Chapter 221: He Was Afraid Someone Would Slack Off
When they set out, there were only the two horse carriages belonging to the Wen family and the Li father-and-son duo. Upon returning, however, it had become twenty to thirty carriages, grandly appearing on the official road outside Gutong Village in a sweeping procession.
“They’re coming, they’re coming! The Wens are back!” Someone in the village shouted, and practically everyone who was idle in the village ran to the entrance to take a look. The sweeping convoy was so long that the end of it could not be seen from afar.
“What is all that loaded on the carriages? Are they all saplings?”
“Just how many saplings is that?”
“Stop arguing, everyone. The Wens will definitely hire people to work this time.” Otherwise, with so many saplings, how could the Wen family members possibly finish planting them all on their own?
Hearing this, quite a few people’s eyes lit up. Who in the village didn’t know by now that working for the Wen family meant high wages and a filling meal with meat? Thus, everyone hoped they could work for the Wen family.
Although the village chief received the news late, the moment he arrived, he stood at the very best spot—right beneath the large tree at the village entrance.
The leading carriage passed under the large tree and had no choice but to stop.
“Village Chief, what are you doing here?” Reminded by Wen Xiuyi, Old Man Wen poked his head out from the carriage and looked at the village chief, asking.
The village chief smiled awkwardly. “Nothing much, just taking a stroll. Uncle, are all those behind you your family’s trees?”
Old Man Wen glanced at him, then looked at the people standing all around. Just taking a stroll? He had clearly strolled all the way here specifically to wait for him.
However, this was just as well; it saved him the trouble of going to look for them.
“That’s perfect then, Village Chief. With so many fruit trees in our family, I’m afraid we won’t be able to finish planting them for a while. If they aren’t planted in time, it might cause trouble,” Old Man Wen said.
The village chief’s eyes lit up. “No problem, no problem! I’ll go ask right now to see whose family has idle hands and have them head over to your place in a bit.”
“Then I’ll trouble you, Village Chief,” Old Man Wen said politely.
The village chief beamed with joy. “No trouble, no trouble at all. We’re all from the same village; it’s only right to help each other out, help each other out.”
Inside the carriage, Old Madam Luo curled her lips in disdain and whispered into Wen Yao’s ear, “We’re not like we’re withholding money, so of course it’s no trouble.”
After speaking, she hurriedly tugged at Old Man Wen, gesturing for him to get moving. There were so many people, saplings, and cows behind them; they needed to settle them quickly.
Only then did Old Man Wen bid farewell to the village chief, telling Wen Xiuyi to quickly drive the carriage. After thinking for a moment, he simply climbed out and sat on the exterior, holding onto the carriage as he waved backward, shouting, “Everyone keep up! Don’t fall behind!”
With so many people and so many carriages, could they really fall behind?
To put it bluntly, he was just doing it to show off.
Wen Yao and Old Madam Luo couldn’t be bothered to expose him, only telling Wen Xiuyi to hold onto his clothes so he wouldn’t tumble off.
Arriving at the front gate of their house, Wen Xiuyi brought the carriage to a steady halt. Old Man Wen hopped down right after, and holding his tobacco pipe, he led the people delivering the saplings straight toward the barren mountain.
Wen Yao and Old Madam Luo hurriedly bustled about to organize Nanny Shi, Nanny Du, and Aunt Lu’s group to prepare the ingredients for cooking. Even if wages were paid to the people who traveled a long distance to deliver the goods, they still had to be given a hot meal.
Cooking for so many people was no easy task. Just for steaming the rice, they used several large steamers. The stoves weren’t enough, so they even set up a temporary one.
Li Fu stayed in the courtyard with his son, unable to help with anything. Standing behind him was Steward Tong, who had followed along, as well as a dozen or so other people, including maidservants and pages.
There hadn’t been time to settle these people yet, as Old Man Wen had warmly ‘invited’ them all along together.
Seeing the Wen family members busy running back and forth, Li Fu pointed directly at the ten people behind him. “What are you all still standing there dazed for? Hurry up and go help! Did you come here just to eat for free?”
The ten people said in unison, “Yes.” Then, they went to help.
With these sudden extra helpers who rushed to work the moment they arrived—and crucially, without causing a mess, being nimble, swift, yet unhurried—it was evident they were highly trained.
Wen Yao and Old Madam Luo were suddenly left with nothing to do. Looking at the father and son standing nearby like overseers, the corners of Wen Yao’s mouth twitched.
“Uncle Li, aren’t you going over to my dad and grandpa’s side to watch the fun?” Wen Yao teased.
“Of course I am! But seeing how busy you were, I left the men for you. I’ll be off then. Hehe, let’s go, Old Tong. I’ll take you around for a stroll. Let me tell you, this Gutong Village is truly a blessed land of feng shui.” Li Fu left with Steward Tong, bringing his son along as well.
At the foot of the barren mountain, Old Man Wen directed everyone to unload the saplings while asking Wen Xiuyi beside him, “Eldest, how do we plant these saplings?”
Wen Xiuyi cast a glance at his own father. How to plant them? Just plant them like that.
“Dig a hole, place the sapling inside, and fill it back up with dirt. That’s how you plant them.”
Old Man Wen: “…”
If he couldn’t tell that this unfilial son was intentionally teasing him, he wouldn’t be his father.
“Stinky boy, you’ve grown bold, haven’t you? Daring to play tricks on your dad.” Old Man Wen raised his tobacco pipe, about to give him a thrashing.
Wen Xiuyi hurriedly smiled apologetically to beg for mercy, “Dad, Dad, Dad, I was just teasing you! Cool down, cool down. Look, the saplings have arrived, and it’s been overcast lately. We should take advantage of the cloudy weather to plant them quickly, otherwise too much sun won’t be good for the saplings.”
Old Man Wen nodded; he naturally understood this reasoning.
“I’ll go find people,” Old Man Wen said, then walked toward the villagers who were watching the fun from the outer circle with his hands behind his back.
Seeing him walk over, the villagers knew a good thing was coming.
Sure enough, Old Man Wen found a high piece of ground to stand on and said loudly, “Everyone has seen it too. Our family has so many fruit trees, and we need to plant them quickly over the next couple of days. Therefore, we’re still a bit short on hands.”
“Me, me, me, me… Uncle, pick me!”
“Me!”
“Uncle Wen, me, me!”
Everyone vied and scrambled to recommend themselves.
Old Man Wen’s ears were nearly deafened by their high-decibel voices, and he hurriedly shouted, “Don’t shout, don’t shout! Everyone stop shouting!”
Once it quieted down, Old Man Wen frowned and said, “Those who helped clear the land before, stay behind. The rest of you can go home.”
Those who had cleared the land were familiar with the mountain’s terrain, making it easier for his eldest son to direct them. Old Man Wen was still very clear-headed on this point.
Those who weren’t chosen felt somewhat disappointed, but it was still fine. Among those who had helped clear the land back then, their family members were bound to be included anyway. If they couldn’t earn the money themselves, it was the same if their family members earned it.
Furthermore, the Wen family never restricted where they could eat. If they were lucky when the food was distributed at noon, they could even take the dishes home to give their family a taste.
Those who were selected immediately set off to help move the saplings with high enthusiasm. They didn’t even ask about the wages, knowing the Wen family wouldn’t treat them unfairly anyway.
Old Man Wen, however, felt it was better to say some things in advance.
He called the few people to a halt and said, “This time, the wages won’t be calculated by the day. It will be based on the number of saplings. For every sapling properly planted, you get ten wen. Two people can partner up, or three people can partner up. In any case, we’ll pay you based on how many you plant. Those who are willing can stay, and those who aren’t can go home too.
“But let me make it clear first: these saplings must be confirmed as properly planted by the expert craftsmen who brought them before I can issue your wages. Do you understand?”
Planting trees wasn’t like clearing land; he was afraid someone would slack off and ruin the saplings.
