The Story of a Destitute Noblewoman Farming

The autumn harvest has just ended, and the only thing left to do is to dry the grain. Fortunately, the weather has been good these days, so the people in the farm can take turns to rest.

One day, Uncle Yu rushed back from home and saw two young men standing near the farm. They didn't look familiar to him and he was worried that they were short-staffed and someone was trying to steal something. So he shouted at them, "What are you two doing?"

The two were not frightened when they heard Uncle Yu's voice, but instead walked over.

"Uncle, my brother and I are passing by here. We heard that the owner of your manor is a kind and generous person, so we would like to ask for a bowl of water." The young man bowed and explained the reason.

"Oh, you're here looking for water, then why don't you just knock on the door? What are you waiting for here? Don't worry, my master is a kind-hearted person. If anyone passing by wants to ask for water, he will grant it."

Uncle Yu immediately put on a friendly expression and took the two of them to the door. The gatekeeper heard the noise, asked the reason, and quickly brought out two bowls of water.

Uncle Yu saw that the two were very young and started chatting with them. He learned that the man's name was Guan Hui and the woman's name was Guan Ling. They were from the Central Plains. Because their hometown suffered a disaster and their parents were separated, Guan Hui took his sister all the way south to Chongshui County.

"You two are truly miserable, brother and sister. But don't worry, our county magistrate is a good man. If you're from out of town and want to settle down, it's very simple. Just go to the government office and register. If you settle in the city, you can start a small business. If you settle in the village, you can even cultivate wasteland and plant crops. You're new here, so you might not have heard of our delicious food called konjac, which is a specialty of Chongshui County."

"My brother and I have been in Chongshui for several days now. We have heard that your place is a place of outstanding people and beautiful scenery, so we also plan to settle down here. We are very grateful for your guidance today."

"So where are you two settling down now? I feel sorry for you. If you encounter any difficulties, you can tell me. If my master is willing to help, you two can settle down early and wait until the time is right to go north to find your relatives."

"We live in the Yingkelai Inn in the county town. We came here today to inquire about where we can settle down. We want to find a place that is not exclusive to outsiders."

"Then you can take a look for yourself first, and come to me if you need anything."

After Guan Hui and his sister left, Uncle Yu kept staring at their backs. Guan Hui also felt that he was being stared at, but he remained calm and left the village with Guan Ling, who had not spoken a word.

After he lost sight of the two siblings, Uncle Yu told the gatekeeper and immediately returned to the village.

"Master, just now a man and a woman who claim to be brother and sister appeared, but they have been looking around the village. They also claimed to be from the Central Plains and came south after their family suffered a disaster. I think this is not a simple matter. There is no resemblance between the two men's eyebrows. They don't act like brother and sister, but more like master and servant. The girl has not spoken a word, but she looks like you, a noble woman, completely different from ordinary women.

I suspected that these two people had bad intentions and were perhaps just here to explore the way. My father told me that when he was raising ducks, he had seen many bandits. Those people were very powerful. If they wanted to attack a village, they would always send people to explore the way in advance to see where there were rich families and which place would be easiest to rob.

I just got close to them. They're staying at the Yingkelai Inn. I was worried they were acting rogue, so I hurried back to let you know so I could secretly check if they were the bandits' scouts.

Uncle Yu didn't just feel sympathy for those two people, but he wanted to get some information so he deliberately tried to get close to them.

"Uncle Yu, thank you for telling me. I will arrange for someone to investigate this matter. Please describe their appearance and I will have someone keep an eye on them."

Lu Linlang took his words very seriously. These were not peaceful times. In July, she heard about the heavy rain in the Central Plains. The court said that it had allocated relief funds, but when she visited the county magistrate's house last time, Lu Linlang heard his hint and was afraid that no one knew who had gotten the relief funds.

If chaos breaks out in the Central Plains, it will be worse than adding insult to injury. In the past few months, she has been paying close attention to the situation in the court, making preparations early and taking precautions.

So when the two men claimed to be from the Central Plains, she became even more alert. After all, according to Uncle Yu's description, these two people did not look like disaster victims. Their clothes were similar to those of the local people who lived a stable life. They could even afford to stay in her inn, so they must have enough food and drink. Therefore, these two outsiders were very suspicious.

Lu Linlang immediately found Zhong Fan and asked them to secretly follow the two siblings based on the description to see what they wanted to do.

Zhong Fan took the order and took his men to look for the two siblings. Lu Linlang also got busy.

As soon as the autumn harvest is over, the village workshops start to operate. The selected personnel need to be trained. Whether it is the operating techniques or daily work requirements, everyone must be familiar with them. The entire workshop cannot suffer losses due to the mistakes of one person.

After hearing Lu Linlang's explanation, the elders also took it seriously. They had not thought of this level, so they were not very concerned about it.

Almost half of the people in the village work in the workshops, so they can tell others about it to give them face. The children study in the school, and some of the elderly are also guarding the village entrance. If anyone wants to find out their secrets, they will keep an eye on them.

Don't underestimate the mobility of these elderly people. They sleep little, so they arrive at the village entrance before dawn and sit and chat. The weather is not cold yet, and there are people to talk to when they come out.

If they see a stranger coming, they will send someone to follow him and see what he wants to do. If he comes to visit relatives, they will watch him enter the relative's house in the village before leaving. If he wanders around aimlessly, they will keep staring at him.

Ever since Xishan Village built the workshop, many people from the surrounding villages or the county and town have been curious about their business, so they wanted to come and find out. However, after being followed by these old men and women, they did not dare to act rashly.

Even though some of the old men were trembling, their eyes never left them. A few hooligans who wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to steal were stared at by them and felt like they were being watched by them.

After learning about the battle achievements of the grandparents, Lu Linlang asked the servants to deliver some health-preserving tea made by Yunxi to them every day, and also provide them with snacks, delicious food and drinks to treat them, and asked them to guard the village entrance well.

The elderly are happier because not only do they have people to talk to outside, but they can also have free, easily digestible snacks. It is more comfortable than at home, so they are more willing to go. The young people in their families are also happy for them to come, and the families are much more harmonious.