Chapter 479: Chapter 479 The Manor’s Present Situation
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
“I see. Alright, let’s go to the main hall.” After Zhou Ying finished speaking, she turned around and walked toward the main hall.
After reaching the main hall, they queued for a while before it was their turn to go in and offer their incense.
Zhou Ying and the other three lit up three large joss sticks each, knelt down, and piously offered their prayers.
“Hey, look, look, the Mother Goddess statue is shining!” Someone suddenly shouted.
“Really? What’s going on? Is Mother Goddess going to manifest?”
“What are you saying? Doesn’t Mother Goddess always answer our prayers? 1 do wonder what they’re asking for.”
“Could it be because they are offering more incense than us?”
“That’s possible. The incense they offer is many times ours; I guess we have to buy more next time we come.”
When the four maidservants heard the discussion, they looked up curiously and saw the flickering statue of the Mother Goddess.
After all, this was the first time they had seen Mother Goddess react to a prayer.
At the same time, they also respected Mother Goddess even more.
After Zhou Ying and the others got up, someone asked curiously, “Madam, what are you asking for?”
“It won’t come through if 1 say it out loud.” Zhou Ying smiled and replied.
After that, she placed ten taels of silver as money offerings, then turned to leave.
When everyone knew they wouldn’t get anything out of her, they didn’t ask anymore. However, those who brought less incense went out to buy more. After Zhou Ying and the others descended the mountain, they headed straight for the manor.
After arriving at the manor, she asked around and found the person in charge, Head Fang.
Head Fang was surprised when he saw them. He looked at Gu Chengrui and asked, “Are you Lord Gu, the third-grade agriculture officer?”
“Yes, 1 am. You must be the Head Fang. We are here to understand the situation of this manor.”
“Hurry up and come on in.” Head Fang immediately led them into the manor excitedly.
He asked his daughter to serve them tea. “I’ve been waiting for Master and Mistress to come, and finally, you’re here!”
“Sorry to keep you waiting. Do let me know about the manor’s situation.” Gu Chengrui nodded and said.
“Right, our village is full of cultivated land.
“Because it was close to the river, there are about 200 acres of paddy fields and 1,400 acres of dry land.
“However, ever since the waterwheel was invented, we changed it to 8oo acres of paddy fields and 8oo acres of dry land.
“There were originally 486 people in the village, but after such a disastrous year, only 380 people are left. However, there are more able-bodied laborers within us, with 252 people.
“Today, due to the lack of seeds, they only planted 50 acres of rice and 100 acres of vegetables.
“We can make it through this winter.” Head Fang paused and added, “However, other than some radishes and cabbages left in the warehouse, the rest have already been distributed.”
“Who was the original owner of this manor?” Gu Chengrui asked curiously.
“Do you know Lord Fang? He was the original Minister of Revenue; he was someone who was raided together with the Gu family.”
“I see. This manor belongs to the Fang family?”
“Yes, to be exact, it’s the Fang family’s wife’s dowry. It has always provided food and vegetables for the Fang residence.
“Later on, this place was managed by the royal family. The national treasury distributed this year’s rice seedlings, but the harvest was so-so because they were seeds from cold storage.”
Gu Chengrui nodded in understanding and asked, “What seeds are left now?”
“We did get some vegetable seeds today, with winter melons and pumpkins being the most. 1 intentionally asked them to leave those seeds behind when we ate them..” Head Fang paused and asked, “Lord Gu, what will we plant next year?”