Chapter 858: The Peasant Girl’s Splendid Manor
Chapter 858: The Truth Behind Breaking the Engagement (4)
Upon hearing this, Liu Tinglan’s face showed a hint of anxiety, but she pretended to be indifferent. “If they’re just looking, what does it have to do with you? Are you going to make decisions for him?”
Mo Yan tried to suppress a smile and said in a mock-scolding tone, “I didn’t expect you to be so heartless. Brother Shen is truly pitiful! Since that’s the case, I do hope he finds the girl he likes soon, and lives happily ever after.”
Though Mo Yan knew what her friend was thinking, when Liu Tinglan heard these words, she couldn’t help but feel like her heart was stewing in vinegar, brimming with anger. “You’re awful, Yan Yan, stop it! I won’t fall for your tricks!”
Mo Yan was about to tease her further, but seeing Liu Tinglan on the verge of tears, she worried that pushing her too far might make it hard to calm her down. So, she held back the teasing words.
The two of them casually chatted about other things, and before they knew it, they had dozed off in the middle of the night.
Liu Tinglan stayed at Mo Yan’s house for seven days. Once Master and Madam Liu thought she had recovered enough, they sent the family’s coachman to pick her up.
At Mo Yan’s house, she had enjoyed good food, drink, and fun, so Liu Tinglan was reluctant to leave. She took Mo Yan’s hand and pleaded, “Yan Yan, I haven’t had enough fun yet. Can you help me write a letter to my parents, saying that the poison isn’t completely gone and let me stay here for another ten to fifteen days?”
Mo Yan couldn’t help but laugh and urged, “You’d better go back and deal with the Du family’s matter. You don’t need me to write the letter, your parents will definitely send you back here to ‘relax’!”
Mo Yan emphasized the words “relax” with extra weight.
Liu Tinglan was a smart girl and immediately understood. She put on a dramatically sorrowful face. “Like this?”
Mo Yan, holding back her laughter, gave her a thumbs-up for the performance. “Not bad!”
Liu Tinglan smiled broadly, and when she boarded the carriage, she wore the same despondent expression in front of the family’s coachman.
The coachman, unsure of what had happened, was frightened and hurriedly locked the carriage door from the outside. He whipped the horse into a gallop, hurrying back to Liu’s house, afraid that his young lady might suddenly decide to jump out of the carriage.
…
Once Liu Tinglan left, Mo Yan became busy. She had to manage the construction site and deal with matters related to the farmland and school building.
The second phase of the winery project started in early March, and nearly all the vegetables in the greenhouses were sold out. Aside from Mo Yan’s family, the other thirty-five households that worked in the greenhouses earned at least 180 taels of silver each, some even earning close to 200 taels.
This substantial income could be described as a sudden windfall. Now, these thirty-five households had all decided to build new houses after the spring planting, and the school would be built at the same time.
Mo Yan believed that Liu Yang Village, being a large village, would grow wealthier over time. A well-built school would meet the needs of the children in the village.
During a meeting with the village heads and representatives of several villages about how to build the school, Mo Yan voiced her opinion. She proposed constructing a medium-sized school with brick and tile, offering better accommodation and food, so that they could attract better teachers.
The village heads agreed with her, but many villagers were not wealthy, and seeing that the school would cost at least 300 taels of silver, some voiced their concerns. If the 300 taels were divided equally among the households, each family would have to contribute at least 800 wen, a considerable amount for farming families. Many were unwilling to pay, and those who were willing to contribute had to pay much more than others.
For the poor families, 800 wen was not a small sum. The wealthier families, such as those who worked in the greenhouses, were willing to contribute one or two taels.
Mo Yan didn’t pressure anyone. After collecting the 100 wen from the families who were willing to pay, she totaled the contributions and made up the remaining 240 taels. Of that, 220 taels came from her, and 20 taels came from Liu Tinglan.
With the school matter settled, it was time for the spring planting. Mo Yan’s family had thirty acres of dry land and over 100 acres of terraced fields that needed tending. Fortunately, after nearly half a year of training, Tang Xin had become capable enough to manage the work on her own. Mo Yan was able to focus on the construction site and matters concerning the Liu family.
Half a month passed without any word from the Liu family. Just when Mo Yan was about to ask Mao Mao to visit the Liu family, Liu Tinglan arrived, her luggage packed, accompanied by her concerned father and mother.
(End of Chapter)
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