High-class maid

"Please take care, young lady. I will definitely come to thank you in person another day!" Wu Xunzhi bowed and cupped his hands in thanks.

"It's nothing, just a small favor," Shan Tao said, and then left with Shen Xing'er.

"Xing'er, that mother and child are so pitiful. They have nothing but bare walls, and the old lady has a back injury."

Shan Tao said while eating.

“This mother and son are also pitiful people. Besides, she is not an old lady. She is about the same age as your mother, but she has been worn down by life.”

Then, Shen Xing'er told Shan Tao about her and her son's situation.

"Ah, this man is such a scoundrel! He'd abandon his own son just to save a few coins!" Yamamoto couldn't believe that such a person existed in the world.

"Yes, but I just heard the doctor say that it's a good thing that Auntie fell. I don't know if her back can be healed. She's seen several doctors already."

"Sigh, never mind, let's eat, let's eat." Shan Tao had grown up in the Minister's mansion and had never experienced the coldness and warmth of human relationships, so she couldn't process this kind of thing for a while.

So she took the initiative to end the topic, but in her heart, she had unknowingly changed her opinion of scholars, perhaps without even realizing it herself.

By evening, Mr. and Mrs. Shen Kun finally returned, looking travel-worn.

"Father, Mother, please wash your hands and come eat. I don't know if my cooking is good or not," Shen Xing'er said shyly.

"Mmm, delicious. My daughter has grown up and can cook now." Shen Kun praised her after taking a bite, even before swallowing it.

Shen Xing'er was already used to her father's behavior. She exchanged a glance with Wang Shi and smiled, but said nothing.

"Father, how are things? Are those few acres of fertile land doing?" Shen Xing'er asked with concern.

"Not bad, the land is fertile, and I imagine it would yield a high yield of crops. It's a pity that I only bought five acres."

Shen Kun recalled that fertile land and shook his head.

"But we can't go to the fields every time we go home. We only come back for a few days a month. Who will take care of the crops?"

“At the foot of the mountain, there are many farmers who come out to find work after finishing their farm work to supplement their income. We leased out those five acres of fertile land to others,” Wang said.

It turns out that there are always clever people in every dynasty, and where there are people, there are business opportunities.

"What happens after we give them the package? Do we give them silver or grain?" Shen Xing'er asked.

"This farmer is a pitiful man. His son and daughter-in-law were killed by bandits in the mountains, leaving behind four children. He said he doesn't want any money, just ten catties of grain per mu of land is enough for him." Wang sighed deeply.

“There are so many pitiful people, let’s help them if we can. Although we’re not rich or powerful, helping them will put our minds at ease,” Shen Kun said.

“Yes, good fields don’t require much care to grow grain. Other families only give him eight catties of grain, but only our family gives him ten catties,” Wang said.

"Mother, when we have money in the future, we should buy more land. Shantao, you should also save up some money, and then we can buy land together," Shen Xing'er said.

"Yes, I will definitely do my job well when I get back and earn more reward money!" Shan Tao nodded heavily and said with great ambition.

In fact, Shen Xing'er's statement was not without reason. The book describes that a few years later, the Qin Dynasty would be at war with other countries, food would be scarce, wasteland would be speculated up to ten taels of silver, and fertile land would be speculated up to ten taels of gold per mu.

Shen Xing'er didn't know which year it was; she only knew it was the second month after the eldest young lady and the second prince got married. In any case, it was definitely the right thing to start preparing now.

"We still have some loose silver at home. I'd like to buy some land in the city with your father," Wang said, thinking about the family's savings.

"Father, Mother, why don't we save it all and buy some fertile land later? It'll be easier to manage if we keep it all together, and we won't have to hire anyone to take care of it," Shen Xing'er suggested.

“That’s what I said, but your mother insisted on buying one in the city. She said she wouldn’t feel at ease if it were bought outside the city,” Shen Kun advised.

“Mother, the land we bought is right next to the foot of the mountain where the nobles live, what are you afraid of?” Shen Xing’er also advised.

"Alright, alright, I don't know as much as you two, father and daughter. But right now we only have thirty taels of silver at home, which probably won't be enough to impress a nobleman," Wang said worriedly.

"Keep them. Do your job well and earn more rewards. When the harvest comes in, we'll sell the grain and make another sum of money." Shen Kun had already planned it out.

The group chatted and laughed, washing away their weariness. The moon quietly climbed into the sky, a cool breeze blew, and everyone pulled their coats tighter before heading back to their rooms to sleep.

"You all walk back to the Minister's residence. I'm going back to work today. Everything is ready, and there can't be any mistakes," Shen Kun instructed them after finishing breakfast.

"Okay, be careful on your journey, and don't overexert yourself." She was already very grateful that Shen Kun could stay with them for two days. Knowing the inside story, Wang only hoped that he would be safe and sound.

"I will. It's cold today, so be careful not to get a headache from the cold if you go to the manor in the morning. Why don't you all go back to the manor this afternoon?" Shen Kun said with concern.

"Alright, Dad, you can go now. You're even more nagging than Mom."

"You little brat, daring to talk about your father like that." Shen Kun pretended to hit her, but in the end he only gently patted Shen Xing'er's head.

After Shen Kun left, Shen Xing'er and Shan Tao helped tidy up the table. Just then, there was a knock on the door.

"Here you are, here you are, Xunzhi, what brings you here? Is there something you need?" Wang Shi was unaware of what had happened yesterday, so she was puzzled when she saw Wu Xunzhi carrying two things.

"Auntie, my mother fell at home yesterday, and thanks to the kind help of your distinguished guest, we have come today to express our gratitude."

"My home?" Wang asked, puzzled, but still invited him in.

Just then, Shen Xing'er and Shan Tao came out of the kitchen, having just wiped their hands.

"Brother Wu, you've arrived. Why are you carrying things? Shan Tao, this gentleman's surname is Wu, we all call him Brother Wu," Shen Xing'er introduced to Shan Tao.

"Brother Wu, you don't need to be so polite." Shan Tao waved her hand, refusing his things.

“Miss Shantao, please take this quickly. Yesterday, the doctor said that if he had arrived any later, my mother’s back would have been ruined. It’s all thanks to you for coming and calling the doctor away.”

After Wu Xunzhi finished speaking, he bowed again to express his gratitude.

Wang quickly caught him and pulled him down to sit.

"Good child, these two girls didn't tell me, I only found out today. How is your mother? What did the doctor say?"

"The doctor said that my mother has actually benefited from this misfortune. She has been receiving acupuncture these past few days and will need to apply plasters in a few more days. I think she will be able to walk again soon."

When the topic turned to his mother's injuries, Wu Xunzhi finally became less serious.

"That's fine, that's fine."