Unlimited estates for rural beauty-Chapter 97 Preparing to Build a Greenhouse (9)
"Yes, Miss," the five of them nodded and each went to prepare according to what the lady had said.
As they left the manor, the five walked down the mountain road. "Feng One, what exactly is our lady scheming with all these mysterious instructions?" Feng Three asked Feng One, baffled.
"How would I know? Just do as the lady says, and you can’t go wrong," replied Feng One, also unclear about their lady’s intentions. "Whatever the lady says, that’s what we do."
"I think the lady must be planning to plant something; it’s definitely not as simple as cabbage and radishes," Feng Five chimed in after some thought.
"You got that right. Now that the lady owns both Luo Family Village and Feng Family Village land, think about it, working for the lady feels incredibly proud!" Feng Four spoke passionately, never imagining that being sold by his elder sister-in-law would lead to such good fortune, no longer having to go hungry and depend on others’ faces for a meal.
"That’s right. We’ve got to work hard, brothers. Once we save enough silver, it’s time to get married," Feng One teased his brothers with a loud laugh.
"Exactly, now that I have a little silver in hand, just imagine, once I’ve saved enough, I’ll bring a wife home, have a few kids, and life will be just beautiful," Feng Three fantasized about his children running around him, calling him ’daddy’ with each breath he took, filling his heart with warmth. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂
"Big Brother Feng One, you’re already married. Why are you still thinking about finding another one to keep your sister-in-law company?" Feng Two, moving closer, put an arm around Feng One’s shoulder and teasingly winked at him.
"That’ll be enough. I’m content with my wife, and I couldn’t afford any more," Feng One remarked, his heart warming at the thought of his spouse.
"Eh, big brother, haven’t you mentioned to the lady about bringing our sister-in-law up to the manor?" Feng Two, giving Feng One’s shoulder a pat, didn’t understand why he hadn’t spoken up yet.
"I saw my wife a few days ago; the manor is busy now. She told me not to mention it, to wait a while longer. When the manor isn’t so busy, I’ll go and ask the lady."
"Yeah, if the manor’s busy, we should wait a bit longer to talk about it," agreed Feng Five. The five of them reached the foot of the mountain, waved goodbye, and each took a carriage back home.
On the seventh day of the tenth month of the solar calendar, the weather was clear and fine, and some villagers began to harvest one after another. In a few days, the crops in the fields were all harvested. They brought the grain to the playground to thresh and winnow it, working from dawn till dusk. After several days, and after they had paid their grain taxes and rent, the season’s harvest was finally complete.
Feng Xuxu sat in the carriage, passing through the fields and watching the villagers turn the soil. Seeing her carriage, they waved from a distance, causing Feng Xuxu to smile contentedly; this was a good beginning.
Upon arriving in town, and after making some inquiries, Feng Xuxu found the old, reputable oilcloth shop everyone was talking about. The shop wasn’t large, but it was bustling with customers. "Miss, what kind of oilcloth would you like? We have all types here," the shop assistant warmly greeted her as he approached.
"We’ve come to look at oilcloth. Bring out all you have; our miss wants to see them," Yingsu said, uncharacteristically speaking at length.
The assistant was startled, but quickly recovered and asked them to wait while he fetched the samples.
A moment later, the assistant returned with several types of oilcloth in hand. Feng Xuxu inspected them closely, considering the rough and fine, thin and thick options, but none caught her eye. Setting down the samples, she said, "Where is the owner of the shop? We would like to speak with him."
"This..." the assistant hesitated, looking at Feng Xuxu.
Xuxu pulled out a string of silver from the wide sleeve and handed it to the assistant. Taking the silver, he said, "Alright, I’ll call him right now."
"Miss, look at this person. I feel like giving him a few punches," Yingsu grumbled, as if wishing she could act on her words.
"Calm down. What’s there to be angry about? People like him are common. Without folks like him, it would have been more troublesome to find the owner and a waste of time," Feng Xuxu reasoned.
"Hmph, he got off easily," Yingsu huffed loudly, then said no more.
"Who is seeking this old man?" inquired a man in his forties, dressed in a dusty hemp garment, appearing to have been working with oilcloth.
"Sir, it’s me who’s looking for you," Feng Xuxu stepped forward with a smile and addressed the owner.
Surprised to see a young lady, the owner of the oilcloth shop then asked, "May I know what business the young lady has with me?"
"I’d like to buy a kind of oilcloth that is as thin as paper and as white as light. I wonder if you can make it, sir?"
"That... I’m afraid that might be difficult."
