In the old Yun family's courtyard,
After listening to Old Woman Yun's vivid account, Old Man Yun frowned and kept puffing on his pipe, his cloudy, shrewd eyes narrowed.
Not only had they failed to sell that girl, they had lost two taels of silver,
And over a little meat, they had actually ended up severing family ties.
Could all of this have been that money-losing good-for-nothing's plan?
Had she already had silver back then, deliberately scheming to goad them into severing ties?
At that thought, Old Man Yun's eyes filled with malice.
"What's the rush? No matter what, I'm Yun Zhen's father. If he builds a new house, how could his own father not be allowed to live there? When the time comes, just move in with me."
Yun Wang, who was chopping firewood with grunts of exertion, heard his father and spoke up guilelessly,
"Dad, didn't you sever ties with Yun Zhen? Then you're not his father anymore. Can we really still live in that new house?"
Hearing his wretched son's words, Old Man Yun grabbed a stick beside him and hurled it over.
His cloudy eyes were full of anger, though a trace of embarrassment lurked in their depths.
"Can a document severing ties outweigh blood kinship? I'm his biological father! I don't believe he'd refuse to let me stay and throw me out. If he's unfilial to his father, let's see how he holds his head up in the village afterward. Hmph!"
Yun Manman knew nothing of their noisy scheming.
She was currently huddled over the stone table in the courtyard, a design slowly taking shape on the paper beneath her pen. For her own residence, she would build a large compound with four successive courtyards.
The little ones would also live in a courtyard compound, with a large training ground at the very back, and a schoolroom, a dedicated dining hall, and separate men's and women's bathhouses at the front.
As for the schoolroom, Yun Manman did not intend to hire a teacher for now.
While they were still malleable, she would first teach them the skills they had to learn.
Of course, she would teach them to read as well.
If she discovered anyone suited to the path of a civil official, she would consider separately whether to hire a teacher to teach at home or send them to school.
Yun Manman took the plans to the master builder and explained all her ideas,
Then handed the construction over to the village chief.
Having received the silver, the village chief took the matter very seriously, bustling about all day with his two sons.
This construction project involved a great deal of work,
So they hired all the capable workers from their village and the neighboring villages. A dense crowd of nearly fifty people worked on the houses on the empty land,
And the houses took on a different appearance each day.
Meanwhile, Yun Manman took the little ones to turn the soil in the fields. It was only early May, so there was still time to plant the crops.
"Manman, hold the hoe like this. Yes, just swing it down hard like that."
Yun Manman copied Old Father Yun's movements, practicing a few times herself, and soon got the hang of it.
She turned to look at the little ones behind her.
"Have you all learned how? If you have, get to work. Tonight, you'll each get an extra piece of meat!"
The little ones took their hoes and began turning the soil.
Satisfaction flashed in Old Father Yun's eyes as he watched Yun Manman. With that strength of hers, the girl really was a powerhouse at farmwork.
Yun Manman turned the soil with boundless energy.
In less than two hours, the more she worked, the hungrier she became, until her hunger was making her heart flutter.
Moreover, she had clearly been feeling very fatigued lately. Besides being sleepy, she could eat an astonishing amount.
Watching Yun Manman's movements from behind, Yuanwei knew she must be hungry again and hurried to fetch the food basket from the edge of the field.
"Sister Man, have something to eat. These are the chive pockets Auntie Zhou made."
Yun Manman's eyes lit up. How thoughtful! "Beautiful! You really are my little padded jacket."
With that, she took the food basket, squatted at the edge of the field, and began eating as she watched the little ones diligently turning the soil.
The image of countless oxen working away with their heads down flashed through Yun Manman's eyes.
"Oh, right, oxen can plow fields too! All of you keep working hard. If I don't come back tonight, I'll be back tomorrow. Don't worry about me. Tell Dad and Mom I've gone to catch oxen!"
Yun Manman put down the food basket, stood up, and flew straight toward the mountain behind the village.
The people behind her looked up, only to catch a glimpse of her carefree departing figure.
This time, Yun Manman found the wolf pack with practiced ease, caught three oxen, and gathered some wild potatoes.
Since there were so many fields that even the oxen could not keep up,
Yun Manman had the village chief find more skilled farmhands. Working as fast as they could, they finally got the wheat planted.
Yun Manman set aside a patch of ground in the courtyard specifically to plant the wild potatoes she had found.
If this trial planting went well, the villagers could all grow them in the future. Their yield was much higher than wheat's.
In the blink of an eye, the hottest weather arrived: mid-June.
After a month and a half,
Yun Manman's houses, training ground, and schoolroom were all finished. Looking at his handiwork, the village chief felt proud and satisfied.
"Manman, why not hold a housewarming feast? Invite everyone who worked here to join in the fun. From now on, you'll be a true landowner in our Red Star Village."
In truth, Yun Manman did not want to hold one.
These were precisely the sorts of occasions she was worst at handling.
Seeing Old Father Yun's visibly eager expression, Yun Manman left her refusal unspoken.
"All right. Then thank you and Dad for taking the trouble to arrange it, Chief."
On the day of the housewarming feast,
Everyone from their village and the neighboring villages who had worked on the houses or turned the soil was invited over to eat meat.
The village's once-deserted far end became its liveliest spot that day.
Yun Manman still lingered in bed, unwilling to get up. Hearing the clamor outside, she blocked out her hearing and continued sleeping.
During the hour of the Snake, a little after nine in the morning,
Having washed up, Yun Manman sat before the dressing mirror and was about to tie her hair into a high ponytail when Yuanwei hurried to rescue it from her hands.
"Sister Man, today is such a big day, the family's housewarming. Let me do your hair and makeup. You must make a grand entrance."
Yun Manman felt rather helpless.
The guests today were all simple villagers. If she dressed too grandly, it would only create distance and make her seem out of place.
"No need. Just help me put it in a simple bun. Everyone coming today will be working for me in the future. There's no need to make a special effort over this."
Wheat-based foods were the staple in this northwestern region.
Making noodles was inconvenient on a day like this, so Madam Zhou, the village chief's wife, and several village women they were close to made great pots of stewed pork and chicken together, and steamed piping-hot mixed-grain buns.
By the time Yun Manman came out,
Old Father Yun and the village chief were already seeing to everyone, and every face was filled with satisfaction and joy.
Seeing Yun Manman emerge, the others all assumed she had been cooking for everyone out back. They hurriedly put down their steamed buns and stood.
Everyone knew in their hearts that Lass Yun was capable. As long as they worked diligently, they could all find work in the Yun Family's fields in the future.
"Lass Yun, thank you for all your hard work today. Look at this, you've spent so much!"
"Exactly, Lass Yun. Thank you for treating us today!"
"Yes, yes! I've never eaten such big mouthfuls of meat before. Today's even better than New Year!"
Looking at those simple, honest faces, Yun Manman wore a smile that was just right, and her voice could not help gaining a little warmth.
"Uncles and aunties, if you don't mind the food, eat more. Whatever you can't finish, pack it up and take it home. My fields will need workers in the future, so I'll be troubling you all."
The smiles on everyone's faces deepened. The more they looked at this girl, the more they liked her, and words of praise, which cost them nothing, poured out without pause.