Chapter 949: The Son-in-law of the Liang Family?

Shu Yu and the others entered the courtyard one after another. Master Jiang's expression turned serious, and he immediately turned towards the tenant who had heard the commotion outside and shouted, "Quickly go to the manor and fetch Hu Bo."

He then explained to Shu Yu, "Hu Bo knows medicine. Let's have him come and take a look first."

After speaking, he went forward to inspect the man lying on the ground.

To their surprise, just as they turned the man over, Da Niu exclaimed, "Li Xiaoshan?"

Shu Yu was astonished and turned her head. "You know him?"

"Of course I know him! This good-for-nothing." Da Niu snorted coldly. "He is the son-in-law of our village's Liang family. Oh, you might not know. The Liang family is known for accepting sons-in-law. But this..."

"I know." Shu Yu nodded. "Eldest uncle told me. He said this person had accumulated gambling debts and ran away with a woman."

So, this woman was the one currently being held by Ying Xi.

Da Niu nodded. "That's right, it's him. I never expected that he would come here. They caused so much trouble for Uncle Liang's family. This is their retribution."

Li Xiaoshan struggled to raise his head, noticing Da Niu in front of him. He gasped for breath with great difficulty. "Save... save me..."

Da Niu sneered, "I don't have the ability to save you. You brought so much misery to Uncle Liang's family. This is your karma."

Tears and mucus streamed down Li Xiaoshan's face, and he coughed up several mouthfuls of blood.

Da Niu turned his head away, unable to bear witnessing it.

Hu Bo quickly arrived, but unfortunately, after examining Li Xiaoshan, he shook his head slightly. "It's too late."

Indeed, it was too late. Hu Bo did his best to stop the bleeding, but before he could finish, Li Xiaoshan had already passed away.

However, before Li Xiaoshan died, Shu Yu seemed to see him mouth two words.

But he couldn't produce any sound; she could only judge from his lip movements.

While she was contemplating, the young woman in the neighboring room suddenly spoke up, "Where's Old Man Cui? Wasn't he at home? Why hasn't he come out during such a big commotion?"

The other villagers were also puzzled. "Yeah, Old Man Cui hasn't left his house for the past couple of days. How could something like this happen..."

A sense of unease flashed through everyone's minds. Could something have happened to Old Man Cui?

Shu Yu suddenly had a flash of insight and exclaimed, "The cellar!"

"What cellar?" Lu Sanzhu asked in confusion.

Shu Yu looked at Li Xiaoshan and said, "Before he died, he said two words that sounded like 'cellar'."

Without hesitation, Lu Sanzhu rushed to the kitchen. "There must be something in the cellar. I'll go and take a look."

Shu Yu didn't stop him, and the other villagers followed him into the kitchen.

Shu Yu stood up and was about to follow them when she heard Lu Sanzhu's horrified scream from the kitchen.

"Ah..."

Shu Yu's expression changed slightly, and she rushed inside with Da Niu.

Several villagers were crouched at the entrance of the cellar, anxiously asking, "What happened inside? What's going on? Brother, say something!"

Afraid that something had happened to Lu Sanzhu, Shu Yu asked the people to step aside and went down into the cellar herself.

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  Chapter 175: Paying a Visit (1)

Xiao Zhu quickly arrived at Aunt Tong's house with half a basket of eggs.

Aunt Tong was a straightforward person. The pickled peppers she gave to Mo Yan were made from homegrown chili peppers and only cost a bit of salt. She firmly refused to accept the eggs, but after Xiao Zhu insisted, she reluctantly accepted them, thinking about making some appetizers to send to Miss Mo later.

Then, Xiao Zhu explained the matter of Mo's family hiring someone to manage the orchard and asked for Aunt Tong's opinion.

Aunt Tong was initially pleased, but upon considering her family's situation, she declined. "Xiao Zhu, you're a good kid, and I know you're doing this for our family's sake. But your grandfather is not in good health, and Xiao Qing is still a child. I have to take care of them; I can't do work for Miss Mo's family."

"Aunt Tong, that's okay. Miss Mo's family has a house in the orchard. When the time comes, you can take Grandpa Tong and Xiao Qing with you. This way, it won't delay anything, right?"

Xiao Zhu knew that Mo's family had built a house in the orchard; otherwise, he wouldn't have proposed this to Aunt Tong.

Aunt Tong became even more unwilling to agree. "Xiao Zhu, you know that our family is old and young, and we're not very useful. Miss Mo is a good person; I can't take advantage of her."

Aunt Tong was upright and didn't like to take advantage of others. Over the years, their family had faced difficulties, but thanks to the care of their neighbors, Aunt Tong never took advantage of anyone. Whenever someone needed help, she would offer assistance without being asked. This was also why their neighbors always got along well with the Tong family.

Xiao Zhu was at a loss. "Aunt Tong, you can oversee the orchard normally and prevent anyone from causing trouble. When it's time to water, fertilize, or prevent pests, Mo's family will hire people to help. You just need to teach them what to do. How is that taking advantage?"

"Is that true?" Aunt Tong was genuinely moved. After all, it was a stable job, much easier than cultivating and selling seedlings.

"It's true. If you don't believe me, we can go to Mo's house and ask Miss Mo." Seeing Aunt Tong's interest, Xiao Zhu seized the opportunity.

As long as Aunt Tong agreed, it would be beneficial for both families. With a reliable person to take care of Mo's family orchard, the Tong family's life wouldn't be as difficult as before.

Since it was still early, Aunt Tong agreed and informed her husband and grandson before going to the kitchen to fetch an unopened jar of pickled vegetables. Then, she followed Xiao Zhu to Mo's house.

Mo Yan was naturally happy when Aunt Tong agreed to help manage the orchard. She explained the situation of the orchard and the tasks Aunt Tong would have to do. After ensuring Aunt Tong had no issues, Mo Yan brought up the matter of wages.

"Aunt Tong, there's a house in the orchard for your family of three to live in. You can cook for yourselves. Regarding the wages, do you have any requirements?"

Aunt Tong shook her head repeatedly, her face filled with gratitude. "Miss Mo, talking about managing the orchard for your family is just a matter of talking. It won't be tiring at all. As for the wages, whatever you give us will be enough for our family of three to live on."

This request was already very low. For a family of three like the Tong family, they could buy some grains and meat for themselves, and they could grow vegetables themselves. Adding Uncle Tong's medicine expenses, a monthly income of five or six hundred wen would suffice.

But the Tong family was considered skilled labor. Naturally, Mo Yan couldn't just pay them six hundred wen. So, she said, "I'll give you one tael per month as wages, and I'll also provide you with grains and other necessities monthly. If the orchard is managed well, I'll give you an additional reward at the end of the year."

One tael per month plus grains?

Aunt Tong was stunned. You see, even though she worked hard to cultivate and sell seedlings, she couldn't earn a few taels of silver. Even with the little money she made, she had to save some for oil and salt. But even so, their family still struggled to make ends meet. Now, they would effortlessly earn twelve taels of silver in a year. It was like winning the jackpot!

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 Chapter 948: Murder

The woman was familiar with Master Jiang but not with the girl in front of her, so she didn't dare to complain and seek sympathy like before. She quickly put away the handkerchief in her hands and replied in a low voice, "The people living next door are Old Man Cui and his granddaughter."

"His granddaughter? How old is she?"

"Five years old."

Shu Yu furrowed her brow. "But I heard a female voice from inside earlier, and it didn't sound like the voice of a five-year-old."

The woman was taken aback, then suddenly realized, "Oh, that must be the distant niece who came to rely on Old Man Cui."

Shu Yu frowned. Did this distant niece come from Shishi Village?

She didn't say anything, and the woman continued, "This distant niece and her husband came here two months ago. They said that both of their parents had passed away, and Old Man Cui was their only relative left. So, they've been staying here for two months now."

The woman obviously had no good impression of this distant niece and pursed her lips, saying, "They're so young, yet they have the audacity to rely on an old man and a young girl. It's laughable. But if Old Man Cui is willing, we outsiders can't say anything, right?"

Shu Yu agreed with what the woman said. She had thought that the distant niece came alone to rely on her only relative in her hometown, which would have been understandable for a young girl who had been mistreated in her hometown. But from what she heard, it seemed that the distant niece already had a husband.

If she already had a husband, why did she need to rely on others? If the distant niece had wealth and power and wanted to take advantage of the situation, it would be normal. But in the case of Old Man Cui and his granddaughter, who could only rent land and were not in a good situation, it seemed strange.

Shu Yu narrowed her eyes. Just as she was wondering about the meaning behind the mention of Shishi Village, a loud crash came from inside, as if something like a water jar had been smashed.

Everyone turned their heads in unison, looking towards the source of the noise—the Cui family's house.

Shu Yu quickly walked a few steps and reached the door. "Something seems to be happening inside."

Lu Sanzhu was always interested in joining in the fun. If he hadn't been afraid of embarrassing himself by following Shu Yu outside, when he heard the words "Shishi Village" earlier, he would have crouched near the front door and eavesdropped.

Finally, after hearing abnormal noises from inside again, he didn't hesitate to rush forward, saying, "Let's go in and see. It seems like a fight has broken out inside. Hopefully, no one has been killed."

As he spoke, he kicked the door, but unfortunately, he didn't have enough strength. Not only did the door not open, but he also stumbled backward a few steps and nearly fell to the ground.

Shu Yu said, "Da Niu, Ying Xi."

Da Niu and Ying Xi understood and took two steps back simultaneously. With a collision, they broke through the door.

Shu Yu stood in the center and immediately saw the scene inside the opened door.

A man covered in blood lay on the ground, weakly moving, while a woman turned around, intending to escape.

"Capture that woman." As Shu Yu's voice fell, Ying Xi, who had just landed, instantly leaped forward, rushing towards the woman who had already entered the main hall.

The woman was taken aback and desperately knocked over the chairs in the hall, trying to block Ying Xi.

When she couldn't stop her, she suddenly turned around, holding a knife in both hands, trembling as she pointed it at Ying Xi. "Don't come any closer. Don't come any closer."

While saying this, she wildly swung the knife.

Ying Xi's expression remained unchanged. She stepped onto the table, somersaulted behind her, and struck her neck, knocking her unconscious before dragging her out.

*** Do you guys have idea whose that couple is?  I could connect it to recent news hehe, it is just my wild guess but who knows?

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 Chapter 80: Engagement

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 Chapter 452 Fist and Foot Skills

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 Chapter 451: Hitting Hands

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  Chapter 174: Dealing with Unusual Circumstances in the New House (8)

The wages provided by the Mo family were high, and the food was good. After working for only three months, each worker earned two or three taels of silver. Over fifty villagers who came to help were unwilling to leave and wanted to stay and continue working.

Because of this, Mo Qingze was quite troubled. These villagers were all hardworking folks from the village, and after spending these months together, they had developed a close relationship. In the past few days, many of them had approached him, hoping to stay. He didn't know whom to dismiss.

Upon hearing this, Mo Yan smiled and said, "Let them draw lots. Whoever draws a slip of paper with a mark on it will leave. It's a matter of luck, so no one can say you're being unfair."

Although the method was naive, it didn't offend anyone. Their family couldn't just pay them to stay and play at the construction site!

Mo Qingze's eyes lit up, and he laughed heartily as he patted Mo Yan's head. "My daughter is indeed clever; let's do it this way."

The next day, the villagers who drew marked slips were quite disappointed. However, after seeing the extra hundred wen given by the Mo family, they happily went home.

The remaining workers, about twenty of them, weren't envious either. By working for another half a month, they could earn over four hundred wen!

...

"Xiao Zhu, why did you bring so many pickled peppers again?"

When Mo Yan opened the clay jar brought by Xiao Zhu, a pungent aroma rushed into her nose, causing her to sneeze several times.

However, the taste of these pickled peppers was really good, arousing her appetite!

"Hehe, last time when I went back, I mentioned that you liked these. So, Aunt Tong next door made another jar and asked me to bring it to you."

Xiao Zhu scratched his head, smiling foolishly.

Mo Yan sighed, "Don't do this next time. The Tong family is struggling; making a jar of pickled peppers costs quite a bit of money!"

Xiao Zhu felt embarrassed. "I didn't want to bring it, but Aunt Tong insisted. I couldn't refuse."

Mo Yan had no choice but to pick thirty eggs from her storage and give them to Xiao Zhu. "Take these back to Aunt Tong and say that I thought about Uncle Tong's health, so I'm sending these eggs to help him."

Mo Yan was always kind to others. Initially, she had bought many pear and peach saplings from the Tong family, temporarily alleviating their difficulties. Aunt Tong felt indebted to Mo Yan and often sent some homemade dishes to her through Xiao Zhu.

This jar of pickled peppers was one of them. Although Mo Yan liked it, she felt embarrassed to accept such gifts.

Directly giving money would be too embarrassing, and she had plenty of eggs. Giving a few baskets to the Tong family wouldn't be a big deal, but it might put pressure on the kind yet somewhat proud Aunt Tong. It would make her feel obligated to return the favor with something else, burdening her further. It was better not to send anything at all.

Xiao Zhu took the eggs, looking hesitant. Seeing his struggle, Mo Yan smiled and asked, "What's wrong? Do you have something to tell me?"

Xiao Zhu looked even more conflicted upon hearing this, and finally asked carefully, "Miss Mo, taking care of such a large orchard must be tiring, right?"

Mo Yan understood his implication and casually replied, "Not really. I hire people to take care of the orchard. I just go there occasionally to check."

Xiao Zhu's disappointment was evident. Seeing this, Mo Yan couldn't bear to tease him further and said, "Actually, I'm looking for someone who knows how to take care of orchards to help me. It's just hard to find such a person, and I haven't found one yet."

Although hired workers took care of watering, weeding, and fertilizing the orchard, they didn't understand the habits of fruit trees. Some water-loving seedlings were overwatered, making them sickly. Mo Yan used water from her storage space to save them. She wanted to find someone knowledgeable to guide the villagers in watering and fertilizing the orchard, making it easier for her.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Zhu's eyes lit up. "What about the Tong family? They used to have a large orchard, and their family was well-off. But after Uncle Tong fell ill and their only son passed away, the Tong family gradually declined. However, they are very good at managing orchards. Just look at the seedlings they cultivated."

"Well, the Tong family's seedlings are indeed good. The seedlings in my orchard are thriving." Mo Yan agreed. Otherwise, she wouldn't have bought so many from them.

However, Tong family's seedlings were too ordinary and couldn't sell for a good price. Moreover, the season for selling seedlings was short. Uncle Tong, who was chronically ill and needed medication, and their only grandson, who needed care, made it difficult for Aunt Tong to find work outside. Thus, their lives were very hard.

Seeing Mo Yan's sincere interest, Xiao Zhu was delighted and continued, "The Tong family is very nice. Although Uncle Tong is not in good health, he is even better at managing the orchard than Aunt Tong. Their grandson is also five or six years old now and can help with some light work. In a few more years, he will be a great help! Their life is too difficult right now. If Miss Mo is willing to help them, they will definitely do their best to help you manage the orchard."

Mo Yan was moved by the idea and didn't mind that the Tong family's members were not very useful. After all, the orchard was so large that even three strong young people couldn't handle it all. She just wanted someone knowledgeable to guide the villagers in watering and fertilizing the orchard, which only required giving some instructions.

Thinking of this, Mo Yan asked, "Is this your idea, or does Aunt Tong have this intention?"

Xiao Zhu scratched his head shyly, "It's my idea. I planned to talk to Aunt Tong after you agreed!"

Mo Yan was speechless. "But what if Aunt Tong disagrees?"

"Ah?" Xiao Zhu was dumbfounded. He hadn't thought about this possibility. After all, the Tong family was in such dire straits; they would surely be willing to take up any work available, right?

Mo Yan sighed helplessly. "You should go back and discuss it with Aunt Tong first. If she agrees, they can come to my house anytime to help with the orchard."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Zhu was overjoyed. He patted his chest and promised, "Aunt Tong will definitely agree! I'll go back and tell her the good news right away."

With that, he picked up the basket of eggs and ran off.

Mo Yan shook her head, smiling wryly. She was quite looking forward to Aunt Tong's response...

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 Chapter 947: Tenant Farmers

Master Jiang didn't have any objections. He had originally thought about having the tenant farmers come to the estate to meet Shu Yu.

However, Shu Yu declined and insisted on visiting them herself.

Master Jiang led the way, and the group quickly left the estate and headed towards the nearby residences of the tenant farmers.

There weren't many houses in the vicinity, and it seemed like some were vacant.

Moreover, the area had a wide field of vision and a sparse population. The distance between houses was quite spacious, unlike the crowded conditions in Shishi Village.

Perhaps because the estate was going to be sold, and the tenant farmers had lost their leases, most people were at home.

Some were working in their yards, while others were making straw hats and small items at the door to earn a little income.

However, these people seemed spiritless, with a look of confusion and worry in their eyes.

Someone shouted, "Master Jiang is here!"

Upon hearing this, everyone stood up and gathered around, asking in a clamor, "Master Jiang, are you really going to sell the estate and this land?"

"Master Jiang, how about giving it another year? My cousin in the city told me that we can buy better seeds, and then we'll be able to afford the rent."

"Yes, Master Jiang, what will we do if you sell this land?"

Master Jiang cleared his throat. "Alright, stop standing around here. You've all been farmers for a long time, and if even you can't grow enough crops, what can I do?"

He looked impatient, turned to Shu Yu, and said, "Miss Lu, let's keep moving."

As soon as Master Jiang spoke, the people didn't dare to say much more.

As Shu Yu walked and observed, she noticed that the people were hardworking. Did they stop working when they spoke to Master Jiang and resumed when he left?

The most interesting encounter was with a woman who approached while embroidering a handkerchief. She had a pained expression as she complained to Master Jiang, then lowered her head to embroider a stitch, raised her head again with a distressed look, and continued embroidering.

Shu Yu found it amusing.

There were only about twenty or thirty households, and it didn't take long for the group to visit them all.

As they were about to leave after turning to the last household, a commotion suddenly erupted from inside, followed by an angry female voice.

"So, you're really going back to Shishi Village?"

Shigu Village?

Shu Yu's steps abruptly halted, and she exchanged a glance with Da Niu and Lu Sanzhu.

However, after that sentence, there was silence.

Either no one spoke or their voices were too low for them to hear.

But Shu Yu hadn't misheard; the people inside had indeed mentioned the name Shishi Village.

Unable to resist her curiosity, Shu Yu asked Master Jiang, "Who lives in there?"

Master Jiang had no idea. Even though the estate belonged to him, he had rarely visited the tenant farmers' houses. If there was something to discuss, he would have the tenant farmers come to see him.

So he shook his head.

Shu Yu turned her gaze to the woman standing at the neighboring house's door. It was quite a coincidence—the woman was the young woman who had been embroidering with a pained expression earlier.

Shu Yu took a few steps forward until she stood in front of the woman and smiled as she asked, "Sister-in-law, may I ask who lives in the house over there?"

The woman didn't know Shu Yu, but she recognized that Shu Yu had come with Master Jiang. Judging by Master Jiang's attitude towards her, this young lady must have an extraordinary identity.

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  Chapter 173: Punishing the Absurdity of the New House (7)

Well, it had to be said, this was truly a wonderful misunderstanding!

After order was restored, Master Lu and the others stood tall on the roof. As soon as Master Lu said, "Throw the beam to the east, where the sun rises red," the workers on the side began to "throw the beam," carrying bags filled with candies, peanuts, copper coins, steamed buns, and other items.

The people below enthusiastically scrambled for the peanuts, copper coins, and other items that fell to the ground. The steamed buns and candies were wrapped tightly in paper, so there was no need to worry about them getting dirty.

These items for "throwing the beam" were just ordinary things, not worth much money. The Mo family had prepared a lot of them, all in baskets. When these baskets of items were thrown down, almost everyone managed to fill their pockets.

Seeing the generosity of the Mo family, the villagers were amazed. Although these were not valuable items, they were plentiful. Especially the copper coins, there were quite a few of them, and when added up, they were worth several dozen taels of silver, enough to build a brick house.

Although they were envious, they had not forgotten the fate of Wang Dali and the others! Now they had also figured out how the Mo family operated. As long as they didn't actively cause trouble, the Mo family would be very good to them. They had never done anything wrong to the village, and even thought of the villagers when good things happened. That was enough.

After Master Lu finished with the last line, "Throw the beam to the north, where the rice piles up year after year," the entire "throwing the beam" ritual came to an end.

Next was the "waiting for the craftsmen" ritual, which the villagers had no part in. They congratulated Mo Qingze and happily left with their pockets full of copper coins and peanuts.

The so-called "waiting for the craftsmen" involved preparing a sumptuous feast to reward the workers who had diligently built their house.

Before the "waiting for the craftsmen" began, Mo Qingze and a few others went to borrow tables, chairs, and benches from the village. There were more than eighty people involved in building the house, and in the past, they would just serve the food in large pots and everyone would sit wherever they could find a spot. Today was a formal occasion, so they couldn't do that.

With more than eighty people, they needed to prepare nine tables. The Mo family only had two sets of tables and chairs at the construction site, so they needed to borrow seven more sets. Knowing that the Mo family was going to "wait for the craftsmen," the villagers readily lent them tables and chairs. Some families even personally brought the tables and chairs over.

This time, Mo Yan personally cooked the feast for the "waiting for the craftsmen." With the help of a few kitchen helpers, she busied herself all afternoon and finally prepared the feast.

The twelve dishes, including honey-glazed braised pork, spicy rabbit meat, savory venison, and five-spice chicken, were all main dishes, and there were also rare wild game dishes. Such a feast was not only unique to Liuyang Village but even wealthy families in the city might not be able to afford it.

In addition to pork and chicken, the deer meat, lamb, and rabbit meat were all hunted by Xiao Hua and Da Bai in the mountains.

Every time Xiao Hua brought back wild game, it would coquettishly ask for rewards from Mo Yan, insisting that Mo Yan promise to make delicious food for it before it would leave satisfied and continue bringing things back home. Seeing this, Mo Yan was itching to scold it.

Everyone enjoyed the "waiting for the craftsmen" banquet, and all the sumptuous dishes were quickly devoured. Before leaving, everyone drunkenly praised Xiao Hua, saying "good dog."

Xiao Hua, a dignified snow wolf, was always called a dog by people. Especially now that it could understand human speech, it disliked being compared to a dog even more. After threatening those people with a menacing growl, it ran away in frustration.

With the house raised, all that was left was to decorate it. Compared to building the walls, this would be much easier, and they wouldn't need as many workers.

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