jdhmnovel Chapter 1072: Mei Rui's Drama
Chapter 1072: Mei Rui's Drama
The willow wreath in Shen Zheng's hand was half woven and had already taken shape.
Hearing the lowing of cows not far away, she asked Mei Rui, "I heard from Steward Gu that there are twenty oxen working the fields on the farm. The autumn harvest is approaching, have you been raising cattle lately?"
For farmers and oxen, autumn harvest is a big day of the year. Therefore, before the harvest, both people and oxen must take good care of themselves and gain weight to welcome the harvest.
How do you say that.
——Sharpen your sword before the battle, even if it is not sharp it will still shine.
Mei Rui held the willow branch in her arms and took a half step forward. "Your Excellency," she said, "replying to your question, the oxen have been fed concentrated feed lately, once in the morning and once in the evening. My brother has also invited a craftsman to repair the cowshed on the farm to prevent it from getting sick."
Shen Zheng nodded when she heard this. "Protecting the cattle is protecting the autumn harvest, that's the way it should be. But... you have an older brother? Why didn't I see him today?"
Could it be that Manager Mei is following the trend and focusing on training his daughter rather than his son?
"My daughter has an older brother named Li, but he..." Mei Rui hesitated slightly, then replied, "He recently caught a cold and hasn't recovered in a few days. Since you came today, my father was worried that he might pass on his illness to you, so he let him rest in the back village."
"I see." Shen Zheng pushed aside the weeping willows in front of her and asked, "So, what are your brother's responsibilities at the manor?"
Mei Rui thought for a moment and replied, "My brother is responsible for purchasing easily worn farm tools, collecting fees from tenants, and managing the cattle shed. It's quite tiring."
Upon hearing this, Shen Zheng's hand that was weaving the ring paused for a moment.
The matters that Mei Li is in charge of sound complicated, but in fact they are all matters on the edge of power.
He could neither make a lot of money nor manage his tenants, and the only thing he could manage seemed to be the twenty oxen that worked the land.
Even though his own son was so grown up and was staying at the farm, Manager Mei was unwilling to give him power...
Looking at Mei Rui, who lowered her brows and looked docile, she restrained her expression, quickened her pace, and asked Mei Rui, "How far is the pear forest?"
"To answer your Excellency..."
"Miss Rui'er!"
A shout came, interrupting Mei Rui's unspoken words.
Shen Zheng glanced sideways at Mei Rui, then turned to look at the figure running towards him - he was wearing a coarse linen short jacket on the upper body, calf-nose pants with leggings on the lower body, and his two feet were directly on the ground, a standard tenant farmer's outfit.
"Miss Rui'er, it's really you!" Seeing Mei Rui, the tenant farmer seemed very surprised, but under the surprise, there was a trace of sadness, "Miss Rui'er, I, I saw it from a distance just now and it seemed to be you. I didn't want to disturb you and your sisters, but...but I really have no choice but to come to you..."
"Uncle Zhang?" Mei Rui was surprised by the tenant's words and hurriedly explained, "This is not me..."
"Let him talk." Shen Zheng hung the half-finished willow ring around her waist and looked at Mei Rui. "You led me here under the pretext of picking pears. Wasn't it just for this moment?"
Facing Shen Zheng's blunt gaze, Mei Rui was horrified, "Little, little girl..."
"No need to explain." Shen Zheng raised her hand to interrupt her and turned to look at Zhang Diannong: "Old man, what did you want to say just now?"
Zhang Diannong has been a tenant farmer in Xiliu Village all his life, and the most powerful person he has ever seen is Manager Mei.
Seeing the fear on Mei Rui's face, he couldn't help but get nervous as well, and subconsciously asked, "Miss, who are you...?"
"I'm from the Shen Mansion," Shen Zheng said, "The master sent me here to see you. If you have anything to say, just tell me."
"Shen, Shen Mansion?" Zhang Diannong's face turned pale, and he subconsciously took a half step back, shaking his head and said, "No, nothing. I just wanted to ask Miss Rui'er, the cow...can I take the cow out for a walk? Yes, that's it."
Shen Zheng frowned.
Before he could ask further questions, Mei Rui became anxious: "Uncle Zhang, the autumn harvest is approaching, and farming is no joke. If you have anything to say... just tell me."
Zhang Diannong paused, "Miss Rui'er, it's really nothing serious. We..."
"Speak!" Mei Rui's voice became much higher.
Zhang Diannong was frightened by her and showed a look of struggle on his face.
"Moo-"
A cow mooing sound was heard, and his shoulders shook slightly, as if he had made up his mind.
"Okay! I'll tell you!" He then turned and walked towards the edge of the field. "Masters of the Shen Mansion, and Miss Rui'er, please follow me."
He led Shen Zheng and the other person through a vegetable field, then turned a corner, and a row of cow sheds appeared in front of Shen Zheng.
Unlike what Mei Rui had said before, that the "cowshed had been specially renovated", the cowshed in front of him was dilapidated and had no signs of renovation. The roof was leaking light, and even the mud on the ground was half a foot deep.
The oxen in the shed were eating grass, frequently shaking their tails, with tears in the corners of their eyes. There was also some loose cow dung in the shed. It was obvious that the cows were sick.
Shen Zheng understood.
No wonder Mei Rui designed this play.
She looked at a cow pacing back and forth and asked, "This cow is panting and has a runny nose. It seems sicker than the others."
Zhang Diannong nodded, his voice trembling, "It's the sickest of the lot... It refuses to sleep at night and eats during the day. If it keeps going like this, it'll die sooner or later... I fed it mugwort, but it refused to eat. It must be angry and wants to kill itself..."
As he spoke, he took out a handful of dried mugwort from his arms and showed it to Shen Zheng.
Shen Zheng took the wormwood, smelled it, and asked, "What's wrong with them? Mei Rui told me that Mei Li hired craftsmen to repair the cowshed. What...was repaired here?"
"The roof leaked, the ground was cold and damp, and they lay in the mud, catching a cold..." Looking at the listless old fellows, Zhang Diannong no longer hid anything and told them all in one breath: "At first, I discovered the roof was leaking and the cows' fur was covered in mud, so I thought about fixing it myself. But the cowshed was so dilapidated, and it rained heavily outside and inside too... Repairing it wouldn't have helped at all."
"Then I went to see Master Li and told him that the cowshed needed to be rebuilt. The autumn harvest was approaching and there was no time to delay. Master Li agreed, but after several days, there was no progress. During this time, I brought some old straw mats from home and used them to cover the roof of the shed to protect the cows from the wind and rain."
"But you can see that the cowshed is low-lying. Whenever it rains, water accumulates on the ground. If the ground isn't rammed higher, the cows will still get cold at night. So, I went to see Master Li again. This time, Master Li did bring the farmhands with him, but..."
Zhang Diannong paused, pointed at the cowshed, and said, "Master Li only had the roof laid... This isn't just for me, this is just for my old friends!"