The Eunuch Has A Wife - Chapter 17

Bai Zhi breathed a sigh of relief, glad that she had managed to hold things together.

She felt that it wasn’t the right time to cause any trouble, so she took out her money pouch and counted out twenty coins to hand to the middle-aged man.

The middle-aged man glanced at her pouch, roughly estimating its contents. It seemed the young couple hadn’t lied; there were only about a hundred coins in the pouch.

On the way back, Bai Zhi and Wei Ziwan walked ahead, followed by the four middle-aged men carrying various farming tools.

Bai Zhi then whispered, “How did you know they would agree?”

“I didn’t.”

“Then why did you agree to provide meals? What if the negotiation had failed?” Bai Zhi asked, looking puzzled.

Wei Ziwan replied leisurely, “Where would the food come from?”

Hearing this, Bai Zhi fell silent. The manor had only promised to feed them, not the hired laborers. They had no food to offer others.

When they reached the field, the four middle-aged men gasped at the sight of four acres full of weeds.

Seeing their reaction, Bai Zhi felt a pang of panic and immediately spoke up, “Gentlemen, please get to work. We have plenty of water.”

The leader of the group touched the twenty coins in his pocket, regretting that he had taken the deposit too early. Otherwise, he would have insisted on the young couple providing a meal.

The four men, clearly experienced in farm work and well-equipped with tools, got to work. Two of them used hoes to cut the weeds, while the other two followed behind—one raking the weeds into piles with an iron rake, and the other carrying the piles to the edge of the field.

Bai Zhi watched in amazement. It was true that professionals had their expertise.

Their previous struggle to pull weeds by hand was purely amateurish. They hadn’t even thought to use tools, which now seemed embarrassingly foolish.

At the rate these four were working, the field would be cleared by the afternoon. If it had been just her and Wei Ziwan, it would have taken days.

Thinking this, she glanced at Wei Ziwan.

The woman, with her cascading black hair and delicate eyebrows, stood quietly gazing at the field. Without any makeup, her serene face resembled a beautiful ink-wash painting, breathtakingly lovely.

“Do I look good?” the beauty suddenly turned and asked, a slight smile on her lips.

Bai Zhi’s breath hitched, and she replied coolly, “Will you pay me if I say yes?”

She must have been bewitched earlier. Forget the beautiful scenery; this woman was nothing but trouble.

Wei Ziwan smiled softly and asked, “Husband, have you heard of a phrase?” This eunuch was truly obsessed with money.

“What phrase?” Bai Zhi asked instinctively, then inwardly scolded herself for playing along with this troublemaker.

Wei Ziwan blinked, a hint of teasing in her eyes. “Saying one thing but meaning another.”

Bai Zhi’s lips twitched, and she sneered, “Not only do I know that phrase, but I also know another one—’self-awareness.'”

Wei Ziwan’s smile didn’t falter. She looked down at herself, pretending to examine her appearance. “I know that phrase too, and I wholeheartedly agree.”

This eunuch was mocking her for lacking self-awareness. Hmph.

Bai Zhi couldn’t help but purse her lips, wisely choosing not to engage further with this troublemaker.

As dusk fell, the weeds in the field were finally cleared.

When it came time to pay, Bai Zhi instinctively looked at Wei Ziwan. They had agreed to split the cost, but the troublemaker seemed to have forgotten.

Wei Ziwan glanced at her and chided, “Husband, why are you looking at me? We only have a hundred coins left, and you’re holding onto them. Hurry up and give the remaining eighty coins to these gentlemen.”

Bai Zhi’s lips twitched. It seemed she had indeed said something like that earlier. She might as well pay first and settled the matter by handing over the coins.

Once the workers had packed up their tools and left, Bai Zhi approached Wei Ziwan and held out her hand. “Now that there’s no one around, give me your half.”

Wei Ziwan looped her arm through Bai Zhi’s and said gently, “Husband, who do you think is better at handling money matters with outsiders?”

She then glanced meaningfully at the retreating figures of the workers.

The implication was clear.

Bai Zhi wanted to say it was her, but remembering how Wei Ziwan had handled the negotiations earlier, she pressed her lips together.

They had both grown up in the palace, so why was there such a difference? Although she had been in the cold palace…

Wei Ziwan took the opportunity to shake her arm lightly. “So, from now on, if we encounter such situations, I’ll handle the payments. You can focus on making the big decisions, and I’ll take care of these minor matters.”

Money matters were, of course, significant, but as long as she could get past this, she would have control over the finances.

This eunuch must have been in the cold palace for too long. While she could interact with others without issue and put on a good front, she was as cold as ice in private. But when it came to understanding people’s intentions, she was far behind.

Bai Zhi pondered this, feeling that the troublemaker’s words made sense, but a strange feeling lingered in her heart.

She couldn’t quite place where this unease came from, but then her arm was shaken again.

Bai Zhi seemed to realize the source of her unease. She awkwardly pulled her arm away and patted her sleeve, saying coolly, “We’ll do as you suggest for now.”

Wei Ziwan’s smile widened, her bright eyes and white teeth glowing in the sunset.

Bai Zhi was momentarily stunned but quickly averted her gaze and walked ahead.

Behind her, Wei Ziwan touched her money pouch. Not a single coin was missing. A good start indeed.

Suddenly, the eunuch didn’t seem so annoying anymore. Her cold demeanor was even a bit more tolerable.

She shook her head, thinking it was only a slight improvement, and then quickened her pace to catch up.

Late at night, after the candles had been extinguished, Bai Zhi looked at Wei Ziwan in the moonlight and asked softly, “What’s the third step?”

Wei Ziwan rolled over, sounding confused. “What third step?”

Bai Zhi took a deep breath, reminding herself to stay calm.

“The second step was clearing the weeds. What’s the next step?”

Wei Ziwan paused, thinking for a moment before replying, “Next is planting, tomorrow we’ll ask what’s best to plant this season and then get some seeds from the manager.”

That should be the next step…

“Mm.” Bai Zhi acknowledged, then turned over, leaving Wei Ziwan with the back of her head.

Wei Ziwan also turned over.

The two lay back to back, sharing a bed but not a pillow or blanket, with enough space between them for another person, each lost in their own dreams.

Early the next morning, Aunt Chen knocked on the door promptly, reminding the two mistresses it was time to get up and work.

Bai Zhi sat up, yawning, and looked at Wei Ziwan, who was also sitting up. “Do you feel like Aunt Chen isn’t here to serve us, but to make sure we don’t slack off?”

She had the strange feeling that she wasn’t a mistress but a worker being monitored.

“Husband is right, I feel the same way.” Wei Ziwan said, getting up and glancing at the light coming through the window. The sun wasn’t even fully up, and they were already being urged to work. This was hardly the treatment of mistresses.

This time, they didn’t wear their preferred clothes but instead donned the same coarse, gray hemp robes as the day before.

After all, they were dealing with the land. One had to dress the part for the work at hand.

The manor’s custom was not to eat breakfast before work but to take advantage of the cool morning hours to labor in the fields and then return for a meal.

Bai Zhi and Wei Ziwan followed local customs, first consulting the manager about what crops to plant this season. After considering several options, they settled on radishes.

Radishes seemed easy to grow and matured quickly, usually ready for harvest in about two months. This would allow them to prepare for spring planting next year.

As for the seeds, Manager Lu said he needed to consult with others and asked them to return after breakfast.

Bai Zhi and Wei Ziwan exchanged glances, both sensing a new challenge.

“Do you think we’ll have to pay for the radish seeds?” Bai Zhi asked, recalling Manager Lu’s expression and feeling that another difficulty was on the horizon.

Wei Ziwan nodded. “Husband’s guess is likely correct.”

There was no such thing as a free lunch. Given the past two days’ events, it was highly probable they would have to pay for the seeds.

After breakfast, they went to find Manager Lu, only to see Bai Li there as well.

Their eyes met, confirming their suspicions.

Bai Li smiled as they approached and pointed to the ground. “Here are twenty bags of soybeans, each weighing one dan. Last year’s market price was about six hundred coins per dan. If you can sell all of them without incurring a loss, the manor will provide you with free seeds for any crop in the future.”

(Here, one dan is approximately 25 pounds, so twenty bags would total 500 pounds.)

Bai Zhi and Wei Ziwan looked at each other, puzzled. What was going on? They didn’t have to pay anymore?