Chapter 275: Chapter 275: Scouting the Farm 1

Translator: 549690339 —

Wei Ruo wrote down some events that had recently occurred, including the events of the Dragon Boat Festival and the recent cold snap.

This cold snap reminded Wei Ruo of the heavy rain that occurred in Xingshan County after the autumn harvest last year.

That day, she had gone to rescue people in the south of the city, and her second brother had braved the rain to pick her up and then assist her in helping the affected people.

Afterwards, they had gone to West Mountain Village together to rescue their father, and they even stayed in the mountain for a night.

Thinking about it, her second brother had actually accompanied her through many difficult and dangerous events.

She had no idea where her second brother was now or what he was doing, whether he had enough clothes to wear in the cold weather, or whether he was feeling chilly.

With these thoughts, Wei Ruo wrote some words of concern and greeting on the paper.

After she had finished writing, Wei Ruo took a look at the paper, but did not give it to Xiumei to be delivered by Guard Jing Hu, but instead put it under the account book.

Although she missed her second brother, she decided it was best not to disturb him often. She did not want to send someone on an errand for trivial matters, but waited until there were several letters to be delivered all at once.

The next morning, Wei Ruo left for the outskirts of the city early.

On this trip, Wei Ruo did not go to her own manor, but went to Stone Village to find Shi Dayou.

The villagers in Stone Village were particularly pleased to see Wei Ruo, and they all greeted her warmly.

Someone even took the initiative to lead Wei Ruo to Shi Dayou.

Shi Dayou was currently in his field. When Wei Ruo went over, she saw that the field, which should have been filled with rice, had been stripped bare, revealing the polished terraces.

“What happened to your field?” Wei Ruo asked.

Even in the face of the cold snap, only a few scattered rice plants should have been frozen to death. On the way here, Wei Ruo had not seen any fields where the entire crop was lost to the frost.

“Didn’t the temperature drop dramatically a few days ago and some of the rice plants froze? I gave the remaining rice plants in my field to other villagers to help replant. This way, we can ensure the output of those villagers who have less land,” Shi Dayou explained to Wei Ruo with a naive smile.

Wei Ruo once again understood why Shi Dayou, despite his young age, was elected as the village head by the villagers of Stone Village. He had a heart wholly devoted to the welfare of the villagers.

“Won’t this mean that there’s no guarantee for your own harvest this year?” Wei Ruo asked.

“I’m fine, I have a lot of land, and as long as this year’s rice harvest is normal, my family will have enough food to eat, even without this piece of land,” Shi ’ Dayou explained.

“So, what do you plan to do with the piece of land that is now vacant?” Wei Ruo asked.

“You gave me some late-ripening rice seeds last time. I still have some left. I plan to sow them in the field in the next few days. Maybe they can germinate now and be ready for the autumn harvest,” Shi Dayou replied honestly.

“If you’re not sure if they can grow, why don’t you ask me?”

“How could I impose on you?” Shi Dayou replied, somewhat embarrassed. “You’ve already helped us a lot. Besides, I’m not doing anything else, so there’s no harm in trying.”

Wei Ruo smiled and said, “Keep this rice field vacant, and I’ll send you some

taro seeds in a few days. You can plant taro in this field.”

Shi Dayou was a bit surprised, but seeing the certainty in Wei Ruo’s eyes, he chose to trust her.

Alright. 111 do as you say,” Shi Dayou agreed readily.

“How are the sweet potatoes growing in the sandy soil?” Wei Ruo asked.

“Some of them were damaged by the frost, but the people in charge of that piece of land have already replanted new ones. I think the vines are pretty resilient and should be able to take root in time. We’ll wait for the weather to warm up and see. If they don’t take root, I’ll think of something else.” Based on his many years of experience as a farmer, Shi Dayou had taken remedial action in advance.

“Well done. If the weather does warm up, there shouldn’t be any big problems. And if there’s another freeze, that would be a natural disaster and not your fault. I won’t blame any of you,” Wei Ruo praised.

“Thank you, I promise we’ll do our best,” Shi Dayou assured her.

Then Shi Dayou asked Wei Ruo, “Are you here to inspect the distillery today?” “Not today, I came to look at the manor. If it’s suitable, I’ll buy it and also check on the situation of your village,” Wei Ruo replied.

So far, Stone Village seemed to be doing relatively well. This was partly because they had planted late-ripening rice seeds provided by her, and partly because Shi Dayou was a good leader and managed the village effectively.

“You’re looking to buy a manor?” Shi Dayou asked.

“Yes,” Wei Ruo replied.

“Ten miles east of here is Lianshan Village. There’s a large manor there. The owner used to be a wealthy man in the city, but I heard that he’s planning to sell the manor now.”

Being the village chief, Shi Dayou had a certain level of knowledge about events within the surrounding area.

“Why does he want to sell?” Wei Ruo asked.

“I heard that the land is quite poor and the agricultural yield in the past years hasn’t been very good. Last year it was particularly bad and the peasant tenants weren’t able to pay their rent. Naturally, the landlord’s harvest wasn’t good either. The frost a few days ago has dashed any hope for this year’s crop, and the landlord probably thinks another year of poor harvest is coming, so it’s better to sell the manor and get some silver coins,” Shi Dayou explained.

-Then I’ll go take a look,” Wei Ruo said, not caring about whether the land was poor or not. In her eyes, there’s no truly barren land, only land that’s been poorly managed.

“Please be careful on your journey,” Shi Dayou said as he saw her off.

After concluding her conversation with Shi Dayou, Wei Ruo, accompanied by Xiumei, got back in the carriage to travel to Lianshan Village, as Shi Dayou had suggested.

Upon arriving, Wei Ruo met the estate manager. After asking him about the situation, she found that it matched exactly what Shi Dayou had told her. The manor had suffered successive crop failures, leaving not only the peasant tenants but also the landlord himself unable to make ends meet.

Upon further questioning, Wei Ruo found out that the manor’s owner was the household of Fei Tuipan.

Although the official position of “Tuipan” was similar to that of a prefect, unlike the Xiu Family’s status as a prominent family, Fei Tuipan came from a humble background and didn’t have strong financial resources. He had bought this manor after taking up his post in Taizhou prefecture.

The fact that even Fei Tuipan couldn’t manage and was looking to sell the manor bore testament to the profound impact of this year’s events. Mrs. Yun’s worries were justified. The Wei Family’s situation was not good and there might come a time when they could not cope.

With the estate manager’s consent, Wei Ruo then took a tour of the manor. The estate suited her needs, but since the owner held an official position, she didn’t dare to discuss purchasing it outright for fear the owner might investigate her household registry and discover that Xu Heyou does not exist.

So, after asking about the situation, Wei Ruo decided to leave for the day. She planned to have her wet nurse and Uncle Xu visit another day, using their names to buy the manor and keep it in their names.

As she was leaving the manor, Wei Ruo ran into someone she knew.

Fan Chengxu was here to look at the manor as well.

Seeing Wei Ruo, Fan Chengxu burst into laughter. “I guess this is a case of great minds think alike/ wouldn’t you say?”

In regard to the making and storing of money, the thoughts of Wei Ruo and Fan Chengxu were strikingly similar..