On the fifth day of February, Qin Junyao cultivated enough red willows in her space.
She found an opportunity and secretly placed the saplings in an empty kiln.
When Dengzi Tui came with people to pull the saplings, he couldn't help but sigh, "Madam is truly amazing. I've been in the Northwest longer than Madam, and I didn't even know where to buy red willow saplings."
Spring demanded swift planting. Especially since Qin Junyao had bought a lot of land last year. As she hadn't found enough laborers, she had to trouble Dengzi Tui to bring people to help plant the trees.
Besides red willows, Qin Junyao's plan for the shelterbelt also included sea buckthorn trees.
Sea buckthorn fruit was edible, but it was primarily used for medicine and as feed.
Qin Junyao wanted to reduce grazing for the herdsmen near the desert, which meant having readily available, abundant, and free feed.
Currently, Qin Lin and Uncle Qin Er were excellent examples of semi-nomadic, semi-enclosed sheep farming.
Zhao Liangcai had taken Qin Junyao to buy sheep years ago, and Hu Minglang, a prominent sheep farmer who disdained women, had lost his life during a conflict with refugees.
Several of his shepherds had been invited back by Qin Lin, and Qin Lin was now raising the same breed of sheep that had previously been supplied.
When the camels raised in the military dependents' area and the sheep raised by Qin Lin could still grow well without being grazed for extended periods, it should not be difficult to persuade local sheep farmers to reduce their grazing.
After all, sheep were now being herded further and further afield, and encountering wolf packs en route could mean the loss of years of effort.
"Yaoyao, Qin Junyao," Grandma Qin called out to Qin Junyao, who was about to leave.
"Where are you going? I've called you several times, and you haven't responded."
Qin Junyao turned to look at Grandma Qin, who was wearing a pink headscarf, a matching pink sash, and a suit of willow-green clothes. She rubbed her eyes.
She wasn't mistaken. Pink and willow green – the colors of spring.
She had thought she was having hallucinations due to recent lack of sleep.
"Tsk, what do you think? Don't my new clothes look good?" Grandma Qin saw Qin Junyao constantly looking at her new outfit and spread her arms for her to examine it closely.
"The colors are quite nice, but Grandma, wouldn't it look better if you wore a skirt with it? Green pants..."
"Tsk, you just need to say it looks good," Grandma Qin lowered her hands, patted the hem of her clothes, and glared at Qin Junyao. "Where are you going by yourself?" Sudan Fiction Network.
"To find my mother," Qin Junyao put on her professional fake smile again. "There are many people eating now, I want to ask if those from Yusunliu Village are willing to help with cooking, hehe."
In reality, she wanted to go to the empty kiln to store some dried vegetables and potatoes. With so many people, the food consumption was indeed substantial.
Grandma Qin looked at Qin Junyao with a suspicious gaze. "Does such a small matter require you?"
"I've been indoors for too long and want to go out for a walk. Grandma, do you need me for something?"
"Yes, I do," Grandma Qin withdrew her gaze and adjusted the position of her headscarf. "I'm going to divide the family, and you can be a witness."
"Now?" Qin Junyao thought Grandma Qin hadn't mentioned dividing the family during the New Year because she didn't want to.
"What's wrong? Today is an auspicious day for dividing the family. Grandma chose the date long ago. Let's go quickly."
"Grandma, wait a moment. I'll find someone to call Liu Rong over. I haven't given my father the money from selling cilantro during the New Year yet."
Soon, Liu Rong arrived at the main entrance with the ledger and bank notes.
Nowadays, the Zhao family mostly used bank notes for external settlements. Even the New Year bonuses for servants were in one or two tael bank notes.
The civil war in Qingguo was still ongoing, and it was much more convenient for banks to transport bank notes than physical silver.
"Madam, aren't we taking Miss?" Liu Rong asked Qin Junyao, holding the ledger.
Grandma Qin looked at Liu Rong. "No need, we'll be back soon."
"How much money did you bring?"
Liu Rong glanced at Qin Junyao and, after receiving her consent, said to Grandma Qin, "Fifty-four taels."
Grandma Qin raised an eyebrow. "Cilantro grown on a palm-sized plot of land can sell for so much money?"
"Then I'll plant some this year too. Let's go quickly, we'll be back soon."
Qin Junyao and Liu Rong exchanged a glance and stepped forward to follow Grandma's pace.
Half of the cilantro transported to Northwest City before the New Year had been lost. If the spoilage and personnel costs were truly accounted for, the cilantro planted by her parents could only sell for twenty taels of silver.
Qin Junyao was not short of this small amount of money. Giving more to her parents was her way of fulfilling filial duty for the original owner.
Upon arriving at the Qin family's residence, many people were already waiting for Grandma Qin.
Besides Qin Daniu and his wife, who had returned from Yan County, Qin San Niu from the salt lake, Old Man Hou with his eldest son and his wife, and the heads of several friendly families in the village were all present.
Qin Fu saw Grandma Qin arriving from the window inside the house and came out to greet her, asking first, "Mother, why have you called so many people here?"
Grandma Qin walked past Qin Fu and calmly stated two words: "Family division."
Without even looking at her eldest son's shocked gaze, she entered the house, greeted everyone inside, and went straight to the point.
"I've troubled everyone to come today to serve as witnesses for the old lady's family division."
The Hou family was not surprised by Grandma Qin's intention to divide the family. The other villagers who came as witnesses were puzzled.
"Aunt Qin, your family is living so well, why do you want to divide it?"
"That's right, your family is the one living the best in Yangshu Village."
"Dividing the family means dividing hearts..."
Grandma Qin took the papers from her youngest son, Qin Sen, and said loudly, "When a tree grows large, it branches. When people grow up, they divide the family."
Seeing that everyone had quieted down, Grandma Qin continued, "I appreciate everyone's good intentions, but this family still needs to be divided."
"This is the family division agreement," Grandma Qin handed several copies of the family division documents to the literate villagers and one each to Qin Fu and Qin Lin.
"The three houses in the courtyard will each go to one of the three brothers. For the farmland, the second son will get thirty mu, and the rest will go to the eldest. The large livestock..."
Grandma Qin quickly stated the terms of the family division that she had previously discussed with Qin Sen.
Qin Mu, as the eldest son, received the most, and he also paid the most in annual support to Grandma Qin.
Qin Lin received all the sheep in the household. Grandma Qin knew that Qin Lin's heart was not set on land.
As for Qin Sen, he only received one house. Grandma Qin did not allot any land or money to herself.
Regarding her agreement with Old Man Hou, no one knew what would happen in the future. Having no assets for her descendants to covet would likely cause fewer troubles.
Grandma Qin had no worries about her own old age. She knew that her Yaoyao, not her sons, would ensure she had a good send-off.
Such a division of the family left the villagers who came as witnesses somewhat stunned. This was too biased.
They had heard that Qin family's youngest son had cost the family a lot of money due to poor health previously. Even so, he shouldn't be given nothing but a house.
Before they could voice their opinions, Grandma Qin urged the three sons to sign and affix their fingerprints.
To everyone's surprise, the first to sign was Qin Sen, who received the least.
Qin Mu watched Qin Sen's bright red handprint on the family division document, and her heart suddenly clenched. She had a bad premonition.