Chapter 451: Chapter 234: Lian Manman’s Planning_2
"Manman is saying we should also go buy manure?" Lian Shouxin mused.
"The school has a latrine, why don’t I go ask if we can buy from there?" Wu Lang immediately suggested.
"That’s a solution. However, constantly buying doesn’t end, and our family currently has thirty-one acres of land, and we’re planning to buy another twenty to thirty acres before this year’s planting season begins. In the future, our family’s land will definitely increase even more. Constant buying, the expenses aren’t small," Lian Manman pointed out.
"Then Manman, what do you plan to do?" Lady Zhang asked.
"We don’t need to buy," Lian Manman said, "Xiao Qi, do you remember what you were complaining about yesterday?"
"I remember," Xiao Qi thought for a moment and said, "Those people are just like Si Lang, defecating everywhere!"
Lian Manman tried to suppress a laugh. Because of the mountain construction project, their snack shop was doing well, and there were more people passing by on the official road. Right at the head of the temple, between the temple and the stream that circles the village, there was a large open space. There were some low shrubs on the space, and some people liked to relieve themselves there at will. Even worse, some would just come out of the snack shop, walk a few steps, and if there were no people around, they would turn their backs and daringly undo their trousers.
"I think, we could spend a little money, build our own latrine. Then wouldn’t all our matters concerning manure for the fields be sorted?" Lian Manman proposed, "If our fields don’t need it, we could also sell it to others."
"I think that’s a good idea," Wu Lang was the first to say, "The city folk are doing this, and it looks quite profitable. Even if we don’t earn money, it would be enough for the manure needed in our own fields."
"That piece of land seems to belong to the temple. We would still need to discuss this with the Abbot, but this also counts as doing a good deed," Lian Shouxin added, seeming to agree with the idea, "To build a latrine, we’ll need to hire laborers, and with the soil just softened, we could start work immediately."
"Dad, when you discuss this with the Abbot, are you talking about borrowing that piece of land?" Lian Manman asked when she heard Lian Shouxin talking about doing a good deed.
"To build a latrine, it doesn’t require much space, do we still need to buy land?" Lian Shouxin asked.
"Dad, we need to buy that land," Lian Manman insisted, "Even if we don’t build the latrine, we still need to purchase that land, and the sooner the better."
The whole family looked at Lian Manman.
"Xiao Tanzhi told me today," Lian Manman lowered her voice, "that someone has already asked the Abbot about renting the temple’s rooms, and for how long."
"What are they up to?" Lady Zhang immediately asked in alarm.
"Who went to ask?" Lian Shouxin almost simultaneously inquired.
Wu Lang, Lian Zhizhi, and Xiao Qi all took on a serious expression, everyone sensitively aware of the gravity of the situation.
"Not just one family has asked," Lian Manman said.
"Our shop is thriving, someone is eyeing it with envy," Lian Shouxin concluded.
"Thank goodness we rented it for a whole year right from the start," said Lady Zhang. "His father, in the next couple of days, let’s talk to the Abbot and renew for another year. Our shop is doing very well, and since we’ve rented from the temple, we’ve invited people from all sides. Even if someone wants to push us out, they’re just wishful thinking."
"Of course we can’t let anyone push us out," Lian Shouxin said in a deep voice.
"But using the temple’s property, with others eyeing it, there are too many variables," Wu Lang pondered.
"Didn’t we start the shop because we couldn’t build our own house in time and had to rent from the temple?" Lian Manman went on, "Now that we have enough capital, why not keep the shop running and start building the new one at the same time? That would be perfect."
The family discussed for a while and all agreed with Lian Manman’s suggestion.
"Let’s do it that way. I’ll go and discuss buying land with the Abbot right now," Lian Shouxin said.
"Father, if possible, let’s just buy up that whole big stretch of land next to the temple up to the river," Lian Manman added.
"The whole stretch? Manman, are you talking about starting from the official road side all the way to the West Village village entrance?" Lian Shouxin asked, "That must be about three acres, and not all of it belongs to the temple."
"Mm-hmm." Lian Manman nodded. She had long had her eye on the land next to the temple and had made it her business to ask around. Part of that land by the official road was the temple’s property, another part was an ownerless mixed forest, and there were still two plots of land belonging to two families in the village.
"As for the temple’s plot, it’s vacant and of little use; if we just talk about building hay houses, it probably won’t cost much to buy. That mixed forest, if we negotiate with the Lizheng, we might even get it for free. The other two small plots with owners, if we talk it over and offer them more money, we can buy them as well," said Lian Manman.
Since last year, their family had been running the Pickled Vegetable Workshop, and now they were running this breakfast shop, in addition to taking on laundry work, which benefited many people. Their family’s reputation and connections had indeed become incomparable to the past.
"It is possible to buy them," Lian Shouxin nodded as well. However, buying such a large piece of land just for building a new shop and hay houses seemed a bit excessive.
"Father, we need to think ahead," Lian Manman continued to persuade, "Our family only has half of this courtyard, and we need to use the garden to grow vegetables. Mother also wants to raise pigs and chickens; we don’t have enough space. That piece of land could be used for growing vegetables... and when my brother and Xiao Qi grow up and want to marry, we won’t have enough room in our house. If we buy that land, we can build houses for my brother and Xiao Qi in the future without having to buy more land."
"Manman is right," Lady Zhang immediately agreed.
"That settles it. We’re buying that land no matter what," Lian Shouxin slapped his thigh; when it came to building houses for his sons and their future wives, it struck a chord in his heart. From hesitant, he had become the most enthusiastic advocate for buying land.
...*****...
May the Mid-Autumn Festival bring a full moon and family reunion for everyone.
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