Free Web NovelChapter 372: Chapter 147: A Solution
The buzz about clearing wasteland to plant huangqi brewed for two days.
On the third day, when the first villagers headed up the mountain with sickles, hoes, shovels, and baskets to begin clearing the land, the floodgates of excitement that had been building in the village finally burst open.
Droves of people swarmed to Mr. Zhao’s house, begging him to mark out one, two, or even three mu of wasteland for them.
Each of them had a flushed face, with large beads of sweat dripping from their brows.
"Mr. Zhao, mark out my plot first! I want to clear three mu of wasteland."
"I’ll take two mu!"
"Mr. Zhao, I only need one mu! Just mark it for me first, before all the good plots are taken!"
Mr. Zhao let them have it. "Where were you all before? Why didn’t you come two days ago? Others have already cleared a mu of land, and you’re only just showing up now. You’re so slow, you couldn’t even get to shit while it’s still hot!"
"Mr. Zhao, Mr. Zhao, you can’t say that."
"Can’t say that? Then how should I put it? Should I say you all talk a big game but have less courage than two women? If word of this got out, I’d be embarrassed for you, even if you aren’t!"
The one who had gone to clear the wasteland was none other than Chunyue.
Chunyue’s father had died young, and her mother had struggled to raise her alone. If not for the strict rules of the Zhao Village and Mr. Zhao’s fairness, life for the widow and her daughter would not have been so manageable.
But even though outsiders didn’t cause them trouble, the family had very little income. The mother and daughter lived a hard life, forced to stretch every single copper coin as if it were two.
But this time, while everyone else was watching from the sidelines, the mother and daughter had been the first to approach him.
Their request was simple: they wanted to clear wasteland—five mu of it!
Such gumption and decisiveness had earned them Mr. Zhao’s deep respect.
"Mr. Zhao, we were just being cautious. Clearing wasteland is a huge undertaking. The whole family has to discuss it. It’s not something you can decide on a whim."
"Besides, Mr. Zhao, we were waiting for you! Your family hadn’t started clearing land, so of course we didn’t dare to. Our hearts were pounding with uncertainty."
Put on the spot, Mr. Zhao couldn’t help but let out a short, sharp laugh.
"I marked out the plot for my family long ago. A full ten mu, not an inch less. We’ve just had too many chores at home lately and haven’t had the time to start work immediately."
The moment Mr. Zhao said this, the villagers of the Zhao Village went into a frenzy.
They all regretted asking for so little land. Three mu? Five mu? Mr. Zhao’s family was taking a whole ten mu!
’There must be a huge profit in this,’ they thought. ’Otherwise, Mr. Zhao wouldn’t have made such a big move.’
Once the news spread, Mr. Zhao’s house was once again swamped with people, so crowded it felt like the walls might burst.
As more and more wasteland was allocated, a group of women made their way to Zhao Jing’s home that evening.
They had come, of course, to quit their jobs.
The one leading them was a distant aunt from a remote branch of Zhao Jing’s clan. She began, "Our husbands are going to clear wasteland. If we don’t help them, we’ll just be asking for a scolding, won’t we? We know this isn’t the right thing to do to you. After all, your business is important and can’t be delayed for a single day. But, well, you see how it is..."
Another woman stepped forward. "The huangqi has to be planted in the sixth or seventh month. Before that, we have to clear the land, weed, make compost, and water it. There’s no end to the work. On top of that, the wheat has ripened in the last two days and needs to be harvested right away. It’s just one thing after another. We truly don’t have time for incense-making anymore."
"Wanqing, dear, we know what we’re doing isn’t right, but we have our own troubles..."
As they all chimed in, one after another, Xiang’er and Chen Wanqing remained perfectly calm, having long anticipated this scene. Mrs. Zhao, in contrast, looked dreadful, her face alternating between pale and flushed.
"Xiuhua," Mrs. Zhao said, "you know that Qing’er signed a contract. If she fails to deliver the goods on time, the penalty is ten times the contract value!"
The woman Mrs. Zhao had called Xiuhua flushed a deep red. "I know this is improper, but we truly have no other choice. The crops have to be harvested, and clearing the land can’t wait. My eldest grandson is ready for marriage talks, and our family was planning to build him a new courtyard home. But as it is now... forget a courtyard, we haven’t even managed to build a single room."
"It’s the same for my family," another woman added. "Doing odd jobs here for Wanqing earns us some spending money, but it’s nowhere near enough for buying new things for the house or arranging our children’s marriages. If this huangqi really sells well, it would be a huge weight off my shoulders."
"Is there a single family here whose purse isn’t emptier than their face? My son, Zhao Can, is a scholar, you know. That’s drained our family of everything we had. Our entire family’s pockets are cleaner than our faces."
Mrs. Zhao was left speechless. She slumped onto a stool, the corners of her eyes turning red.
Seeing her like this, the women felt even more ashamed.
But people follow the money.
When Chen Wanqing was the one paying them, she was the best person in the world. But now that a better way to make money had appeared, you couldn’t stop them from trying to earn more.
