Chapter 787: The Peasant Girl’s Splendid Manor
Chapter 787: A Troubled Marriage (4)
“I’ve already asked the prison guards at the Ministry of Justice to keep an eye out,” Li Zhong assured. “If Du Shi shows up, they’ll come to the rice shop and inform me.”
Li Zhong was thorough in his work. He had even spent a few coins treating the guards to drinks, which earned him their camaraderie.
Mo Yan, having saved Du Shi and repaid her debt of gratitude, had lost all patience with the woman. She had no intention of looking for her again and instead instructed the Four Beasts to remain alert. If Du Shi appeared, they were to drive her away immediately.
That night, as Mo Yan prepared to rest, she received a letter from Xiao Ruiyuan, delivered by Mao Tuan.
With Prince Heng imprisoned and the Lin family destroyed, the secret guards sent by Yan Junyu and Chu Heng had left the Mo family. Under Mo Yan’s insistence, Xiao Ruiyuan had also withdrawn his guards. This gave Mao Tuan a new role, once again serving as a messenger for the pair.
After tossing the ever-hungry Mao Tuan into her space, Mo Yan sat at her desk to read the letter. She learned that Xiao Ruiyuan had secretly arranged for Du Shi to be taken away overnight. Using a method to ensure she could never leave her hometown, he effectively ended her ability to disturb the Mo family in the capital.
Xiao Ruiyuan’s arrangements were meticulous, eliminating Mo Yan’s concerns. Amused by the subtle hints of boasting in his letter, she wrote a bold and authoritative reply, which she sent back with Mao Tuan the same night.
With her worries set aside, Mo Yan slept peacefully, undisturbed by dreams.
...
As the New Year approached, the festive atmosphere grew stronger. Families in Liuyang Village with better means began preparing for the festivities. Each day, ox carts loaded with goods trundled into the village, leaving poorer households watching with regret.
Why regret? Because the families now able to afford so many goods were the thirty-plus households that had joined the Mo family in growing greenhouse vegetables. Had the others known how lucrative it would be, they might have fought to join instead of dismissing the idea. Now, those ox carts could have been carrying their own purchases.
For those who did join the greenhouse farming venture, their joy and satisfaction were evident. They all credited Mo Yan’s good fortune, which had allowed them to benefit and celebrate a prosperous year. These families now freely bought whatever they lacked, hauling cartloads of goods home without hesitation, even if the expenses surpassed their usual annual income.
On the fifth day of the twelfth lunar month, the Mo family distributed another round of earnings to the villagers. With two payouts combined, even the lowest-earning household received forty taels of silver, while the highest received forty-five. Since the start of the month, all fruits and vegetables in the fields had been harvested and sold, with business even better than the previous month. Initial estimates suggested each household could earn at least fifty taels this month, bolstering their confidence to spend freely.
Apart from the bustling ox carts, matchmakers visiting Liuyang Village to arrange marriages had also increased. In the past, the village was poor and sparsely populated, rarely attracting matchmakers. But thanks to the Mo family, the village had grown and prospered.
Hearing that some families had made a fortune from farming, nearby villagers with unmarried sons or daughters sent matchmakers to inquire, hoping to secure a good match.
Take Wang Pangzi, for example. Once overlooked, he had become a highly sought-after prospect. Matchmakers crowded his doorstep, nearly wearing out the threshold.
Last year, Aunt Cai had worried herself gray over her son’s inability to find a bride. This year, the abundance of choices nearly overwhelmed her.
Initially, she just wanted her son to marry a hardworking, responsible wife, regardless of her beauty or wealth. Now that the family’s financial situation had improved, her standards had shifted.
She wasn’t snobbish or overly demanding. As long as the bride’s family was amicable, the girl had good character, and her appearance was acceptable, she would be content.
But the more she looked, the more dissatisfied she became, always thinking there might be someone better. Before she could decide, Wang Pangzi announced that he had taken a liking to a girl from the city and asked Aunt Cai to arrange the match.
After gathering information about the girl’s family and finding it suitable, Aunt Cai promptly hired a matchmaker to formalize the engagement. The match was settled in no time, with the betrothal set for after the New Year.
In contrast, Wang Pangzi’s engagement went smoothly, but Tie Tou, who was even older than him, wasn’t as fortunate. On the eve of the New Year, tensions within the Wu family flared once more, nearly costing Tie Tou his life this time...
(End of Chapter)
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