They've all separated, so what does it matter to me if they get poorer and poorer?

Chapter 337 Guidance
Since no one had ever seen or understood this before, they placed an inexplicable trust in the lady's instructions, obeying them meticulously and never daring to deviate even slightly.

This saved Xu Zhichun a lot of effort.

The tasks assigned to me are always carried out smoothly and effectively.

Xu Zhichun followed along for half a day, and seeing that everyone had become very skilled and organized, he stopped following along in the afternoon.

She also specifically instructed Manager Mao: "The sun is too strong at noon, so don't come to transplant or plant seedlings during that time. Let everyone rest first, and come back after 3:30 PM, and finish work when it gets dark."

It's the season when the days are getting longer, and we've been working on it for over three hours, from about four in the afternoon until dark.

It's better to be slower than to compromise on the survival rate.

She can take out excellent seeds from her space, but she can't control what happens in the sky. Under the blazing sun, even if the seedlings are shaded, they still can't withstand the heat.

Manager Mao felt that crops should grow in the ground and not be so delicate.

It's not like a beautiful flower in a rich person's yard.

But cotton might be even more delicate than fresh flowers. None of them have ever grown it before, only the lady knows how, so let's do as she says.

In the afternoon, Xu Zhichun, along with Granny Qin Qing and Chunfen, went to the nearby mountains and picked a lot of wild ferns and fresh bamboo shoots. They also caught a lot of small river shrimp in the stream.

Back at the village, Chunfen quickly climbed up a tall tree and picked most of a basket of fresh locust blossoms.

For dinner, Xu Zhichun, along with Qin Qing and Chunfen, cooked for themselves. They made a steamed dish with fresh locust flowers, a locust flower omelet, and fried river shrimp and locust flower pancakes. After blanching the bracken, they stir-fried it with thinly sliced ​​cured pork belly, while the fresh bamboo shoots were cut into chunks and cooked with the free-range chickens from the farm.

When Xu Zhichun came back last time, he also brought some sweet potatoes to the village. The seedlings are growing very well now. Just pick a handful of tender sweet potato sprouts, chop some garlic, stir-fry them, and they're fresh, tender, and delicious.

The dishes are made with fresh and delicious ingredients, and are simple to prepare; every bite tastes like spring.

These locust flowers are quite nice, but unfortunately there aren't any in the village. Xu Zhichun plans to take a big basket full of them back with him, to eat them himself, and to share some with Xiao Yan, Aunt Zhu'er, and Xiao Juan.

The next day happened to be market day in Qingyang County. Xu Zhichun planned to go shopping with Granny Qin Qing and Chunfen. Without the threat from the Qi family, Qingyang City was quite nice to explore.

Liang Xiaoman and Steward Mao were not entirely at ease, so they arranged for someone from the estate to drive the carriage, and also had Sister Du and Sister Yang come along.

Qingyang County is more prosperous, with more shops and goods. Xu Zhichun bought a lot as he walked around. He had a sweet tooth on the Spring Equinox. In one hand he had freshly roasted peanuts and in the other hand he had small round glutinous rice cakes skewered on long bamboo sticks. The filling was made of soybean powder and brown sugar, and the outside was coated with sesame seeds. They were sweet, soft and chewy, and especially delicious.

We had lunch in a private room at the most luxurious restaurant before heading back to the village with our bountiful harvest.

There were guests at the estate, and Steward Mao personally accompanied them. He breathed a sigh of relief upon learning that Xu Zhichun and the others had returned, and hurriedly went to report to them.

“Madam, the Qi family’s steward has arrived. This old servant said that you are not here. When asked what it is, he will not say. He insists on waiting for you to return.”

"."

So the Qi family actually dared to send their butler to their door to make a conspicuous bag?
Granny Qin Qing was furious: "This is too shameless! Madam, please ignore it, I will go and deal with it."

No wonder Granny Qin was furious. Steward Mao also found it quite unbelievable. Had the Qi family gone mad? They were like a stubborn plaster.

Haven't you been laughed at enough?

Xu Zhichun was indeed too lazy to give such a family any face. "Alright, thank you for your trouble, Granny."

"Yes."

Granny Qin Qing left with a stern face and an imposing aura, carrying with her an aura of impending explosion.

They're willing to fight with anyone.

Bah! This is outrageous! They're just distant relatives of Magistrate Fan, yet they dare to bully others with their power. Their wife is the Empress Dowager, personally bestowed by the Emperor, and a virtuous woman praised by the renowned Songquan Hermit.

Xu Zhichun hadn't expected that Granny Qin would leave so quickly and return so quickly, her expression looking rather strange.
"Granny, what's wrong?"

If the Qi family's butler were so easy to deal with, why was he so stubborn in the first place?

Granny Qin Qing was speechless: "That Steward Qi is really something. He didn't know that the owner of this estate is you, Madam. After he found out, how could he sit still? I knew it! At first, he was very arrogant, saying that his master wanted to talk to Madam Xu on the estate about cotton. Humph! Who wants to talk to them?"

Xu Zhichun: "."

"I see."

Granny Qin Qing laughed gleefully: "After this old servant revealed the lady's identity, Steward Qi was so shocked that he wished he could disappear into the ground. He quickly stammered and made an excuse to leave."

After exchanging a few words of laughter, Xu Zhichun rested, and Granny Qin Qing quietly withdrew.

Xu Zhichun then suddenly realized that his cotton was quite conspicuous.

This year she planted a total of 340 mu (approximately 26 acres). After careful tending and a successful harvest, she will be able to make a large sum of money.

You have to understand that cotton is a scarce commodity. Last year, the market price was sixty coins per catty. So, if she were to buy it directly from the field, she wouldn't sell it for less than forty coins.

After all, putting everything else aside, just considering its scarcity, in several counties around here, only her family grows cotton.

Besides cotton, this farm also has dozens of acres of tomatoes.

The tomatoes have grown quite tall now, and it won't be long before they flower, bear fruit, and the first harvest will come.

Tomatoes are also a good variety, and they will certainly produce plenty of fruit.

But it doesn't matter, there's no worry about sales in several counties and provincial capitals.

Tomatoes and peppers can be sold together.

Although she only brought a small amount of sweet potatoes, just to plant as a token gesture, so that the people and tenants on the estate could have something fresh to eat, it was still an eye-catching item.

Unfortunately, she doesn't live here permanently, and even if Steward Mao tries his best, he's only one person, so it's difficult for him to take care of everything.

Xu Zhichun silently pondered for a while and then silently made up his mind.

We need to plan ahead.

Meanwhile, Steward Qi, disheveled and exhausted, left the manor and rushed home to report to his master.

This news stunned Master Qi.

Why is this Mrs. Xu the same Mrs. Xu? Why is the Qi family so unlucky?

Ever since news spread that there was cotton in that estate, many people have been inquiring about it. The Qi family has been having a really bad time lately, and he wants to turn things around. So he wants to get ahead of the game and negotiate a cooperation with Madam Xu on that estate, hoping to regain his pride through cotton.

Given the Qi family's prestige and status in the local area, the other party would certainly find it difficult to refuse.

But it is precisely—

"Enough, let's not talk about this anymore. You may leave."

"Yes."