stingy landlady

Chapter 81 Forced Buying and Selling

Guizhi reached the doorway, only to be stopped by the Prince of Zhenbei and his son, who had appeared unnoticed. The Prince of Zhenbei pointed inside and said:

"Let's go inside and talk!"

Guizhi caught a glimpse of Dazhu and Jinxiu carrying a table and stools, their mouths agape as they stared at her.

After calming herself down, Guizhi smiled and raised her voice:

"Father! Let Jinxiu carry it herself! Come here for a moment!"

Then he whispered to the Prince of Zhenbei:

"I'm still a child, I need my dad's support! I want him to know about everything!"

The Prince of Zhenbei nodded and strode inside first. Lin Xiaoyun said to the Prince of Zhenbei:

"Father! You can't bully Guizhi! She's my savior!"

The Prince of Zhenbei patted his son on the shoulder and said:

"Silly child! I let her earn money, buy servants, and even sell land to her cheaply! Look! She needs servants, so I gave her my great general as her bodyguard!"

How could her father possibly bully her!

Lin Xiaoyun is still a child after all. He thinks his father is right, but Guilin is very angry.

Lin Xiaoyun felt it necessary to support Guizhi:

"Father! Ke Guizhi is very angry! Did you do something behind my back?"

The Prince of Zhenbei stared intently at Lin Xiaoyun, but Lin Xiaoyun did not back down.

"Your father didn't hide anything from you! You heard and saw it all yourself!"

The Prince of Zhenbei then spoke in a gentle tone:

"Let's go inside, Xiaoyun! You can stay by my side and listen and observe more!"

Guizhi was waiting for Dazhu to come into the house together. Of course, she also heard the conversation between the father and son, but she sighed inwardly!

She just wanted to be a landlord's daughter, with no worries about food or drink, and had no desire to get involved in anything related to the imperial court or the army. She just wanted to farm, raise chickens, ducks, and geese—how wonderful that would be!

Dazhu and Guizhi went into the inner room. Zhenbei Wang sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), while Xu Hong stood up with his head down, standing on either side of Lin Xiaoyun.

When Dazhu entered the house and saw there was nowhere to sit, he honestly said:

"Oh my gosh! I forgot to bring the stools! They're all standing here! I'll go get them now!"

Guizhi reached out and pulled him back, whispering:

"Dad! Stand for a while! You can't get tired in just a short time!"

"You child, how can you treat guests like this! I can't accept this!" Dazhu said to Guizhi affectionately, but he didn't insist on getting a stool anymore.

The Prince of Zhenbei organized his thoughts and said:

"Brother Dazhu! I heard them call me that! Do you mind if I call you that too?"

Dazhu nodded quickly.

"Of course! You're older than me, so I'll call you Brother Lin!"

The Prince of Zhenbei indicated that he could.

"Sure! Brother Dazhu, Guizhi! Xiaoyun has deep feelings for you and is afraid I'll bully you! How could that be!"

You saved him and lived with him for so long; I am truly grateful to you!

Dazhu said embarrassedly:

“Brother Lin! Our family is poor! Look at the fine clothes Xiaoyun wore when she first came here, but now she only has coarse cloth clothes in our home.”

He even has to work in the fields with us! It's tough on the child, but we treat him like our own! We eat and dress the same way; our children who farm also have to work!

"Yes! I can see that. Xiaoyun is very sensible now. I'm very pleased!"

"Brother Dazhu, how would you like me to thank you?"

Da Zhu was taken aback, then waved his hand:

"No need, no need! Xiaoyun has never been paid for the work she's done for me! Take the child back and treat him well!"

"Children are young, we parents have to teach them slowly! We can't hit or scold them!"

Dazhu was afraid that the Prince of Zhenbei would beat Lin Xiaoyun when he got home, since Lin Xiaoyun had run away from home. They had finally found him; what if he ran away again? Where would they find him then?

Dazhu thought for a moment, still feeling uneasy, and said:

"Brother Lin! If Xiaoyun misbehaves after going home, you can send him back! I treat him like my son!"

But deep down I think, those who have sons don't cherish them, while I, without a son, want one but can't have it. It's so frustrating!

The Prince of Zhenbei found it amusing.

"Haha! Alright! Brother Dazhu, if he doesn't behave, we'll send him to you as your son! Hahaha!"

Dazhu said very seriously:

"Brother Lin, I know your family is well-off! Please don't hit the child when you get back! Xiaoyun is really good, sensible and well-behaved!"

The Prince of Zhenbei nodded solemnly, then said somewhat embarrassedly:

"Brother Dazhu! Guizhi's painted wardrobe and clothes rack are quite nice! When we arrived, the woodworking workshop downstairs had already started working."

As for how much we can earn and how the profits will be distributed, what are your thoughts?

Dazhu was already used to Guizhi's whimsical ideas. He looked at Guizhi and said:

What is Guizhi thinking?

Well, the ball has been kicked back to us again.

Guizhi smiled.

"Uncle Lin! I don't understand, I don't want any dividends! If you think it's good, just give me some silver! If you don't think it's good, just throw it away!"

The Prince of Zhenbei was still furious when he saw this!

"Hmm! Xu Hong is not bad, he can be of great use! Don't underestimate him, he used to be General Hongwei in the army! It's just that he was injured in the leg and could no longer go to the battlefield, so he retired and wanted to return to his hometown!"

Dazhu and Guizhi understood: Xu Hong wanted to go home, have a wife and children, and live a peaceful life. Unexpectedly, he didn't get to have children, and his wife ended up as his brother's wife!

"Guizhi! Don't blame him for acting on his own! I was the one who asked him to handle this land purchase."

He saw that the land you reclaimed here was well-managed, and he also heard from your farmhand that the wasteland in Huanghua Village was quite good. So he said he would buy you several dozen more acres of land as your private property.

He happens to have a few brothers who have been following him, so they can go over there to build houses and do some work for you while they're at it.

It's not far from your house, but not close either. It's not so close that other family members would know, lest they cause you trouble!

Guizhi's tense heart finally relaxed upon hearing this.

Xu Hong's thinking was indeed for his own benefit; with dozens of acres of land, he would need a few long-term laborers. These trustworthy brothers would surely work well and follow orders!

By acquiring private property for himself, his family wouldn't know, and there would be no need for disputes over property in the future. He had considered everything for himself.

Although I will eventually acquire my own property, I feel I am too young, so I will rely on my parents for a few more years first!

Then the Prince of Zhenbei continued:

"Xu Hong's idea is good! But his vision is too narrow! If you're going to do something, do it on a larger scale! I originally wanted to allocate a thousand acres for him to bring more retired soldiers back to their hometowns!"

He refused no matter what, and in the end he only bought two hundred acres of land, enough to house a few people!

Hey? Guizhi! Brother Dazhu! Let's make a deal. I'll allocate you a thousand acres of wasteland and send you more people to work on it.

How about you continue clearing the land?

Da Zhu stared dumbfounded at the Prince of Zhenbei. Who was this guy? How dare he talk so arrogantly?

Guizhi laughed in exasperation.

"Uncle Lin! Will the wasteland be paid for? Will the workers be paid wages? Will there be any taxes on the wasteland in the future?"

The Prince of Zhenbei's face darkened:

“The wasteland is not my private property, how could I not accept money!”

Whether or not you pay the people who do your work, and how much you pay them, is up to you!

"Taxes must be paid!"