Joyful Motherhood in a Rural Family

Chapter 488: Visiting the Manor
While they were talking, Old Cheng came in from outside.

“Madam! There are three men outside, saying that they have an appointment with you this morning, and they are waiting at the door to meet you.”

“Since the people have arrived, it must be them. Let them in!”

Guihua was very happy.

Not until Old Cheng had retreated did Liu Sisi speak, “I really don’t understand, such a good residence, how could it be sold at such a low price.”

When Old Cheng returned, he was followed by three men.

The older of the three men took the lead, bowing with the other two behind him towards Liu Sisi.

“Husband, Madam, greetings.” It was clear that the old man was very nervous, his legs trembling.

Liu Sisi quickly raised her hand to him: “Old man, please get up, there are no outsiders here, you don’t need to be so formal. Sit down and talk.”

As the old man stood up and carefully sat down on the edge of the stone stool, Liu Sisi continued to ask.

“What is your name, old man?”

“My name is Ding Shan, these are my two sons, the elder one is Ding Fu and the younger one is Ding Gui.”

The old man answered truthfully, curled up, looking very honest, and barely daring to look up at Liu Sisi.

“Very well, Elder Uncle Ding, I have a few questions for you and hope you won’t conceal anything.”

“Madam, please ask.”

Elder Uncle Ding stood up as he spoke.

“Sit down, sit down and talk. I want to ask Elder Uncle Ding, how much do you know about this manor’s former owner, and how much do you know about this manor itself?”

As soon as Liu Sisi finished asking, everyone’s hearts clenched.

As he spoke of this matter, Elder Uncle Ding’s face slowly relaxed.

“Madam, if you ask me about the affairs of others, I may not be able to speak up. But when it comes to this manor, I’m afraid that no one knows it better than Old Er.”

“Oh? Elder, please tell us.”

Ding Shan thought for a while, “To speak of this manor, I was born here. At that time, the manor was not big. Our manor’s master was from a Guan family, who worked as an official in Gongzhou City. They only came to the manor once every two years. There were not so many flowers and plants back then. It seems that thirty years ago, someone suddenly came to the manor, holding a land contract, saying that the manor had been given away by the Guan family and that we should move out.”

“It’s normal for a manor to be bought and sold. Usually, when a manor is bought and sold, the tenant farmers are also included. But this person drove all of us out. At that time, I was only 23 years old, yet I clearly remembered that the person was dressed as a servant and seemed to be acting under orders. Afterwards, the manor was left vacant. Besides seeing an old servant taking care of the manor, the fertile land outside was rented to nearby farmers for cultivation.”

Liu Sisi hurriedly asked, “During this time, no one came from the manor’s owner?”

Ding Shan thought for a moment, “Maybe they came, maybe they didn’t. But it’s true that there was only one old servant living in the front yard of the manor on a daily basis. In the wing courtyard near the hot spring, there was a small courtyard where the original tenant farmers lived. However, after the manor was sold to Madam, I specially checked, and those people also moved away.”

“You mean, those tenant farmers only stayed in the backyard and did not come to the front yard?”

Liu Sisi asked her and answered herself, looking at everyone for a moment, and continued to ask.

“Then, Elder Uncle Ding, have you ever heard of any bad things about this manor? Nowadays, my body is heavy and…it’s better to ask more questions.”

Ding Shan’s eyes swept across Liu Sisi’s abdomen, revealing an understanding expression, and affirming, “Absolutely not! It is originally close to the county town and next to the official road. If there were any bad things, I’m afraid they would have been spread long ago.”

Liu Sisi nodded, that indeed made sense! She then buried her original doubts into the depths of her heart.

“Elder Uncle Ding, do you want to be a tenant farmer?”

Ding Shan hurriedly stood up and bowed again: “The Ding family has lived in the manor for many years, and my late father always hoped to return to the manor, so we don’t have to worry about having enough food and not having to live hand to mouth… ”

“Alright! I won’t let the old man down, 320 mu of fertile land, 800 mu of mountain forest, I’ll hand it all over to Elder Uncle and others as tenant farmers. Following the old rules, you and others are still to live in that small courtyard. The harvest will also follow the old rules. My husband has recently become a sub-captain, and we don’t lack food from you. But you must take good care of this land.”

Liu Sisi knocked on the kneeling three people.

Ding Shan was overjoyed! The higher the position of the manor’s owner, the less the tenant farmers would have to worry, but rather they could work in peace and live peacefully every day.

“Thank you, Madam!”

Then they signed the contract and pressed their fingerprints. Ding Shan, Ding Fu, and Ding Gui’s fingerprints were all recorded, and they each kept a copy.

Both parties were very pleased, and only then did Ding Shan repeatedly thank them and leave.

“Sisi, you’ve made a fortune with such a good manor at this price!”

Guihua, who was standing beside her, was very excited: “Now that Brother Ye Lei is a sub-captain, he is exempt from taxes, and half of the grain from the tenant farmers can be picked up for free. In the future, you won’t have to worry about the shortage of grain.”

What do hunters like them, who rely on hunting for a living, fear the most?

First, they are afraid of encountering big animals when they go hunting. Second, they are afraid that the game cannot be sold. And third, of course, they are afraid of not having enough food to eat!

Wild game is said to be delicious, but one can’t just eat chicken ribs without eating grains, right? Even coarse grains should be eaten in some quantity to fill one’s stomach, shouldn’t they?

“Let’s hope you are right! Let’s go, let’s take a closer look.”

Liu Sisi was also happy and suggested a walk around the manor in high spirits.

The group of people got up and slowly walked around the exterior of the manor, only then did they have a rough idea of the manor’s layout in their minds.

From the outside, the manor looks like a manor, but once you go inside, it looks more like a garden. The scenery is beautiful, the environment is quiet, even in early spring, the fragrance of flowers fills the air, making it too beautiful to behold. Liu Sisi became infinitely curious about the original owner.

Finally, they stopped in front of the main hall in the front yard of the manor.

“Let’s go in and see what’s inside this hall!”

Everyone naturally had no objection, and Granny Hu behind them hurriedly took two steps forward, pushing open the slightly open main entrance.

There were eight doors in the manor, and once opened, one could see a red wooden screen directly facing the door, with two tall vases placed beside it. The blooming flowers inside had withered, and only the stems remained in the vases.

“This…this screen doesn’t look cheap, does it? Why wasn’t it taken away?”

Even Liu Zhi’er next to her was surprised!