Chapter 675: The Peasant Girl’s Splendid Manor
Chapter 675: The Schemes of Planting (4)
Hearing Mo Yongxi’s words, Mo Hongshi’s mood improved significantly. She praised her daughter for her cleverness. After all, if her daughter benefited from the fall of the ungrateful wretch, he would remain unaware, and Mo Hongshi would be pleased even if he never succeeded.
The mother and daughter continued discussing for a while. When a servant called them to lunch, Mo Hongshi suddenly remembered the main reason for her visit. She quickly stopped Mo Yongxi from going to eat and brought up the matter of the fierce beasts Mo’s family was raising, suggesting that Mo Yongxi should decide what to do, ideally getting Mo’s family members arrested and severely punished.
Mo Yongxi frowned and replied, “If you want to report this, you should have that Wang woman do it. What use is telling me?”
Mo Hongshi, anxious, said, “Do you think I don’t know? But that ungrateful wretch has a powerful ally, Lord Han, who is quite influential and dismissive of even the magistrates! Last time, when wild beasts were found in his home, Wang Dali called for a search, but Lord Han blocked it. Reporting to the authorities again won’t be effective.”
Mo Yongxi’s expression changed, and she said with some frustration, “If that ungrateful wretch has a powerful ally, what can I do? The Fang family in Liuyang Village is a big family, but once in the capital, they’re insignificant. If I report to the authorities, who would know which lady of the Fang family I am? I’d be embarrassed!”
Mo Hongshi, growing more anxious, urged, “Don’t you know a noble person? Use their influence to report to the authorities. Even if that noble person’s name doesn’t work, they must know more powerful figures. At least make sure that ungrateful wretch’s family can’t rise again! If successful, our family could gain from their downfall. You won’t lose anything.”
Mo Yongxi, driven by greed, thought of the vast Mo family orchards, medicinal fields, rice paddies, and large estate with poultry farms. She was excited and trembling, and she couldn’t help but be tempted.
However, she was aware of her own limitations. Although she knew a noble person, she was nothing more than a mere accessory in their eyes. How could she persuade them to help deal with the ungrateful wretch’s family?
Seeing her hesitation, Mo Hongshi misinterpreted it as agreement and was delighted: “Don’t worry about it. If this works out, it will benefit our family greatly. You won’t need to rely on that ungrateful wretch’s influence to secure your position in your husband’s family. In the future, no one will look down on you for coming from a poor background!”
Mo Yongxi gritted her teeth, and ultimately, greed overcame her rationality. She nodded decisively: “Mother, it’s settled. I will go to find that noble person tomorrow and ensure the ungrateful wretch’s family is finished.”
Mo Hongshi was overjoyed and praised Mo Yongxi profusely: “Oh, you’re truly my precious daughter. I’ll rely on you for the rest of my life!”
Mo Yongxi, feeling proud, looked at her reflection in the mirror, which seemed to shine with newfound brilliance. Her eyes sparkled with ambition!
…
Mo Yan had no idea that Mo Yongxi, who had married into the city and was 'enjoying herself,' was scheming against her family. At that moment, she was busy in the fields with Tang Xin, guiding the villagers in digging ditches, setting up greenhouse frames, and striving to plant by the end of the month to get vegetables to market earlier and earn more.
In total, thirty-six households, including Mo’s family, were investing in growing greenhouse vegetables. Naturally, their lands weren’t all adjacent. To facilitate irrigation and management, they rented out all the remaining 35 acres of land beyond their own 30 acres (Mo’s family originally had 20 acres, later buying an additional 10 acres from the Li family), totaling 90 acres.
This area was calculated based on the winter vegetable consumption of the city and surrounding areas. Although 90 acres might not be enough, given the large-scale planting in the first year, Mo Yan wasn’t sure of the exact requirement. Additionally, the 35 households had nearly exhausted their savings to build the greenhouses. They couldn’t afford to use their food funds.
Even though Mo Yan could cover all the costs and deduct them from the profits, it would indirectly teach the villagers to "make a profit without investment." They might later expect to borrow money from Mo’s family whenever they faced financial trouble. When that time came, would Mo’s family lend or refuse?
Despite this, one-third of the 36 households felt that 90 acres was excessive. However, the majority won out, and preparations for materials like oilcloth, bamboo strips, and wood were based on 90 acres.
To prevent disputes over profits, Mo Yan devised a point-based system for distributing the earnings from the 90 acres. Each household would provide two laborers, and each task would be assigned points based on its difficulty. Hard and dirty work would earn more points, while easier tasks would earn fewer.
More work and better performance meant more points and a larger share of the money; less work and laziness meant fewer points and less money.
Mo Yan assigned Tang Xin to manage the points, with the village head and three other reputable villagers supervising. This was the most fair method Mo Yan could come up with at the moment…
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