Chapter 340: The Peasant Girl’s Splendid Manor
Chapter 340: A Narrow Escape and Mother-Son Reunion (2)
Hearing their words, Mo Yan felt genuinely pleased. She didn’t see their gratitude as necessary; after all, they worked diligently and did a good job, worthy of the extra ten wen she paid them.
After some laughter, an older man stepped forward, looked up at the sky, and said to Mo Yan, "It might snow in the next few days. If it keeps coming down, we might not finish tidying up this land before the New Year."
Mo Yan wasn't skilled at reading the weather, but seeing everyone nodding, she figured snow was indeed likely in the coming days. This winter had been unusual; by this time last year, there had already been several heavy snowfalls, yet this year, despite starting earlier, the temperatures were much lower.
"Uncles and aunties, please make arrangements. If it snows, we'll halt the land clearing, and we'll continue in the New Year. We'll also need your help planting grass and shrubs on these terraces to conserve soil and water. I appreciate your hard work," Mo Yan said.
"Thank you, young miss!"
The workers were delighted and thanked Mo Yan profusely. They were no longer worried about losing income due to snow delays. Besides, early in the year, there weren’t many other jobs available locally, and a month of work for the Mo family could earn them several hundred wen, far better than sitting idle at home.
Mo Yan instructed them to continue their work and then made her way down to the pond in the hollow. Walking along its edge, she looked at the empty water surface and thought it would be ideal for raising fish and shrimp.
Being in the northern outskirts of the capital meant the annual rainfall was low, making it challenging for ponds to retain water. Consequently, most fish and shrimp had to be caught from rivers, making them expensive. Their pond, fed by spring water, wouldn't dry up except in severe droughts. Raising fish and shrimp here, whether for personal consumption or sale, seemed promising.
However, finding fish fry was difficult; they had to be caught from the river. Fortunately, there was a river in Liuyang Village with plenty of fish. The river flowed gently, and by next spring when the fish bred, they could catch some large ones about to spawn and raise them in their pond.
Mo Yan then inspected the newly built terraces on the other side, finding no major issues. After greeting everyone, she returned home.
These days were for visiting her father, likely to be accompanied by snow, possibly quite heavy. Mo Yan decided to take her younger siblings to the academy tomorrow. Worried about her father staying warm, she had Li Xiu sew two thick quilts and fetched several large bags of charcoal from the storeroom.
The charcoal was produced by an elderly villager who burned charcoal on the mountain. It burned cleanly and lasted long, its quality not inferior to that sold in city shops, but it was much cheaper. Mo Yan had bought over a thousand catties, enough to last until the weather warmed next year.
She also prepared plenty of vegetables, rice, and meat. There were ten chickens, eight wild chickens and rabbits caught by Xiao Hua, and a fresh wild sheep, excellent for hotpot.
Vegetables kept well in the cold weather, and the preserved meat would be fine until spring.
Upon learning they would visit their father tomorrow, the two younger siblings were thrilled. Seeing their sister prepare so much for their father, they anxiously wanted to contribute something.
In the end, Xin’er hurried to put soles on the new cotton shoes she had made for their father and brought out the new book bag she had made earlier.
"You both have gifts for Father, but I don't. I'm such an unfilial son!" Zhen’er said sadly, looking to his sisters for advice.
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