Reborn as a Landlord-Chapter 774 - 396 Mid-Autumn_1

Second watch of the night, seeking pink.

****......****

Lian Manman was overjoyed, beyond expectation. Just now, observing Shen Liu’s attitude, she had thought he would at least cut her request in half. After all, to promote the cultivation of corn, mere talk would hardly suffice; whether for basic nourishment, military provisions, horse feed, or refined foods, these would all need to be demonstrated to people. Once corn became widely promoted, seeds would be of utmost importance. Where and how to popularize it was not something that Manman, or even Shen Liu, could decide on their own.

Lian Manman had even mentally prepared herself for the possibility of Shen Liu not leaving her with anything at all.

Yet Shen Liu not only completely agreed to her requests but also promised to leave her with an extra three hundred catties of corn that could not be saved for seeds. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

Upon returning to the shop, Shen Liu instructed his people to pack up and leave. At Commander Zhang’s end, the corn was moved onto the carts, and without needing any further orders from Shen Liu, the promised corn for Lian Manman was left behind according to their arrangement. In addition, Commander Zhang also took away several carts full of corn stalks.

The day was no longer young, and Shen Liu hurried away with his people; Shen Qian only managed to exchange a few words with Lian Manman before the servants hoisted him onto the carriage.

After everyone had left, Lian Manman’s family returned to the threshing ground.

"Over ten thousand catties, all these years of farming, and I’ve never once seen this much grain. And this is just from twenty acres..." Lian Shouxin expressed his amazement.

"Indeed. This corn really is something miraculous, and if you ask me, it tastes even better than millet." Lady Zhang said.

Looking at the large area freed up by the removal of the corn, everyone felt a mixture of joy and a slight sense of emptiness. Joy for the high yield of the corn, emptiness because so much corn had been taken away so quickly.

However, this feeling of emptiness was but temporary. Shen Liu had said nothing upon his departure, but both Lian Manman and Lian Shouxin, along with Lady Zhang and others, believed that Shen Liu would not take their things for nothing.

Even if it were taken for nothing, although they would feel some heartache, upon reflection, they wouldn’t find Shen Liu’s actions excessive.

"After all, it was he who gave us the seeds for the corn. During the summer, the money we made from the golden corn was rather good," Lian Shouxin was simple and easily content, "even if this time Sixth Master didn’t leave us any corn, we really wouldn’t have any complaints... Sixth Master left us three hundred catties to eat and a thousand catties for seeding. His treatment of us is truly beyond reproach."

Lian Shouxin felt nothing but deep gratitude towards Shen Liu.

"That’s exactly the point." Lady Zhang agreed, nodding, "We were strangers to Sixth Master, worlds apart, and yet we’ve benefitted so much from his light."

"Right." Lian Shouxin nodded.

Manman just smiled. Shen Liu seemed very strict in dealing with people, but after a few interactions, Manman realized that Shen Liu was definitely a man who clearly distinguished between rewards and punishments. If you worked for him, you didn’t need to ask for what was due to you; he would give it on his own, and quite generously at that.

Now that Shen Liu had taken the corn without giving anything in exchange on the spot, it meant that he would give even more later.

This was probably one of the reasons why Shen Liu could command obedience, inspire his subordinates to serve him wholeheartedly, and receive reverence and awe from officials not directly under his jurisdiction.

Both Lady Zhang and Lian Shouxin, being simple and profoundly grateful by nature, considered it their good fortune to encounter someone as clear-cut as Shen Liu. However, in the Lian Family, their nature made them seem like two overly soft steamed buns.

Of course, that was all in the past now.

...

Lian Manman’s family of six only had two adult laborers, Lady Zhang and Lian Shouxin. They had planted more than fifty acres this year, but during the harvest season, they felt much more at ease than last year, when despite having more people, they only farmed thirty acres.

First came the twenty acres of corn; all was now harvested, with only the corn kernels left to be dried a bit more before being stored in the granary.

As for the remaining crops like broomcorn, sorghum, peanuts, and beans, they needed to be dried for a while longer before they could be threshed and winnowed, until all the grains were safely stored away.

"This year, you ladies won’t need to do these tasks. When the time comes, I’ll hire three day laborers, and with me leading them, in just a few days, everything will be taken care of." This was Lian Shouxin’s plan, clearly influenced by the words of Wu Yugui and Lady Wang on that day.

"That also works." Lady Zhang nodded in agreement.