Chapter 152: Dragon Boat Festival (Section End) 1

“You’re exhausted aren’t you” Lin Si Yao washed himself then entered the bedroom. He saw his petite wife return from the kids’ room in the West wing.

“I’m fine. I’m just surprised. I didn’t expect Ying Yun to be so decisive.” Su Shuilian sat at her dressing table and took off her accessories. She remembered Ying Yun’s expression when the other told her about her decision. The resolute face was as if she would lose the chance if she hesitated, their relationship will fall back again. When the two were in the middle of their wedding ceremony, Shuilian had seen the pampering gaze from Si Luo’s eyes. Although it was just a glimpse of time, it was enough to prove that the man had his wife in his heart.

“Right, A Yao, yesterday the Town Elder told me that we can start farming again after the Dragon Boat Festival, right? The five-acre land we just acquired last year, can we plant on it now?” When Su Shuilian closed the curtains, she saw the canna trees swaying gently outside her window and remembered what the Town Elder had told her yesterday.

Starting three years ago, the kind Liang-momo had continuously brought home the little maids the powerful families had expelled on the streets of Fan Luo. She brought them to He Yuan. Then, Su Shuilian had an idea to help the people living in adverse conditions like the widows or the orphans. First, the private mansion did need more helpers. And second, she couldn’t stand to see the young children being backed to the corner…

Two years ago, she and Yang Jing Zhi had discussed this carefully. It resulted in building the Yang Xin House. At first, the people in the city didn’t know what Yang Xin House sold. Half a month later, a child around ten years old kneeled by the street near Yang Xin House. He wanted to sell himself for the money to bury his late father. The Manager of Yang Xin House invited him to the House and gave him enough money to take care of his father’s funeral. Then, the kid was taken to Qing Yang Clinic for a health-check. When the kid’s health was certified good, he was sent to Fan Hua Private Mansion and became the manager’s servant.

At the Qingming Festival next year, the twelve-year-old boy came to Qing Yu Pagoda to worship his father. It was then, when Su Shuilian sent him to work at the pickle shop. Except for his accommodation and meals, he received three hundred coins per month. At that time, the city people finally knew the functions of Yang Xin House. Kids from poor families or orphans could come to Yang Xin House for an opportunity. They could work in the shops in the city or become servants and maids in the private mansions. The news spread out fast. Many orphans and widows came to Yang Xin House for help, and this place actually helped them out with a livelihood. Although the work wasn’t easy, it was enough to help them continue their lives safe and sound.

And due to this, He Yuan, the clinics, and the shops had enough staff. They didn’t need Prince Jing’s mansion or Blood Union to send their staff to help anymore. However, together with this, the amount of food they needed drastically increased.

That was why Lin Si Yao and a group of strong, young men in the private mansion went to claim the five acres of the outermost wasteland by the private mansion after the harvest time last year. They planned to sow seeds in that area this year.

Although the harvest of the newly acquired area would not be very fertile, after half a year under good care, there shouldn’t be any problem with the crop.

As for other foods, the quantity of fish and shrimps in the big lake inside Fan Hua Private Mansion was increasing every year. At the same time, a farm where they fed cattle had been built at the farthermost South-East area of Luo Shui Private Mansion. Since last year, it has begun to provide meat to He Yuan. Chickens, ducks, pigs, and cows… As long as they were domestic, the staff would buy the cubs to raise. During the year, besides providing food to people in He Yuan, there was a surplus. It was dried, smoked, and salted into different varieties of cured meat and sold in Fan Luo City.

As for the people living in He Yuan who had extra poultry or pigs they wanted to sell, they could sell them to the workshop to make dry foods. If people were afraid of dirty pens and didn’t want to keep the animals, they could come to buy them at the workshop.

Seeing the growth of agricultural activities, Su Shuilian and Lin Si Yao had discussed and decided to build a silk weaving farm by the foothill of Xiu Feng inside Fan Hua Private Mansion.

Xiu Feng had many wild silk worms in the flourishing mulberry trees. In addition, the weather of the southern-located Fan Luo City was much warmer than other cities during four seasons, so it was a reasonable decision to build a silk farm here.

They had asked Guangci House to hire three experienced weavers around fifty years old from other cities in Da Hui with high salaries. After preparing for six months, at the beginning of the new year, they had finished building a new silk farm. It was different from other silk farms in other countries.

Spring was the right time for the silkworms to make their cocoons. Thus, during this time, all the workers of the farm, including the three experienced weavers and the five female weavers who had learned the jobs for half a year, three servants, and a chef had been staying days and nights in the farm. They had even spent the Dragon Boat Festival on the farm.

It was good that with Yang Jing Zhi’s suggestion, besides building the silk farm with sufficient equipment and a warm room for the silkworms, the private mansion had also built a dormitory for the workers. Initially, it was the place where the workers taking night shifts could rest, and now it had become a small house for them. As they were single and they had requested, Su Shuilian didn’t object to their request to stay. She just asked them to take good care of their health and not forget to rest after work.

And it was how He Yuan had become a small, but self sufficient town. Not only did they not try to compete with Fan Luo City, He Yuan even shared their surplus and shared their benefits.