Chapter 261 - 174 Unexpected Results_1
Before I knew it, the fifteenth of the first lunar month had passed, and Qian Hua, accompanied by the staff of Jinxiu Embroidery Workshop, went to the county city, while the family continued to hire people to dig ponds.
The lake in the large courtyard had been completely cleaned out, and the lotus seeds brought back from Cave Sky Pool were spread into it. Qian Sangui and Qian Yixiu had already agreed that these seeds would be bred in the lake, and only by the next year could they be planted extensively. As for the other ponds, they would purchase lotus rhizomes from outside to plant.
Because many workers were hired, by the end of February, all the ponds had been dug out. These ponds were slightly shallower than the lake in the large courtyard, measuring about ninety centimeters to one meter in depth. Besides the wasteland in front of the courtyard that had to be left empty, and the wasteland on the east side reserved for future construction, the remaining unused land consisted of about a hundred acres covered by the ponds, with a small hill formed from piled-up soil spanning over ten acres. Between each pond, and between the ponds and the hill, about ten acres were left vacant for buildings, pavilions, or gardens to be constructed later.
The Qian family’s first wife, second wife, and the Wan family had their lands dug into ponds, with the soil piled up on the hill belonging to the third branch. The small hill, undulating and rising amidst the vast lotus ponds before Xishi Mountain, could potentially be planted with fruit trees on about thirty acres designated for walking, pavilion construction, and flower planting.
This small hill was named Mountain of Flowers and Fruits, the series of ponds was named Moonlit Lotus Pond, and the lake owned by the family was named West Lake. Naturally, these names were coined by Qian Yixiu.
There were reasons behind these names: Mountain of Flowers and Fruits would bear blossoms and fruit, the lotus under the moonlight would surely be the most beautiful, and since their home was to the west, the family’s lake was called West Lake.
Even Mr. Yu praised Qian Yixiu’s explanation upon hearing it, finding it both vivid and pleasing to the ear.
The third branch hired five workers to tend to the lotus ponds and three to care for the fruit trees, while each of the three families also hired a worker. Qian Ergui was somewhat reluctant to hire help, preferring to do things himself, but Qian Manhe reported it to Old man Qian, who gave Qian Ergui a good scolding until he agreed to hire a worker.
The several servants of the third branch were reassigned, with Huang Tie managing Moonlit Lotus Pond, and Su Ming overseeing Mountain of Flowers and Fruits. Su Sanwu and Su Siwu were mainly dedicated to looking after the family lake and assisting with household matters. The eighty acres of land rented out required little attention, so Old man Cai took charge of it. The two acres of family land were also rented out.