Country Maiden: Fields and Fortune-Chapter 455

454: Kind Heart (3 more updates)

Ming Xi paused slightly as he spoke.

He looked earnestly at Xie Zhinuan.

This beautiful woman, with substantial wealth and a grand demeanor, always planned many steps ahead. Take the development of the mountainous land, for instance. While many saw it as haphazard development, she chose a specific area and worked her way up from the foot of the mountain. Once one section was completed, she moved on to another. From the bottom to the crest, she had even dug several small ponds along the terraced fields for water storage, to ensure the vegetable plots never lacked water.

As soon as an area was cleared, she immediately began planting, not waiting even a moment.

Moreover, settling families in such a way required a substantial amount of silver, yet she showed not a hint of haste or panic, arranging everything methodically and efficiently.

“Miss!” Ming Xi called out softly.

“Hmm?”

Xie Zhinuan looked at him, puzzled.

“Miss, you must have spent a lot of silver to buy and cultivate all this mountain land!”

Xie Zhinuan smiled and only when she saw no one else was around did she speak to Ming Xi, “Yes, I sold over thirty thousand mu of mountainous land, but in reality, I might end up with over forty or even fifty thousand mu. The land was cheap to buy, and if I cultivate it for a few years and then sell it, it won’t be at the same price any longer. The Xu Family and the Xuan Family have this same plan. Do you understand?”

Ming Xi shook his head.

He hadn’t thought that far, only considering the vast amounts of silver spent as a loss-making investment.

“Then do you know how much one mu of such land can sell for?” Xie Zhinuan asked further.

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Ming Xi shook his head again.

“Five to six taels at least is expected. You may think that clearing one mu of land costs too much silver, but the crops planted during this period also generate income. Moreover, there’s another crucial point: the vegetables, chickens, ducks, and poultry that my restaurants need can all come from here, without fear of being constrained by others. Plus, it allows me to save a great deal of grain!”

“Thirdly, do you know why I’m building those courtyards?”

Ming Xi shook his head, yet again.

“The world is in chaos, too many are leaving their homes behind, living without a stable place. I’m able to clear this mountainous land, and when it’s ready, it will need caretakers. So, I can buy some people to manage it. Besides offering them warmth and food, and sparing them from being destitute and displaced, don’t you think so?”

Ming Xi nodded.

After a while, he said, “Miss, you are truly benevolent!”

“It’s not about being benevolent. Everything I do, I do with my own interests first. Whether it’s you or the villagers here in the future, it’s all the same. I prioritize my interests; only when I benefit and can enjoy luxurious foods can those who follow me hope to sip the broth!”

“…”

Ming Xi was astonished. Could one really speak so lowly of oneself?

Xie Zhinuan looked at the astonished Ming Xi and smiled, choosing to say no more.

To avoid scaring him with too much talk.

This thug and rascal was, in fact, very naive and not past the point of redemption.

That was why she dared to employ him and did so with peace of mind. As he had proven, everything was well managed by him, whether it was the clearing of the mountain land or the settlement of the laboring people. Everything was in perfect order with nobody daring to cause trouble or to be idle.

“But Miss, I think you are a kind-hearted person. Everyone is certainly driven by their own interests, and without benefits, who would be willing to put in the effort? It is the same for me in following you; I do it for the gain. But, thanks to the grace you have given, having earned some silver, the way my parents look at me now is different when I return home. Even the relatives who used to shake their heads and sigh, as if I were hopeless, no longer do so!”

Instead of the disdain from the past, now they all fawned over him.

Chapter 456