Chapter 24: Want to go out (2)

It would be inconvenient for her to try to do her business if Yun Shi went along.

Yun Shi: "Ruo’er is really sensible and care about mother.”

Uh…… That was not what she actually meant.

"Mother, please let me go on my own." Wei Ruo said.

“Okay, I know you still have not gotten used to life at the mansion yet. It is okay to go and sightsee, but don’t go to unsafe places, okay?”

“Okay.”

Having received Yun Shi's approval, Wei Ruo quickly prepared to go out.

Yun Shi sent a carriage, a Mo mo and a guard to accompany Wei Ruo.

That Mo mo was one of the two Mo mo who had gone to pick up Wei Ruo - Mo mo Zhang.

When she found out that Wei Ruo was going to the countryside again, Mo mo Zhang was straightly complaining in her heart.

Why did this eldest young lady still keep her old habit? Wasn’t it enough to stay in the countryside for so many years?  Why did you still think about the countryside when you had gone back to the Mansion and become a young lady?

If she continued being like this, not to mention being laughed at in the capital, she would become the laughing stock of all government officials' madams and ladies in Xingshan County!

Although she was very reluctant, Mo mo Zhang had no choice but to comply with Madam's request. She had a smile on her face when she saw Wei Ruo.

Wei Ruo rode out of the city in a carriage. When she left the north city gate, she could see rolling hills in the distance, almost all of which had been cultivated into terraced fields.

Xingshan County faced the sea to the southeast, and the wasteland outside of the city was mostly saline-alkali land*, which was not suitable for cultivation. The residents who lived there rely on fishing for a living. Nowadays, the Pirates were rampant, and fishermen had fled into the city one after another.

*Saline-alkali land, also known as brine land, refers to soil with high salt content and a pH greater than 8.5 [1], which is difficult to grow plants, especially crops.

In the northwest, there were hills with many mountains and slopes, and less arable land*. The hardworking people then cultivated terraced fields and planted rice on the hills.

*Arable land is any land capable of being cultivated and used to grow crops.

However, terraced fields required more manpower than arable land, and were considerably more difficult to cultivate.

Therefore, even if many terraced fields had been cultivated, there was still not enough food.

The carriage turned to a small hill and stopped. Xiumei helped Wei Ruo out of the carriage.

Mo mo Zhang pointed to the small hill in front of her and said to Wei Ruo: "Miss, this is the Mantou mountain, which is the property of our Colonel’s Mansion."

"Is this all?"

“Yes.”

“Are there any other mountains?”

"No, the Colonel’s Mansion has been in Xingshan County for only five years, and the foundation here is a little weak. But your elder was a Bo Zhongyi* in the capital, and his family fortune is much more than that." Mo mo Zhang replied.

*Bo Zhongyi: loyal and righteous Earl.

The Mo mo spoke with excitement, but in fact Wei Ruo knew in her heart that the Wei family's fortune had long been depleted, leaving only the empty shell of the Earl’s Mansion.

Wei Mingting was quite capable. As a colonel in the sixth rank, his family could still buy some property, unlike his two brothers, who could only spend the inheritance left by their ancestors.

"I'm going to go for a walk around." Wei Ruo said and walked along the path at the bottom of the hill.

Mo mo Zhang had no choice but to follow behind.

After walking for a while, Mo mo Zhang felt exhausted and could not help but mutter in her heart.

What the hell was going on here? How long did she need to walk?

Oh, these old bones of hers!

Seeing Mo mo Zhang’s struggle, Wei Ruo asked her to go back to the carriage to rest first, but Mo mo Zhang refused. She was worried about Wei Ruo.

She did not know what this rural girl would do, and she did not want to be dragged into trouble Wei Ruo caused.

After walking for a while, Wei Ruo stopped in front of an uncultivated barren mountain.