Transmigration: Space-Aided Rise to Power and Prosperity-Chapter 269 - 105: Hiring Farm Workers

In ancient times, rural gentry and landowners had large holdings of land, so they often either hired long-term workers or leased it out.

"Buy people? Why waste the silver on that? Your father here isn’t old yet! I can still work, better to just find a few old farmers in the village who can guarantee to manage the land well for you."

Mr. Gu glared; he knew Gu Chengyu was capable of earning silver, but the habit of buying people at every whim wasn’t good — he simply hadn’t shifted his mindset from that of a farmer.

Mrs. Lv was also happy with Gu Chengyu buying land, and she joined in persuading, "Listen to your father, he’s not old yet! He can still work, save him from wandering around the house all day!"

Gu Chengyu knew Mr. Gu would say this. He originally bought the land just to give Mr. Gu something to do. Hearing his mother say the same, he immediately smiled. Suddenly, he thought of Aunt Wang, remembering Mr. Gu mentioning before that Aunt Wang’s husband was diligent at work, and he could ask him for help.

"Dad! If you’re looking for someone, why not ask Aunt Wang’s uncle? I see he’s very hardworking. Besides, Aunt Wang has helped our family a lot before. Just hire him to work for us, give some silver every month. Anyway, there’s plenty of work on the land, and it saves him from looking for work elsewhere."

In fact, finding work outside is very hard, villagers without skills and illiterate can only do labor jobs. Carrying bags in town is no better than working in the fields, and the busiest times on the land are just those two or three months, after which there’s hardly any work.

"Then just hire them during the busy times, why keep them around when there’s no work?" Mrs. Lv didn’t have the modern concept of year-round, on-call work; she only knew that it would cost a lot of silver coins.

"Mother, if we buy the land, our family will have hundreds of acres. There’s plenty of work! Our family won’t lose out! Besides, we can’t expect people to be on call all the time. Better to give a monthly salary, like long-term workers."

"I think that’s fine too, plenty of work on our land, call two long-term workers and the rest can be temporary, that’s nothing!" Mr. Gu thought long-term workers were worth it, just hire a few less.

"Then you two discuss it." Mrs. Lv, like all women of ancient times, considered her husband the authority. Since the household head and the son had decided, she, as a woman, would usually not object.

Gu Wan, seeing the serious business was done, finally interjected, "Then Xiao Bao is becoming a landlord!"

"That’s right! I’m also saving up a dowry for you!" Gu Chengyu said with a smile, making Gu Wan blush bright red again.

When Gu Chengyu and Gu Wan returned to their room, Mrs. Lv then brought up the matter of the second son and Wang Yue.

"What? How could this be? Could there be a mistake?" In Mr. Gu’s impression, Gu Chengyi was shrewd, and Wang Yue wasn’t exactly a celestial beauty. Wouldn’t Gu Chengyi know better to stay away from such a woman? How did the two end up together?

"Everyone has seen it, he went to her house right in broad daylight! Other people at least know to be discreet after doing something shameful, but he’s alright, almost wanting everyone to know." Mrs. Lv was full of anger at the mention of the second son; he and his wife’s family were the most cunning and often mischievous, even after splitting the family, they didn’t settle down.

Seeing Mrs. Lv so convinced, Mr. Gu began to believe it might be true, "No wonder we haven’t seen the second son much recently, and he hasn’t gone to fetch his wife back. I think there’s a good chance it’s true."

"Could it be false?" Mrs. Lv rolled her eyes, deeply disdainful of Mr. Gu’s reluctance to accept it.

"Is the second son home? Didn’t you say he went to fetch his wife?" Mr. Gu stood up intending to find the second son in his room, but suddenly remembered yesterday he said he went to the He Family to fetch his wife, yet neither had been seen today — could they not be back yet?

"I haven’t seen him; who knows where he took the wife he’s fetching?" Mrs. Lv also couldn’t stand that the second son’s household was always cold and desolate, and the wife didn’t stay home to support her husband and teach her children, instead always visiting her mother’s house.

Mr. Gu went out to the yard to take a look and found that the second son’s room was indeed empty.

"Eldest, are you in? After eating, come to the main room." Mr. Gu called towards the main house, figuring Gu Chengli should be eating lunch around this time.

"Yes! Dad, I’m coming!" Gu Chengli quickly answered upon hearing his father’s call. Thinking it might be about organizing a family banquet.

"Dad! Did you call me?" Gu Chengli walked in with big strides; his father wouldn’t call for him without a reason.

"Ah! Didn’t the second son say yesterday he went to fetch his wife from the He Family?" He had heard some of it when the eldest and second sons talked yesterday.

"Yes, quite strange, why hasn’t the second son returned yet? It’s rare for him to spend the night at the He Family." Gu Chengli also found it strange; he felt something was off with the second son recently.

"When he returns, tell him to come see me; I have something to discuss with him." Mr. Gu furrowed his brow; neither son was trouble-free!

"Alright! By the way, Dad, when is the banquet scheduled for this time?"

"On the eighteenth, in the next few days, visit the families we’re close with, invite them to come and drink." The things for the banquet would be prepared by Gu Chengyu’s followers; they just needed a few women to help out.

Gu Chengli acknowledged, and turned to head out.

"Oh! On the sixteenth, the family that Doctor Li introduced will come for a match, you should also come, call your wife to come and meet the people!" Mr. Gu remembered the pitch session on the sixteenth; when the ladies arrived, Mrs. Fang could help attend.

"Sure! Dad, I’ll tell his mother, have her come early that day to help out!" Gu Chengli happily agreed; the Fourth had also reached the age to talk marriage. If a marriage was arranged this year, it could happen next year, relieving one of their father’s worries.

"There are servants at home, don’t need you to work, just sit around!" Mr. Gu wasn’t calling his daughter-in-law to work, but as the eldest sister-in-law, she should make an appearance.

After Mr. Gu finished, he looked at Gu Chengli and noticed his clothes were torn with many patches, and he frowned.

"Dress nicely that day, you haven’t been without silver since the family split, why dress so ragged? Have your wife go to the cloth store when she has time, and make a few garments. I see Da Ya and the others don’t have a decent dress, they’re big girls now; even if they aren’t boys, the family has some foundation, don’t be stingy!"

Mr. Gu sighed, looking at his eldest son’s sun-darkened face. Once, the family was poor, and he had to scrimp and save; yet now, even with better days, the eldest couple couldn’t even spare a robe, leaving him helpless.

"Ah! Isn’t it for work? So tattered, last time Xiao Bao brought some materials back, his mother made them, but kept them off our backs. That day, we won’t let you lose face." 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Gu Chengli was embarrassed by his father’s words, though there was plenty of silver at home, and more would be divided at the year-end, Da Lang’s studies were obviously failing, far from his Little Uncle. In the future, another way might be needed, so the silver had to be saved; there were also three daughters to marry off, and a dowry had to be prepared after all?