The Story of a Destitute Noblewoman Farming

Broker Zhang took them to the area where these servants with special skills were. There was numbness in these people's eyes, and they looked at the surrounding environment with despair.

However, their strong desire to survive makes them full of expectations, hoping to meet a good master.

"These are all cooks. This is Miss Lu. Tell us what skills you have and introduce her to Miss Lu. She is a kind-hearted person. You will have a good life with her."

Broker Zhang looked at the servants and spoke in a slightly fierce tone.

"Ms. Lu, I can cook pastries. Whether it's steamed buns, dumplings, soup dumplings, or even dim sum, I can make them all." One of them, who was about forty years old, stepped forward first to introduce himself.

The others followed suit, some knew how to cook white pastry, some knew how to cook red pastry, some knew the cuisine of one place, and some knew the cuisine of several places. Lu Linlang also asked questions one by one to eliminate some people who were bragging.

One of them was a cook, who looked to be in her thirties or forties. She was accompanied by a little girl with a birthmark on her face. The cook said that she was good at both Chinese and Japanese cooking, and that she used to be in charge of the meals for the masters in a high-ranking official's house. The girl next to her was her daughter. If Miss Lu wanted to buy someone, she asked her to buy her daughter as well.

Perhaps because of the birthmark, the little girl felt a little inferior and didn't dare to raise her head. When she heard her mother asking her to call for help, a small sound came out of her throat.

"Miss Lu, there are only two people left in this family. I'm not that cruel. If you want to buy, just buy both of them together." The person in charge of this population market was a clerk in the yamen. The two had met last time, so he stepped forward and said.

Lu Linlang also asked her younger brothers and sisters to call people, and the clerk even bowed politely to Lu Zhan.

Lu Linlang finally chose the cook and her child, and bought two more cooks. The cooks would be responsible for working in the shop, and the cooks would follow them back to the village.

She went to choose another family. The man was responsible for looking after the horses in the stable and could also judge horses. The woman could do needlework. There were five boys and two girls in the family. She took this family back to look after the house and serve her younger brothers and sisters.

Broker Zhang took them to the area where the families of the convicted officials lived. It was even more lively here, with many people gathered around. She also heard the onlookers' comments on the girls who were being sold, which was quite disgusting.

Those young ladies from official families who were once beautiful and glamorous were now covered in dust and dirt, with their heads buried deep in their chests, filled with shame and anger. However, if they had such thoughts, the escorting officials along the way would whip them.

I live without dignity, and I can't die either, so I feel very desperate.

Lu Linlang looked at them one by one and actually saw someone she knew before.

The face was so clear that Lu Linlang thought it was the original owner's memory at work.

The girl in front of me, who looked like a beautiful little white flower, did not lower her head. Instead, she looked pitifully at the people around her, which made me feel sorry for her.

This person was Fang Shilun's cousin Xu Jiao, the one who had an ambiguous relationship with Fang Shilun in the past. Now, she had become a slave in a place thousands of miles away from the capital.

Xu Jiao didn't see Lu Linlang. At this moment, a young man was about to buy her, and the dentist went to check her teeth.

Lu Linlang did not go over to humiliate her, nor did she save her. Seeing her become like this, Lu Linlang felt happy for the original owner. However, the most hateful people were the Fang family. After she left Beijing, she asked others about the fate of the Fang family. The whole family went to the north, and their situation was not much better.

Lu Linlang originally wanted to find out where the exiled people were resettled, but after listening to the clerk, she learned that they were resettled in the most remote village, which was behind Xishan Village, and it was said that they had to climb over two hills to reach it.

She also inquired about the information of the exiled families. Two of the officials were from the capital, but Lu Linlang had no contact with their family. After some inquiries, she learned that this group of exiled officials had offended the regent.

"This Han Xiangzhi you're asking about is the former prefect of the capital. It just so happens that our Lord mentioned him yesterday. He was in a miserable state. He argued with the Regent in court and was exiled to the north, becoming a county magistrate. Fortunately, we are far away, otherwise we would have suffered."

When the clerk heard the name Lu Linlang asked about, he suddenly remembered something and told her the situation.

Lu Linlang had not expected that in just a few months, there had been such a big change in the officials in the court. It was heard that most of the officials who supported the young emperor to rule the country were exiled or had their property confiscated by the regent under various excuses. Those with deep roots were better off, at least they retained their official status.

Their family left in time, otherwise they would have been implicated. The prefect at least still had an official position, and he happened to be demoted to the north. Lu Linlang wondered in her heart whether this was related to the letter she had written before. Could it be that the prefect had planned this privately?

At this time, she did not have her own information channels and was very passive. She had to open the inn quickly and establish her own information network in the county and even the provincial capital.

These things still need to be done step by step. Lu Linlang doesn't want to think too much about it for the time being. The important thing is to gain a firm foothold for the family first.

After hiring the manpower, they went to buy alkali and some meat, and then went to the house. The house had already been cleaned, which showed that Lu Manyin had done a very good job these days.

Lu Linlang hired an ox cart to send the people she bought to the village. These people followed obediently, feeling uneasy about their future.

The servant in charge of the stable took the initiative to take over the task of driving the carriage, and Lu Linlang felt much more relaxed. When she arrived in the town, she did not see the two aunts and sisters from the village that morning, so she took a detour to the farm.

The farm is bustling with activity. The vegetable seeds have been planted and the hills need to be plowed again so that crops can be planted next spring.

There were also a lot of konjac growing on the mountains here. After Lu Linlang learned about it, she asked them to dig up all the konjac and send it to the village.

Like everyone else in the village, Lu Manjin thought Lu Linlang didn't know that konjac was poisonous, so he tried to persuade her several times. He was relieved only after learning that she had other uses for it.

When the carriage arrived at the village, the ox cart had already arrived. Xing'er took these people home first. The clothes they were wearing could no longer be seen in their original colors. They had followed the exile team all the way here and had no chance to change them.

Worried that they might have infectious diseases or lice, Lu Linlang bought some coarse cloth clothes in the county town in advance and asked them to boil water and wash themselves first. All the clothes were also burned as a precaution.

The clan leader's wife was also helping to boil water. When she learned that these people were all bought by Lu Linlang, she agreed and said, "We really should hire some people to run errands. Otherwise, you guys won't be able to handle so many things. Now that you're back, I'll go back first."

"Aunt, thank you for helping me look after the house today. Here are some snacks and meat I bought in the city. Take them back and give them to the children as a snack."

"We've already taken so much of your stuff, and now you have the nerve to take it back. Take it back quickly."

The two pushed and shoved for a long time before the clan leader's wife accepted the things and said that if she needed any help, she could just let her know.