Picking Up a General to Plow the Fields

CHAPTER 106 RECLAMATION PT.1

Zhao Liu knew that they were coming today so he didn’t go out. And when he saw them coming, he asked them to come in with great smile and enthusiasm.

Lian Fanzhou thought it all the night last night. She discussed it with Lian Ze and Ah Jian on her way and made some deliberation and supplement. Basically, there would be no more mistake. At this time, it was easier and quickly to talk to Zhao Liu.

Lian Fangzhou planed to hire 30 young and strong workers as well as 12 cattle. At that time, they would go to the field and watch people work. They would cook lunch for the workers and pay them as the previous agreement. They would hire 12 cattle, including the whole set of plows and rakes, while hiring someone to drive cattle is two tales of silver a day for a person, but those workers would be hired two days later than the former workers. As a middleman, Zhao Liu was paid a total of four tales of silver as the introduction fee. As for the hired workers, she didn’t care how they were paid.

She only asked Zhao Liu’s workers would do their best to work.

Introducing such a business, Zhao Liu, as a middleman, should take two tales of silver as the middleman from Lian Fangzhou. But Lian Fangzhou gave him twice as the money. He was naturally happy so he promised the workers he found for her were all reliable people and let her don’t worry!

Both sides agreed that the day after tomorrow, Zhao Liu would take the hired workers and cattle to Shitouping. Then Lian Fangzhou they three left the Zhao’s home.

Out of Zhao’s home, Lian Fangzhou said with a smile, “Let’s go to see the donkey! If it is all right today, I’ll buy it! By the way, I’ll buy some wheat flour and pickles, meat and sauces. I’ll make lunch for them the day after tomorrow! Buy two more big tin teapots, and then they can use some hot water in the field.”

The most convenient and affordable way to make lunch was naturally to steam steamed bun and bake pancakes. It would waste much time to cook rice.

Ah Jian and Lian Ze agreed. Then they there inquired about the location of the livestock market and went there.

Lian Fangzhou didn’t know how to choose animals. But surprisingly, Ah Jian knew.

When the cattle seller saw them and asked if he wanted to buy a screaming donkey, someone from the donkey seller came up and said.

Naturally speaking, the donkey sellers were always eloquent with a glib tongue. They would boast that there was nothing on the earth, which could compare with their donkeys.

Ah Jian didn’t speak, and didn’t seem to hear much from the salesman. He just went to see the donkey.

The donkey seller’s eyes have been turning with him. When he saw the parts Ah Jian saw, his expression slightly changed because he knew he couldn’t fool Ah Jian they three now!

They three people went around in the draught animal market and finally spent 12 tales silver buying a very strong donkey.

“Elder sister, we also possess donkey now!” Lian Ze could not help liking it. He touched its shiny black fur, pulled its ears and grinned.

Lian Fangzhou then said with a smile, “I will give it to you and Che’er to take care in the future. There is not much grass in winter. Don’t make our donkey hungry! Later, we’ll also buy two big cattle! “

Lian Ze nodded happily, promising that he would never let the donkey get hungry.

They three joked and then went to the wagon shop to see the wagon.

There were all kinds of wagons in the wagon shop. They could be made to order or or ready made.

Lian Fangzhou didn’t want to be too troublesome, and there was no need to make it to order. He spent 82 tales of silver buying a wagon made by fir.

This wagon was different from Liu Jia’s. Liu Jia’s wagon was the carriage type. Lian Fangzhou bought this wagon mainly for the convenience of carrying things for future farming work. So it was an open plank wagon, which was more exquisite and stronger than the flatbed trailer pushed by manpower.

They three then went to the blacksmith’s shop. Hoes, shovels, spades, axes, wood knives, sickles and so on were all made some to order. The best kind of material was naturally used.

As the saying goes, if you wanted to do good work, you must first sharpen your tools. The money above these tools could not be saved, nor should it be saved.

After that, they had lunch in the town, bought noodles, sauces and other odds and ends. Then they just went home.

Ah Jian was very skillful to drive. The whip in his hand was raised high and put down gently, whirring, but it didn’t fall heavily upon the donkey. On the other side, his hand held the reins, which was more flexible.

Lian Ze sat beside him, admiring.

Ah Jian smiled and said to him, “There is no time today. How about I teach you to drive it later?”

“Really? Thank you, brother Ah Jian! ” Lian Ze was surprised and pleased with his head nodding again and again.

Back home, Lian Che and Lian Fangqing knew that this was their own donkey and donkey cart. They were more happy than Lian Ze. After climbing on the wagon and sitting for a while, they jumped down again, touched and looked around the donkey, smiling and squinting.

After unloading the wagon, Lian Fangzhou asked Lian Ze to lead the donkey to the backyard and tie it. Lian Fangqing and Lian Che were chattering together to go with him.

The family had not raised cattle for many years, and there was no shed for closing livestock. Lian Ze felt distressed about the donkey again. For fear of freezing it in the evening, he tethered it to the corner of the shed built along the wall, and came to tell Lian Fangzhou that he wanted to build a livestock shed. “Otherwise, how can it live in such a cold winter?”

Lian Fangzhou, of course, didn’t say no. She said with a smile that she would send someone to set up when she was free these days. She meant they were not only to build, but also to build a better one. In addition to the place related to livestock, there must be a place for stacking grass and parking carts.

The cart was in the open air, and it would broke down quickly after it experienced windy, rainy and suntanned all the time.

By the way, the shed had also been rebuilt solid. Firewood, farm tools, other tools and some miscellaneous things had to be put in some place.

The next morning, Lian Ze and his sisters took the donkey to eat grass on the riverbank beside the village. Lian Fangzhou saw that they were so active and smiling. The only thing that hat she told them was to wear more clothes.

After breakfast, Lian Fangzhou went to the village alone.

There was a small stream around Dafang village, the narrowest part was just about one meter. There the shallow stream could be crossed over with a higher stone in the middle. But the widest part was just about three meters. At the entrance of the village, there was a big river curve leading the flowing to the East.

At the back of the curve, about ten meters away from the river beach, was a flat grassland about three or four meters higher than the stream.

Lian Fangzhou went there and looked around. There were about 20 acres of grassland. It happened to be against a small mountain, on which there were many camphor trees and wild magpies.

From the outside into Dafang village, and went over this hill, you could see the whole picture of Dafang village. In a sense, this hill was the shield of Dafang village.

Lian Fangzhou had inquired about it. This wasteland was also a land of no owners.

She planned to buy the land in her mind.

After the cotton harvest next year, she must find a place to pile up. How could there be so many places to stack the cottons in that small home? So she had to build a large row of warehouses here.

In addition to the warehouse, there must be a workshop for processing cotton peaches, a spinning room for spinning cotton yarn, a warehouse for stacking cotton threads and a housing for workers.

If possible in the future, she would like to build a cotton workshop.

In this way, it was worth more to sell cotton after processing than simply selling cotton. But things had to be done step by step. At present, what she was not able to do so and it was just an idea in her mind, not a plan yet.

Lian Fangzhou was in a daze when she heard someone shouting “Fangzhou” behind her, she smiled and knew that was Ah Jian without looking back.