She Became A Downfall Noble Lady
Chapter 208 - 207: Jinrong’s Face Full of Troubles

Chapter 208: Chapter 207: Jinrong’s Face Full of Troubles

Lian Gui struggled with how he could have asked such a nonsensical question, yet Qi Younian provided a brisk affirmative answer, "Yes, when the cattle farm was initially set up, it was Ye Zi and Sixth Master Rong who brought it up. Sixth Master Rong thought it was a good idea, so taking advantage of the convenience at hand, he let Ye Zi start preparing it right away."

Lian Gui and Anshun’s Household’s eyes widened in an instant; this meant that not only was it Miss Ye’s suggestion, but she was also the one who single-handedly organized it. Organizing an enterprise and merely taking over the management of one are entirely different matters.

Could this be possible?

"That," Lian Gui said with some difficulty, "Lady Qi is a young woman, how could she possibly raise livestock? You must be joking, old sir."

Qi Younian laughed, his smile containing undeniable pride, "Why would there be any need for a joke? Organizing the cattle farm, with so many cows, naturally doesn’t depend on her alone to feed them one by one. Just like Ye Zi said, ’It’s all about making good use of people.’ It might be very difficult for others, but for Ye Zi, it’s much simpler. She just needs to arrange what needs to be done and let those who do the work follow the procedures."

Uh, Lian Gui was stunned; all of them, big or small, came from managerial backgrounds. He knew it was said like that, and that was the reasoning, but it was by no means simple to do.

Seeing Lian Gui in a daze, Qi Younian also thought that Miss Ye, who held a position in the Duke’s Mansion, certainly wouldn’t do manual labor herself, so it was understandable that the people from the Duke’s Mansion were astonished.

He said to Lian Gui with a smile, "There’s nothing surprising about this. People don’t know how much they can do until they’re pushed to a certain extent. People are like this; when they’re out of options and need to fill their bellies, they’ll think of ways to make money and end up doing many things."

When Qi Younian said this, Lian Gui and those from Anshun’s Household felt no particular emotion, thinking it was just the old farmer boasting big words and not taking it seriously.

Nanny Liu, however, found Qi Younian’s statement quite unbelievable. Your words make it sound so easy, but they’re only suitable for Qi Ye. Besides Qi Ye, they wouldn’t fit anyone else. Who could meddle in everything like Qi Ye does, and not only meddle but also stand out in everything they meddle in?

Lian Gui simply thought that the old farmer was boasting on behalf of the Duke’s Mansion’s Young Lady and didn’t mind it, but he asked another question that puzzled him, "Old sir, running such a large cattle farm and relying solely on renting out plow cattle can scarcely earn any silver, right?" What he actually meant was, this approach must be losing money, right?

He saw Qi Younian look at him with a surprised expression, then added, "What I mean is, most farm households are poor and don’t have extra money to rent plow cattle. Even if they have some, they might as well buy a cow instead of spending silver to rent one, right?"

Qi Younian explained, "Renting out plow cattle, of course, cannot earn silver. Sixth Master Rong didn’t set up this cattle farm to earn silver from renting plow cattle. The reason it rents cattle to farmers is merely to collect the grass for feeding livestock. The renters of the cattle also use the grass they cut and the corn stalks and sweet potato vines after the autumn harvest in place of rent."

While speaking, Qi Younian also pointed to a construction site next to the cattle farm, saying, "Steward Lian, do you see that area there? They’re building a workshop that will be dedicated to making dairy products, which will use the cow’s milk produced by the cattle farm."

"Dairy, dairy products?" Lian Gui asked, "What are those?"

Qi Younian chuckled heartily and said, "We were so caught up in our discussion just now that the snack shop has run out of cheese and other ingredients recently, so we haven’t made any cheese desserts. In a while, when we go back, I’ll ask Nanny Liu to use cheese and cream to make a few desserts. Once Steward Lian has tasted them, he’ll know that raising cattle is a profitable business."

Only Ye Zi from her family had such a skill, able to come up with, and also make so many new money-making ideas. It was also a blessing in disguise that Ye Zi made a mistake at home and fled, for if she had always been cooped up in their aristocratic mansion’s strict inner courtyard, even if Ye Zi had ideas and abilities, there would have been no chance to make them known.

Lian Gui turned his gaze towards Nanny Liu, thinking this old farmer was too unreliable; what was he even talking about? He seemed somewhat unable to understand.

Nanny Liu flashed a smile and explained briefly, "The dairy farm mainly raises female cows, specifically for producing cow’s milk. The produced milk, after processing, can be made into various exquisite culinary ingredients, which the Young Lady collectively refers to as dairy products. The dairy farm earns its silver through these milk-based products.

Recently, cheese and other ingredients are in short supply, and it’s been a long time since we used cheese to make desserts at home. But since the elder has spoken, let’s make two desserts with cheese and cream to try."

Speaking of which, Nanny Liu really missed the cheese and cream desserts. It wasn’t that she craved the taste, but rather, the sense of accomplishment from making such delicious desserts by hand was something she fondly remembered.

As they spoke, they returned to the house to discuss how to accommodate the four servant women who had come from the Duke’s Mansion.

They hadn’t settled the matter here when the carriage Jinrong was traveling in had already entered Clear Water Village at an unhurried pace.

Seeing that they had entered the bounds of Clear Water Village, Hongzhi asked from outside the carriage, "Sixth Master, the village’s farmlands are up ahead. Should we check out the autumn harvest first, or shall we inspect the dairy product workshop first?"

Jinrong poked his head out of the carriage and looked ahead, saying, "Let’s first find Yuanfan to see how the harvest is going, then go to the Qi family. Inform Qi Younian that Lord Jiang and I will have our lunch at the Qi family’s place." Seeing Hongzhi about to turn and send someone with the message, he added another reminder, "Remember, it’s Qi Younian’s place, not their Qi family’s old mansion."

The tiny bit of land owned by the Qi family? Hongzhi hesitated for only a moment before promptly agreeing and instructing the attendant to pass the message onto the second branch of the Qi family.

Jinrong settled back into the carriage, and the concealed Hu Jing laughed and asked, "Sixth Master, why insist on bringing Lord Jiang along? Lord Jiang has his official duties, and there are local officials to take care of his meals."

Jinrong paused, intending to change the subject, but after glancing at Hu Jing, he changed his mind, "After all, Qi Ye is Yuanfan’s ex-wife, and the past two times I’ve observed, Yuanfan’s treatment of Qi Ye seems somewhat different from the past. We’re friends, there’s no need to become enemies over these baseless matters."

Hu Jing had only asked casually, not expecting such an answer. Looking at Jinrong, he said, "Subordinate hears that Lord Jiang and Miss Ye had long detested each other, breaking up despite the potential loss of their careers. It hasn’t been that long; surely Lord Jiang hasn’t rekindled old feelings so soon? Wait, Lord Jiang and his wife probably never had old feelings to begin with, so how could there be a rekindling?"

Speaking of this, Jinrong also felt troubled, "I never thought it would turn out like this either. Earlier on, I even harbored mischievous intentions, deliberately mentioning Qi Ye frequently in front of Yuanfan, just to see his annoyed and angry demeanor. But I didn’t expect to make things turn out this way."

Hu Jing looked at Jinrong’s face full of trouble, opened his mouth to speak, then hesitated, holding back his words.