Union

Chapter 119 You are the spoils of war

Second Master was a very proactive person. He said he would bring the local gentry and elders under the jurisdiction of Yungui County to visit the terraced fields, and he actually sent letters to these people.

However, Yunying had more than just this one terraced field created; there were dozens more. Of course, the growth varied from one to the other, but overall they were all growing well, comparable to fertile fields that had been cultivated for decades.

Because Second Master was too busy, he couldn't accompany these local gentry and elders to walk through all the terraced fields, so he entrusted this task to Lei Ting and Mo Xue.

Yunying also knew how this matter unfolded.

It is said that many local gentry and elders were very moved after seeing the terraced fields. They had been interested for a long time, after all, Yunying's terraced fields were scattered throughout various villages and towns - she initially did this with the intention of storing them for future promotion.

In fact, ever since the crops on the terraced fields started growing rapidly, people from various villages and towns have been going over to take a look, whether intentionally or unintentionally.

However, since the crops on the terraced fields are still growing, no one can guarantee that if they grow well, they will yield a good harvest. Therefore, everyone is observing and has not yet started to invest in the barren mountains.

After this government-organized tour, the local gentry and elders could no longer contain themselves.

The terraced fields closest to Li Dazhu's house were growing exceptionally well. Anyone with eyes could see that those fields were destined for a bumper harvest this year.

With successful examples preceding them, other barren mountains were sold more easily.

If they don't make a move, they can only watch as others pick up the best options first.

By then, let alone barren mountains suitable for rice cultivation, there probably won't be a single barren mountain left that can even be used to grow tea trees.

It was because of this underlying concern that those barren mountains were sold off at an extremely fast pace.

Unintentionally, Yunying generated revenue for the county government.

"After that, they bought the barren mountain. Should they just leave it barren or start cultivating it?" If they do cultivate it, what crops should they plant this season? There's no time to plant either dryland rice or paddy rice, so they can't just leave it empty, can they?
"Why not?"

Uncle Er said, "Now all the able-bodied men in the villages and towns are building roads, and no household has enough manpower to build terraced fields. Women's strength is limited, so some of the heavy work still has to be done by men."

Yunying disagreed with this statement, saying, "That's because the farming tools weren't available. If we had sharp farming tools, we wouldn't need men at all; women could also clear land and build terraced fields."

Second Master heard Yunying's dissatisfaction and smiled, "I didn't mean to belittle women. In fact, women do just as much as men. It's just that the division of labor is different between men and women, and they are indeed a little weaker in terms of strength."

"You still said."

"Okay, okay, I won't say anything more, alright?"

Second Uncle then spoke of the women who stayed home tending the fields, “They couldn’t cultivate the wasteland, but they weren’t idle either. I went to various villages and towns before and found that everyone was dredging the silt from the river to fertilize the fields. Some were clearing vegetation from the barren mountains and turning it into ashes to spread on the mountains.”

"That requires someone to keep a close eye on it, lest it accidentally start a fire."

"I've already reminded you."

As Yunying was talking to the Second Master, she saw Sui'er peeking in from outside the door. Remembering her appointment with Qiu Ning, she said goodbye to the Second Master and told him she was going back to the backyard.

The second master agreed and saw her to the door. "Is Qiu Ning leaving the manor?"

"Yes, she started packing her things a few days ago. Yesterday, after she finished packing, she came to find me and said she was preparing to leave the manor today." She even had a banquet with Qiu Ning last night, which was a farewell dinner for Qiu Ning.

As a result, Qiu Ning cried terribly, eating food and drinking alcohol at the same time. She barely ate any food, but downed several glasses of alcohol. In no time, she was drunk.

When she got up early to look for the Second Master, Qiu Ning was still asleep. She should be awake now. She just doesn't know if her head hurts; she can't let her leave while she's feeling unwell.

Second Master said, "I'll have Suiyu take her to the dried goods store later."

Yunying stammered in response, "Don't worry about these little things, I'll take care of it."

The second master squinted at her, "What do you mean?"

Yunying sighed, "Qiuning was completely drunk yesterday. I was worried that she might have hangovers, so I thought that if she felt unwell, I would let her stay at the manor for another two days."

The second master choked on his cup, and his words were tinged with bitterness, "You do care about her, though."

"After all, I've known her for many years, and we've developed feelings for each other."

Second Master sneered again, refusing to acknowledge Yunying.

Yunying was also really worried about Qiuning, so she waved and quickly left the courtyard.

Seeing her so heartless, the Second Master truly stopped trying to coax him. He pursed his lips in anger and muttered under his breath, "You little ingrate."

When Yunying returned to the backyard, she saw Qiuning rummaging through her trunk.

Seeing that her head was buried in the box, Yunying asked her, "What are you looking for? Be careful not to bump your head."

"I'm not looking for anything, I just want to check if the bottom of this box is sturdy. I don't want it to break halfway there and all my things to fall out, that would be so embarrassing."

Yunying: "..."

"Qiu Ning, are you still drunk?"

"Do you think I'm like you? I'm sober a long time ago, okay?"

Qiu Ning lifted her head from the box, stood up, and clapped her hands. "Alright, inspection complete. This box is very sturdy. Hey Yun Ying, don't look so speechless. I did this for a reason, okay? You remember when we came south to Yun Gui County, we stayed at an inn. Weren't there two maids carrying a box down from the second floor? The bottom of the box was eaten by worms, and the porcelain inside was too heavy, so it crushed the bottom of the box, and the porcelain fell to the ground and shattered."

Yunying naturally remembered this.

She can even recall how quiet the entire inn was at that time.

But then again, that broken box was obviously made of inferior materials and was quite old, covered in mold. In contrast, the box in front of them was made of fine rosewood, practically brand new. Even if Qiu Ning had only put some clothes and bedding inside, or even a whole box of iron, it wouldn't have broken.

Yunying asked, "Qiuning, don't you want to leave? If you want to stay..."

"Who doesn't want to leave? Who wants to stay in the manor? Yunying, don't guess. I'm about to go out. But... I've been with you all since I was little, and I've never lived on my own before. I'm a little scared."

As Qiu Ning spoke, the tip of her nose turned red. Coupled with her recent bout of crying, her eyes were swollen beyond recognition, making her look quite pitiful. Anyone who didn't know the situation might have thought she'd been kicked out by the Second Master.

Qiu Ning: "I want to go out, but I'm a little scared, so I'll wait until I'm mentally prepared before I leave."

"Then you should go back inside first..."

Qiu Ning: "Okay, I'm mentally prepared."

Yunying: "..."

Yunying rolled her eyes, took the bundle from Qiu Ning's hand, and walked out with her.

"Second Master instructed Suiyu to escort you. With Suiyu here, you don't need to worry about others bullying you. If you suffer any injustice outside, you can come and talk to me, and I'll have Second Master uphold justice for you."

"Hmm."

“I will visit you every now and then. If you are unhappy outside, I will just bring you back.”

"Okay, I'm relieved with your words."

"You have a stubborn and impulsive temper, so try to tone it down a bit in the future."

Qiu Ning snorted, "I'm going there to be a supervisor, why should I suppress my temper? If I suppress my temper, they'll probably think I'm easy to bully. I don't want to! I'm going to show my temper so that they'll all be wary of me and won't dare to do anything underhanded."

Yunying: "...In short, you should always be careful, think things through, and talk less when you encounter problems." "Okay, I know, I know."

The two chatted on and on, and soon arrived at the door.

Sure enough, a carriage was parked at the entrance, and Sui Yu stood in the shade, idly teasing his horse.

Seeing the two leave, Sui Yu muttered, "Let's hurry up, it'll get hot soon."

He muttered to himself, "It's only two miles away, not even outside the county town. I don't know why you two are so reluctant to part."

Qiu Ning was taken aback, then grabbed Yun Ying and asked, "Then the dried goods store is in the city?"

Yunying was also stunned. "I really didn't know that."

"It's in the city, right in the city. It's very close to the county government office, just two streets away. You could easily see each other seven or eight times a day. Why say goodbye somewhere else? Is that really necessary?"

"That's unnecessary." Qiu Ning pushed Yun Ying aside. "Alright, you can go back now. It's so close, I can make a round trip in the time it takes to eat a meal. Alright, I'm ready now, and I'm going to embark on my new life. Goodbye, Yun Ying. Once I'm familiar with my new job and have earned some money, I'll take you out to play."

Sui Yu had been waiting impatiently. Once he saw that Qiu Ning was settled, he snapped his fingers at the coachman. The coachman cracked his whip, and the horse trotted off.

With a cry of pain from Qiu Ning as she fell in the carriage, the horse galloped faster and faster, and in the blink of an eye, it had left the street where the county government office was located.

Qiu Ning's cursing stopped, and the sound of the horses galloping could no longer be heard.

Of the group that came from the capital together, some left and others scattered, and now only Yunying remains.

Yunying suddenly felt lonely.

The Second Master appeared behind Yunying at some point. "If you're really worried about her, just go and check on her. It's not far at all; you'll be there in the blink of an eye by carriage."

Yunying turned to look at the Second Master, "Is it really that close?"

"You'll see when you go over there."

Yunying was shamefully tempted, and then she heard the rumbling sound of a carriage rolling on the bluestone slabs.

The blue-curtained carriage stopped in front of her. The second master lifted the curtain, raised his chin at her, and said, "What are you standing there for? Go and come back quickly."

Yunying moved her fingers, "Then I'll really go."

Second Master scoffed, "Get out of here before I regret it."

Yunying smiled, and then, in front of the Second Master, she nimbly climbed onto the carriage and sat down inside.

After she sat down, she lifted the carriage curtain, preparing to wave goodbye to the Second Master. But to her surprise, she saw the Second Master's figure flash by and he also board the carriage.

"Second Master... what are you doing?"

"I'm afraid you won't come back, so I'll go with you."

Yunying smiled, her eyes brimming with joy. She was so happy that she even covered her face with her handkerchief and laughed out loud.

Seeing this, the last bit of frustration in Second Master's heart disappeared.

Okay, as long as she doesn't look sad, anything is fine.

No sooner had Qiu Ning entered the dried goods store than Yun Ying arrived at the back door of the store in a carriage.

The back door was wide open, so even sitting in the carriage, one could see the scene inside the courtyard.

This courtyard is a traditional siheyuan (traditional courtyard house).

People lived on three sides, but the central room, facing south, was empty. Now, Qiu Ning directed two maids to carry her belongings inside.

She was arrogant and haughty, her head practically pointing to the sky. Coupled with her already beautiful appearance, and the fact that she had touched up her makeup in the carriage, she looked radiant, exuding an air of haughtiness.

Qiu Ning, with her delicate fingers raised, set the tone for everyone in the courtyard. Sui Yu stood not far from her, silently stabilizing the situation. This effectively intimidated everyone in the dried goods shop.

Seeing this, Yunying lowered the carriage curtain and said to the Second Master, "Let's go back."

"Don't want to continue watching?"

"I'm not watching anymore," Yunying said with a smile. "Qiu Ning isn't the type to suffer a loss. She's established her authority this time and has everyone under her control. It'll be impossible for anyone here to rebel against her or make her suffer injustice in the future."

To be honest, Yun Ying didn't expect Qiu Ning to get to this point.

But Yunying was happy for her that she had come this far.

The second master ordered a carriage to be driven back, and said listlessly, "It's just a makeshift operation. If she can't hold onto power and keep the people in check, then all the lessons she's learned over the years will have been for nothing."

Yunying glared at the Second Master, "It's precisely because it's a makeshift operation that it's so difficult to manage, okay? There are no established rules here, and the people we've recruited are wild and unruly. If this were an established business that was already running smoothly, everything would be much easier."

Second Master said, "If it were truly an old shop, the old people inside alone would be enough to keep Qiu Ning in check. Her role as supervisor is just for show."

"Second Master, you shouldn't underestimate me like that."

"I'm not looking down on anyone, I'm just stating the facts."

"Let's make a bet."

"What bet?"

"Let's bet on whether Qiu Ning can run this makeshift operation well and take this dried goods shop to the next level. If Qiu Ning does a good job..."

"how?"

"If she does well, you can transfer Qiu Ning to a larger operation and put her in charge. If not..."

What if it doesn't work?

"If it doesn't work out, it doesn't work out. At worst, you won't need her anymore, and I'll find her another job."

Second Master laughed in exasperation, his slender fingers lightly tapping Yunying from a distance, "Yunying, Yunying, you can't be so shameless."

"I'm not being dishonest; I'm just stating the facts."

"You mean to stick to the facts? You probably don't know what it really means to stick to the facts," the Second Master said. "This bet doesn't benefit me at all, so I'm not taking it."

Yunying glanced at him, "Aren't you scared?"

"Yun Ying, your attempts to provoke me won't work."

Yunying was disheartened. "Then what exactly do I have to do for you to be willing to make this bet with me?"

Second Master smiled and looked at her, saying, "It's simple."

"Please tell me."

Second Master opened his mouth as if to say, "If you offer yourself as my spoils, I'll take the bet." But fearing he would scare Yunying away, and even more afraid that she would mistake him for a rogue, he finally said dejectedly, "Give me some benefits, and I'll take the bet."

(End of this chapter)