Chapter 339: The Peasant Girl’s Splendid Manor
### Chapter 339: A Narrow Escape and Mother-Son Reunion (1)
After seeing off Wu Shi, Mo Yan grabbed a two-meter-long wooden stick and headed towards the fields.
The spring well was located southeast, about three miles from the Mo family home. Though it was within the boundaries of Liuyang Village, no land around it had been cultivated by the villagers. The uneven terrain made the path difficult, and once the wasteland was cleared, a new road would need to be built. Otherwise, it would be hard to transport the harvest back.
After a light rain last night, the ground was slippery. Mo Yan slipped several times but managed to stay upright with the help of the stick, avoiding a muddy fall. Despite this, the three-mile journey took nearly half an hour, and her shoes were caked with mud.
"Young mistress, you're here."
From the other side of the hill, Lin Da looked up and saw Mo Yan, shouting a greeting that echoed through the surrounding hills. Soon, voices filled the valley, calling out “Yan girl” and “young miss.”
Mo Yan responded to each greeting, addressing those she couldn’t recognize based on their age as uncles and aunts.
Standing on the hillside, she first saw the forty acres of land they initially cleared. The most prominent feature was the central one-acre pond used for water storage, its clear water reflecting the dark clouds overhead.
They had also cleared two and a half of the surrounding hillsides, which was faster than Mo Yan had expected. Given the large area and the need to convert the slopes into terraces, which was more complex than simple land clearing, she had anticipated slower progress. The fact that they had done so much in just over two months showed how diligently they worked.
Seeing Mo Yan approaching with her stick, the workers cautioned her to be careful, as they had all slipped on the mud earlier that morning. Fortunately, there were no puddles to soak their clothes, which would have been unbearable in the cold.
Mo Yan thanked them and walked even more cautiously, taking quite some time to cover the short hundred yards.
Once close enough, she inspected the newly built terraces, nodding in approval. Winter was an ideal time for terrace construction since there was less rain to cause soil erosion. In the spring, planting grass and shrubs on the terraces would prevent summer rains from washing them away, and the roots would help retain water, providing a dual benefit.
Notably, the workers had also used the excess silt from the pond excavation to enrich the thinner soil layers in the terraces. This would prevent poor crop yields due to thin soil.
Grateful, Mo Yan expressed her thanks, "Uncles and aunts, the terraces look great. Keep up the good work with the rest! It's hard work in this cold weather, and I truly appreciate your help."
"Young miss, you’ve got it wrong. We should be thanking you. Ever since fleeing here, we wouldn’t have survived without the work you provided and the high wages. We owe our livelihood to your family."
"Er Niu is right. Everyone here is grateful to your family. Working for you is a blessing many seek but few find."
"Exactly! Yan girl, your family always helps us out. We’d be ashamed if we didn’t do our best."
The workers’ words were sincere, not flattery. Without the Mo family, they wouldn’t have been able to find such well-paying work, even in the city. The work was hard but close to home, allowing them to care for their families. Plus, they could rest and have lunch at home. If the weather cooperated, they could earn about eight to nine hundred wen a month, which was much better than city labor.
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