Reborn as a Landlord-Chapter 945 - 483: Flourishing
Second update, asking for likes.
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Lian Manman took advantage of the great weather that day and brought Xiao Qi on a stroll up the mountain, discovering that the wild grapevines were growing exuberantly. After returning home, she shared the news with her family, and they immediately began preparing for transplantation.
With sixty-eight mu of mountainous land and wasteland, the required number of wild grapevines was considerable. Lian Shouxin first harnessed the mule cart and calf cart, leading the long-term workers up the mountain to dig up grapevines. For each load of wild grapevines dug up, it was promptly transported to the fields and planted straight away.
After a day and a half of labor, they had already dug up all the wild grapevines available in the mountains near Thirty Mile Camp, yet only half of the land had been planted. Lian Shouxin then took a few long-term workers and drove the carts to the mountain valleys in nearby villages and towns, bringing back another three cartloads of wild grapevines, but this still wasn’t enough.
Fortunately, Zhang Qingshan, after finishing his own crop planting, remembered the request from Thirty Mile Camp and delivered three more cartloads of wild grapevines and an additional cartload of fruit tree seedlings.
They had departed from home during the Yin Hour and arrived at Thirty Mile Camp early in the morning.
Aside from one of the Zhang Family’s large carts, the other three carts were borrowed from other people.
Lian Shouxin then discussed with Zhang Qingshan how much to pay for the grapevines and fruit tree seedlings and how much for the cart hire.
Zhang Qingshan simply waved his hand.
"These wild vines are just growing wild in the mountains—why charge anything? The fruit tree seedlings are from our own stock, no need to pay. As for the cart hire, you don’t have to worry about that either."
"Not only don’t you owe anything, but let’s quickly get to the field. These folks I brought along—they’re all strong and capable, hand-picked by me. Today we’ll help you plant all these wild grapevines and tree seedlings."
As Zhang Qingshan spoke, he pulled Lian Shouxin over to greet the three cart drivers.
It turned out that Zhang Qingshan hadn’t hired strangers. Instead, the drivers were all relatives—堂兄弟 (cousins) and 堂叔侄 (uncles and nephews)—from his extended family in Burner Pot Village. Along with Zhang Qingshan and Zhang Qingnian, Lady Li and Lady Zhang Wang had also brought Zhang Caiyun with them.
Zhang Qingshan suggested planting the grapevines and fruit tree seedlings quickly while the soil on their roots was still moist to ensure their survival. Lian Shouxin, full of gratitude, didn’t refuse further. At home, Lady Li helped Lady Zhang with cooking, while two short-term workers assisted Zhang Qingnian and Lady Zhang Wang with planting the fruit tree seedlings. The others drove the carts to the vineyard field to plant the grapevines.
Zhang Caiyun took a large basket from one of the carts, hung it on her arm, and winked at Lian Manman and Xiao Qi in a mysterious manner.
"I brought you something good," Zhang Caiyun said, but intentionally kept them guessing about what it was.
Lian Manman and Xiao Qi exchanged curious glances. Earlier, Lady Li and Lady Zhang Wang had already retrieved two baskets from the carts. One contained dried mushrooms and wood ear fungus gathered from the mountains and sun-dried; the other held the last few surviving pears and dates that Zhang Qingshan and Lady Li had saved from the winter to bring for their grandchildren.
The way Zhang Caiyun carried the basket suggested it held something of considerable weight.
"What good stuff?" Lian Manman asked.
As soon as she finished asking, they heard two whimpering barks—puppy sounds laced with a milky scent.
Xiao Qi immediately jumped up in excitement.
"It’s dogs, little puppies!" Xiao Qi ran over, lifted the lid on the basket held by Zhang Caiyun, peeked inside, and instantly broke into a toothy grin. His chubby little hands reached in and pulled out a yellow-black-furred puppy.
In tenant farmer households, it was common to keep dogs for guarding property. With such a large estate now belonging to Lian Manman’s family and so many ongoing tasks, keeping two dogs to watch over the house and yard had become a necessity. Especially this year, with the addition of the fish pond and lotus pond, even though nets had been set up around them and the two long-term workers built a hut to stay there and guard them, raising dogs was still essential.
When Zhang Qingshan visited last time, Lian Manman and Xiao Qi had asked him to help find two good dogs.
In Thirty Mile Camp, most of the dogs raised were local breeds. Some of these local dogs could be quite fierce, but they couldn’t compare to wolf-dogs in ferocity. Zhang Qingshan lived in a mountainous region populated by many wolves, where dogs often interbred with wolves to produce wolf-dogs. These wolf-dogs were larger in size, more loyal in temperament, and fiercer in nature.
Fruit farmers in the mountains often needed to guard their orchards. In mountainous areas with wolves, keeping wolf-dogs ensured protection against wolf attacks and theft of fruits.
Of course, Zhang Qingshan’s home in Burner Pot Village, compared to the deeper, more secluded forested mountains further north, was only considered on the outer fringe of the mountainous area. The residents of Burner Pot Village primarily made a living growing fruit trees and cultivating some farmland. In contrast, those living in the deeper forested mountains often relied on hunting and ginseng gathering for their livelihood. While the fiercest wild animal in the forests around Burner Pot Village might be wolves, the deeper forests were home to bears, tigers, and even more dangerous wildlife.
