Finally, Mo Qingze took the household register and went to the Governnt Office with the Li Family of three to process the bondservant indenture.
People who sell themselves into servitude are considered property of their masters and are not permitted to possess private property. Thus, the ten acres of wasteland allocated to the Li Family had to be reclaid by the Governnt.
That ten acres of wasteland had already been tidied up and planted with soybeans, which were almost ready for harvest. Mo Qingze spent ten taels of silver to purchase the land and incorporate it into his own land deed.
Should the Li Family wish to reclaim their free status in the future, it would be convenient to return the ten acres to them.
The matter of the indenture was settled quickly, and the Li Family of three, as if a great weight had been lifted from their hearts, were more at ease staying with the Mo Family than before, and their smiles were indeed more frequent.
However, even though the two families were now differentiated as master and servant, the Mo Family treated the Li Family of three with great respect, and the Li Family’s attitude towards the Mo Family was just as natural as before. Only now, they would consult Mo Yan and her daughter on any matters that required a decision.
With not much to tend to in the Mo Family, Lizhong devoted all his energy to the orchard; Lixiu continued to teach Xin Er embroidery and did so housework in her spare ti; Liyan was responsible for household chores, cleaning, laundry, cooking, mowing the grass, and feeding the cattle, etc.
Xin’er Zhen’er did not treat them as servants either, and would help with so tasks within their ability, and Mo Yan did not want them to develop lazy habits, so she would keep an eye on them from ti to ti.
After Mo Qingze left, Mo Yan, with the help of everyone, began to organize the family courtyard.
The Mo Family’s large and small courtyards numbered about ten, and the flowerbeds that were built but had not yet been planted with flowers and greenery looked stark and awkward.
"Sister, these flowers are so beautiful, did you buy them from a nursery?" Looking at the purple-red Chicken Blood Vine in the flowerbed, Xin Er asked curiously.
While planting flowers, Mo Yan replied, "They were dug up from the mountain. There are many wildflowers in the mountain, and I chose so nice ones that are no less than those sold in the nurseries."
This season, there were also many beautiful wildflowers blooming in the mountains. The dostic flowers in the nurseries are indeed more flashy, but they require careful maintenance, or else they easily die. The wildflowers from the mountains, with their vigorous vitality, can thrive well with just so watering.
Xin Er found this fun and also took a small hoe to help plant the flowers.
Besides the flowers, Mo Yan also dug up several jujube, persimmon, and chestnut seedlings from the mountains and planted them in the large flowerbed of the backyard. The flowerbeds of the front courtyard were planted with small ornantal trees, and these peculiar ornantal trees were bought from a nursery, which matched well when planted.
The Mo Family’s courtyards were too large and required many plants to add charm. Mo Yan nearly went into the mountains every day to search, sotis to dig up plants, and sotis to collect seeds to spread in the flowerbeds co next spring.
In the small courtyard where the Mo Family of four lived, the plants were varied according to each person’s preferences. In her own courtyard, Mo Yan planted a row of bamboo against the wall and cultivated many Azure orchid chrysanthemums and other flowers and greenery in the central flowerbed.
With the addition of these fresh flowers and green plants, the courtyard looked much more beautiful.
Such days were fulfilling without fatigue, tranquil without clamor, and comfortingly serene. One could only hope that such days would continue.
However, the Red Python that had been previously chased away would occasionally slip over the courtyard wall, causing Mo Yan so annoyance.
Fortunately, the family had been forewarned, so even though they were very frightened, no one fainted upon seeing the Red Python again.
Xin Er was still scared, but she was a brave girl. From the beginning, when she trembled at the sight of the Red Python and broke out in a cold sweat, she was later able to glance at it from a distance.
Zhenzhen was bolder; as long as Mo Yan was present, he dared to touch the Red Python and even once, to curry favor with Mo Yan, the Red Python let him ride on its back and took him running around.
Reviews
All reviews (0)