The Princess of Northern Land

Chapter 142 - 142 142 Stirring Wind and Rising Water (6)_1

?Chapter 142: Chapter 142: Stirring Wind and Rising Water (6)_1 Chapter 142: Chapter 142: Stirring Wind and Rising Water (6)_1 “The Lin family is having better and better days. With the Ding’an Temple and the Prince looking after them, they’re definitely going to be alright in the future. They are kind-hearted and as they thrive, they think of providing the villagers with a way to make money. Now, even within the village, people have work to do. They won’t keep their eyes on Dazhuang and others anymore,” said Mother Zhang, chattering on.

“Mother, I’m afraid some people won’t be satisfied even when they benefit from this,” Mrs. Yu said with some worry.

“Ziyin specifically said that we shouldn’t deal with the cunning ones. I’ve got this figured out. Old Man Lin has been in the village for much of his life, wouldn’t he know who can be hired and who cannot?” Lou Zheng glared at her as he spoke.

“Why are you glaring at your daughter-in-law? She’s making a point. The Lin family’s good deed could attract trouble instead. Some people cannot bear to see others do well. Even if they benefit, they might not appreciate the kindness. If they don’t get chosen, who knows if they would cause a scene in front of you, the village head,” Mother Zhang rained on his parade.

Lou Zheng was taken aback, realizing there were always a couple of discontented families in the village.

Zige and Guo Huiniang were afraid that the villagers would come early to apply, so once they got home, they quickly made lunch, rushing to fill their stomachs.

Sure enough, as soon as they put down their bowls, noisy sounds came from outside the courtyard.

“I’ll go take a look,” Lin Changshu stood up and said as he put down his bowl.

“I’m going too,” the old man chimed in.

Ziyin was undoubtedly going to check it out as well, so she ran along, trailing behind the old man and Lin Changshu.

“Old Lin, is your family really hiring? Twenty-five copper coins a day?” Someone shouted out loud the moment they saw them.

“Able-bodied men are paid twenty-five copper coins a day —we don’t provide food,” Lin Changshu clarified on behalf of the old man. “There’s another type of work, measured by field size, with payment calculated accordingly.”

“How are you calculating it by field size?” someone anxiously asked. If it was more profitable to do it this way, he certainly wanted to choose this method. With the hot weather and people idle at home, he might make a profit.

“For field size, it’s fifty cents per acre,” replied Lin Changshu. This number was also calculated. A capable man could till about half an acre in a day, so fifty cents per acre was reasonable.

“In that case, count my family in,” someone shouted.

“We’ll also follow the per-acre method.”

…

When it came down to it, most people chose to calculate their payment per acre.

“Hold on,” Ziyin suddenly spoke up. But seeing her as a young girl, the villagers didn’t take her seriously. They all hovered around the old man and Lin Changshu, fearing they’d lose out.

Ziyin sneered and stepped aside.

“Quiet,” the old man sternly spoke up. “If this continues, no one will have work.”

This statement had an intimidating effect, and the crowd fell silent immediately.

Some people were not happy with the serious appearance of the old man, but they needed the job from the Lin family. So, though they disagreed, no one dared to speak up.

“The Heihe land was granted to Ziyin by the Prince, so Ziyin’s name is on the deed. She will be the one calculating your final wages,” the old man explained.

All land belonging to Ziyin! Everyone looked at Ziyin in surprise.

“Ziyin, we are neighbors. You’ve given the Bai Family thirty copper coins as wages. You must not favor them over us,” another “neighbor” from Lin family’s left, with a face full of dissatisfaction, continually grumbled.

Ziyin recognized this fat woman.

The fat woman’s family name was Zhou. Although she claimed to be a neighbor of the Lins, her home was quite a distance away. At least, it took half an incense stick’s time to walk home. Previously when the Lin family was poor, Zhou’s wife often humiliated them. Furthermore, since the fat woman was good friends with Yan, since Zige’s marriage with the Ma family was called off, she often gossiped about Zige in the village.