms are delicious. Are they a specialty of this mountain?"

Gui Hong chimed in from the side:

"Hey, Young Master Du! Who are you calling 'elder sister'? Call her 'young lady'!"

Young Master Du remained expressionless, swallowed the food, and slowly said:

"Wang Guihong, isn't that your eldest sister? It's not wrong for me to call her 'elder sister' like you do! Calling her 'young lady' sounds too formal! Right, elder sister?"

And third sister! This chicken looks good, third sister, how about a chicken leg?

Gui Xiang said softly:

"It's quite an honor for me that Young Master Du would call me 'elder sister'!"

Guizhi placed a chicken leg into Guihong's bowl and said sweetly:

"Thank you, Young Master Du! Actually, you really wanted to give the chicken leg to my second sister, didn't you?"

Young Master Du gave a thumbs up.

"Third sister knows my heart best! Here, here's another chicken leg, third sister, take it and eat it!"

Guizhi watched as Steward Han was about to put a chicken leg into Guixiang's bowl, but upon hearing Young Master Du's words, she was caught in a dilemma.

With a kind smile, Guizhi helped Steward Han serve the food to Guixiang. She said:

"Manager Han, Young Master Du! A chicken only has two legs, but luckily I only have two older sisters! They can each have a chicken leg, and I'll have the chicken wing!"

Steward Han hurriedly went to pick up chicken wings for Guizhi.

"I'm glad the owner likes it!"

Young Master Du also placed another chicken wing in the cassia twig bowl, and tentatively said:

"Third Sister, Young Master Han and Steward Han address you as 'Master'! Would it be presumptuous for me to call you Third Sister like your Second Sister?"

Guizhi looked at the two chicken wings in the bowl, her eyes narrowing into slits with laughter:

“Young Master Du! It’s understandable that Steward Han calls me ‘Master’, but as for you, it’s perfectly acceptable for you to call me ‘Third Sister’ just like my second sister does.”

Young Master Du asked casually:

"Third sister! I heard from Steward Han that many of your people are retired soldiers who have returned! Are these people difficult to manage? Do they often cause trouble?"

Guizhi glanced at Steward Han, who innocently touched his nose. This young master Du was too clever; he had managed to trick his master into revealing information.

"Young Master Du! The retired veterans in our area are all great! I think they can eat their fill, earn money, and have that warm feeling of home."

Who wouldn't want to live a peaceful life and instead cause trouble at home? That's simply not human nature.

Young Master Du continued to ask:

"Aren't there disabled people among the retired? Doesn't that mean they can't do anything? You want someone like that?"

"Young Master Du! Everyone has their own talents! Besides, these people weren't born disabled; they became disabled because of war and fighting to protect their country!"

Moreover, I feel that each of them is very self-motivated to maximize their abilities. As long as they are dedicated and willing to work hard, they can always find a job that suits them!

Young Master Du asked curiously:

"Third Sister! Are there many jobs available where you live? What kind of jobs are available?"

Guizhi pointed to the food and said to Young Master Du:

"Young Master Du! Eat your food! Asking questions won't fill your stomach!"

Young Master Du had no choice but to eat first.

After the meal, the maids cleared away the dishes, and Guihong and the others moved to the courtyard to drink tea and cool off. Guizhi, seeing that Young Master Du seemed hesitant to speak, then slowly and deliberately said:

"Young Master Du! We live in a mountain village. We live off the land, so farming is definitely our main occupation!"

But you can't make much money just by farming. That's why we have carpenters who can run timber processing workshops and sell timber.

We also have blacksmiths who can make our own farm tools. All we need to do is buy the materials!

In our village, we raise pigs, cattle, and poultry such as chickens, ducks, and geese. These jobs don't require too much physical effort.

There are also people like Manager Han who can earn money to support their families using their brains and wisdom!

"Young Master Du! You said these people have so many jobs to do, and they get paid no matter what they do, isn't that great?"

Manager Han continued, picking up where Guizhi left off:

"Young Master Du! Our boss doesn't look down on us; he always tries to find ways for us to make money!"

The landlord also helped the bachelors in our village find wives, built houses for us, and found jobs for the women in our village.

Manager Han glanced at Gui Xiang out of the corner of his eye as he spoke. He continued:

"Young Master Du! Both men and women in our village can make money! Hehe! Couples like this work hard to earn money, and as long as they are diligent, their lives will definitely get better and better!"

I'm telling you, our employer is never harsh on us, and he never deducts our wages arbitrarily! We're all men with flesh and blood; how could we possibly bully an employer who treats us so well?