Divorced by her husband's family and rejected by her own! She defiantly turned her life around

On the fourteenth day of the first lunar month, the county town was packed with people and all the inns were full. Taking advantage of this, Shiweizhai launched a new product, just like the previous event where they made smiley cakes.

Wang Zhilan took Liu Ruxue there early in the morning, and Xu Jingxi insisted on going along as well. So the three of them rode in a carriage to the shop.

A long queue formed in front of the shop, with everyone eagerly anticipating the new pastries launched by Shiweizhai.

Tang Dianshi dispatched several groups of men to patrol various parts of the county town, and the streets of the town were filled with lanterns, waiting to be lit up together at night.

Ningxiang and the others also hung many lanterns in the house, which looked very festive.

"Ningxiang, we're both free today, let's go to the manor together. I've never been to the manor before, so I don't know what it looks like. When we get in the car, tell me all about the manor."

"Yes, Master, I will go and prepare immediately."

"Chenxin, would you like to come with us to the estate?"

"Okay, I'll go out for a walk with you guys."

"Let me tell you, if you get tired of staying in the county town, go to the village for a stroll and relax. Don't stay cooped up in the house all day, it'll drive you crazy."

Going out for a stroll is fine, but remember to bring someone with you. If Qingye is around, bring Qingye; if Qingye isn't around, bring Jin'an.

"I'm a grown adult, I know how to protect myself. You're busy and tired enough every day, so you don't need to worry about these things."

Each of them, Qingwu and Qingye, drove an oxcart towards the village. Ningxiang, Yunchenxin, and Liu Siyue sat on the oxcart and chatted about things on the village.

"Ningxiang, tell me about the situation on the estate."

"The estate covers 200 mu, plus two small hills. It takes about an hour to get there from the county town. There is a Peach Blossom Village nearby, which is the closest to the estate."

Every year, people from Peach Blossom Village are hired to help with spring planting and autumn harvesting in the village.

There is a large two-courtyard house in the village, which was the former owner's residence. The house has a very nice layout.

There is a large fishpond and a lotus pond in the village, and a pavilion has been built on the lotus pond.

There are 28 servants in the village. They belong to two families: Niu Dali's family has 12 members, and Ma Dazhuang's family has 16 members. They have been working for the previous master for more than 20 years.

I noticed that both families seemed honest and reliable, and familiar with the village, so I kept them with me when I bought the property.

"Now that you've explained it to me in detail, this estate sounds really nice. I can stay there next time I come to the county town."

"I heard from the people in the village that when spring comes, all kinds of flowers bloom, and the nearby Peach Blossom Village is full of peach trees, with pink peach blossoms covering the mountains and fields."

Many ladies and young women from the county town, as well as scholars and literati, would go there to admire the flowers and enjoy themselves.

It took the oxcart an hour and a half to reach the village. When the gatekeeper saw that it was Ningxiang, he immediately opened the gate and welcomed her in.

Ningxiang walked to the two houses and called out, "Niu Dali, Ma Dazhuang, why don't you bring your families out to greet your master?"

Upon hearing that their master had arrived, Niu Dali and Ma Dazhuang quickly led their entire family out to pay their respects.

"Ning is in charge."

"Niu Dali, Ma Dazhuang, let me introduce you. This is our master."

The two men quickly knelt down, and their families also knelt behind them. "Dali Ma Dazhuang and his family greet their master."

Liu Siyue scanned the two families. Apart from three or four children aged four or five, the rest were all capable workers.

"Get up, everyone."

I came here to visit you and Zhuangzi, and to bring you some gifts.

Ningxiang distributed the food to everyone.

Spring is here, so I'll make you two spring outfits, and this oxcart, which I'll keep on the estate for your daily use.

They sent over some high-quality rice seeds and newly produced plows from the imperial court.

Upon hearing about the new plow, Niu Dali and Ma Dazhuang immediately perked up. "Master, we'd like to see the new plow. If it works well, it will improve our farming efficiency."

"Okay, you guys give it a try. I'll see if it works well too. We'll use this old ox to pull the plow."

The men all went to check on the cows and pears, while the women followed Ningxiang to distribute the food.

People love what they do. Look at those who love farming, they love plows, oxen, and other farm tools.

Liu Siyue helped them harness the plow. The two were surprised that their new mistress, who looked so young and was a woman, knew so much.

Niu Dali lengthened the ox reins and wrapped them around the plow handle. Holding the whip in one hand and the plow in the other, he shouted "Giddy up!" The whip flicked lightly on the ox's rump, and the ox began to pull the plow forward.

He walked back and forth in the field twice, then came up with a grin and said, "Master, this plow is really good. It turns the soil deep and easily, and the oxen pull it without any effort. It can plow several more acres of land in a day."

"Look, this plow can be adjusted to turn the soil deeper or shallower, depending on your needs."

"You can adjust the depth too, let me try it again." Niu Dali adjusted the depth while plowing the land, extremely satisfied with the plow.

When Niu Dali returned from his trial plowing, he grinned foolishly at Liu Siyue. "Master, this plow is really great. I saw several plows earlier. If we had oxen, we could all plow the land on this estate ourselves."

Ma Dazhuang quickly took the ox and plow from Niu Dali's hands. His hands were itching to try plowing the land.

"Niu Dali, this time you brought seven plows to the village. I originally wanted to buy more cattle and send them to the village, but there are no cattle for sale at the livestock market right now. I was lucky a couple of days ago and ran into a few farmers selling cattle, so I bought these cattle."

"It's okay if we can't buy an ox, we can pull the plow."

"Pulling a plow is very harmful to people and their health. You should buy an ox, right?"

"I'll buy, I've been dealing with livestock for decades."

"Alright, I'll ask Manager Ning for the money later, and when I have time, I'll buy some cattle, as many as I need."

"Thank you for your consideration, Master. We will definitely work hard."

Ma Dazhuang returned with a beaming smile, exclaiming, "Old Ox, using this plow to till the land really saves a lot of effort!"

"Old Ma, the master said he's going to buy us oxen, then we can plow all this land ourselves."

"That's great! Let's set up the cowshed in the next couple of days."

The group returned to their lodgings from the fields. "Ningxiang, I'll let Niuzhuangtou and the others buy cattle themselves. The money will come from your account."

"How many cows are you planning to buy? Come find me later to get some money."

"We'll buy eight more cows so they can take turns resting, which will improve efficiency."

Ningxiang took out 250 taels of silver notes and handed them to Niu Dali. "Head of the Niu Manor, here are 250 taels of silver notes. Take them. If there are any extras, keep them. I'll give them to you next time I come to the manor."

If that's not enough, come to the house and ask me for more."

"Manager Xie Ning."

"Hey, Chief Niu, show us around this village and tell us about the surrounding area."

"My lord, please come with me."

Niu Dali would carefully explain to her where they went, about the mountains, the water, and the surrounding environment.

"Master, the water in our manor is all running water, it won't smell bad, it's drawn from the river over there."

Liu Siyue listened very carefully and looked around. The location of this manor was indeed very good. What would it be like if it were developed into a tourist resort?

Liu Siyue took a quick look around the estate and was very satisfied. By the time she returned to her lodgings, her legs were a little sore from walking.

"Master, why don't you come inside and rest? We clean the house regularly, it's very clean."

"Okay, let's go inside and take a look at this house. I'll come and stay here for a while when I have time."