They've all separated, so what does it matter to me if they get poorer and poorer?

Chapter 271 Zeng Mingzhu notices something fishy.

Xu Zhichun: "Next year I plan to plant cotton and some other things. Anyway, you should hire someone to clear the land and level it as much as possible. Make sure to add straw to the cowshed in time and compost as much manure as possible."

It's obviously not enough to compost all that land by herself, but fortunately, she has plenty of organic fertilizer in her warehouse, so she's not worried.

Next year, she will plant cotton, chili peppers, and tomatoes. She has excellent varieties of seeds, so she is not afraid of not being able to grow them well.

Chili peppers and tomatoes are picked fresh and sold to the provincial capital, while cotton is sold after the autumn harvest.

Steward Mao was even more surprised and hurriedly advised, "Madam, cotton is not so easy to grow. Although they are all crops, not all crops are the same. I'm afraid no one on our estate knows how to grow cotton. What will happen then?"

They might end up losing everything and be ridiculed by the surrounding villages and towns.
Most importantly, if the blame is entirely placed on him, on his mismanagement, he'll have nowhere to turn for help.

Liang Mingxuan: "Manager Mao should just follow my sister-in-law's arrangements. If my sister-in-law says it's okay, then it's definitely okay."

Manager Mao: "."

Xu Zhichun smiled and said, "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

"Yes, ma'am."

Okay, he's already reminded me anyway.

Perhaps he's overthinking things, or he's confused. The Madam and the Second Master's family must be skilled at growing cotton, otherwise they wouldn't have said that!

He's so foolish!

Steward Mao became excited and expectant again, "Cotton is a good thing. No one in our Qingyang County is good at growing cotton, and no family grows it. Since Madam and Second Master are good at it, our manor will be the only one in the country. If that's the case, we don't have enough manpower for the manor now. Madam and Second Master will have to consider bringing in some more people or buying more. When it comes to growing cotton, it's best if it's all done by our own people or tenants. Even if we hire outsiders, we can't let them handle everything. After the cotton is planted, we need to arrange for people to patrol. We need to have people watching over the fields and the manor to prevent anyone from secretly watching and learning."

Xu Zhichun was both amused and surprised: was it really such a rare thing to grow cotton here again? She originally thought it was just an ordinary thing, but she never expected that she would be able to excel again.

But it should be alright, after all, cotton is something that can be grown in other places even if it's not in this county, it's not something that "came out of nowhere", so it shouldn't be too conspicuous.

"Manager Mao is right. You should train these people well first, and then add more people next time."

"Yes, ma'am."

Manager Mao was very excited; he had never even seen cotton grown before!
Xu Zhichun and his group left the estate and went straight home.

Half a day is just enough time.

In Qingyang County, Zeng Mingzhu had been pretending to be deaf and dumb for two days, but she had reached her limit and could no longer keep up the act. She couldn't help but sarcastically remark to her husband, "Qi Tong and Qi Gui have been very busy these past two days, running around outside all day long. I wonder what you've been busy with, husband? Do you need my help?"

Young Master Qi felt a little guilty and embarrassed.

Don't think he didn't realize she was mocking him; she had no idea what he was doing.

He was already furious when he ran into Xu Zhichun that day, and she ruined his plans. Later, when Qi Tong lost track of the person he was following, Young Master Qi was even more frustrated.

He was unwilling to give up, so he sent Qi Tong and Qi Gui to search all over the city for the past two days, trying to find Xu Zhichun and the others. After all, the county town wasn't too small, nor too big, and they were unfamiliar with the area, so they should be easy to find.

Who knew that after seeing Qi Tong following her, Xu Zhichun said that Young Master Qi probably wouldn't give up so easily. She had already given the inn's front desk staff and manager a bribe and made polite excuses to explain, so Qi Tong and Qi Gui wouldn't be able to find out anything.

They basically went to the village outside the city again and did not go out shopping again, so Qi Tong and Qi Gui naturally came up empty-handed.

The more they couldn't have it, the more restless and itchy they became. The two useless attendants had been scolded by Young Master Qi quite a bit these past two days.

Zeng Mingzhu sneered: "I'm afraid they've already gone back. Even if Qi Tong and Qi Gui searched the ground three feet deep, they might not be of any use. Husband, you should calm down."

Young Master Qi was somewhat annoyed and embarrassed: "What nonsense are you talking about!"

"How am I talking nonsense? Yes, I don't understand why my husband is going against me. That bitch Zeng Xiaoyan has been rebellious since she was a child. After getting married, she thought she had someone to rely on and became even more arrogant. She doesn't respect me, her elder sister, at all. Time and time again, she has caused me so much trouble and harmed me so many times. Instead of avenging me, my husband is single-mindedly trying to befriend them. Isn't that just trampling on my dignity?"

"What's so great about that little bitch? The Liang family are just a bunch of country bumpkins, and my husband is actually willing to befriend them! I really don't understand!"

Young Master Qi was taken aback: Is that what she was thinking?
"What nonsense are you talking about? Me, befriend them? Who do they think they are?"

"Ah!"

Young Master Qi's heart skipped a beat. He hadn't expected that Madam Xu to be so difficult to win over, ignoring his attentiveness and attempts to curry favor, and even harboring resentment and hostility towards him. Achieving his goal would likely not be easy.

Reason tells him to give up, but if he could really give up, why would he have waited until now?

The more unattainable something is, the more one desires it; it's mostly a matter of resentment.

He's determined to seduce her.

But now his wife has become suspicious of this, and she will probably keep an eye on his actions. If he wants to go to Qingshan County, she will follow him.

It's almost impossible to hide it from her.

Besides, she'll find out eventually.

Since that's the case, it's better to tell her now. Wouldn't it be even better if we could coax her into helping us? I can't openly approach Madam Xu, but she can.

Young Master Qi immediately changed his demeanor, speaking to Zeng Mingzhu with a gentle smile and coaxing her until she calmed down. When she asked again, Young Master Qi no longer hid the truth from her.

Zeng Mingzhu was furious, her heart breaking. "What? You've fallen so low! You've really fallen so low! What is Xu Zhichun, that country woman? What kind of person is she? What kind of taste do you have? You actually fell for her! I wouldn't care if you fell for any prostitute in a brothel, but you had to fall for her. She's not even as good as our third-class maid. Ha, my husband's taste is truly unique."

Young Master Qi, enraged and embarrassed, retorted, "Where's your supposed elegance and virtue? Listen to the nonsense you're spouting! Madam Xu isn't as bad as you make her out to be. Don't forget, your Zeng family can't even buy sweet potatoes, potatoes, tomatoes, strawberries, or anything like that, let alone ice jelly or konjac tofu—"

"you shut up!"

Zeng Mingzhu was even more furious than him; who could bear being stabbed in the heart like that?

Zeng Mingzhu clutched her chest, furious: "You know perfectly well how hateful and vicious she is to our Zeng family. She even sent my uncle to jail, did everything she could to humiliate my elder brother, made my mother so angry she couldn't eat or sleep, and made my father lose all face. And yet you... you actually fell for her! Qi Ming, don't even think about it! That bitch, she's got some nerve, seducing my husband without a word. I won't let her get away with this!"