Chapter 194 I'm Fine

"Don't bring it up, Father," Qin Junyao sighed. "These family connections aren't reliable. The people who go out and inquire know less after three days than my grandmother does after half an hour of chatting."

"Why have my grandmother and your third uncle been gone to Yan County for so long this time?"

"Your third uncle carved a seal that Bai Qing helped sell. Grandmother wants to hear from Bai Qing how he sold it."

Qin Junyao didn't believe for a second that her grandmother went to hear about selling seals. She just wanted an excuse to see Bai Qing.

Her grandmother was tired of the few people at home, and there was no one in the village she fancied. She would either go to the caves to see the children or wander around Yan County.

She also bought quite a few picture books: The Ten Great Scholars of Jiangnan, The Ten Great Young Masters of the Imperial City, The Ten Great Generals of Qingguo, and The Ten Great Swordsmen of the Jianghu.

What Jianghu swordsmen were there in Qingguo?

Her grandmother didn't care. If the paintings were good, she'd buy them. Her granddaughter had money.

As father and daughter neared the Zhao family's entrance, they saw thirty to forty people squatting on the ground.

Upon seeing Qin Junyao, they swarmed forward, forcing the accompanying soldiers to block them.

"General's wife, please give us some work. We're truly starving."

"Village chief, I'm strong and can do anything. Just give me something to eat."

"Miss Qin, I'm good friends with your mother and I'm skilled. Are there any more tailoring jobs?"

"General's wife."

"Village chief"

Dozens of people spoke at once, and Qin Junyao and her father couldn't hear anything clearly.

Qin Junyao's words were also drowned out by the noise.

A soldier blocking Qin Junyao suddenly shouted, "All of you, shut up! Do you want to listen to them, or our madam?"

"Where do you think you are? Madam is kind-hearted and hasn't driven you away. Don't push your luck."

The soldiers, who ate their fill every day, spoke with confidence, their voices overpowering the crowd.

Seeing that the crowd had quieted down, Qin Junyao spoke, "Villagers, I'll need to hire people again in a few days. Wait patiently at home, and we'll notify you when we need help. I promise."

Some people, after receiving Qin Junyao's assurance, left in groups.

But others lingered, refusing to leave, demanding work from her immediately.

They even claimed that the Zhao family had bought up the entire Gobi Desert, leaving them no way to make a living.

Qin Junyao couldn't be bothered to listen. She simply ordered the soldiers to clear a path and entered the gate, returning home.

"I won't go inside. I'll just sit out here," Qin Father said. He didn't follow Qin Junyao to the main hall but sat on a stone stool in the courtyard.

"The ones who left after you spoke are fine, but the others are all friendly with the Zhang family and can't be used."

Qin Junyao sat opposite Qin Father. "The Zhang family that wanted to be village chief? The ones who said my collecting of saxaul seedlings was a lie?"

Qin Father nodded. "After you allocated the saxaul planting areas to each household, they came to me, wanting you to add more. I refused."

Qin Junyao shook her head. "They're afraid to approach me directly, so they came to you."

She thought for a moment. "Father, if they come to you again, just say we have enough people planting saxaul. We still need people for the grid work. See if they're willing to do that?"

Qin Father drained the tea brought by the maid in one gulp. "Alright. But I doubt they'll do it. I'll be going now if you're alright."

"Father, wait a moment," Qin Junyao stopped Qin Father, who was about to stand up, and called out to the second maidservant in the courtyard.

"Huayu, go to the kitchen and get half a sheep, and a basket of radishes and cabbage..."

In the afternoon, after Deng Zi Tui returned from Yanhu, Qin Junyao gave him a task.

Investigate the Zhang family.