Splendid peasant girl busy farming

Chapter 12062

Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan went out to play with Zuo Jinling and Luo Wuyou, and they probably won't be back until dark.

When Yang Ruoqing and Luo Fengtang returned to the restaurant in the evening, they had a stack of property and land contracts in their hands.

"Our daughter doesn't have to do anything in her life, and she'll never have to worry about food or drink." Luo Fengtang took a sip of tea and sighed with satisfaction.

He used to be hungry and cold. In the snow, he would run and fight with all kinds of wild animals in the Sleeping Ox Mountain wearing straw sandals. He also had to be wary of the treacherous hunters and bandits. At that time, he was so hungry that all he could think about was how to survive.

He couldn't even imagine that one day, a poor boy like him, struggling at the very bottom of society, would be able to get married, have children, and have a lively and bustling family!

Unexpectedly, he now not only has a lively and warm family, but he also has the means to prepare a dowry for his daughter and live a carefree life!
Luo Fengtang went out shopping today and came back with a thick stack of house deeds and land deeds in his hand. This sense of accomplishment was far more exciting than when he led his troops to a victory!
"Don't even mention this lifetime. As long as our daughter's children don't squander the family fortune, these things can be passed down from generation to generation," Yang Ruoqing said with a smile, correcting Luo Fengtang.

Luo Fengtang nodded and held Yang Ruoqing's hand: "It's all thanks to my Qing'er's ability and business acumen. If everyone were like me, leading troops into battle, it would be difficult to earn this dowry for my daughter with just my salary."

Yang Ruoqing shook her head and corrected Luo Fengtang very seriously: "That's not right!"

"Although it seems that this money was earned through my hands, making money is easy, but keeping it is difficult."

"If it weren't for your status, position, power, and connections, even if I were a business genius, I would have a hard time breaking through. Even if I could break through, I wouldn't be able to hold onto that enormous wealth. Others would treat me like a fat sheep to be fattened up, and then harvest the wool and slaughter me for meat and soup when the time is right!"

"So, our family's current wealth is not solely due to my efforts, but rather the result of our joint efforts. Half of the credit belongs to you!"

……

Yang Ruoqing and Luo Fengtang don't plan to tell their daughter about the dowry they've prepared yet; they'll save it for her first.

Furthermore, only Xingwang knew about this matter.

Because when Luo Wuyou gets married in the future, Xingwang will definitely be part of her dowry and come with her to help manage the property here, run various shops, and manage the estate.

Therefore, Yang Ruoqing is now preparing to let Xingwang take over in advance so that he can familiarize himself with things here.

This can be described as a huge opportunity and challenge for Xingwang in his life.

If he does well, he will not only be a confidant of the Luo family, but also a capable person in front of the masters of the Zuo family, and will become the chief steward of the inner courtyard.

He himself will shed his status as a lackey, go into business, become a shopkeeper or steward, marry and have children, and have a lively and worry-free family.

"General, Madam, I will definitely handle things well and will not let you down!"

Yang Ruoqing nodded: "Okay, take it slow. We'll be playing around in Zuojiazhuang for the next few days. You can take some time to come to the county town and buy a few local people to work for you. When we get back to Wanghai County, we can pick a few more people there and buy them. These people will all be your subordinates in the future."

This time, he bought almost an entire street of shops and hundreds of acres of farmland. Such a huge business could not be managed by Xingwang alone, so buying servants was a necessity.

The servants who were bought were under the control of the Luo family, who trained them first, and they would all be given as part of Luo Wuyou's dowry when she got married.

Thinking of this, Yang Ruoqing couldn't help but sigh. No wonder when wealthy families in ancient times got married, the relationship between the master and the mistress was a complete collaboration between two economic and political forces!
No wonder the lady had the power of life and death over the master's concubines and maids; indeed, strength is power!
Yang Ruoqing and Luo Fengtang's daughter will never place her lifelong happiness on Zuo Jinling's love.

Their daughter's lifelong happiness stems from her own strength and independence, and even more so from the support of her family.

……

The next day, the eighteenth day of the first lunar month, the Luo family, having rested overnight, were ready to set off again, full of energy, towards Zuojiazhuang.

When they were about five or six miles away from Zuojiazhuang, they found that the road ahead was different.

They even laid out a red carpet!

Various decorations were hung on the trees on both sides of the red carpet, creating a festive atmosphere. Every few meters, someone stood guard, seemingly to prevent the red carpet and decorations from being damaged by people or random cats and dogs.

The clothing worn by these people on duty clearly identified them as members of the Zuo family!
"Jinling, what's going on?" Yang Ruoqing asked Zuo Jinling, who was riding side by side with Luo Wuyou at the front of the carriage.

Zuo Jinling turned to Yang Ruoqing with a smile and said, "To answer your question, Mother-in-law, this is the idea of ​​my grandmother and my father."

"Huh? Why?"

Zuo Jinling glanced at Luo Wuyou beside him again, and at this moment Luo Wuyou's face turned red.

Zuo Jinling then said to Yang Ruoqing, "My grandmother and father said that this is the first time you have come to pay New Year's respects in your new identities, so you must not be negligent."

Holy crap!

Yang Ruoqing was truly shocked by the domineering style of Old Madam Zuo and Zuo Junmo.

Before that year, Jinling went to Changping Village to deliver New Year's gifts as a prospective son-in-law. After that, Zuo Junmo and his son Zuo Jinling came to Changping Village to pay New Year's visits and celebrate Yang Ruoqing's 36th birthday. The Luo family didn't even lay a red carpet in their own yard, let alone on the main road!

"Your grandmother and father are too kind!" Yang Ruoqing could only say the truth. Compared to them, the Luo family seemed a bit... well.

However, when Yang Ruoqing turned her gaze to Luo Fengtang, she found that Luo Fengtang's reaction and expression were completely different from hers.

Although he was somewhat moved by the Zuo family's treasuring attitude, he did not reflect on whether he had been negligent. On the contrary, he seemed to take it all for granted.

It's only natural?

Yang Ruoqing suddenly had a flash of insight.

They raise their heads to marry off their daughters, and lower their heads to marry off their wives.

As for the bride's side, they can certainly be a bit more assertive. Moreover, if the Luo family is willing, they can arrange a grand wedding with a ten-mile-long procession of red bridal procession.

In addition, she is Yang Ruoqing and Luo Fengtang's daughter, the apple of their eye, and deserves to be cherished and treated so much by the Zuo family in every way!
At the entrance of Zuojiazhuang.

Zuo Junmo, accompanied by his steward and several village elders, stood at the front looking around, while behind him, a group of women supported and surrounded Old Madam Zuo.

The Luo and Zuo families have been exchanging visits for many years. But today's New Year's visit is different for the Luo and Zuo families, the Zuo family's relatives and friends, the village elders, and the villagers of Zuojiazhuang!
Because Luo Wuyou, the eldest daughter of the Luo family, is already engaged to Zuo Jinling, the young master of the Zuo family and the only legitimate son of the Zuo family.

In just two years, when Zuo Jinling turns 16, the two can get married, and Luo Wuyou will become the legitimate young mistress of the Zuo family.

There was no mistress in the middle generation of the Zuo family. Once this young mistress enters the family, she will definitely have the power to manage the household.

She has such a powerful family to rely on, the young master likes her, and the old lady and the manor lord also love her. In the future, she will be the pearl and the person in charge of the Zuo family.

So all these relatives, friends, and people from the estate came today to welcome the future young mistress. Many of the female relatives had already inquired about Luo Wuyou's preferences and were hoping to win her favor in advance!

Therefore, this area of ​​sky was enveloped by the enthusiasm of the people of Zuojiazhuang.

Before they knew it, Yang Ruoqing and Luo Fengtang had been staying in Zuojiazhuang for three days.

Although three days have passed, when I think back on it, it feels like time has been accelerated.

How should I put it? Because whenever I think back, I feel like time flew by so fast. On the first day I arrived at Zuojiazhuang, the main thing was to get to know everyone – all the aunts and uncles, this housekeeper and that village elder – and then we just ate and drank.

The abundance of food on the Zuo family's dining table was so great that, to be honest, Yang Ruoqing already felt like a foodie. The Luo family's dining table was practically at its peak.

When they arrived at the Zuo family's house, they discovered that the Luo family's dining table was only halfway up the mountain.

"When it comes to health preservation, we have to mention Old Madam Zuo! No wonder she is nearly seventy years old but takes such good care of herself!" Yang Ruoqing sighed inwardly.

The next day, the Zuo family father and son led the Luo family to wander around the village. All the fields within sight belonged to the Zuo family.

The people cultivating the fields were all tenants or farmhands of the Zuo family.

Those who fish in the river and hunt in the mountains all belong to the Zuo family.

On the second day at noon, instead of having lunch at the Zuo family's house, Zuo Junmo led everyone to the shore of the Eight Great Lakes, where they hired a large boat and traveled to a small island in the middle of the lake for lunch.

"Is this island also owned by the Zuo family?" Yang Ruoqing asked Zuo Junmo with a smile.

Zuo Junmo smiled and nodded slightly. "This island doesn't have much value. It's just that the barren mountains on the island have been cleared out and transformed into a garden landscape."

"In addition, because we need manpower to carry out daily maintenance of this garden landscape, I arranged for two or three families to move to the island to live, killing two birds with one stone."

Yang Ruoqing gave Zuo Junmo a thumbs up upon hearing this.

Brother Zuo has a truly brilliant business mind. If he were to develop the area like this in modern times, Yang Ruoqing would be confident that the KPI generated by tourists during the Golden Week holidays alone would be enough to make the Zuo family the richest family in Huguang County!
"Brother Zuo, is this big ship we're on also yours?" Luo Fengtang asked.

Zuo Junmo nodded again, "Yes, with the island in the middle of the lake, small rafts are definitely not safe and won't be able to withstand the high tides and waves in May and June every year."

"How many ships like this are there? There must be more than one, right?" Yang Ruoqing asked again from her side.

Today, she and Luo Fengtang were standing on either side of Zuo Junmo, on the left mast of the ship, near the stern.

Why near the stern? Because the area near the bow is where the children are. Zuo Jinling and Luo Wuyou are holding hands with a little brother, looking at the scenery at the bow, with the children's laughter and exclamations coming from time to time.

Zuo Junmo turned his face, and from an angle where Luo Fengtang couldn't see, Zuo Junmo's gentle and mellow gaze softly enveloped Yang Ruoqing's face.

He was very patient when answering her questions, no matter what kind of questions Yang Ruoqing asked.

"Yes, we have two large ships like this now, one for use and one as a backup."

"In addition, there are three to five smaller covered boats that travel between the island in the middle of the lake and the mainland to facilitate the travel of the island's residents."

"In addition, every household on the island has a rubber raft for emergencies."

"Brother Zuo, how do the islanders survive? Where are their fields?"

“There is a lot of land on the island. At the foot of the mountain, near the lake, I allocated large plots of land for them to cultivate.”

“After paying the rent every year, the remaining grain is enough to feed their whole family. In addition, they can grow cotton, raise silkworms and reel in silk, and catch fish. Apart from the rent, they can use the rest of those things for their own expenses.”

"Brother Zuo, you've really treated them well!" Yang Ruoqing gave Zuo Junmo a thumbs up for the second time.

Seeing the admiration in Yang Ruoqing's eyes, and that pink thumb held up in front of him, Zuo Junmo felt a surge of heat in his throat, and had an urge to put her finger in his mouth.

But he restrained himself, not only because Luo Fengtang was standing right behind him, but also because he understood their respective identities.

Based on their past as sworn brothers and sisters, they've now become proper in-laws through their children's marriage—unless he's a beast...

"Brother Zuo, what if the island's residents get sick? It takes the time it takes for an incense stick to burn to get from here to the island by large boat and waterway, let alone a small boat?" Yang Ruoqing was basking in the warm sun and feeling the spring breeze blowing across the water. She was in a very relaxed mood, and then, for no apparent reason, she started talking non-stop, asking all sorts of silly and childish questions one after another.

But for Zuo Junmo, this was an unexpected surprise. In order to avoid suspicion, he had always spent his time with Luo Fengtang when interacting with the Luo family, and they talked about various topics.

To an uninformed observer, it might seem that the relationship between the Luo and Zuo families began with these two men...

actually not.

It's because of her.

Although he was often chatting with Luo Fengtang, keeping his eyes straight ahead, whenever Yang Ruoqing appeared, Zuo Junmo's gaze would involuntarily, subconsciously, and uncontrollably drift towards her from the corner of his eye.

Even in a crowd, one can't help but quietly search for her...

Today, when Yang Ruoqing directly raised various questions about the island to him, it was a golden opportunity for Zuo Junmo to have a proper conversation with Qing'er. Even with Luo Fengtang present, he couldn't say anything, right?

As the host, I am fulfilling my duties as the host!
"Qing'er asked a very good question." Zuo Junmo's eyes held undisguised approval and barely perceptible doting affection.