Chapter 306: Planting The Land ( 1 )
Meanwhile, in Yang Village, Yao Zhi was checking the seedlings she prepared. The earlier seedlings had started to sprout. If she watered them for a few more days with the spiritual spring water, they would be ready for planting.
Thinking about the number of refugees in Zhu’an town, she wondered if the imperial court would distribute seeds to them for spring plowing.
After she finished checking the seedlings, she returned to her room and opened the system. It had been 22 days since she put her items up for auction. The auction should have been completed by now.
As she guessed, the auction process was completed. She thought that if the points were not enough, she would put more items up for auction. But when she saw the amount of points she earned from the auctions, she was stunned.
She earned a total of 879,570,250 points. It took her a while to regain her composure.
Since she needed a total of 800,000 merit points to buy the list of available items in this world, she decided to exchange 850,000,000 points for merit points.
With the exchange rate of 500 points for 1 merit point, she obtained 1,700,000 merit points. Then, she bought the list immediately.
After she took out the booklet, she closed the system. Feeling curious, she opened the booklet and read it carefully. She thought that there were no candles in this era, but it turned out they had them. They also had oil lamps and pottery lamps.
As for food, most of them were similar to those of the Shang Dynasty. Besides paper, brush, and ink, other things were mostly the same.
Yao Zhi closed the book and let out a sigh. With so many things unavailable in this world, it would be hard for her to enjoy life.
Since she had to prepare for the spring planting, she put this matter at the back of her mind and went to find Ling Shi’er.
"Shi’er, follow me to the town."
At this moment, the Ling brothers were practicing their martial arts together. When they heard her asking Ling Shi’er to go with her, Ling Shiliu suddenly raised his hand and asked, "Master, can I go with you? I want to visit the pharmacy."
Yao Zhi never limited her people’s freedom. As long as they finished their tasks, they were free to do anything they wanted in their free time. So, she nodded. "Okay. Prepare the donkey cart, we are leaving in 15 minutes."
Since the weather had warmed up, she changed her winter clothes to thinner ones. Today, she plans to hire people to take care of her wasteland in the long term. So, she decided to check the broker’s office.
After she changed her clothes, she suddenly turned to Xi Yi and said, "Xi Yi, you also come with me."
Xi Yi had no objection and went to change into a set of clean clothes.
When they left, the sun had just risen to the third pole.
Along the journey, Yao Zhi told Xi Yi about her plan to hire people. As a matriarch of a marquisate, she had a good eye for judging people.
"Master, I will check the people for you."
"Then, I will leave this matter to you. We need strong, honest, and hardworking men."
"Understood."
40 minutes later, they reached Zhu’an town. After paying the entrance fee, they went directly to the broker’s office.
Before she went in, Yao Zhi said, "Shiliu, you can go to the pharmacy. Shi’er, wait here and look after our cart. I will go with Xi Yi."
They nodded and went to do their own things.
After they walked into the hall, Yao Zhi let Xi Yi walk in front of her as she followed 2 steps behind.
With a new identity, Xi Yi no longer had to walk or behave like a slave. Her head was raised, and her posture was straight. Unknowingly, she exuded the aura of a noble woman.
If not for her clothes, the clerk would think that a noble woman was visiting their broker’s office.
When she stood in front of the counter, Xi Yi said, "Sir, we want to hire workers to plant our land. They don’t have to be young, but they have to be honest, strong, and hardworking. Do you have anyone who fits these criteria?"
The clerk nodded and asked, "Lady, do you want to hire them for the short term or the long term?"
"We prefer long-term workers."
The clerk nodded and opened a booklet. He showed it to her and said, "We currently have a total of 52 people who fit your criteria. But some of them asked for a high wage."
Xi Yi didn’t comment on his words and read the booklet first. She read the information for a while before she said, "I want to meet them first before I make a decision."
The clerk nodded and replied in understanding, "I will send my people to inform them. Guests, please wait in the back room."
Xi Yi glanced at Yao Zhi, and only after seeing her nod did she follow the servant. They waited for almost an hour before a group of people was led into the room.
Before they came, the workers thought that they would work for a noble family and were full of excitement. But when they saw that their employer was a commoner, their excitement died down.
Xi Yi glanced at them and marked the booklet pages that contained the information of the workers who were displeased.
"Guests, these are the people who are willing to work on your farm for the long term," the clerk said.
Xi Yi nodded and waved her hand. She looked at the workers and said, "My Master is opening a wasteland and building an estate. So, we need people who are not only strong but also know how to farm."
"During the busy seasons, you will receive 30 wen daily. We will prepare water and lunch. If my Master is satisfied with your work, we will hire you to tend the crops during the off-season and pay you 15 wen. Water is provided, but no lunch."