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Su Yu looked at Wang Jinhe in surprise, “Did you plant more this year?”
“I did, but there might be fewer this year.” The grapes planted this year will only bear fruit next year.
“Then let’s keep more for making wine this year. We can sell some after harvesting a batch,” Su Yu suggested after some thought.
Wang Jinhe couldn’t help but laugh. Su Yu’s obsession with winemaking was truly deep.
“Alright, if you say to make more grape wine, then we’ll make more.” Everyone at home enjoys grape wine, so if Su Yu likes it, they’ll make more.
“There will be a lot more fruits this year. As for the slightly fewer grapes, it’s not a big deal.” This year, there are also dragon fruits, cantaloupes, and the like. The loss from fewer grapes won’t be significant.
Thinking about the fruits she cultivated, Wang Jinhe sighed softly, “I still have too little land.”
Su Yu looked at Wang Jinhe with a wry smile, “You’re complaining it’s too little?”
“Definitely complaining.” Wang Jinhe nodded. She has many things to do now, and without enough land, many things can’t be grown. That’s the real trouble.
“I still need to figure out how to buy more land. It would be more acceptable if it’s a bit farther away. I can cultivate a few people here and then send them over to manage it,” Wang Jinhe knew that buying all the land nearby was simply not realistic.
She had to buy land elsewhere, but that meant it wouldn’t work out in the first half of this year, and she currently had no one available.
“Then for now, start training some people. It will make things much more convenient for whatever you plan to do in the future,” Su Yu considered and strongly agreed with Wang Jinhe’s words.
Wang Jinhe sighed softly, “I still need to buy people.”
“Buy them. We’ll go check it out tomorrow,” Su Yu, always ready for action, wasted no time.
The next day, Wang Jinhe went with Su Yu to find Old Qin, who had helped them buy Qiuyi before. The people he provided were indeed very reliable.
“Young lady, you’ve come. How are the two sisters doing?” Old Qin dared not look at them directly. Now that they came over, it was natural to inquire about the situation of the two children and whether they were living well.
“They’re doing well,” Wang Jinhe nodded and explained the situation of the two after which Old Qin was completely reassured.
“It’s good as long as they’re fine. As long as they’re doing well, I can be at ease,” Old Qin sighed lightly, feeling somewhat reassured about the two children.
“Is there something you need today, young lady?” After asking about the sisters, Old Qin looked at Wang Jinhe and inquired.
“We came to buy people. We need more hands at home, but we’re looking for those who know how to farm,” Wang Jinhe looked at Old Qin and explained.
Old Qin immediately had some candidates in mind, “Young lady, your timing is perfect. I have a group of people who used to work on a farm. Due to the mistakes made by the overseer, they were implicated and sold by the main household. They are decent people. If you’re interested, I can bring them out for you to see.”
“This is great. Bring them out, and we’ll take a look,” Wang Jinhe nodded, trusting that Old Qin wouldn’t deceive her. People he vouched for should be reliable.
Soon, Old Qin brought out a dozen or so men. As Wang Jinhe looked at them, her eyes narrowed slightly, “Old Qin, are you sure these are ordinary farm laborers?”
Old Qin hesitated for a moment, then chuckled softly, “Young lady has keen eyes. Indeed, they are not ordinary farm laborers.”
“They’ve been soldiers. Why did they become slaves?” Su Yu looked sharply at Old Qin and asked.
Old Qin sighed softly and looked at Su Yu, “Do you know this young prince?”
Prince?
Su Yu furrowed his brow. There were indeed several princes in Xuan Country, and the emperor had once considered reducing the power of the princes. However, they had not found a suitable opportunity.
“They are all people under Prince Ningyuan. At that time, they made a mistake and were punished to work on a farm. After working for more than two years, the farm encountered trouble, and they were sold off,” he explained. The shift from being soldiers to slaves had undoubtedly taken a toll on them. Since coming here, they hadn’t spoken, as if indifferent to everything.
“Were they wrongly accused?” Wang Jinhe asked Old Qin.
Old Qin looked surprised at Wang Jinhe, then nodded, “Young lady, you’re right. But those in power don’t need evidence when they accuse you of wrongdoing.”
Moreover, there were influential figures plotting against them. Without power or influence, the authorities didn’t believe them, leading to their current plight.
“Old Qin, you have quite the audacity, accepting people of all backgrounds,” remarked Qiuyi, one of the sisters. Now, they were dealing with individuals of this nature.
Old Qin laughed heartily, “I can manage here. It’s just that I couldn’t bear to see them going elsewhere, so I brought them here. Young lady, are you interested?”
“Of course,” Wang Jinhe nodded.
Having Su Yu as a bit of protection from the prince’s side was a good thing.
These dozen or so people looked like they were exceptionally capable—exactly the kind of people she wanted.
“This is the payment,” Wang Jinhe handed over 150 taels for the fifteen people.
“This is too much,” Old Qin exclaimed, shaking his head.
“It’s worth it,” Wang Jinhe insisted. Each person was earning them a good deal.
Old Qin quickly figured out what Wang Jinhe meant, “Alright, I’ll take the money. These are the slave contracts.”
Wang Jinhe accepted the slave contracts and returned them to the individuals.
The people looked at Wang Jinhe in bewilderment, not understanding what she was doing. Even Old Qin couldn’t help but frown, unsure of what this young lady was up to.
“Old Qin, find us another ten skilled farmhands. Having them waste their talents on farming would be a real shame,” Wang Jinhe stated. These people were capable of much more than wielding hoes in the fields.
Su Yu walked up to Wang Jinhe, ruffling her hair, “Being mischievous again.”
“Old Qin, find us a quiet place. We’d like to talk to them,” Su Yu, though calling Wang Jinhe mischievous, went along with her intentions.
Old Qin led them to the backyard, saying, “There aren’t many people here.”
Once Old Qin left, Wang Jinhe addressed the group, “I’m returning your slave contracts. How about working for us as guards for five taels of silver each per month?”
“Why?” one of them spoke, his voice hoarse, indicating it had been a long time since he last spoke.
Wang Jinhe considered for a moment before answering, “You’re well-suited for the role.”
“Just because of this?” The man looked at Wang Jinhe with some astonishment.
Returning their slave contracts just because they were suited for something else? Was this girl in front of him naïve or a bit foolish?
“Yeah, you’re better suited for something other than wielding a hoe. Su Yu, let them work with Yuan Bao and the others,” Wang Jinhe tilted her head, addressing Su Yu.
“Don’t you want to ask if they’re willing to follow us?” Su Yu nudged Wang Jinhe’s nose, expressing his helplessness.
Wang Jinhe turned to them, “Do you not want to?”