Reborn as a Landlord-Chapter 760 - 389 Quick to Climb_1
"What ’thousand miles, seas and rivers’?" Lady Zhang turned her head and asked Lian Manman.
"It simply means to accumulate a little into a lot," Lian Manman said, "as it’s written in the book."
"Mom, this is from ’Xunzi’s Encouraging Learning’," Xiao Qi interjected, "and it speaks of such good principles. I can recite the whole piece, let me recite it for you."
As he said this, Xiao Qi clasped his hands behind his back, wobbling his head as he began reciting earnestly.
"The gentleman said: Learning should never cease. Blue is extracted from indigo, yet is bluer than indigo; ice is made from water, yet is colder than water. Wood..."
These simple yet philosophically rich words, spoken in a child’s innocent voice, made Lian Shouxin and Lady Zhang smile contentedly, even becoming intoxicated by the sound of Xiao Qi’s recitation. Even if they couldn’t fully grasp the underlying lessons, they simply loved to listen. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦
When Xiao Qi finished his recitation, Lian Shouxin praised him repeatedly.
"Our Xiao Qi can recite such a long passage now..." Lady Zhang’s eyes shone with such pride, wishing she could squeeze Xiao Qi into her embrace.
Seeing the pride and pleasure in Lian Shouxin and Lady Zhang, Xiao Qi felt both proud and a bit embarrassed.
"My brother and sister Zhizhi can recite it, too. Brother can recite even more than I can," Xiao Qi said as he snuggled into Lady Zhang’s embrace, his eyes twinkling.
"This book is really something," Lian Shouxin said after taking a sip of water, clearly delighted, "I’ve been working all day, and I was so tired, but after listening to my son recite this passage, why do I not feel tired at all anymore?"
"Dad, I’ll recite a passage for you every evening from now on," Xiao Qi offered as he wriggled out of Lady Zhang’s arms and hopped onto Lian Shouxin’s back, beaming with a smile.
"Well, that sounds great," Lian Shouxin laughed.
Lian Manman, Wu Lang, and Lian Zhizhi all watched Xiao Qi amusingly wooing Lady Zhang and Lian Shouxin into happiness, and they couldn’t help but share a smile.
"...When you think about it, growing bitter melons is not only less work but also more profitable than farming. If everyone knew about this, wouldn’t they abandon their crops next year and all start growing bitter melons instead?" Lady Zhang said.
The conversation shifted back to bitter melons.
"Mom, bitter melons aren’t grain. If we grow too much, eventually no one will want them," Lian Manman explained since the market for bitter melons was limited and couldn’t absorb limitless supply.
"That’s one aspect, and another is that we tenant farmers grow grains, and not many are willing to use good land for growing them," Lian Shouxin added.
"Exactly," Lian Manman agreed, nodding. Farmstead families, usually more traditional and conservative, couldn’t compare bitter melons to sweet potatoes and corn; bitter melons couldn’t be eaten as grain, and since their root system was too developed, tenant farmers were loath to waste good land on them. Just like Lian Manman’s family, they also cleared new land specifically for growing bitter melons, choosing wasteland separate from their prime farmland.
The scenario Lady Zhang described was unlikely to happen.
"This afternoon, I ran into Old Huang on my way to town. He mentioned the wild grapes in the mountains are nearly ripe and asked when we’re planning to pick them," Lian Shouxin suddenly said.
"The wine jars we ordered from the Zhao Family should be ready, right?" Wu Lang interjected, "How about I take a look tomorrow? If they’re done, I’ll ask them to deliver it to us?"
"That works," Lian Manman considered briefly and then nodded in agreement, "Once the wine jars arrive, we’ll go pick the grapes and make wine."
"We need to finish making the wine before the autumn harvest, or else we’ll be too busy to manage," Lian Manman added.
"Right," everyone agreed, nodding. This autumn, there was so much to do, and they needed to schedule everything carefully.
The next day, Wu Lang and Xiao Qi took a detour to Zhao Family Village on their way to school. Following that, Zhao Liansheng and his son hurriedly brought over the wine jars cart by cart.
They still used twenty-pound wine jars, charging ten Wen Money each, and Lian Manman’s family ordered a hundred and fifty jars at once. Being regular customers and placing a large order, Zhao Liansheng even gifted them an extra ten jars.
"If it’s not enough, send someone to tell me. I’ll set aside all other work and start making them for you right away," Zhao Liansheng said with a beaming smile as he accepted the full fifteen hundred Wen Money from Lian Manman. "Whether it’s wine jars, pickling jars, big pots, small pots, whatever size, whatever shape, I can make them. If you need anything, just come to me, and we’ll work out a good price."
By now, Lian Manman’s family was well-known in the area as affluent, and they were known for their fair dealings and prompt payments, so naturally, Zhao Liansheng was eager to maintain such beneficial clientele.
With the wine jars ready, Lian Manman’s family set off into the mountains with their cart to pick grapes and prepare for wine making.
Thanks to a comment from Shen Liu, not only had no one touched this year’s wild grapes in the mountains, but they had also been looked after exceptionally well, resulting in even better growth and yield than the previous year.
