12dz Chapter 89 Immense Joy
Chapter 89 Immense Joy
"Don't worry, village chief, I know what's important."
Chen Lian nodded solemnly. This job was so precious that it was already a great joy for her to be able to do it. How could she dare to be disrespectful?
Chen Lian had already made up her mind that once she arrived at Daoge'er's house, she would put in her utmost effort to do the work, so as to be worthy of this heaven-sent job.
"It's good if you know."
Chen He then brought up the issue of the government increasing taxes, and also mentioned Chen Dao's demands.
After listening, He Xuehua replied without hesitation, "We can rent our fields to Daoge'er, as long as he can help us pay the taxes."
Chen Lian nodded, showing no objection to renting the land to Chen Dao. In fact, no one in the entire Chenjia Village would refuse this proposal.
It's freezing cold now, leaving the land there is a waste. Renting it to Chen Dao would get you 2 taels of silver to pay taxes. Only a fool would refuse.
"Alright, then I'll be going now."
As Chen He got up to leave, he reminded her, "If Grandma He is still able to work, we can go to the fields together tomorrow. That way we can have a meal and save some food for the family."
After saying this, Chen He politely declined Chen Lian's invitation to stay for a drink of water, left Chen Lian's house, and went to inform the other villagers.
After the village chief left, Chen Lian and He Xuehua exchanged a glance, both seeing the joy in each other's eyes.
The village chief had indeed not lied to them; what he brought them was truly wonderful news: a job where they could have enough to eat and earn one or two taels of silver a month…
For Chen Lian and He Xuehua, this was an even greater surprise than a windfall.
After all, a pie falling from the sky will eventually run out, but the job Chen Dao provides allows you to eat your fill every day and earn a tael of silver every month.
"Xiaolian."
He Xuehua solemnly instructed, "When you go to Daoge'er's house, you must do your job well. Don't lose this precious job because of laziness."
"Grandma, don't worry, I will definitely work hard."
Chen Lian said with a determined look that she was never afraid of hardship, and no matter how tiring the work at Chen Dao's house was, she would definitely persevere!
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At Chen Dao's home.
Chen Dao was examining the wheat in front of him.
These wheat grains were winter wheat seed crops that Chen Dao had specifically instructed Wu Han to bring when he came last time. Now, as Chen Dao gazed at the winter wheat, information about its advanced stages appeared in his eyes.
[Winter wheat from Xiaguo, characteristics: cold-resistant, yield 200-300 jin per mu.]
[Winter wheat advancement route one: Soaking in corn grass juice for three days will advance it to corn wheat.]
【Characteristics of corn wheat: thrives in warm climates, yields 500-600 jin per mu.】
[Winter wheat advancement route two: Soaking in the juice of *Centipeda minima* for three days can advance it to cold-resistant wheat.]
[Characteristics of cold-resistant wheat: It is cold-resistant and can germinate and grow in severe cold environments of -10 to 15 degrees Celsius, with a yield of 200-400 jin per mu.]
"Corn wheat and cold-resistant wheat..."
Looking at the advanced information in front of him, Chen Dao's eyes flashed with a thoughtful look. Both types of wheat have their own advantages. Jade wheat is a high-yield variety, but it prefers a warm environment.
The yield of cold-resistant wheat is roughly the same as that of winter wheat, but it is more resistant to cold...
If planted in spring or summer, Chen Dao would definitely choose advanced corn wheat, since high yield is the key.
But the weather doesn't change according to human will. Today it's freezing cold, and Chen Dao's only option is cold-resistant wheat.
"Fortunately, the material for advanced cold-resistant wheat, the Cave of Darkness Grass, is not hard to find."
Chen Dao muttered to himself that Dongming Grass and Chicken Heart Grass are similar, both being medicinal herbs that can be found everywhere on the mountain. Many villagers even have this stuff in their homes because its smell is extremely pungent and can repel wild animals and mosquitoes.
Several days ago, Chen Dao had collected a lot of Cave-Ming Grass. Now he took out the Cave-Ming Grass, crushed it, pressed out the juice, mixed the juice with clean water and poured it into a large wooden bucket. Then he soaked all the winter wheat seeds in it, waiting for the winter wheat to advance.
"I'll advance in three days."
After finishing all this, Chen Dao returned to the house and had dinner with his family. Then he lay down on the bed, closed his eyes, and fell asleep.
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The next day.
Chen Lian woke up just as dawn broke.
After preparing breakfast for her grandmother in the kitchen, Chen Lian wrapped her clothes tighter around herself, stepped out of the house, and walked towards Chen Dao's house into the cold wind.
When they arrived at Chen Dao's house, they found four women already waiting outside. Upon seeing Chen Lian, a burly woman stepped forward and greeted her, "Little Lian is here?"
Chen Lian looked up at the woman and recognized her: "Good morning, Aunt Wu."
Aunt Wu's real name is Wu Yun. She is a widow in the village. She married into Chenjia Village, and her husband passed away not long after she gave birth to her child. Aunt Wu was left to raise her child alone with great difficulty.
In that era, it was undoubtedly extremely difficult for a woman to raise a child alone. As a result, Aunt Wu's family was always in dire straits. It was only because Aunt Wu's deceased husband left behind a few acres of land that her family would have been able to make ends meet long ago.
In fact, it wasn't just Aunt Wu; the three women beside her were the same. They were all from families that had lost their able-bodied members and were living very difficult lives. It was precisely because of this that Chen He chose them.
Good morning, Xiaolian.
The other three women also greeted Chen Lian, their faces beaming with joy. When the village chief came to their homes yesterday to inform them, they were incredulous, finding it hard to believe that such a good thing would happen to them. Only after confirming it several times did they finally feel relieved.
And after feeling relieved, a great joy followed.
A job that provides meals and a monthly salary of one or two taels of silver is an absolute blessing for them. They fall asleep with smiles on their faces, even in their dreams.
In the morning, they woke up early, afraid of being late, and braved the cold morning wind to wait in front of Chen Dao's house.
"That Daoge is such a good person!"
A woman named Sun Jie sighed, "In these times of year, every household is struggling to keep all their grain stored away. Only Brother Dao is willing to treat the whole village to steamed buns and take care of us widows!"
"Yes!"
Another woman named Qian Yu chimed in, "I heard from others that it was Dao Ge'er who personally spoke to the village chief, asking him to take care of those of us who are in financial difficulty. Otherwise, such a good job would never have been available to us."
"That's right. Only Brother Dao is thinking about us. No one else cares how badly we're doing."
Wu Yun wrapped her clothes tighter around herself. The cold weather made her body feel a little cold, but her heart was burning with warmth. With this job at Daoge'er's house, she and her child would no longer have to suffer from hunger and cold.