Thinking about the price of eggs, Chen-shi couldn’t help but mutter softly, "Fu Chen’an must give her a lot of money."
Although she felt envious, she didn’t dare to compare herself with Yao Zhi, fearing that she would feel jealous and beco dissatisfied with her husband.
While she couldn’t spend money like Yao Zhi, her husband and in-laws treated her well. She was still able to eat two als a day, and once every few months, her husband would buy so at for her and the children.
Compared to her sisters, her life was already very good. Just after she finished storing the eggs in a jar and boiling so water, Yao Zhi arrived.
"Village Chief, are you at ho?"
Standing outside the gate, Yao Zhi thought that she would have to wait for a while. But in less than two minutes, the gate was opened, and Yang Sanlang greeted her with a smile.
"Sister Yao, you are here. Co in," he said as he stood aside.
"Thank you, Brother Sanlang," Yao Zhi nodded at him and walked into the yard.
After closing the gate, Yang Sanlang said, "My father is inside. Do you need anything?"
Yao Zhi nodded and replied, "I ca to ask the Village Chief for help."
When the two of them entered the living room, the Village Chief was already waiting for them. Beside him, his wife, Yang Dalang, and Yang Erlang are also present.
"Yao Girl, co in and take a seat," he said, gesturing to her.
After taking her seat, Yao Zhi said, "Village Chief, I’m sorry for bothering you so late."
"It’s okay. Erbao already told about your visit. Do you need any help?" he asked.
Taking out a piece of paper from her sleeve, Yao Zhi said, "Village Chief, I want to ask if you know soone who can make this kind of mud oven."
The Village Chief took the paper and checked the drawing. When he saw the design, the first person who ca to mind was his third son. But considering his hidden intentions toward Yao Zhi, he hesitated.
Noticing his expression, Yao Zhi asked, "Village Chief, do you know soone?"
Before he could reply, the Village Chief heard his third son say, "Sister Yao, I can build this type of oven. I worked in the blacksmith shop before and knew how to build houses. I have experience."
Hearing this, Yao Zhi turned to him and asked, "Brother Sanlang, how long will it take for you to finish the oven?"
Yang Sanlang thought for a mont before he said, "To make sure that the oven is sturdy and won’t crack easily, it might take at least eight to ten days to finish."
Yao Zhi had no problem waiting as long as the end product was good. She nodded and said, "Brother Sanlang, how much will it cost for both ovens?"
"Sister Yao, the materials can be gathered from the mountain foothills, so you don’t need to pay ."
"How could that be? You are spending ti and using your strength. It’s only right for to pay you," Yao Zhi shook her head.
Hearing her rejection, Yang Sanlang felt disappointed. But thinking that he could at least stay close to her, he didn’t insist and said, "Then just pay as you see fit."
When she heard his words, Yao Zhi felt a headache coming on.
It was better for him to quote a price rather than be so vague. If she paid too little, she was afraid of offending the Village Chief. If she paid too much, people might think she was easy to take advantage of.
Seeing her frown, the Village Chief finally said, "Yao Girl, just pay my son the market price, fifteen wen per day."
As if being pardoned, Yao Zhi heaved a sigh of relief. "Okay. I will also cover two als, so Brother Sanlang doesn’t need to bring any food."
The Village Chief noticed that his son wanted to refuse and quickly interrupted him. "It’s a deal then."
"Village Chief, I also want to buy the land connected to my backyard," Yao Zhi said.
Hearing this, the Village Chief was taken aback and said, "Yao Girl, although the land is vast, it’s wasteland. Nothing can grow there."
Yao Zhi smiled and replied, "Village Chief, I discussed it with my husband, and he also agreed to buy the land. I will try to see if I can plant anything first after I apply the locust powder."
"Even if I fail, the land can be used to build more houses in the future. No matter what, having more land is never a bad thing," she added.
The Village Chief saw that she was determined and stopped persuading her. He went to his room and returned with a map made of leather.
He placed the map on the table and said, "Yao Girl, here is the map of our village." He pointed at several areas and added, "Here, here, here, and here are low-quality land. Although it’s not as good as dium-quality and high-quality land, it’s still better than wasteland."
Yao Zhi checked the land and shook her head.
The land was scattered and located at the outskirts of the village. She needed to walk for more than half an hour to reach the fields, making it inconvenient for her to check the growth of her crops.
She checked the wasteland behind her house and saw the large circle on the map. "Village Chief, do the wastelands include the mountain foothills?"
The Village Chief nodded. "Except for the area near the mountain forest, the rest of the mountain foothills are owned by our village."
"Village Chief, how large is the land, and how much is it?"
"The total area of the wasteland is around 200 acres, and the price is one tael of silver per acre."
Yao Zhi calculated for a mont. 200 acres of land were equal to almost 81 hectares. If she planted sweet potatoes, she could harvest around 2,000 to 2,500 tons every year.
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