Picking Up a General to Plow the Fields

Chapter 163: Pond Scum

Lian Fang Zhou casually asked Account Manager Yang about how often the fish ponds were drained and found out that they were drained each year and would not be irrigated until around April of the following year, rotating on a yearly basis.

Who knew where Yang Yuan had heard it, but he had been told that this method would allow the bottom of the pond to be cleaned and the fish would be raised better.

After listening to Account Manager Yang’s explanations, Lian Fang Zhou nodded and smiled.
“That is true! I will tell you a method.
After the empty pond is filled the coming year, put a sack of quicklime in each of the four corners, to kill any lingering poison.
In the summer, it is good to go up to the mountain and chop some dense pine branches and place them in the pond!”

“Oh? There is such a method?” Account Manager Yang glanced at Lian Fang Zhou in surprise and smiled: “Does Miss Lian also know how to raise fish?”

“I don’t dare to claim this,” Lian Fang Zhou said with a smile, “I just heard a little!”

Account Manager Yang smiled and didn’t say anything else.
He was skeptical of Lian Fang’s words and would check them carefully.
If what she said was true, only then would he bring it up with the master.

If Miss Lian wants the mud from the pond, then please go ahead! In any case, there is a lot of silt in the ponds, so you can take as much as you like! Haha, we will have to thank Miss Lian for digging our pond deeper! This is also a good thing.” Account Manager Yang laughed.

“Thank you!” Lian Fang Zhou smiled, cupping her hands.

Today, they were successful.

One mu of land would require six baskets so for 150 acres, they would need nine baskets total.
However, Lian Fang Zhou intended to dig up a thousand baskets.

She chatted with Account Manager Yang and asked if there was any tenants or workers of the Yang family who would be willing to help.

Of course, it would not be unpaid! Two coins for every basket of mud collected, paid on the same day.
It would take about ten people.

Account Manager Yang’s eyes brightened and he smiled, saying: “Miss is very generous! Okay, I will ask around!”

Soon, Account Manager Yang had brought ten middle-aged men and said to Lian Fang Zhou with a smile: “Ten people exactly, I will leave it to Miss Lian to arrange them!”

Lian Fang Zhou directed the workers to use the bamboo baskets to pull the mud from the pond and deposit it on the shore.
She asked Account Manager Yang for some paper, a pen, and a simple table, so she could keep track.

The workers heard her instructions and felt that this was a good deal for making two coins a basket.
They all agreed and took the baskets and some shoves, rolling up their pants and sleeves as they walked to the pond.

The first few baskets were not left on the shore.
Taking eight of them in the donkey cart, Ah Jian and Lian Ze took the baskets to the fields, where they were poured out on the ground one by one.

The mud was not ready to be used, it would need to dry for a few days before it could be spread out.

After two consecutive days, they transported a thousand baskets of mud to the fields.

Lian Fang Zhou had asked the workers to spread the mud to make it easier to dry.

Now that the pond mud was finished and it was time to collect the plant ash.

First, she directed the thirty workers to cut the grass.
The more weeds they had to burn, the better!

It was even better if they could get a wide variety of plant material to burn.

In Dafang Village, there was many small hills dotted around the flat land.
This was were Lian Fang Zhou took her workers to cut grass.

Generally, these small hills had more variety of plants than the flat land.

Brandishing sickles, the workers took half a day to pile up the grass like a small hill.

The cut grass would need to be dried for two days and when the pond mud was finished being laid, they would sprinkle the ash evenly and stir it together.

Lian Fang Zhou, Lian Ze, and Ah Jian were all very busy with this matter and still had to take two trips a day to look in on the storehouse construction.
Only when they finished collecting the ash, did they take a few days off.

The second day, Lian Fang Zhou had only taken a few steps out of the construction site when she heard a voice calling her from behind: “Miss Lian! Miss Lian! Are you Miss Lian?” It sounded surprised.

Hearing this familiar voice, Lian Fang Zhou felt a burst of anger in her chest.
Her eyes narrowed and her face sank.

It was Cui Shao Xi!

There was the sound of carriage wheels turning and then the approach of footsteps.

“Sister, it looks like Master Cui!” Lian Ze said, looking back.

“It’s not ‘like’, it is him.” Ah Jian raised an eyebrow.

Lian Fang Zhou let out a hum and said lightly, “Don’t pay him any attention, let’s go!”

Lian Ze could not tell if she liked Cui Shao Xi or disliked him, but since his sister had said so, of course he would listen.
So he said ‘oh’ and followed behind her.
Ah Jian did not care one way or the other.

Cui Shao Xi had come in a carriage this time and when he had approached Dafang Village, he had lifted the curtain to look out, just happening to see the three walking.
He had waved at them, joy in his heart.

He had originally expected that Lian Fang Zhou and the others would definitely stop to say hello when he heard him calling.

Unexpectedly, apart from Lian Ze glancing calmly at him, the other two did not respond at all.
Should his people go forward or not?

Cui Shao Xi’s smile stiffened and his arm stagnated, slowly dropping, but he told the coachman to speed up.

“Really shameless! I don’t know good people!” Cui Yi couldn’t help but cure in a low voice, angry.

“Shut up for this master!” Cui Shao Xi gave him a sharp look before thinking and asking Cui Yi, “Did I offend Miss Lian recently?”

Cui Yi opened his mouth in disbelief!

When did his lord become so aggrieved by such a lowly person? It was ridiculous! Ugh!

“No! Absolutely not! It must be that they didn’t hear you!” Cui Yi said very firmly.

No one believed it but himself.

The carriage quickly caught up with the small group.

Cui Shao Xi ordered it to stop, yelling “Miss Lian!” as he jumped out of the carriage.

Seeing him like this, Lian Fang Zhou couldn’t continue so she stopped and nodded at him politely.
Smiling, she said, “Isn’t it Young Master Cui? I don’t know why you’ve come here?”

“Miss— Miss Lian!” Startled, Cui Shao Xi’s heart sank, feeling hurt.

Lian Fang Zhou’s tone was polite but detached.
Although she had a faint smile, her smile was not kind, let alone sincere.

Cui Shao Xi felt that if she smiled at him like this, he would rather she didn’t smile at all! If she spoke in this tone, he would rather she didn’t speak!

Cui Shao Xi was stunned speechless.

Even though Lian Fang Zhou knew that Cui Shao Xi was responsible for the mess from before, she also knew that he wasn’t aware of the grievances between her family and her Uncle.
Misunderstandings were inevitable.

But… how had he not noticed even the slightest strangeness?

She believed that her uncles’ vow that a Young Master Su had spoken to him about taking over the cotton planting was not groundless.
It must have been Cui Shao Xi!