Chapter 434: Chu Lan was testing the situation (2)
A Blessed Daughter
Chapter 434: Chu Lan was testing the situation (2)
Translator : Virichime
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Only after Chu Lan’s departure did Fan Chengxu sigh and shake his fan helplessly. “What a nuisance. I’ve gone to all this trouble to stay out of it, and yet trouble still finds its way to me.”
He only wanted to make money—if Chu Lan wanted to drag him into deeper waters, he wouldn’t be foolish enough to jump in willingly.
When he had received Chu Lan’s letter back then, he’d had no choice but to help—there was no refusing it.
###
The twenty-fifth day of the first lunar month, beginning of spring.
The weather was turning warm again, marking the start of a new year’s farming season.
When Wei Ruo arrived at the estate, everyone there had already been busy since early morning.
Steward Yu greeted her with a smile and explained, “Last year, everyone nearly starved and froze. This year, they’re determined to farm properly and make sure no one goes hungry. So the moment the temperature rose a little, they started working. The land’s already been plowed once—we’re just waiting for your word, Miss.”
“Last year, we enriched and improved the land. This year, put in a bit more effort to turn it all into rice fields. In two months, we’ll start preparing seedbeds for planting. It might get cold earlier than usual again this year, so we’ll need to start planting a little sooner,” Wei Ruo instructed.
The estate that Wei Ruo owned in the outskirts of the city was divided into two parts— One thousand mu of fertile farmland originally belonged to the estate, and another thousand or so mu had been purchased later, though its soil was not as rich.
*1 mu ≈ 666.7 square meters (about 0.165 acres or 1/15 of a hectare).So 1,000 mu ≈ 666,700 square meters, which is roughly 66.7 hectares or 165 acres.
Of the original thousand mu of fertile land, nine hundred mu had been planted with her new strain of wheat. The crops were growing well, and last year’s heavy snow hadn’t caused much damage. They only needed to wait until April or May for the harvest.
The remaining one hundred mu of good land had been planted with cold-resistant vegetables such as rapeseed, radishes, and cabbages. Aside from the days when snow covered the ground, they could be harvested daily.
The additional thousand mu of land purchased later had been undergoing soil improvement and fertilization since last year. Now that it was nearly ready, once it was plowed, leveled, and irrigated, it could be used to plant rice.
“I’m a bit worried that if we plant too early, the seedlings won’t grow well. The temperature isn’t that high yet,” Steward Yu said.
“Don’t worry. I’ll bring in some high-quality seeds. Just follow my instructions— there won’t be any problems,” Wei Ruo replied confidently.
“Alright.” Seeing how certain his mistress was, Steward Yu had no further doubts.
After spending the whole morning at the estate, Wei Ruo returned home in the afternoon. She had barely sat down when Cuiping came over with a message.
“Miss, Madam asks for you to come over.”
Wei Ruo wondered if Yun Shi was upset again about her frequent trips outside.
These days, since Teacher Wang Caiwei hadn’t yet returned to Taizhou Prefecture, Wei Ruo hadn’t been attending lessons at Tianqin Courtyard. With the arrival of spring, she had taken the opportunity to personally oversee matters at the estate.
Without asking much, Wei Ruo followed Cuiping to Cangyun Courtyard.
As soon as she entered, Yun Shi greeted her warmly and motioned for her to sit beside her.
“Mother, may I ask why you’ve called for me?” Wei Ruo asked.
“It’s like this,” Yun Shi said with a smile. “Last year, your father received a promotion and some rewards. Together with my dowry, we’ve managed to gather about seven or eight hundred taels of silver. I’m thinking of using that money to purchase some more property in the city.”
Yun Shi was a practical woman. Whenever she had money, she would invest it in estates and assets.
After all, the single estate they owned in Xingshan County was far from enough.
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