Love Lock

Chapter 31 Noble people don't eat cheap meat
Han Lei took the land deed that Uncle Wang brought back, examined it, and then put it in her bosom.

"Brothers, this shop is ours from now on," Han Lei said loudly to the wounded soldiers.

"Wow, that's great!"

"We'll be working here from now on."

"We have something to do."

The wounded soldiers cheered, leaving Uncle Wang stunned.

This girl is calling these guards, brothers?

Han Lei was in a good mood when a series of jingling sounds suddenly came to mind.

"Ding! Reward: 1,000 taels of gold."

"Ding! Cement manufacturing method rewarded."

"Ding! Reward: 1,000 taels of gold."

"Ding! Reward: Refining method for refined salt."

……

Han Lei was startled. Seeing that everyone was busy having fun and hadn't noticed her, she quickly sat down on a stool and went into the system to check.

The system panel kept flashing with reward items. Han Lei tried to ask the system why she was being rewarded, but the system ignored her and just kept ringing. The system was probably too busy to keep up with the questions.

The notification sound lasted for about two minutes. After it ended, Han Lei checked the system inventory and was shocked by what she heard.

The system warehouse suddenly had 54,000 taels of gold, as well as cement, refined salt, glass, steel refining methods, and a computer that could connect to the network within the system.

Why was there a sudden reward of 54,000 taels of gold and these other items?

Han Lei looked thoughtfully at the wounded soldiers who had come with him today. Apart from Tao Qing and A Mao, there were exactly fifty-four others.

Could it be that the system rewarded her based on the number of people she helped find employment for those fifty-four? And those refining methods are things she'll need for her future development?

Han Lei thought about it carefully and felt that this must be the case.

Seeing that everyone had calmed down after their excitement, Han Lei called all the members of the small team to her side and introduced the team leader to Uncle Wang.

"Starting tomorrow, all of you will temporarily work here with Uncle Wang. You will receive two taels of silver per month. You must learn from Uncle Wang well. Your wages will increase after you have completed your studies. We will make other arrangements after you have mastered other tasks," Han Lei said to the wounded soldiers of the small squad.

Upon hearing that it would be two taels of silver a month, the wounded soldiers cheered again. This was much easier than enduring the elements and fighting in the army camp. Not only had the silver doubled, but it was also closer to home.

Han Lei then asked Uncle Wang where she could buy land and how much it cost per acre.
"Young lady, are you buying land to build a house?" Uncle Wang asked in return. "If you want to build a house, you should buy it from the county magistrate."

"No!" Han Lei shook her head. "I want to use it for farming and also build a pig farm."

"Young lady, you want to farm and raise pigs?" Uncle Wang was very surprised and could not understand the strange ideas of these noblemen.

Han Lei gestured towards the wounded soldiers of the small squad and explained, "It's not me who's planting, it's them. I'm finding them work and having them bring the local people with them. The goal is to ensure that everyone here has food to eat, and even that every household has enough money to buy meat. I'm just teaching them how to do it; as the saying goes, 'Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime!'"

"Oh! Young lady, you are truly a kind person!" Uncle Wang understood, and his admiration for Han Lei surged like a mighty river, never-ending.

“Young lady, if that’s the case, there’s no need to buy land. The land in Cangzhou is relatively barren and can’t grow much grain. The good land has already been seized by powerful families, and the remaining wasteland is unwanted. The county magistrate has ordered that the common people can reclaim the wasteland themselves, and whoever reclaims it owns it.”

"Oh?"

Han Lei's eyes lit up. Whoever opens the shop gets to own it; isn't this practically giving her land for free?

The poor soil wasn't a big problem for her, because she could buy all kinds of fertilizers through the system. If she set up a pig farm, the stored pig manure would also be readily available as farmyard manure.

Moreover, in modern times, she knows of many crops suitable for growing in barren land, such as corn, potatoes, soybeans, sorghum, and so on.

Corn is not demanding in terms of soil; it can be grown in most types of soil. During their rest stop on the way to Qingshui County, she observed that the land in Cangzhou was definitely unsuitable for rice cultivation, but growing corn would be no problem.

Furthermore, soybeans are legumes, and legumes have the unique ability to fix nitrogen from the air through symbiosis with bacteria. Therefore, soybeans can be grown and thrive even in nitrogen-poor soil. Planting soybeans in fields previously used for other crops can also restore soil fertility, making barren soil more fertile.

"Uncle Wang, please take me to see the nearest wasteland tomorrow."

"Alright!" Uncle Wang nodded, then said, "Young lady, I don't mean to discourage you, but raising pigs isn't a good idea! These days, people often don't have enough to eat, so where would they find the grain to feed pigs?"

"Uncle Wang, you don't need to worry about that. I'll provide all the pig feed until the crops are grown on the wasteland," Han Lei said confidently.

“But the poor can’t afford pork, and the rich think it’s cheap meat, so they don’t want to eat it! Who will you sell your pork to?” Uncle Wang was worried that Han Lei was just acting on impulse.

"Hehehe..." Han Lei chuckled at this. "You don't need to worry about that at all. I guarantee that all those nobles will line up and fight over the cheap meat you mentioned. If they come late, it'll be gone. Hehehe..."

"Huh? Miss, are you serious?" Uncle Wang's worldview was completely overturned by Han Lei's words.

"Of course it's true. If you don't believe me, just wait and see! You'll be running up and down the stairs until your legs hurt. Hehehe..."

Uncle Wang looked on incredulously.

"Hahaha……"

Uncle Wang's expression made the wounded soldiers burst into laughter. The boxed lunches they had eaten on the road a couple of days ago consisted of two meat dishes and two vegetable dishes, including one made with pork, and it tasted absolutely delicious.

Moreover, after spending more than a month with Han Lei, she constantly surprised them. Therefore, they all had a mysterious confidence in Han Lei.

After everyone laughed for a while, Han Lei stopped smiling and began to seriously instruct Uncle Wang.

"Uncle Wang, put up a job posting at the door today. In addition to hiring staff for the shop, we also need craftsmen who can build houses and make tables and chairs. We also need farmers who can raise pigs and cultivate the land. Men, women, young and old are all welcome. As long as they can work hard, they will be paid one tael of silver per person per month. Those who try to cheat or shirk their duties will not be hired. Tell them that this is not odd jobs, but long-term employment. Moreover, to speed up the project, once the house is completed, everyone will be provided with room and board."

"Oh, really? Then I'll go and take care of it right away." Uncle Wang was overjoyed and turned to go do the deed. After taking only two steps, he turned back and bowed deeply to Han Lei.

(End of this chapter)