Picking Up a General to Plow the Fields

Chapter 200: Cousin is here (1)

“You rascal!” Madam Li was sad and happy.
She sighed and shook her head with a smile.
They were slaves, where would they have the final say?

Zhang Xiao Jun saw her thoughts and said, “The Miss is really a good person.
If we follow Miss, I think we can stay.”

Zhang Xiu’er also hurriedly said: “Yes, yes! I also think that the Miss is nice and Master Jian… is also nice.”

Madam Li’s face changed and she couldn’t help but stare at Zhang Xiu’er.
She hesitated for a moment and said, “Master Jian is also a master.
As a slave, we must stick to our own duties.
Its better to not talk about the masters from behind.
It’s late, we should go to bed!”

Zhang Xiu’er stared at her in a daze before she suddenly understood what her mother meant.
Her face blushed and she stood up abruptly, stomping her foot and saying: “Mother, what are you thinking! I had no other meaning! Our family has just been settled and finally has a place to live, is your daughter such a person who doesn’t know the sky and earth!”

Madam Li was a little relieved and couldn’t help but say again, “Even if you haven’t just settled down, you shouldn’t think like that!”

“I didn’t think about anything! I wasn’t thinking about anything! I was just speaking.
What our identity is, how stupid am I to do something like that?” Zhang Xiu’er said, eyes red.

“Nothing, nothing, it’s all fine!” Seeing her daughter, Madam Li felt a little sad and hurriedly shook her hand, saying softly.
“Xiu’er don’t be angry, it’s mother who has failed! Mother knows that you are almost the most sensible! Oh, mother is just afraid.
We finally have a place to stay, mother is just really afraid…”

After hearing this, Xiu’er almost started to cry tears down her cheeks.
She immediately threw her embarrassment into the clouds and hurriedly said, smiling: “Mother, I understand, I understand everything!”

Madam Li hummed and took her daughter into her arms.

Zhang Xiao Jun sighed softly and said nothing.

After breakfast the next day, Ah Jian said to Lian Fang Zhou: “Today, you and Ah Ze don’t need to go to the fields.
Qin Feng and Su Zi Ji and I will take them there.”

Lian Fang Zhou nodded and smiled: “Alright, I will go tomorrow.
Today, I need to give some instructions to Aunt Zhang and her family.
We also need more firewood, I’ll have to take a few cartloads over.
Fortunately, the wasteland has been cleared and we have plenty of wood.”

“It’s okay if there is not enough,” Ah Jian smiled, “the land will be cleaned soon and the workers can cut firewood for a couple days, enough to last the winter.”

Lian Fang Zhou laughed.
“Having more people is good!”

“That’s true.” Ah Jian also laughed.

When Lian Fang Zhou and Lian Ze arrived at the warehouse, the workers had already left for the fields and the compound was quiet.

Seeing them coming, Madam Li hurriedly smiled and called, “Miss, Second Young Master!”

Lian Fang Zhou chatted with her briefly and then asked the family of four to come over.
Leading them inside and out, she explained what they would be doing and how to clean the compound during the week.
Then she explained the trivial daily tasks that they would be responsible for.

Zhang Xiao Jun and Madam Li listened to each instruction and agreed one by one.

“Miss, the maid also went out this morning and saw that there is a small piece of land next to our compound, nearly an acre.
The maid thought it would be good to reclaim the vegetable field! I don’t know if this is suitable, please instruct me.” Madam Li asked.

Lian Fang Zhou was a little surprised.
There was indeed a piece of land next to the warehouse that made a gentle slope.
When she had bought the land, she had decided against including the slope as well.
However, Madam Li’s words made sense, it wasn’t a bad idea to have a vegetable garden.

It was only one acre, which would be a piece of cake, as long as it was reclaimed it wouldn’t require any other formalities.

Moreover, Madam Li had informed her in a timely manner.
It seemed that that she should take another look around the area to see if there was more suitable land for vegetable gardens.
She would only have more workers in the future, the daily food consumption would not be small!

“Alright,” said Lian Fang Zhou, nodding: “Then start setting up the garden, just work on it when you have the time! In the afternoon, I will have someone bring over some farming tools.
Let me know when you are done, and I’ll bring you some seeds.”

Madam Li smiled happily and agreed.

“You should get busy, the two of you will be responsible for three meals each day from now on! Uncle Zhang will also be in charge of the odd jobs for now, I will make new arrangements in the future.” Lian Fang Zhou added.

The family agreed and Madam Li took her daughter to prepare lunch while Lian Fang Zhou, Lian Ze, and Zhang Xiao Jun transported several carts of firewood to the compound.
The small hill of wood that had been sitting in their yard was slowly transported away.

One day passed.

After dark, an uninvited guest arrived at the Lian family home, the son of Madam Qiao and Lian Li and their cousin, which surprised the family.

Lian Hai was three years older than Lian Fang Zhou.
He was tall and gently, with a faint bookish air between his brows.
When he looked at people with his narrow eyes, they appeared very kind, which made him seem calm and reliable.

Today, he wore a lake-green, straight-line jacket with black-faced mullet-bottomed cloth shoes and carried two boxes of presents in his hand.
His clearly friendly smile and manners startled the Lian siblings.

“Third Aunt! Fang Zhou, Ah Ze, Che’er, Qin’er!” Lian Hai greeted them one by one with a smile, saying: “I just came back from school today, so I thought I would visit on my way home.”

Lian Che and Lian Fang Qing did not speak, subconsciously turning their heads to look at Lian Fang Zhou.
Lian Ze was full of vigilance.
Lian Fang Zhou groaned while Third Aunt looked dumbfounded.

“Oh!” Third Aunt smirked, “It’s the talented man, back again! The talented master came to our door in person, how could we dare?”

“Third Aunt, I really can’t afford these words!” Lian Hai lowered his head in a simple manner and smiled: “I, can I sit down?”

Third Aunt saw that her knives had stabbed him but he was not angry at all, and she couldn’t help but be confused.

Lian Fang Zhou and the others were also confused.

Ah Jian never participated in these matters, so he sat silently in the corner like an invisible person.

What the hell was this? Lian Fang Zhou muttered to herself.
However, she couldn’t be too outrageous when someone asked like this.
After all, he might be an official eventually and the Dafang village had never had an official in all its history.

Just of this alone, Lian Fang Zhou couldn’t afford to offend him when he was the first to offer an olive branch.

Although she had no memories of the past, she could tell from Lian Ze’s reaction that the relationship between them and Lian Hai was not close.
However, it was not as bad as the relationship with Lian Li and Madam Qiao.

“Cousin is joking, please sit down!” Lian Fang Zhou stood up and smiled.
Lian Ze and the other’s also stood up.

“My family, Fang Zhou, thank you!” Lian Hai smiled and sat down, handing over his gifts.
“These are some dim sums bought in the city and a set of the four treasures of the study.
I know you are not short of silvers now, but please use them at your pleasure!”

How interesting.