Chapter 500: The Deed

The county Princess is carrying so much money with her when she goes out. Isn’t she worried about being robbed?

“Uncle, I have plenty of people with me, and they’re not to be trifled with,” Wang Jinhe said.  As if reading what he was thinking. Has anyone dared to lay a hand on her in the presence of these people?

The house-building uncle chuckled and shook his head. The idea that the county Princess wouldn’t have protection around her was simply preposterous. Even her maid looked formidable.

“I guess I was being overly cautious.”

“After I start coordinating the brick and tile work when I return today, I’ll come and inform the county lady the day before we begin construction,” the uncle said.

“Alright. I’ll give you an extra twenty taels of silver. Make sure to prepare some good food for everyone every day. A well-fed worker is an efficient worker,” Wang Jinhe said, considering that she had been too frugal with their meals. She then took out another twenty taels of silver and handed it to him.

The house-building uncle looked at the twenty taels of silver in his hand, feeling somewhat embarrassed. “How can we take your silver, County Princess?”

“What’s the harm in taking it? The money I spend on cooking for you is more than this. As long as you don’t think I’m stingy,” Wang Jinhe joked.

She couldn’t help but laugh at her own words.

The house-building uncle looked at Wang Jinhe, feeling both amused and exasperated. “The county Princess is already very generous.” The wages she paid them were already quite high, and now she was even providing for their meals.

“After our discussion, I’m confident that we’ll get the school built as quickly as possible,” the uncle assured.

“I naturally believe you,” Wang Jinhe replied.

After their conversation, they went their separate ways. The uncle went to arrange for the brick and tile supplies.

“That uncle seems like a good person,” Qiu Yi remarked.

Wang Jinhe nodded with a smile. “Indeed. We’ve had a few dealings with him, and he’s been reliable. Since we need someone to build the house, why not entrust it to someone we know? Besides, people are more likely to take their work seriously when they’re familiar with us.”

“That’s true. Shall we head back, Miss?” Qiu Yi asked Wang Jinhe.

“We’re already here, so let’s take a stroll around town,” Wang Jinhe suggested. She planned to take the opportunity to explore the town, as it had been a while since she had the chance to do so, and the town wasn’t too far from where they were.

“Alright.”

After arriving in town, Wang Jinhe and Qiu Yi looked around and made some purchases of items they needed.

After buying what they needed, Wang Jinhe purchased some pork trotters, spare ribs, and a few fish before heading back.

“I feel like having braised spare ribs and spare rib soup,” Wang Jinhe said, her mouth watering.

Qiu Yi looked at Wang Jinhe with a strange expression. It was quite surprising to see Madame in such a state for the first time.

“Why are you looking at me like that? Is it strange for me to crave these things?” Wang Jinhe asked, furrowing her brow.

“It’s not that. I just find it surprising that even with everything we have at home, Madam still craves these things,” Qiu Yi said. The things they loved at home were much better than what was available outside.

“We do have quite a few chickens at home, but not much else,” Wang Jinhe said, thinking about how they could also raise ducks. She planned to order some to make salted duck eggs and century eggs.

Thinking about salted duck eggs made Wang Jinhe crave them, but she didn’t like the duck eggs sold in the area.

“Let’s go buy some ducks. We can raise them at home, and in the future, we’ll have eggs to eat,” Wang Jinhe said, rubbing her chin as she began to consider when she could enjoy them.

“If we’re going to raise ducks, we might as well diversify a bit. There will definitely be people interested in buying duck eggs in the future,” Qiu Yi suggested. Currently, the demand for their chicken eggs was already high. If Madame made some more delicious items, there would surely be buyers.

Wang Jinhe carefully considered this and nodded. “You’re right. If we’re going to raise ducks, it will be quite a task.”

There’s no place for them to play.

“Miss, isn’t there a swamp near Xie Family Village and Hululu Village? There aren’t many people there. Do you think we should consider buying it? We could dig it out to make a pond. In addition to raising ducks, we could also grow some lotus roots and raise fish. It could be a good source of income in the future,” Qiu Yi suggested.

“You’re right, that’s a great idea,” Wang Jinhe said, nodding happily.

“Let’s go take a look at that swamp.”

If the area was large, there would be even more possibilities.

“Alright.”

The two of them went to the swamp that Qiu Yi had mentioned.

Wang Jinhe looked at the vast expanse of the swamp and was momentarily at a loss for words.

“This place is so big. Let’s go back and ask the village chief about the situation here. But buying it and cleaning it up will be a big problem,” Wang Jinhe said, feeling a bit overwhelmed.

Qiu Yi followed Wang Jinhe back to Xie Kui’s house.

“Uncle, is there anyone who owns the swamp that’s shared between our village and Hululu Village?” Wang Jinhe asked Xie Kui when they arrived.

“No one wants that place. Why? Are you interested in it?” Xie Kui asked, looking surprised.

Wang Jinhe nodded with a smile. “I want to raise some ducks, and we could also dig it out to grow some lotus roots and other things.”

“Ducks? Why do you suddenly want to raise ducks?” Xie Kui asked, puzzled.

“I want to use duck eggs to make some delicious dishes, and ducks themselves can also be used to make tasty meals,” Wang Jinhe explained. Just thinking about dishes like roast duck made her crave them.

While they were out in town, she should buy a few ducks to make roast duck for everyone.

“If we raise ducks, can we sell the duck eggs to you?” Xie Kui immediately thought of a potential source of wealth.

“Of course,” Wang Jinhe replied. She found the village chief’s reaction somewhat amusing, but she also felt relieved that she had found a place for her salted duck eggs and century eggs.

“In that case, I’ll raise some too.”

“Great.”

“About that swamp, how much is it being sold for?” Wang Jinhe asked, getting to the point.

“It’s about ten mu (about 1.65 acres) in size, not very large. There’s a lot of silt inside, and it’s quite deep, so no one wants it. If you want it, just give me ten taels of silver,” Xie Kui said nonchalantly.

Wang Jinhe looked at Xie Kui in astonishment and said, “Uncle, this is too cheap. Shouldn’t we ask the village chief of Hululu Village about this?”

“If you ask him, he’ll probably just give it to you,” Xie Kui replied. He was well aware of Hu Lin’s situation. Over the past two years, life in Hululu Village had been improving, and they were earning more money each year. There was no way they would accept her money.

He was only asking for ten taels of silver as a formality, and to transfer the land to Wang Jinhe to prevent any potential trouble or sabotage in the future.

“If I weren’t worried that someone might be envious and cause trouble for you in the future, I wouldn’t even take this money,” Xie Kui said frankly.

“In that case, please help me with this, Uncle,” Wang Jinhe said. She had intended to give Xie Kui twenty taels, but he refused to accept any more.

“You’ve given me enough, and I’ll be upset if you insist on giving me more,” Xie Kui said sternly, with a displeased expression.

Wang Jinhe could only nod helplessly and said, “Alright.”

The next day, Xie Kui came to Wang Jinhe with the deed. “Xiao He, I’ve obtained the deed for you.”