Chapter 175: The Peasant Girl’s Splendid Manor
Chapter 175: Paying a Visit (1)
Xiao Zhu quickly arrived at Aunt Tong's house with half a basket of eggs.
Aunt Tong was a straightforward person. The pickled peppers she gave to Mo Yan were made from homegrown chili peppers and only cost a bit of salt. She firmly refused to accept the eggs, but after Xiao Zhu insisted, she reluctantly accepted them, thinking about making some appetizers to send to Miss Mo later.
Then, Xiao Zhu explained the matter of Mo's family hiring someone to manage the orchard and asked for Aunt Tong's opinion.
Aunt Tong was initially pleased, but upon considering her family's situation, she declined. "Xiao Zhu, you're a good kid, and I know you're doing this for our family's sake. But your grandfather is not in good health, and Xiao Qing is still a child. I have to take care of them; I can't do work for Miss Mo's family."
"Aunt Tong, that's okay. Miss Mo's family has a house in the orchard. When the time comes, you can take Grandpa Tong and Xiao Qing with you. This way, it won't delay anything, right?"
Xiao Zhu knew that Mo's family had built a house in the orchard; otherwise, he wouldn't have proposed this to Aunt Tong.
Aunt Tong became even more unwilling to agree. "Xiao Zhu, you know that our family is old and young, and we're not very useful. Miss Mo is a good person; I can't take advantage of her."
Aunt Tong was upright and didn't like to take advantage of others. Over the years, their family had faced difficulties, but thanks to the care of their neighbors, Aunt Tong never took advantage of anyone. Whenever someone needed help, she would offer assistance without being asked. This was also why their neighbors always got along well with the Tong family.
Xiao Zhu was at a loss. "Aunt Tong, you can oversee the orchard normally and prevent anyone from causing trouble. When it's time to water, fertilize, or prevent pests, Mo's family will hire people to help. You just need to teach them what to do. How is that taking advantage?"
"Is that true?" Aunt Tong was genuinely moved. After all, it was a stable job, much easier than cultivating and selling seedlings.
"It's true. If you don't believe me, we can go to Mo's house and ask Miss Mo." Seeing Aunt Tong's interest, Xiao Zhu seized the opportunity.
As long as Aunt Tong agreed, it would be beneficial for both families. With a reliable person to take care of Mo's family orchard, the Tong family's life wouldn't be as difficult as before.
Since it was still early, Aunt Tong agreed and informed her husband and grandson before going to the kitchen to fetch an unopened jar of pickled vegetables. Then, she followed Xiao Zhu to Mo's house.
Mo Yan was naturally happy when Aunt Tong agreed to help manage the orchard. She explained the situation of the orchard and the tasks Aunt Tong would have to do. After ensuring Aunt Tong had no issues, Mo Yan brought up the matter of wages.
"Aunt Tong, there's a house in the orchard for your family of three to live in. You can cook for yourselves. Regarding the wages, do you have any requirements?"
Aunt Tong shook her head repeatedly, her face filled with gratitude. "Miss Mo, talking about managing the orchard for your family is just a matter of talking. It won't be tiring at all. As for the wages, whatever you give us will be enough for our family of three to live on."
This request was already very low. For a family of three like the Tong family, they could buy some grains and meat for themselves, and they could grow vegetables themselves. Adding Uncle Tong's medicine expenses, a monthly income of five or six hundred wen would suffice.
But the Tong family was considered skilled labor. Naturally, Mo Yan couldn't just pay them six hundred wen. So, she said, "I'll give you one tael per month as wages, and I'll also provide you with grains and other necessities monthly. If the orchard is managed well, I'll give you an additional reward at the end of the year."
One tael per month plus grains?
Aunt Tong was stunned. You see, even though she worked hard to cultivate and sell seedlings, she couldn't earn a few taels of silver. Even with the little money she made, she had to save some for oil and salt. But even so, their family still struggled to make ends meet. Now, they would effortlessly earn twelve taels of silver in a year. It was like winning the jackpot!
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