Chapter 413: Idle Talk

Even the best relationships require effort, and Xie Kang’s wife is also a smart person, understanding the need for occasional changes in her mindset.

“Earlier, I told Mom about Uncle Kang asking us to help buy people. I even said that Uncle Kang doesn’t know what he’s thinking, as everyone else buys young girls, but he doesn’t want to. Then Mom told me that Aunt Kang is in good shape now. Although she has a child, she looks younger. She even dresses up. Uncle Kang has secretly complained to Dad. Every time they go out, many people stare at Aunt Kang,” Wang Jinhe said, laughing even more.

“That’s not bad, right? Having a sense of competition will make him treat his wife better.” Such a person’s character won’t go wrong, and naturally, they’ll be more serious in what they do.

“You’re right. Later, help me check and buy a few more people suitable for their family.”

“Okay.”

The next day, Su Yu took Wang Jinhe to buy people from Lao Qin.

When Lao Qin saw the two coming over, he immediately led out the newly arrived group of people. “What kind of people do you want to buy this time?”

“Still focusing on those who can farm.”

Lao Qin, looking at them with a puzzled expression, asked, “How much land did you buy this time?”

“Not much, just a thousand acres,” Wang Jinhe didn’t think it was a lot at all. If possible, she would like to buy even more.

“Only a thousand acres? That’s quite a lot,” Lao Qin remarked, thinking they are not quite satisfied as if it were only ten acres.

“How many people do you need this time?”

“The more, the better.” The fruit trees on the mountain also needed attention this year, and they didn’t have time to help with that. With over a thousand acres of land, they needed to find people for cultivation.

“Alright, you can take a look at the people here. I’ll go find some other suitable ones for you.” Lao Qin suggested they take a look first, and he would then find more suitable candidates for them.

Su Yu picked out seven or eight people, including three from the same family—a ten-year-old boy, a man in his thirties, and a woman who appeared to be in her twenties.

The three seemed to be a family, and the child’s face was pale, likely due to illness.

“I can have someone help treat your child. After that, you can go to my uncle’s house. They are a family of three and need help with farming. Your wife can help with household chores, cooking, and also take care of the child when things get busy,” Su Yu said to the family of three.

The man nodded earnestly upon hearing Su Yu’s words. “Okay, I agree.”

Su Yu didn’t say anything more and, after a while, Lao Qin brought over the people he had selected, a total of thirty-seven individuals.

“These are all seasoned farmers, and they are all reliable people. For now, these are the only ones I could find,” Lao Qin said, a bit helpless as there weren’t many skilled farmers available to him.

“For now, that’s all. We’ll talk about it later.”

“Alright.”

“In total, it’s three hundred and twenty-five taels of silver.”

After paying, Su Yu and the others brought the people back. Their own workers were directly taken to the overseer’s place in the homestead for arrangements.

After purchasing the land from Boss Luo, Wang Jinhe instructed the overseer to expand the living quarters on the side, ensuring there was enough space for the additional people.

Once they had settled their workers at homestead, the two of them took the remaining people back.

Wang Jinhe took the new workers to Xie Kang’s house.

“Uncle Kang, are you home?”

Lin Shi walked out from the house. “Jinhe, your uncle went to the fields. What’s the matter?”

“Uncle asked me to help buy some people. I’ve already brought them. Take a look.”

Lin Shi went outside to see the people at the door—ten in total, eight men, one woman, and a child.

“How much is it in total, Jinhe? I’ll get it for you.”

“Sixty taels will do.”

Lin Shi went inside, brought the money, and handed it to Wang Jinhe. “Thank you for your trouble, Jinhe.”

“No need to be polite, Aunt. I’ll head back now.”

After seeing Wang Jinhe off, Lin Shi carried the child and went to the adjacent house.

“You’ll be staying here from now on. The houses on this side are larger and suitable for your family of three. You’ll receive five hundred wen in wages each month, with two days off. Is there anything else you want to discuss?”

“No, thank you, Madam.”

“No need to be polite. Rest today, and you can start working later.”

Lin Shi was not the type to be overly strict. Since they had arrived, she intended to treat them well.

The news of Xie Kang purchasing workers quickly spread throughout the entire village, especially considering he bought ten at once, including a half-grown child.

Those who had been envious and resentful of Lin Shi began spreading unfavorable gossip, accusing her of squandering Xie Kang’s money.

Upon returning from the fields, Xie Kang overheard them talking about his wife and Wang Jinhe. He felt somewhat displeased and approached those people to confront them.

“I bought these people through Wang Jinhe’s assistance. If I have money and want to buy workers to let my wife live a good life, is it any of your business?”

“If you have time, you’d better think about how to live your own lives well and earn more money.”

“Xie Kang, I think you don’t know what’s good for you. Why would Wang Jinhe help your family? It’s all for the little things in your house.”

Xie Kang chuckled, “My family relies on Wang Jinhe to earn a living. Does she fancy the meager things in my house? We don’t even have a fraction of what they have. When you try to sow discord in our relationship, at least use your brains.”

“You…”

Xie Kang couldn’t be bothered with these people. He had to go back and check on the people Wang Jinhe helped him buy.

The village gossip quickly reached Wang Jinhe.

“These people must be bored out of their minds to say I’m scheming about their money and land. Do they think I’m that desperate for money and land?” Wang Jinhe expressed her frustration.

Su Yu had lost all patience with these people: “Xiao He, I’m really angry about this.”

It seemed that those who earned money through their joint efforts last year had forgotten where they came from.

“I’ll have Yuan Bao find out who these people are. If it’s those who bought melon seedlings from us last year, we can just let them go.” Su Yu didn’t mince his words.

“Good.” Wang Jinhe didn’t try to persuade him. Some people seemed to think she had become more accommodating over time.

After investigating, Yuan Bao found out that the majority of the gossip came from people who had bought melon seedlings from them last year and earned some money.

Upon hearing this news, Wang Jinhe felt a bit puzzled and ironic.

“Madam…” Yuan Bao looked at Wang Jinhe with some concern.

She, who had always considered these people’s well-being, was now the subject of their gossip behind her back.