stingy landlady

Chapter 104 Huanghua Village (1)

Dazhu saw that his family had bought a lot of chicken and meat and asked Zhou Qiong to take it over to give the farmhands an extra meal!

"The farmhands haven't had a break lately, they're quite tired. We occasionally buy them some meat to improve their meals!"

That night, Guizhi lay on the kang (heated brick bed) pondering to herself:

"Suppose I should be satisfied by now, I have a house and a car, even if it's just a carriage, I'm still a car owner, and I have servants. Why do I still feel so tired? It's like I've really become a landlord's daughter, with the farmhands and servants working tirelessly without any complaints, and they're working like crazy!"

They were even grateful to themselves, believing that their employer was kind because he didn't hit or scold them, didn't deduct wages, and didn't make the laborers lose money!

What kind of world is this?

Guizhi fell asleep while lost in thought.

Today is another beautiful day, another day full of energy!

Dazhu led the farmhands to harvest the wheat. Guizhi called Ping'an and Xile to go to town together. Ping'an and Xile sat not far from the driver; they were young, but they could learn! First, they would learn to drive a horse-drawn carriage!

Guizhi has made up her mind. Everything is on track now, and they should go to Huanghua Village to take a look!

Yes! Guizhi felt a bit wronged! Uncle Xu Hong signed a contract to be a bodyguard and then disappeared. He even sent Lin Xiaoyun away and ran off with Zhou Mingzhi!

After all this time, I can finally go and see the two hundred acres of land under my name!

That was the so-called thank-you gift from the Prince of Zhenbei, and also a punishment for Guizhi!

Ping An was older and quickly learned to drive the carriage, and he did it very smoothly!

Amidst the grass and trees, Guizhi and her two older sisters repeatedly assured each other that they would return soon and that they were only going to take a look. Only then were they allowed to pass!

Huanghua Village now has a few more sparse thatched huts and shacks than before. Standing on the road, you can see people tilling the fields!

These must be his long-term workers, that is, retired veterans!

Guizhi wanted to get a closer look, but then she noticed someone else was with her.

No, to be precise, there were two people. One was sitting in a wheelchair, and the other was pushing him from behind.

"Young lady! You've been staring for a long time! Is it really that pretty? You're just a bunch of roughnecks!"

Gui Zhi said calmly:

"You roughneck struggle to make a living! And who are you, then?"

"Who am I? I'm a cripple who just loafs around and waits to die!"

"Just loafing around and waiting to die! Can I ask whose food you're loafing from?"

"You're a strange little girl. Why are you asking me whose food I'm getting? Don't worry! I'm not getting any of their food!"

"That's not necessarily true! I'm the owner here! I don't keep idle people here!"

The person in the wheelchair opened their mouth wide, looked them up and down carefully, and asked:

"Are you Wang Guizhi?"

"You're quite clever! You do have a brain!"

Guizhi said to the man in the wheelchair:

"Let's get to know each other again, hello! I'm Wang Guizhi!"

"Hello! Boss! I'm Lin Qian!"

"Uncle Lin Qian! Can you move your wheelchair yourself?"

"Hmm? Push it myself? I've never thought of that! I'll give it a try!"

Alright! Lin Qian tried for a long time, but it didn't budge!

Then he looked at Guizhi, as if to ask, "What should we do?"

Guizhi examined the wheelchair closely; it resembled a two-wheeled handcart. It could only be pushed from behind.

"Uncle Lin Qian! What did you do before? How did you end up here? And why are you calling me boss?"

"Master! My story is a long one!"

"No! Don't make it a long story! It's a simple matter, I won't ask so many questions! I'll listen to your story another time!"

Lin Qian looked at Guizhi curiously.

"Alright, boss! I used to be a lowly strategist in the army! I injured my leg in a battle, and the army resettled disabled veterans, so I was placed here along with the others!"

"How many people are like you who are unable to walk? Do they all need to use a wheelchair? And do they need someone to push them from behind?"

"Does the boss think one less is not enough? Boss, not just anyone can sit in this wheelchair!"

Lin Qian then chuckled.

"However, the landlord does have a few lame people who can walk with a limp. They've all been assigned to plow the fields! The oxen walk slowly, which is perfect for their slow legs!"

"Uncle Lin Qian! Where is my Uncle Xu Hong?"

"That Xu the Cripple is in the field too! He's the one holding the plow by hand! He can't even stand up straight, yet he's harrowing the land!"

Looking around, Guizhi saw only men of similar appearance raking the ground! She couldn't tell who was who, so it seemed Lin Qian had good eyesight!

Where is Uncle Zhou Mingzhi?

"That little steward! Arrange for people to build a pigsty, but what about a cattle pen?"

"Could you take me to see it?"

"Of course! I'm just a good-for-nothing loafer anyway!"

"Uncle Lin Qian! I don't keep idlers here!"

"Ah! Ah? But I can't do anything! I need someone to push me around! I'm a useless person! Even if you don't take me in, I'll stay here!"

"Uncle Lin Qian! You can stay, but you can't walk. You can use your hands, and you need to use your brain!"

Lin Qian raised an eyebrow.

"Boss! Am I still of any use?"

"Of course! Use your brain to free Zhou Mingzhi and Uncle Zhou! He's my father's man!"

"Manager Zhou! Hmm? Boss, you trust me to be your manager?"

"What else can you do if you're not in charge? Uncle Lin Qian! I'll draw you a diagram later and try to have a new wheelchair made, to see if it can move around on its own, the kind that can go wherever it wants! But it can only be on hard ground, so you can be in charge in this area!"

Lin Qian was thrilled. Gui Zhi's nonchalant tone made him feel truly useful and able to move freely!

"Lin Qian thanks you, sir!"

"Let's go! The pigsty and the cowshed are built together?"

"No! I'm afraid the cows might run out and damage the pigsty, and I'm also afraid the pigs might run out and damage the cowsty. One for each!"

"Boss! Look, this is the pigsty. They say they're going to raise two or three hundred pigs!"

"Okay! I'll go in and take a look!"

Guizhi looked at the thatched hut in front of her, which faced south and was semi-enclosed. Inside, there was a passageway in the middle, with pig pens of about 20 square meters on both sides! Assuming ten pigs per pen, Guizhi counted and found only five on each side, making a total of ten pens, which would only amount to about a hundred pigs.

Seeing Guizhi's confused look, Lin Qian smiled and said:

"Boss! This is just one pigsty. What else? There are three pigsties this big in total!"

Guizhi stepped out and took a closer look. This is the advantage of having land—you can waste it!

"Uncle Lin Qian! We don't need to pay for the land when we build these houses, right?"

"Hmm! Boss! They say they don't want it now, but who knows what will happen in the future! However, I suggest that you buy this land when you have the means in a few years! In case someone else takes a fancy to your land, it's better to act first!"

Guizhi suddenly stopped in her tracks, exclaiming in surprise:

"Huh? This land wasn't allocated to us? If we build the house and someone else buys the land, won't it become theirs?"

"Don't be angry, Master! Not for now! His Highness won't allow such a thing to happen! We still have some standing with His Highness!"

"Hmph! I hope so! Let's go! Let's go check out the cattle pen!"