Chapter 445 - 445: A Group of Beggars

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

Lin Wanning couldn’t help but feel envious as she observed the close bond Chu Qingzhi shared with the two girls before her. She wished she could be as integrated as they were.

Chu Qingzhi, attentive as ever, introduced Lin Wanning to the girls. How they interacted with each other depended on Lin Wanning. Back then, Wu Yaqing won over the entire village and was now a popular figure, greeted warmly by everyone she passed.

Lin Wanning greeted everyone politely but somewhat stiffly, perhaps due to her unfamiliarity with the surroundings.

Wu Yaqing approached, draping an arm around Lin Wanning’s shoulders with a hearty welcome, “Welcome to Chu village. We’re short of hands here. Would you like to help out?”

Lin Wanning’s eyes lit up at the opportunity to earn everyone’s approval through hard work, “Sure, I’m not afraid of hardship. Just tell me what to do.”

Wu Yaqing encouraged her, “Good sister, we need people like you who are willing to endure hardships. Let’s get to work.”

Lin Wanning nodded with a smile, ready to dive in.

Meanwhile, Chu Qingzhi went to the fields to greet her family before her attention was drawn to Jiang Zhaoyong, who was skillfully harvesting rice.

She couldn’t help but admire his willingness to humble himself in pursuit of his beloved.

Jiang Zhaoyong was very skilled. It was obvious that he was familiar with farmwork. When he saw Chu Qingzhi looking at him, he did not feel embarrassed. “Why didn’t General Tang come back with you?”

Tang Jinghong’s identity had already been exposed in the village and was still very popular. Now that he was back, he would probably be enthusiastically visited by everyone.

Chu Qingzhi said, “He went to the military camp. He’ll come over for dinner later.”

“General Tang is a busy man.” Jiang Zhaoyong could not hide the envy in his tone. He also wanted to make contributions, but he was too illiterate.

Chu Qingzhi teased, “How’s your learning going?”

A man still had to gain a foothold in his career before he could be relied on by his family. How could she let Qingning be with him like this?

Jiang Zhaoyong said helplessly, “It’s a mess.”

He was very self-aware. Chu Qingzhi slowly frowned and asked, “Then what are your plans?”

Jiang Zhaoyong looked discouraged. “I’ve tried all kinds of methods to learn, but I haven’t improved at all.”

“How did you learn martial arts?”

“I like martial arts. Every time I practice martial arts, I can immerse myself in it and quickly learn it.”

“Why don’t you treat study as martial arts? For example, think of the words in the book as a martial arts book? For example, when you are playing the guqin, pretend you are practicing martial arts.”

Jiang Zhaoyong’s eyes lit up. This was a good idea. Why hadn’t he thought of it? He immediately cupped his fists at Chu Qingzhi. “Thank you for reminding me, Miss Chu.”

Chu Qingzhi waved her hand. “You’re welcome.” This person was most likely her fourth Brother-in-law. She was just helping her family.

Chu Qingzhi looked at the rice field and had a feeling that it was endless. When could they finish collecting so much rice?

“Grandpa, Father, why don’t we hire someone to do it?”

The two of them refused without thinking. This was how they had been in the past. Moreover, the harvest of rice had been reduced by half. If they hired someone, the profit of the rice would be even less.

Chu Qingzhi thought about it. There were no suitable animals in the forest to harvest the rice. It was too tiring to rely on the few of them.

She turned around and walked back, thinking as she walked…

Chu Laipi walked over with a basket of bamboo leaves on his back. When he saw Chu Qingzhi, he smiled. “Sister Qingzhi, you’re back?”

Chu Qingzhi looked up. The moment she saw Chu Laipi, she had an idea. “Can you do me a favor?”

Chu Laipi hurriedly said, “Not to mention a favor, I’ll even do you ten favors. Sister Qingzhi, please instruct me.”

Chu Qingzhi asked, “Are there many beggars in the county?”

Chu Laipi nodded. “Yes, there are many. Sister Qingzhi, are you looking for a beggar?”

Chu Qingzhi nodded. “Go and ask them if they’re willing to help my family harvest rice. We can provide two meals a day, one meat dish, and three big steamed buns. They can eat all they want.”

Chu Laipi said, “Alright, I’ll go immediately.”

Chu Qingzhi said, “Thank you.”

Chu Laipi quickly waved his hand. “Sister Qingzhi, don’t stand on ceremony with me. It’s my duty to help you.” As soon as he put down the basket, he rushed to the county.

Chu Qingzhi snapped her fingers. It was done.

She turned around and went to the old house. Li Qingyu needed to cook dinner for everyone, having no time to cook the beggars’ food, so Chu Qingzhi could only make it herself.

The corn in the kitchen of the old house had already been taken away. It was empty now. There was firewood under the eaves. With a big iron pot, she could start cooking.

Hiring workers during the busy farming season usually cost double the usual rate, meaning two silver taels per day per person. But the cost of feeding someone for a day was far less, around fifty copper coins would be more than enough for a hearty meal.

Soon, Chu Laipi returned with over thirty people, creating a spectacle that left the villagers bewildered. They wondered if the beggars had come to the village to beg for food.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Chu Laipi brought the beggar to the entrance of the old house. He turned to everyone and said, “This family is very kind. As long as you work hard, you will definitely be given food. However, if you cheat, not only will you not be able to eat, but you will also be chased away immediately.”

The beggar leader hurriedly said, “Brother, don’t worry. We’ll do our best.”

Chu Laipi, shedding his ruffian demeanor, seemed quite responsible as he called out to Chu Qingzhi, “Sister Qingzhi, I’ve brought the people.”

Chu Qingzhi came out of the kitchen. “Follow me.”

The beggar’s eyes lit up when he saw Chu Qingzhi. What a beautiful girl.

Seeing this, Chu Laipi scolded, “What are you looking at? Let’s go and get to work”

The beggars hurriedly replied, “Yes, yes, yes. Work, work.”

Chu Qingzhi brought the beggars to the side of the field. “Grandpa, Father, I’ve found helpers for you. You can just instruct them to collect the rice.”

Although they were skinny beggars, they were all in their prime. It was not a problem for them to work.

Grandpa Chu and Chu Rong were stunned. There were too many people.

Chu Qingzhi turned around and waved at everyone. “Everyone, start working. We’ll eat when the sun sets.”

The beggars answered in unison, “Yes.”

It had been a long time since they had eaten their fill. Most of the time, they fought with the vicious dogs for food. It was even rancid and dirty. Now that they had a chance to eat their fill, they did not have to be beaten or robbed. Everyone cherished this opportunity.

With Chu Qingzhi’s order, the beggars rushed into the rice field.

Before Grandpa Chu, Chu Rong, and Jiang Zhaoyong could react, they were pushed away.

There were ten sickles at home. At this moment, ten people were cutting the rice, ten people were threshing, and the rest were carrying the rice and doing chores…

Previously, when the few of them were working, they felt that the rice field was like an unconquerable mountain. Now that there were more people, they felt that no matter how big the mountain was, it could be moved.

When the villagers saw this scene, they praised Chu Qingzhi for being smart. At this time, no one was free to help harvest the rice. However, beggars were different. They were free at any time.

As they watched, some people could not help but feel excited. At their speed, the beggars could finish harvesting the rice in a day or two. At that time, they could also hire those beggars to work…

Chu Qingzhi watched for a while. No one was lazy. They were all quite enthusiastic. She turned around and returned to the old house to cook..