Chapter 239 Mo Hong’s Family Sells Daughter and Gains an Uncle (7)_1
Finally, Mo Qingze took the household register and went to the Government Office with the Li Family of three to process the bondservant indenture.
People who sell themselves into servitude are considered property of their masters and are not permitted to possess private property. Thus, the ten acres of wasteland allocated to the Li Family had to be reclaimed by the Government.
That ten acres of wasteland had already been tidied up and planted with soybeans, which were almost ready for harvest. Mo Qingze spent ten taels of silver to purchase the land and incorporate it into his own land deed.
Should the Li Family wish to reclaim their free status in the future, it would be convenient to return the ten acres to them.
The matter of the indenture was settled quickly, and the Li Family of three, as if a great weight had been lifted from their hearts, were more at ease staying with the Mo Family than before, and their smiles were indeed more frequent.
However, even though the two families were now differentiated as master and servant, the Mo Family treated the Li Family of three with great respect, and the Li Family’s attitude towards the Mo Family was just as natural as before. Only now, they would consult Mo Yan and her daughter on any matters that required a decision.
With not much to tend to in the Mo Family, Lizhong devoted all his energy to the orchard; Lixiu continued to teach Xin Er embroidery and did some housework in her spare time; Liyan was responsible for household chores, cleaning, laundry, cooking, mowing the grass, and feeding the cattle, etc.
Xin’er Zhen’er did not treat them as servants either, and would help with some tasks within their ability, and Mo Yan did not want them to develop lazy habits, so she would keep an eye on them from time to time.
After Mo Qingze left, Mo Yan, with the help of everyone, began to organize the family courtyard.
The Mo Family’s large and small courtyards numbered about ten, and the flowerbeds that were built but had not yet been planted with flowers and greenery looked stark and awkward.