Chapter 474: Chapter 246: Ox Cart_2
The responsibility for this task inevitably fell on the shoulders of the only adult male in the Lian family, Lian Shouxin.
"Dad, think about it, after the new year, where have you been sleeping?" Lian Manman chuckled.
Lian Shouxin slapped his forehead, that’s right, how could he have forgotten. Ever since he opened the breakfast shop, he spent many nights sleeping there. Now that they were building a house, he would spent even more time here. Naturally, it made sense to keep the ox here so he could take care of it easily.
The family all laughed together.
Lian Manman laughed too, thinking to herself that the stubbornness of habitual thinking should not be underestimated. Although Lian Shouxin had put in a lot of hard work here, in his heart, home was still the old house. But, once they developed this land bit by bit and built the new house, Lian Shouxin’s thoughts would slowly change as well.
To set up the ox pen here, yet the new shop didn’t have a surrounding wall, made Lian Shouxin uneasy. In the end, he decided to negotiate with the temple and first keep the ox in the alley behind the gatehouse.
Recently, they had maintained a good relationship with the temple, so as soon as Lian Shouxin spoke to the Abbot, he agreed.
Since they were building a house and the timber was readily available, Zhang Qingshan immediately started setting up the ox pen with Lian Shouxin. While working on the ox pen, Zhang Qingshan explained to Lian Shouxin the things to pay attention to when raising an ox. Wu Lang and Xiao Qi helped on the side and listened attentively.
**...**
At dinner time, Lian Shouxin specially invited Old Master Lian over to drink with Zhang Qingshan.
Seeing that Lian Shouxin had bought an ox and a plow, Old Master Lian was very pleased.
"I was worried that you two wouldn’t manage the land, but now that you’ve got a plow, I’m not concerned anymore," Old Master Lian said.
After dinner, Old Master Lian wanted Zhang Qingshan to go back with him to the old house, suggesting they lie on the same kang and have a good long talk. Zhang Qingshan did not agree.
"The ox is still young and I just bought it, I need to help take care of it here in case anything happens," he said.
When Old Master Lian heard this, he didn’t insist.
Lian Shouxin walked Old Master Lian to the door, and Lian Manman followed to throw out the water, only to see Old Master Lian standing across from Lian Shouxin on the official road, talking in low voices.
"Your father-in-law was around just now so I didn’t ask," Old Master Lian said to Lian Shouxin, "Did you two pay for this ox and plow yourselves?"
"...He said he wanted to buy it, and I didn’t expect it to happen so quickly, nor did I get to take out any money. The kids’ grandfather fronted the money, and his uncle took it back when he returned," Lian Shouxin did not hide anything from Old Master Lian.
"Oh." Old Master Lian seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, "You did the right thing... Your father-in-law is very good to you, you must not forget his kindness."
"Ten heads" is a local saying here, meaning a hundred percent. Old Master Lian’s words meant that Zhang Qingshan was very good to Lian Shouxin.
"I know... The bridal trousseau was a gift from the kids’ grandfather, he wouldn’t take the money even if I offered it," Lian Shouxin said.
"...Don’t mind me meddling, but I worry about you... You’re building a house, buying land, and also buying an ox and a plow, yet you haven’t even sown the fields, Old Fourth, do you have enough money for all this?" Old Master Lian asked again.
"...These are things we can’t do without, we have no choice but to buy, no matter how tight the money is," Lian Shouxin said.
"...I might not be able to help you much, but I’ve got the seeds for your thirty acres ready," Old Master Lian said.
"Dad...," Lian Shouxin called out, "I’ll give you the money for the seeds when the time comes."
Fearing that Old Master Lian would refuse, Lian Shouxin spoke very quickly.
"Dad, since I moved out to start my own family, I should pay what’s due... With more people, if there’s any word, it won’t be good."
Lian Shouxin was considering Old Master’s position. This was why he hadn’t asked Old Master Lian to help with the construction. With many mouths in the Lian family since he had started his own branch, it would be problematic if Old Master Lian put in the labor or contributed financially and the other brothers or nephews had something to say about it.
"Old Fourth, don’t take it to heart. When you left the household, it was agreed that we’d give you a year’s worth of grain, and the seeds for planting aren’t much, so don’t talk to me about money anymore," Old Master Lian said these words and turned to leave. He didn’t let Lian Shouxin walk him out. "Go back and treat your father-in-law well. Tomorrow night, invite your father-in-law over to our place for dinner."
Zhang Qingshan stayed at Thirty Mile Camp for three days straight, plowing through all the new land purchased by Lian Manman’s family. He even helped clear the vegetable patch. They just had to wait for the right season, set up the vegetable beds, and they could start planting.
The cleared vegetable patch was not large, merely five parts.
"Don’t bite off more than you can chew, vegetable land is different from the rest," both Zhang Qingshan and Old Master Lian said, "Once you plant vegetables, you’ll understand. Just weeding will keep you busy... Don’t think reclaiming land is easy. You’ll need to cultivate it for a few years before it becomes mature land."
Both of them were experienced farmers, and their advice came from experience. Of course, Lian Manman could only take it to heart.
"Now that you’ve got the plow, you should also buy a cart," after clearing the vegetable patch, Zhang Qingshan said to Lian Shouxin.
The Lian Family had a flatbed cart that was used last autumn to haul grain and firewood home. When Lian Shouxin ventured out on his own, all he had were two sets of iron shovels, iron hoes and hoes. This spring, they had added two more sets. They didn’t yet have a flatbed cart.
"I’m also planning to buy a flatbed cart," Lian Shouxin said.
"Before, you didn’t have an ox, but now that you do, you should buy a big cart," Zhang Qingshan said, "For farming, attending the market, buying things and such, having an ox cart will be really convenient."
***......*****
Feeling worried about Manman’s family not having enough money! It must be because they have a lean purse.
Here’s the second update, asking for pink votes. (To be continued. If you like this work, you’re welcome to visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
