stingy landlady

Chapter 80 Puppet on a String

"In your father's heart, Xiaoyun, you are the eldest son! You should shoulder the responsibilities of the eldest son!"

"But! But when I got home, I realized I had made a huge mistake! I hadn't taken good care of my son! This family had disappointed him, and I, his father, had been abandoned by my son!"

"Father! I thought you didn't want me anymore! You abandoned me! Waaaaah!"

Before anyone knew it, Guizhi had already left, leaving only the father and son in the room, their true feelings revealed!

Guizhi gave the father and son some space because she knew in her heart that a twelve-year-old boy was going through a rebellious phase! Without proper guidance and care, he would fall into a difficult situation.

They might go astray! It's a good time to resolve their differences now so that father and son can communicate better and get along more harmoniously in the future!

Lin Xiaoyun was also afraid of being captured by bad people and forced into a lowly status, which would mean he would have no chance at all! He chose to go to remote places and even entrusted his fate to a horse! Wherever the horse took him, he went!

Luckily, I was fortunate enough to meet myself!

When Dazhu arrived, Guizhi was in the side room watching the little kids bow to her. They even wanted her to name them; didn't they know they were terrible at it?

"Hey? I've got it! Good fortune! Good luck! Splendor! Peace! Joy!"

Guizhi smiled happily:

"Uncle Xu! Your name symbolizes our wishes! May my loved ones be safe and healthy! May you all be blessed with good fortune, peace, and joy!"

Dazhu heard Guizhi's voice and came in. Seeing the children in the room, Guizhi asked:

"Dad! Are you done with your work over there?"

Dazhu looked at the children, sizing them up as he spoke:

"Okay! Let Uncle Zhou and the others finish up. There are still guests, Dad, come and see if we need to prepare dinner, or maybe we need to buy some meat!"

Dazhu said uncertainly.

Guizhi smiled:

"Dad! Kill two ducks! They're ready! Otherwise, where are we going to buy meat this late? If we had chickens, killing them would be even faster!"

At this moment, Zhou Xing's voice came:

"Xiaoyun! I heard your father has found you!"

Zhou Xingxing rushed over excitedly and headed straight for the main house, only to be stopped by the guards at the door.

Guizhi heard the sound and came out, then said to Zhou Xing:

"Zhou Xing! Come here! You've arrived just in time!"

Zhou Xing walked over, glanced at the guards behind him, and said as he turned around:

"Third Miss! Lin Xiaoyun, he..."

Guizhi pointed to the main room with her finger:

"Oh! He's alright! He's talking to his father. If you don't have anything else to do, go back and find Aunt Zhou! Ask her to kill a couple of ducks and pick some vegetables. We need to entertain our guests!"

Take Jixiang and Ruyi to help pluck the duck's feathers! Plucking the feathers is the longest part of slaughtering a duck!

Zhou Xing asked in confusion:

"Good fortune, and all your wishes fulfilled?"

"Yes! And Jinxiu! This is Ping'an and Xile! Come over and get to know them."

This is Zhou Xing! He's older than you, so you should call him Brother Xing!

The five children shouted in unison:

"Brother Xing!"

Arrangements for the cassia branches have begun:

"Good luck! May you have good fortune! You and Xingge go find Aunt Zhou and help her kill the duck and pluck its feathers."

Guizhi then remembered that with so many people eating, there wasn't enough room at home, so it would be better to have a more spacious meal here!

"Dad! Have we set up the table yet? Ping An, Xi Le, go with Xing Ge to the woodshed to get some firewood so we can heat up the kang (heated brick bed) in the main room first."

People need to stay here tonight! You will all stay in the side rooms tonight, men and women in separate rooms, and you should all heat up the kang (heated brick bed) early this morning!

Luckily, we plan to move in in the next few days, so we've dried out the kang (heated brick bed). Now we can live there directly! Otherwise, everything would be damp, and there would be nowhere to settle down!

Listening to Guizhi's well-organized arrangements, Dazhu said:

"They made several kang tables and floor tables! It's been so long, they should have brought them back by now! I'll go check the storeroom!"

As she was about to leave, Guizhi quickly called out:

"Dad! Let Jinxiu help you move the table and get a few more chairs! So many people are standing!"

Only Xu Hong and Gui Zhi remained in the room.

Xu Hong took out the indentures of five children and a land deed from his pocket and handed them all to Guizhi.

Gui Zhi took the branch and examined it carefully, asking Xu Hong as she did so:

"Uncle Xu Hong! Tell me! What happened?"

Xu Hong put it simply and clearly:

"Third Miss! I've spoken to the Prince. I know he has a very large woodworking workshop!"

We have a wide variety of timber here, and they sell well, such as ash, pine, and elm! Many people come to woodworking workshops to buy timber or to order custom-made furniture for sale in various places!

The prince has seen the young lady's drawings and thinks they are too colloquial. They are more suitable for mass production and selling finished products!

The price isn't high, but the quantity is large, so we should be able to make some money!

As for the profit sharing, the prince said they would discuss it after meeting the young lady!

This is the five hundred taels of silver I borrowed in advance from the prince.

These indentures belong to only Miss. In addition, I took it upon myself to buy some wasteland in Huanghua Village. The deeds to the land are in Miss's name, just as she has seen!

Miss! I also have my own reasons for doing this. I have a few men under my command who have been assigned to clear the land there. They are all brothers who have gone through thick and thin together!

Because of injuries, disabilities, or old age that made them unfit for combat, the prince was quite pleased that someone was helping to settle these veterans.

They only collected money for the two hundred mu of wasteland in Huanghua Village, and specially approved land for building houses in Huanghua Village was temporarily exempt from additional payment.

Guizhi squinted and asked:

"Uncle Xu Hong! Can I not have the land deed?"

That's not what I want! I'm just a young girl, how could I possibly have the ability to settle your veterans? They're weak and disabled! And what kind of hardened veterans can they do any work?

What will happen to the taxes after that? My own livelihood will be in trouble! What? Uncle Xu Hong is taking advantage of my youth and ignorance!

As Guizhi spoke, she pushed the land deed back to Xu Hong!

Xu Hong hurriedly knelt down and said anxiously:

"Miss! I saw our land! It's been managed perfectly by you and Dazhu! We're following suit! Miss, those veterans can work too! It's just a matter of how much they do!"

His voice trailed off towards the end.

Guizhi looked at Xu Hong kneeling on the ground and said:

"Uncle Xu Hong! You didn't sell yourself to me, so you don't need to kneel before me. I can't accept that!"

You keep calling me "Miss," but you call my father by his first name and won't even call him "Master"!

Uncle Xu Hong! You are my bodyguard, but I feel like you've become my steward, even making decisions for me!

Am I a puppet on your strings? Can you make me move however you want?

Guizhi grew angrier and angrier, and finally threw the indenture and land deed at Xu Hong:

"Take it back! I don't need the money for my blueprints! I don't want to take this responsibility!"

Xu Hong knelt on the ground, picked up the contract, and said bitterly:

"Miss! I was wrong! But how can I return this contract? And where can I return it to?"

Guizhi angrily shouted:

"What can you do? Go find your prince and return it to him, or you can change it to your name! Anyway, it has nothing to do with me!"

He got up and ignored him, walking past Xu Hong towards the door.