Chapter 248: The Peasant Girl’s Splendid Manor
### Chapter 248: Moldy Grain Buries Hidden Dangers, Nightmares Serve as Warnings (7)
Mo Yan suspected that this was due to previously using the spirit spring water to cultivate vegetables, which optimized the land to a certain extent.
"Yan'er, since the weather's good, we can get more people to help harvest the soybeans and dry them promptly for storage," Li Zhong returned from the fields and asked for Mo Yan's opinion.
Mo Yan smiled, "Grandpa Li, you can arrange it however you see fit. You don't need to consult me."
Li Zhong smiled, knowing that this was Mo Yan's trust in him, but as a servant of the Mo family, he could suggest and execute orders, but decisions still had to come from the masters.
"There's one more thing... Yan'er, I need your opinion on this." Li Zhong hesitated before speaking up.
Seeing his hesitation, Mo Yan felt puzzled, "Grandpa Li, go ahead, tell me."
Li Zhong said, "I met your second uncle in the fields earlier. He heard that the family is hiring people to harvest soybeans and wanted to come help."
Mo Yonglu wants to help? Mo Yan found it strange. With the relationship between the two families so strained, did he think she would agree?
Seeing her silence, Li Zhong continued, "Their branch has been causing a lot of trouble lately. They seem determined to split from the family."
Mo Yan understood. She was well aware of the recent events in the Mo family. Niu Shi insisted on dividing the family property, threatening to make Hong Shi pay up to redeem Mo Erni'er. With Hong Shi's greedy nature, there was no way he would relinquish what was already in his hands! Thus, the relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law deteriorated rapidly, with Niu Shi nearly bedridden from the stress. Mo Yan didn't believe it for a moment.
Mo Yonglu, on the other hand, had indeed improved a lot compared to before, appearing more open-minded and clear-headed.
However, even so, Mo Yan didn't want to agree to this. Although everyone should take responsibility for their own actions, what Mo Erni'er did was too disgusting. Mo Yan couldn't convince herself not to vent her anger on Mo Yonglu.
"Next time he asks you, just tell him we have enough people. If he's sensible, he won't ask again."
"All right, I'll go see how many people are available and pick the ones who are the most efficient."
Mo Yan nodded, indicating he could handle it himself.
The Mo family was always generous. As long as the work was done well, the wages were usually ten wen higher than in the city. Just yesterday afternoon, when the news of hiring workers to harvest soybeans was announced, many people came to sign up.
However, with only twenty mu of land, it wasn't possible to keep everyone. Therefore, only the most efficient workers were selected. With a consistent emphasis on efficiency, these workers would understand that laziness wasn't tolerated.
That afternoon, Li Zhong finalized the list, totaling forty people. Soybean stalks were prone to bursting and scattering once detached from the roots, so they needed to be harvested and bundled simultaneously.
Thirty people were responsible for harvesting while the remaining ten were in charge of bundling. After bundling, the soybean stalks would be spread out to dry in the open space in front of the Mo family's house.
Most of these workers had previously helped build the Mo family's houses. They were fast and diligent, and if all went well, they could harvest thirty mu of soybeans in a single day.
By the time it was getting dark, all thirty mu of soybeans had been harvested and bundled neatly in front of the Mo family's house. Oilcloth was spread out underneath to prevent dirt and debris from mixing with the soybeans during processing.
Once everyone returned from the fields, Li Zhong settled their wages, only to find that there was an extra thirty wen, which Mo Yonglu hadn't collected.
"What does he want?" Mo Yan was puzzled when she heard this. Wasn't Mo Yonglu coming to work for the money?
Li Zhong shook his head, also unsure of Mo Yonglu's intentions.
Mo Yan thought for a moment and said, "Grandpa Li, please go and personally give him the wages!"
"Okay, I'll go now." Li Zhong responded and left.
Mo Yan gazed outside with a serious expression. She didn't want to have any further dealings with anyone from the Mo family, except for Wu Shi and her husband. Since Mo Yonglu had contributed, she had to pay him. It was better to settle matters related to money clearly.
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