Farm Girl's Manor

For Mo Xin and Mo Zhen, life in Jing City was better than in Mo Family Village. Here, no one mocked them for being motherless, nor did they often go hungry. They could even eat eggs and meat every day, which was far better than what they had during the New Year in the past.

For Mo Yan, there was much to do. It took her seven or eight days to tidy up the small vegetable patch in the courtyard, sow seasonal vegetables like bok choy and celery, and make clothes for the whole family.

As the head of the family, Mo Qingze left early and returned late every day. Every time he came back, he looked troubled. Mo Yan asked a few times but got no answers, so she just let him be.

That day, Mo Qingze came back for dinner again, but his spirits seemed quite good.

"Yanyan, Dad has secured a job. I’ll start working tomorrow. From now on, Dad will provide for the family, and you just need to take care of the two younger ones," Mo Qingze told Mo Yan after setting down his bowl and chopsticks.

Mo Yan was momentarily stunned, finally understanding why he’d been leaving early and returning late, "That’s great news! But what kind of job is it, Dad?"

Mo Qingze smiled slightly, "I’ll be Mr. Accountant at a silver tower. With a monthly salary of two taels of silver, it will be enough for our family to live on!"

Two taels of silver a month?

Mo Yan was surprised. Having been in this world for so long, she had a deep understanding of the purchasing power of silver. After the rent was paid, two taels of silver left one tael to spare. As long as they didn’t indulge in luxury every day, that one tael of silver was more than enough for the family to live on, with some left over.

She felt something was amiss. Given that her father was new to Jing City and lacked experience as an accountant, it seemed implausible for a silver tower, which dealt in precious jewelry, to hire a stranger for such a position, especially with such a high salary. Something just didn’t seem right.

With these thoughts in her mind, Mo Yan didn’t want to outright contradict him and risk damaging her father’s confidence, so she cautiously reminded him, "The job of Mr. Accountant is not easy, no less taxing than your previous job at the scholar’s hall."

Mo Qingze waved his hand, evidently not taking her concern to heart, "Dad knows what he’s doing. The shopkeeper of the silver tower is a good person who appreciates Dad. As long as I do my job well, there won’t be any major problems."

Mo Yan’s eyes twitched. She didn’t share his confidence. If there was indeed a trap, her father, naive and straightforward as he was, would likely not see it coming. She could only hope that her worries were unfounded, as their family had nothing to offer; who would bother to scheme against them?

"Since Dad has made up his mind, I won’t say much more. I just hope you won’t overwork yourself," she said.

Seeing that his daughter was not against it and was always thoughtful of him, Mo Qingze felt a great sense of relief, "Dad won’t overwork himself. As long as you three siblings are well, that’s all Dad wishes for."

Mo Yan’s nose tingled. This phrase was what her father said most often to the four siblings in her previous life.

Only, compared to her father from her previous life, her father in this life clearly lacked worldly experience. He had the aloofness of a scholar, and if real troubles arose, she feared he would struggle to cope.

...

Putting aside all of Mo Yan’s inner concerns, the next morning she still got up early to prepare breakfast for the family.

Today, Mo Qingze wore the new robe his daughter had made for him, making him appear even more refined and gentle. After breakfast, he gave Mo Yan a thorough set of instructions before leaving home in a hurry.

After Mo Qingze left, Mo Yan didn’t idle either, washing clothes and tidying up the house inside and out. Seeing the two little ones engrossed in fishing for "monks" in the courtyard, she returned to her room, locked the door, and entered the Space. (The "monk" here refers to a type of insect that burrows holes; when thin grass is inserted into their burrows, they crawl up. As children, we often used to fish for them for fun, haha.)

The spiritual energy in the Space had solidified into substance, shrouding it with a faint mist. Upon entering, she felt refreshed all over.

Due to the limited area, the dozen or so types of seeds she had previously bought in Longshi Town could only cover a small patch. Over time, several batches had matured, and Mo Yan had collected them all and piled them next to the Jade Table. Fortunately, the spiritual energy kept them fresh, so they would stay as if they were still growing in the ground no matter how long they were kept.

With so many vegetables and fruits, Mo Yan couldn’t help but wince at the sight. If she kept piling them up, there would soon be no room left to plant anything in the Space. There were only four people in her family, and they couldn’t consume much, so she would have to take them out and sell them.

Then, there were the eggs. Of the twenty chicks she had previously bought, sixteen were hens, and she could find at least a hundred and fifty eggs each day. In the past ten days or so, she had already collected nearly two thousand eggs. If she didn’t deal with them soon, she would be buried in eggs.

Mo Yan took several dozen eggs and picked a few vegetables to put in a basket, intending to go out, when she saw two plump roosters standing on the Jade Table, wings spread, necks stretched, fighting. She found the sight amusing and without courtesy, grabbed one of them.

"I’ll cook you today!"

It had been several days since she arrived in Jing City, but she hadn’t yet stewed chicken soup for her family. Roosters don’t lay eggs, so keeping them was just a waste of food.

After leaving the Space, Mo Yan took a strip of cloth and tied the rooster in the courtyard.

The two little ones stopped fishing for "monks" when they saw the big rooster, each one touching the rooster’s shiny feathers with fascination.

Mo Yan didn’t stop them. She went inside to get the Passage Order and tucked it into her sleeve. Coming out, she told the two little ones, "Sister is going out for a while. You two stay at home and don’t go anywhere. Wait for sister to come back, and I will cook this chicken for you to eat."

"Mmm, we’ll just play at home. Big sister, come back early!"

The little ones wanted to follow their big sister, but they knew she must have something to do and it wouldn’t be convenient to bring them, so they responded loudly and promised not to wander off.

Mo Yan patted their heads and locked the courtyard door after stepping out.

The West Market was next to the North gate, but because Chudu was so large, it took a long time to walk there. Not wanting to be delayed and miss making lunch, Mo Yan spent five Wen Money to ride on a mule cart.

The cart was driven by an old man who was surprised when he heard Mo Yan was heading to the refugee camp on the outskirts, "It’s quite messy there now, what is the young lady going to do?"

Mo Yan’s trip there was to check the situation; if possible, she wanted to give the eggs and vegetables from the Space to those without food. This would not only clear out the Space but also help others.

However, after hearing what the old man said, she became a bit worried, "It’s very messy there? Wasn’t it said that the Court provided shelters and distributed porridge daily? Why would it still be messy?"

The old man sighed deeply, "At first, it was okay, and many nobles set up porridge stands to distribute food. But the fighting in the south hasn’t stopped, and more and more refugees have escaped to Jing City. Those nobles can’t keep up, and less and less porridge is given out, not enough to eat. Those refugees are pitiable, fighting over food just to get an extra mouthful, so of course, it has become chaotic. I’ve heard that several people have been killed."

Mo Yan listened in alarm, having not expected the situation there to be so dire that lives were being lost. It seemed she had to find a comprehensive plan to use the Space to help...