Chapter 24 The Peasant Girl’s Splendid Manor
Chapter 24 Signs Emerging
Under Mr. Meng's strong insistence, Mo Yan reluctantly agreed.
It wasn't until later that Mo Yan understood why a simple sentence had made Mr. Meng angry. It turned out that over twenty years ago, Mr. Meng's hometown was hit by a locust plague, and the crops failed completely. He had traveled thousands of miles to the foot of the imperial city with his family, and if it weren't for the kind villagers who provided shelter and assistance, his family of seven would have starved to death.
In the end, Mr. Meng's words left a deep impression on Mo Yan: "Girl, you don't know, when a person is about to drown, even if someone just throws them a straw, it's a great kindness!"
Mo Yan deeply agreed with this sentiment and felt ashamed of herself. While she had gained access to the space and actively engaged in charitable deeds, she always had a bit of purpose behind her actions. Compared to Mr. Meng, she still had a long way to go.
After bidding farewell to Mr. Meng, Mo Yan went to the street and bought thirty ****-laid eggs. Besides using them to supplement the nutrition of children and breastfeeding women, she planned to sell the surplus to the grocery store to make ends meet. Selling eggs was different from selling vegetables; eggs were inconspicuous, and she could simply put them in a basket and cover them with a cloth. Even if the neighbors saw them, they wouldn't arouse suspicion. Moreover, eggs were easy to sell, and the prices were relatively good.
In the future, apart from leaving some land to grow cabbage and rice for the chickens, she planned to plant high-yield potatoes and sweet potatoes on the remaining land to ensure an adequate food supply.
However, the headache for her was how to transfer large quantities of grains and vegetables without arousing Mr. Meng's suspicion. Renting a house like in Longshi Town was obviously unrealistic. Not only was the rent expensive, but the surroundings were crowded and gossipy, making it easy to attract attention.
In the evening, Mo Yan estimated the time and had just finished preparing dinner when Mo Qingze arrived home.
"Dad, did you hit the jackpot today? You look so happy?"
Mo Yan brought out the food and couldn't help teasing when she saw the faint smile on her father's face.
When Mo Qingze heard his eldest daughter's teasing and saw the curious gaze of his two younger children, he felt a bit uncomfortable. "The shopkeeper praised me for keeping the accounts clear and said he would promote me well in the future. I think our family's future will definitely be better."
"Really? Dad, you're so capable. Not only did you find a good job, but you also encountered a good shopkeeper."
Mo Yan spoke sincerely. Having escaped famine all the way here, she vaguely knew that her father was still haunted by the near-death experience of "her." He had shown signs of depression and inferiority more than once. Now that they had settled down, he needed encouragement the most.
"Yeah, Daddy is the best! Daddy can earn a lot of money and buy lots of candied haws for Zhen'er to eat."
Zhen'er's eyes lit up, clapping her hands to encourage her dad. However, the last sentence exposed his gluttonous nature.
Xin'er couldn't help but deliver another "blow" to her brother, saying bluntly, causing Zhen'er to almost cry, looking very pitiful.
The encouragement from his children made Mo Qingze smile even more. As long as the children were safe and happy, he could do anything.
Regarding Mo Qingze's job as an accountant, Mo Yan's unease hadn't stopped. Now, after hearing her father's words, she still felt that something was wrong, but she couldn't quite pinpoint it. As she served the food, she pretended to be curious and asked, "Dad, what kind of accounts have you been working on these past few days?"
Mo Qingze didn't think much about it and took the rice bowl, saying, "I just went, and the shopkeeper asked me to tidy up some of the messier accounts from before so they can be presented to the employer at the end of the year."
Mo Yan couldn't help feeling uneasy when she heard this. "Will Dad be able to tidy them up? Messy accounts are the easiest to make mistakes, right?"
Mo Qingze felt a little strange. His daughter had said something similar before. "It should be fine. The shopkeeper also said I did a good job."
Mo Yan couldn't help but roll her eyes. She could tell that her father, who had no scheming, was very grateful to the shopkeeper. If the shopkeeper really had ill intentions, this foolish father might even help count the money for them!
However, she was still unsure about this matter, so she could only wait and see. Hopefully, it was just her groundless worries.
...
Meanwhile, Lin Yong gathered nearly a hundred of the Lin clan's people and told them about the matter he had discussed with Mo Yan in the afternoon. Everyone, young and old, was delighted to hear the news. Although they hadn't starved to death these days, they hadn't had a proper meal either.
"Brother Yong, does this mean we won't have to worry about food anymore?"
Among the crowd, Lin Da, in his twenties, clapped his hands, looking particularly excited.
Lin Yong nodded solemnly and also conveyed Mo Yan's instructions.
"These are all small matters. We've been here for almost two months, and we know the temperaments of the people here very well! There are so many elderly, weak, women, and children here. This good opportunity is probably going to be in high demand!"
Lin Da felt that this wasn't a big deal at all, and the others echoed his sentiment.
"Let's gather quietly. Let's not cause any trouble."
Lin Yong admonished with a serious expression. He was happy in his heart, but he didn't want anyone to shed blood over this matter.
Lin Da shrank his neck. He was most afraid of Brother Yong's stern tone.
"Ah, the days are hard now, and it's even harder for the old and young. Now that there are kind people sending food, it's probably much better!"
"Yes, in recent days, more and more elderly and children have been taken out, and it's painful to watch."
"I wonder how the situation is in the south. When will there be an end to all this!"
...
The others also discussed animatedly, their faces showing slightly less sorrow. Since fleeing all the way here, the Lin clan had also lost over a dozen elderly and children due to hunger.
Listening to these discussions, Lin Yong also remembered his grandfather who had died of illness on the way. He felt uncomfortable in his heart, but his grandfather had passed the position of clan leader to him before he died, so he could only put aside his grief and do his best to take care of the clan members. Now that they finally had a chance to turn things around, he couldn't express his gratitude to Mo Yan in words.
Meanwhile, Mo Yan, who was busy in the space, was unaware that because of this gratitude, in a conspiracy that would unfold shortly afterward, if it weren't for Lin Yong's help, it would have brought about the complete destruction of the Mo family...
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