Transmigrated Farmgirl's Scheme to Get Rich - Chapter 181
Full of Contradictions
Mo Yan called Xiaoyue to the office. When she said she wanted her to help become a manager, Xiaoyue shook her head like a pellet drum, “No way, no way, I can’t be a manager.”
Mo Yan grabbed her hand, “You’re more competent than any of them, and your dad’s the governing official of the village, so you have authority amongst them. Why can’t you be a manager?”
“I don’t know how to manage people!”
“Give it a shot first. If you really can’t handle it, then I’ll let someone else do it instead.”
Xiaoyue could only agree reluctantly. Mo Yan told Ze Wu to fetch the carriage, and Xiaoyue and her rode back to Chenzhong Village. As it wasn’t dark yet, they asked governing official Wu to gather the villagers to the threshing field so they could tell them about the opportunity to work for the workshop.
Governing official Wu knew this was a good thing as soon as he heard it! It could let the villagers earn money. He immediately went to the threshing field and rang the large gong.
In the village, something big must have happened if the gong was rung, and when the villagers gradually arrived at the threshing field and saw Mo Yan standing there, they thought she was there to tell stories.
“Yan’er, the wheat hasn’t been harvested yet! Why are you starting to tell stories now?”
Mo Yan replied, “Today, all of you aren’t gathered here to listen to my storytelling, but instead I have an excellent money-earning opportunity for all of you.”
When they heard they could do the work at home, so they could earn money while looking after the family, all of the women in the village wanted to participate. None of them didn’t know needlework, and the only reason they weren’t already working in the workshop was because they couldn’t walk away from the elderly and the children in their families.
After that, Mo Yan said, “Starting from today, all of you can go to town to learn how to do this job, or you can learn from Sister Xiaoyue. From now on, she’ll be the manager of the workers in our village.”
Xiaoyue, a young lady who rarely spoke in the village? How would it be her?! The villagers all discussed this in hushed tones, and the only reason no one voiced this out loud was because governing official Wu was standing by the side.
Mo Yan turned towards Xiaoyue, “Sister Xiaoyue, do you know any words?”
“I roughly know a few.”
Most of the girls in the village didn’t know their letters, and Mo Feng volunteered, “I’m literate, I can help manage the accounts.”
Ms. Liang supported him from the side, “That’s right! Your brother knows his letters, have him manage the accounts.”
All of the youths who went to school in the village had gone off to look for jobs already, leaving only Mo Feng, who was still lazing around at home.
Xiaoyue also said, “I’m afraid I wouldn’t be able to manage the accounts with the few words I know, please let brother Mo Feng help me!”
She had initially not wanted Mo Feng to be able to worm his way into this, but now an outsider had spoken up, she couldn’t bar him from working. Moreover, it was just recording the accounts, he just had to record who grabbed how many materials, when they grabbed the materials, and when the finished products were handed back in. No money would ever pass through his hands, so he wouldn’t be able to embezzle anything.
“Alright, then you’re in charge of managing the accounts. Xiaoyue, you’re responsible for managing everyone’s work, remember not to have too harsh discipline and misuse your authority.”
This time, they brought more materials to the village, so they could teach the new recruits at governing official Wu’s house that night. Like how they did it in the workshop, the more experienced workers could help teach the fresh recruits. To encourage them to teach more new workers, they’d gain 200 dollars for each person they taught.
When the villagers dispersed, Mo Yan went to the carriage which had been stopped at the side of the threshing field. She had wanted to return to town, but Ms. Liang said, “Yan’er, come back home! You need to tell your brother how to manage the accounts.”
Mo Yan didn’t even bother to turn back, “I’m not good at managing accounts either, he can go to the town tomorrow and learn from Zhou Liangsheng.”
She had just lifted the hem of her dress to get onto her carriage when she saw a purple landau come over from the south of the village. Why did that look like Mo Ling’s landau?
She was guessing the identity of the person in there when the landau stopped, and Mo Ling jumped out of it, “Yan’er, why didn’t you ask me to help out when such a big thing has happened? Have you forgotten I also worked at the workshop?”
The workshop needed workers as competent as Mo Ling.
“But you live so far away now, it’d be so hard to come here and go back every day.”
“Since Cheng’er has gone out as well, while it’s crunch time, I’ll just stay at the workshop, would that be a problem?”
“Then I’ll work together with you!”
Working in the workshop with her sister was coincidentally an excellent excuse for Mo Yan to not stay at home.
Ms. Liang urged them once more, “It’s getting dark outside, we have to get home now. You can go back to the workshop tomorrow.”
Mo Yan could only let Ze Wu go first. She got onto Mo Ling’s landau, which could only get to the Mo family’s home by following the main roads, while Ms. Liang and Mo Feng walked along the small alleyways.
“Yan’er, how have you been these past few days?”
“It’s been alright.”
“They haven’t been troubling you, right?”
“No.”
But when she saw the pitiful expression on Mo Yan’s face, Mo Ling didn’t believe her.
“How about you take the opportunity to move to live in the workshop!”
Mo Yan nodded, “I thought so too.”
Mo Ling parked the landau at the well like before, not wanting Ms. Liang to wait for them at the courtyard gate, “Don’t park the landau there, the empty land by the south of the courtyard has been flattened and a gateway has been made there, we can park there instead.”
Mo Ling drove the landau around the courtyard, until they arrived at the south of the courtyard, and unhitched it. They then walked to the house via the gateway, which was very close.
As soon as they entered the house, they saw Mo Zenian come out from the kitchen, and Mo Ling was so surprised that she froze up.
Mo Zenian still had a bright smile on his face, “Ling’er, Yan’er, you’ve returned, come wash your hands and eat dinner!”
Mo Ling quietly asked Mo Yan what was going on, but she shook her head, “I don’t know either.”
She then turned to ask Ms. Liang, “Mother, what’s going on? Have you remarried him?”
“No, he was just jumping to help out, and I couldn’t refuse him. After all, he is Feng’er’s dad, so he has an obligation to help him out.”
Mo Ling knew, This means she’s taking him back in!
The food on the dinner table was no longer congee and a few corn buns, but instead white rice and steamed buns. There were also salted duck eggs and vegetables, and Ms. Liang had even fried up a few eggs.
Mo Yan knew the reason Ms. Liang asked her to come back was to ask her for something, so didn’t say anything until the end of dinner.
After dinner, Mo Zenian and Mo Feng stepped out. Ms. Liang stood up to wash the dishes, with Mo Yan and Mo Ling helping her. Only then did Ms. Liang say, “Ling’er, you’re going to start working at the workshop again? How about you work from home instead, it’d be less stressful. Don’t bother with going to the workshop.”
Mo Yan replied, “The work also needs to be tailored, and what the housewives are doing is just needlework. Sis knows how to tailor the bags and raincoats, and her work needs to be done in the workshop.”
“If you’re both going to be staying in the workshop, why not leave the landau and the horse here? I’ll help you feed the horse.”
Mo Ling said, “There’s a lot of work at the workshop these days, so Yan’er will have to rush to and fro all the time. Having a landau would make it significantly easier.”
“Isn’t there already a carriage at your workshop? Just use that one, why use your own for official business?”
Mo Yan replied, “That’s Chi Jie’s carriage, not the workshop’s, and he needs to use it too.”
Mo Ling placed the bowls and chopsticks onto the kitchen counter, “Mother, you can’t make the foundations of a house by only relying on two carriages, you should hire construction workers to do it instead! It’d take less time too.”
Mo Yan added, “Why not work hard to earn money, the money you earn would be enough to hire people anyways!”
Ms. Liang sighed, “A married daughter is like spilled water. Nowadays, anything I say doesn’t work anymore.”
She clearly wanted to use the work animal as labour, but was unwilling to admit it, and even wanted the other party to propose it for her. She wanted to have the reputation of a governing official, but all things were a matter of give and take. Who would be willing to do something if they wouldn’t gain anything but required concessions?
Ms. Liang had said she wanted Mo Yan to teach Mo Feng how to manage the accounts, but he had left as soon as dinner was finished. Up until the sisters went to bed, they hadn’t seen Mo Feng at all.
Post-translation notes: Sorry for the late update, real life happened. Expect a new chapter (hopefully) on Tuesday or Wednesday.