Boss Zhou stood aside and said, "Mom, Jinzhou City is really lively."
Zhulan turned around and said, "You don't have to accompany me, just go out for a walk."
The eldest son Zhou shook his head. His father said that he and the second son could not both leave, and at least one person had to stay with his mother.
Zhulan, "... ..."
Once outside, Zhou Shuren's words are the most effective!
For lunch, Zhulan ordered a table full of local specialties. The flavors of Jiangnan cuisine are relatively light, and Zhulan likes shrimp, so she specially ordered shrimp. Yes, there were also crabs. Although the crab season was over, they were still available.
Zhou Lao Da finished eating. Although it was hard to eat crabs, they tasted really good. After eating two, he had mastered the technique of eating crabs. "Mom, let's go home and buy some for Dad to try!"
Zhulan, "They are all dead when we get home, and we can't eat them if they are dead."
Zhou Laoer said: "Mom, it won't work if it freezes?"
Zhulan kept smiling. It was not like modern times where things could be sealed and frozen. It was impossible in ancient times. Zhulan said, "Didn't you say there were dried shrimps and dried fish in the market? We can buy some of these."
Zhou Laoer knew that his mother hadn't returned, so it was no use. Zhou Laoer thought about it and realized that when he returned to the city, he was still in the south for the first few days. The crabs died and became smelly before they could freeze. "Mom, I'll listen to you."
Zhulan finished her meal and said, "I'm going to go back and rest first. I'll go out for a walk in the afternoon. Lao Er, you and Steward Ding go to the dental clinic to ask about the farm and the land."
Zhou Lao Er glanced at his elder brother, suppressed the joy in his heart and quickly responded, "Yes."
Although his mother didn't say it explicitly, after they went out, she asked him and Butler Ding to do things all the way, so he had a guess in his mind. Now asking him and Butler Ding to be responsible for asking, is the same as directly telling him that he will be responsible for future businesses in other places.
Zhulan glanced at Zhou Laoer. Even if she wanted Zhou Laoer to be responsible, she would not let him take full responsibility. It is not good to be too smart. Now the Zhou family's status has just changed for less than a year, and Zhou Laoer is in urgent need of proving himself that he dare not cook the books. But in the future, when he adapts to his status and has the industry to be responsible for, she is really worried about Zhou Laoer. Zhou Laoer is becoming more and more confident, and his courage will only grow.
Especially since Zhou Laoer's son is still too young, and Zhou Laoer currently relies on himself, it is inevitable that he would be bold enough to cook the books.
Zhulan didn't want to test human nature. In order to avoid being upset, she might as well cut it off from the root. Zhulan looked at Zhou Laoer's smile and then glanced at Zhou Laoda who was eating crabs with his head down. Then Zhulan turned around and went back to the room upstairs.
Butler Ding lowered his head. The Second Master was smart, but not good enough for the Master and the Mistress. He realized over half a year that it was best not to play tricks in front of the Mistress and the Master. Even though the First Master was not smart, the Master and the Mistress really liked him.
He had experienced the resale and didn't want to go through the trouble anymore. He just wanted to do his job well. Anyway, as long as they worked hard and were obedient, the mistress would treat them, the servants, well.
Moreover, he is very satisfied with the present situation. Everyone in Lizhou City who sees him calls him Master Ding!
When Zhou Lao Da saw Zhou Lao Er looking at him, he was not jealous at all. He was even afraid that the property from other places would fall into his hands. After he figured it out, he just wanted to take care of his father and mother and be a filial son. He really didn't want anything else.
In the afternoon, Zhulan had a good rest and took Zhou Lao Da and Liu Ya shopping. It was a rare trip to the south, so Zhulan had been thinking about the embroidery of Jiangnan for a long time, especially the double-sided embroidery.
Zhulan brought out 10,000 taels this time. When the accounts were divided, Zhulan kept 7,000 taels. She brought them all out this time. Originally, there were 5,600 taels in the Zhou family's account. After the expenses, there were 1,800 taels left. The sale of watermelons and apples brought in more money. After deducting the expenses, the total amount on the account was 5,000 taels. Zhulan brought out 3,000 taels, and 2,000 taels were kept at home.
Zhulan made up her mind to buy two farms, one in her name and one in Zhou Shuren's name.
In the embroidery workshop, Zhulan looked at the double-sided embroidered screen with curiosity. She was really envious, but the price was too touching. A floor-length double-sided embroidered screen cost more than a thousand taels, and the screen that Zhulan liked would start at a hundred taels.
Zhulan endured the pain and bought two small screens, some fans and handkerchiefs, spending more than three hundred taels of silver in the Xiufang.
Boss Zhou took a deep breath. This was too much money. "Mom, did we buy too much?"
Zhulan replied, "Not much. I only saved some dowry for your elder sister and younger sister. I haven't saved any for Yushuang and Yulu yet!"
Zhulan no longer hides common things from Boss Zhou. She tells him whenever she finds something. Telling him now is also a direct way of telling him that she has saved a dowry for Xuemei. Although she doesn't need to tell her sons, this also shows her trust in Boss Zhou.
The first reaction of Zhou Lao Da to the news was to grin foolishly. Although his parents were strict with him and his sisters, they still cared about them. Even when his eldest sister got married, his mother gave her a dowry. His second reaction was that he also had a daughter, and he couldn't rely on his parents for her marriage. He and Li also had to make some preparations. After some calculations in his mind, he and Li could only use the money they had to buy a few screens for their daughter!
Zhulan went to the fabric shop and bought some cloth, and then went to the grain shop and bought some lotus seeds, coix seeds, etc.
The purchased items were delivered to the inn, packed in boxes and ready to be taken away when returning home.
As for some dried fish and dried shrimp, just buy them when you leave.
Zhulan returned to the inn. Zhou Laoer and Butler Ding also came back. Zhulan sat down to rest for a while before asking, "Did you find out everything?"
Zhou Laoer said, "There are farms, but they are not very big. The largest is less than 200 acres, and the smallest is 100 acres. Moreover, there are no continuous plots of land, but only scattered fields of a few acres."
Boss Zhou asked, "The information of the dental clinic is all available. Have you asked the nearby counties?"
Zhou Laoer nodded and said, "Yes, I know the situation of the entire Jinzhou village. As for the land, I only know the situation near Jinzhou City."
Zhulan asked, "Have you asked the price?"
Zhou Laoer took a deep breath, "Mom, the land in the south is more expensive than in the north because we can grow crops twice a year. One mu of dry land costs ten taels of silver, and one mu of paddy land costs fourteen taels. A farm has a yard for the owner and houses for tenants. The largest farm has two hundred mu of land, and the house costs two thousand three hundred taels. The smallest farm has one hundred mu of land, and costs one thousand three hundred taels."
Zhulan wants to buy a large farm with a minimum area of 400 acres. The larger the farm, the more stable the income. On the contrary, the income of a small farm fluctuates greatly.
Zhulan didn't want to go any further south. The further south she went, the denser the population would be, and the smaller her village would become. Of course, there were some remote places in the south, but the roads were difficult to travel on, and it would be difficult to transport the goods she bought. It would be better to stay in Jinzhou City, where transportation was convenient and the land was fertile.
In the future, we will buy a big farm in the north, because the population in the north is sparse!
Zhou Laoer asked, "Mom, shall we go check it out tomorrow?"
Zhulan said, "Look, go and make an appointment with Yazi. Go there early tomorrow morning. Don't look at the small manors. Look at the big manors of 200 acres."
Zhou Lao Er, "Hey!"
Zhulan thought that although there was a gap between reality and expectations, it was good enough to be able to buy it.