Farm Girl's Manor

Under Elder Meng’s insistent demand, Mo Yan helplessly agreed.

It was only later that Mo Yan discovered why Elder Meng was so easily angered by a casual remark. Over twenty years ago, Elder Meng’s hometown had suffered a locust plague, leaving the crops with not a grain to harvest. He had led his family, all seven of them, on a long journey to the foot of the Imperial City, and if not for the kind villagers who took them in and provided relief, all of them would have starved to death.

In the end, Elder Meng’s words left a deep impression on Mo Yan, "Girl, you don’t know, when someone is about to drown, even if someone else just throws them a straw, that’s a huge act of kindness!"

While Mo Yan agreed wholeheartedly, she also felt ashamed of herself. She had obtained "Space" and had been actively doing good deeds and accumulating virtue, but always with some ulterior motive. Compared to Elder Meng, she indeed fell short.

After saying goodbye to Elder Meng, Mo Yan made a detour to buy thirty chicks on the street. The eggs laid by the chickens were for supplementing the nutrition of children and nursing women, and any surplus she had to sell to the grocery store to contribute to household expenses. Selling eggs was unlike selling vegetables, the eggs were small and didn’t catch the eye; once put in a basket and covered with a cloth, even if the neighbors happened to see them, it wouldn’t arouse suspicion. Moreover, eggs were easy to sell, and the price was quite good.

For the foreseeable future, besides setting aside two portions of land to grow cabbages and rice for the chickens to eat, she planned to plant the rest with high-yield potatoes and sweet potatoes to ensure a sufficient supply.

However, how to move a large amount of grain and vegetables without arousing Elder Meng’s suspicion was a problem that gave her a headache. Renting a place like they did in Longshi Town was clearly unrealistic—not to mention the high rent, the surrounding area was full of people who gossiped, which could easily draw attention.

In the evening, Mo Yan estimated the time and had just finished preparing dinner when Mo Qingze came home.

"Dad, did you hit the jackpot today? You look so happy," freewebnσvel.cѳm

Mo Yan came out with the food and, seeing the faint smile on her father’s face, couldn’t help but teasingly inquire.

On hearing his eldest daughter’s teasing, and seeing his younger children staring at him curiously, Mo Qingze felt slightly uncomfortable, "The shopkeeper praised Dad for keeping clear accounts and said he would promote Dad in the future. Dad thinks our family’s life will only get better and better."

"Really? Dad is so capable, not only finding a good job but also meeting a good shopkeeper."

What Mo Yan said was heartfelt. Escaping the famine, she had vaguely sensed her father’s lingering regret about "her" near-death from starvation, his feelings of despair and inferiority more than once. Now that they had settled down, he was the one who needed encouragement the most.

"Mmm-hmm, Daddy is the best, Daddy can earn lots of money, and buy Zhenzhen lots of candied haws,"

Zhenzhen’s eyes lit up, clapping her little hands to cheer Daddy on, although the last words betrayed his little foodie nature.

Xin Er inevitably "struck" at her brother again, almost bringing Zhenzhen to tears—quite pitiful indeed.

The children’s encouragement deepened the smile on Mo Qingze’s face; as long as his children were safe and happy, he was willing to do anything.

Mo Yan’s unease regarding Mo Qingze’s accounting work never stopped. Now, having heard her father’s words, she still felt something wasn’t right, yet she couldn’t pinpoint what exactly. While dishing out the food, she pretended to be curious and asked, "Dad, what kind of accounts have you been mainly dealing with these past two days?"

Mo Qingze didn’t think much of it and took the bowl of rice, saying, "Dad has just started, and these past two days, the shopkeeper has had Dad work on some of the messier accounts from before, in order to have them ready for the boss to audit at year-end."

On hearing this, Mo Yan had a bad feeling, "Can Dad handle it? Messy accounts are the easiest to make mistakes in, aren’t they?"

Mo Qingze found it strange, recalling her previous similar remarks, "It should be no problem, the shopkeeper also said Dad did well."

Mo Yan wanted to roll her eyes; she could tell that her straightforward dad was quite grateful to the shopkeeper. If the latter had any ill intentions, her foolish dad would probably help the guy count the money after being sold! But she wasn’t sure about it, she could only wait and see, hoping she was just being overly worried.

...

In the meantime, Lin Yong gathered nearly a hundred members of the Lin Clan and shared Mo Yan’s proposal from the afternoon, which delighted everyone, young and old. They might not have starved in recent days, but going without food was still harsh.

"Brother Yong, with this, need we not worry about food for all these people anymore?"

In the crowd, the twenty-something Lin Da clapped his hands, looking particularly excited.

Lin Yong, with a serious face, nodded and also relayed Mo Yan’s instructions.

"That’s easy, we’ve been here for nearly two months, we know the temperament of the people here like the back of our hand! There are so many old, weak women and children here, for such a good deed, they’d probably fight over it!"

Lin Da thought the task was a cinch, and, on his saying, others also responded in kind.

"Let’s still gather quietly, to avoid any chaos,"

Lin Yong warned sternly, his heart rejoicing, but he did not want bloodshed over this affair.

Lin Da shrank his neck, he was most afraid of Brother Yong’s cold and severe tone.

"Sigh, times are tough now, it’s even harder for the old and the children, but with a good Samaritan providing food, it must be much better!"

"Yes, more and more old people and children have been carried out these days, it’s heartbreaking to see."

"Don’t know how the war in the South is going, when will it ever end!"

...

The others also discussed amongst themselves, but the despair on their faces eased somewhat. The Lin Clan had also lost a dozen elders and children to starvation on their escape journey.

Hearing these words, Lin Yong thought of his grandfather who had died on the road, his heart heavy with grief. His grandfather had entrusted him with the position of Clan Leader before passing, so he had to keep his sorrow to himself and do his utmost to take care of his people. Now that they finally had a chance to turn things around, his gratitude to Mo Yan was beyond words.

Meanwhile, the busy Mo Yan in the Space was unaware that, because of this gratitude, had it not been for Lin Yong’s help in an upcoming conspiracy, the Mo Family would have faced total ruin...