Chapter 95: Chapter 82, Planting Watermelons_l
The next morning, under Yan Zhiqiang’s guidance, Daohua and Old Lady Yan set off for the newly purchased estate.
Yan Wenxiu and the other male children needed to study and couldn’t go. Yan Yihuan and her sisters stayed behind because Madam Li needed them to meet the matchmaker. Old Lady Yan couldn11 look after so many by herself, so they didn’t go either.
Sun Family had the time, but having grown up in the countryside and accustomed to farming life, she had no interest in the estate. She would rather spend her time thinking about clothes and accessories.
Madam Wu needed to care for Yan Wenhui and had discovered a month earlier she was pregnant. She wanted to visit the estate but was worried the carriage ride might jostle her too much, so she didn’t go either.
The estate was just outside the prefectural city, and it took less than an hour to reach.
First, Yan Zhiqiang took Old Lady Yan and Daohua to the main estate.
Upon arriving, Old Lady Yan followed Yan Zhiqiang to meet the tenant farmers, while Daohua took Wang Manman to see the fields.
By noon, Daohua had returned to the estate.
Seeing Daohua with sweat on her forehead, Old Lady Yan immediately called her over and personally wiped her dry with a handkerchief, “Although we have entered April, the weather is still a bit chilly. Running around outside, be careful not to catch a cold.”
Daohua smiled and replied, then said, “Grandmother, I’ve checked out the fields, and the soil of our estate is quite fertile.”
Old Lady Yan chuckled without amusement, “Your third uncle is an old hand at farming. Could he possibly make a mistake in his own inspection?” Daohua quickly shook her head, “I didn’t mean that. I just wanted to say that the estate third uncle picked is really good.” After saying this, she turned to Yan Zhiqiang, who was nearby, and gave him two thumbs up with a smile.
Yan Zhiqiang shook his head with a smile, then sighed, “We bought this estate a bit too late. I originally planned to plant our own grain, but alas, the spring planting has already been done.”
Daohua said, “Grandmother, third uncle, I just took a look, and there are quite a few dry fields still vacant. Didn’t I save some watermelon seeds last year? Let’s use those fields to grow watermelons!”
Since the Yan Family had come to Xingzhou, they’d had more expenses, and she had seen Madam Li sighing over the account books several times. She had also encountered Ping Tong going out with Madam Li’s dowry jewelry, probably to pawn it.
in ancient times, watermelons were a rather rare fruit and commanded a high price. After harvesting, it could help ease the financial imbalance of the Yan Family. And with her uncle’s sales connections in the provincial capital, they wouldn’t have to worry about selling them.
Yan Zhiqiang hesitated a bit, “Is it too late to plant them now?”
Daohua replied, “No, we’re just about ten days behind. It shouldn’t be a problem.” Those watermelon seeds were from a crop grown in her space, so there was no doubt about their quality.
Uncertain, Yan Zhiqiang looked to Old Lady Yan.
Old Lady Yan, thinking of last year’s lush watermelon patch, paused for a moment then decisively said, “Plant them!”
Although Madam Wu was now in charge of the household, she still had a general idea about the Yan Family’s financial situation. In recent years, the family had been relying on her dowry for support.
Now, seeing the children growing up day by day, with weddings and dowries on the horizon all requiring silver, if they didn’t think of a way to save some silver, the future marriages of their grandchildren would be a challenge.
With Old Lady Yan making a decision, Yan Zhiqiang stopped pondering further.
After all, in his heart, he would do whatever his grandmother said. Afterward, Old Madam Yan and her companions had lunch at the estate, and in the afternoon, they visited Daohua1 s smaller farm.
The larger farm they had toured before belonged to the Yan Family, and Daohua didn’t feel comfortable making decisions about it, but the smaller farm was hers, so after the tour, she immediately called the overseer.
The overseer was a dark -skinned uncle in his forties, who looked rather simple and honest, but the way he actively reported various matters of the estate to Old Madam Yan revealed his astuteness.
Especially when facing 9-year-old Daohua, he didn’t brush her off at all. No matter what she asked, his responses were very detailed.
Daohua, “Uncle Zheng, how much uncultivated land is there on the estate right now?”
The overseer, Zheng Xinghe, didn’t dare to conceal anything, “To answer Miss, the tenant farmers are very diligent, and currently, only twenty acres remain unplanted. But rest assured, Miss, I will speak to the tenant farmers right away to get the land sown. We won’t miss the spring planting.” Daohua, “No need for that, those twenty acres I have a different use for. In a moment, I will give you a batch of watermelon seeds. We will use the land to plant watermelons.”
Girls in ancient times had no choice but to marry, and she was powerless to change that. With the Yan Family having many children and meager resources, she needed to save up a considerable dowry to ensure her future marriage life would be better.
Zheng, the overseer, showed a troubled expression and hesitated for a moment before speaking, “Miss, watermelon is a valuable thing, neither I nor the tenant farmers know how to grow it!”
Daohua, “Don’t worry, I know how to grow them. I’ll teach you when the time comes.”
Zheng’s expression was one of shock. He had made inquiries and knew that the new owner of the estate was the family of the newly-appointed Prefectural Governor of Xingzhou. The young lady before him was surely the Prefectural Governor’s daughter.
A high official’s daughter knew how to farm?
Zheng’s expression was so obvious that even Yan Zhiqiang could see his skepticism and laughed, “Our Yan Family has a background in both scholarly pursuit and farming. The children in our household are familiar with the fields from a young age and can handle the usual farming work.
Hearing this, Zheng’s expression relaxed considerably. A master who understood the ins and outs of farming and appreciated the hardships of tilling the land would make their lives much better.
Daohua, “Uncle Zheng, I want to use the wild hill behind the estate to grow medicinal herbs and fruit trees. Can you find mature fruit tree saplings?
Zheng nodded, “Shunning Temple on the outskirts of the city has planted many fruit trees. Each year they sell some of their saplings.”
Daohua, “Go and purchase a batch of saplings for me. I want every type of fruit tree, and the sooner the better.”
Zheng looked at Old Madam Yan and Yan Zhiqiang, and seeing that neither objected, he nodded in agreement.
After he left, Daohua, taking Old Madam Yan’s arm, suggested, “Grandmother, I’ve looked around, and the estate is quite well-kept. How about we stay here for a few days?”
Seeing Old Madam Yan about to object, Daohua quickly added, “Grandmother, we’ve already missed the optimal planting time for spring crops. I won’t have peace of mind unless I’m here to oversee it. You wouldn’t want the hard-earned watermelon seeds I’ve collected to be wasted by the inexperienced tenant farmers, right?”
Old Madam Yan was still hesitant, “If we don’t return, your parents will worry.”
Daohua, “What’s there to worry about? Uncle Three is with us. We’ll just send someone to inform Mother.”
After persistent persuasion from Daohua and upon inspecting the rooms on the estate, which were neatly arranged, Old Madam Yan finally nodded in agreement.
