The Ger's Contract Marriage [BL]
Chapter 379: Touring the Estate

Chapter 379: Touring the Estate

*Back to Xu Zeng~*

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The warm hues of the sun were welcome as Xu Zeng brought his stroll through the Nanshan Estate to a close.

Soaking in the fruits of his labor over the past two months, the basket carrying his two nephews swung gently at his side as he sauntered through the grounds.

He checked out each cellar, a bountiful assortment of treasure packed in tightly, showing the outcome of his hard work.

It was like a visual feast—around 70 percent of the cellars were stocked with freshly home brewed wine, another 20 percent crammed with jams and fruit products, and the last 10 percent playing host to the spoils of the spring harvest and preserved meats.

The estate was alive and buzzing with activity, but he hadn’t spotted his alternate target yet.

As the sun cast warm hues across the estate, Xu Zeng couldn’t help but marvel at the results. The estate was clearly thriving, but this was just the beginning.

The air was filled with the sweet aroma of success.

Most of the meats were sold, and only what was needed to sustain the inhabitants until the fall harvests were kept. Even as summer was coming to an end, there was no real space to store the summer harvest.

Xu Feng’s plot of land beside Nanshan Estate was more productive than anyone believed or planned for. It couldn’t fully sustain the needs of the estate’s inhabitants completely, but if it was expanded slightly that wouldn’t be a problem in the future.

Unfortunately, the one who had initially envisioned this success, Xu Feng, was no longer there to witness it. His plot of land, full of abundance and potential, needed more attention than ever.

They hadn’t created a sustainable income for the estate yet, but they were nearly completely self sustaining.

It was too bad there was now no one to worry about the plot. The servants of the estate tended to the plot, harvested its grains, and planted seasonally, but no one was as concerned with productivity, and longevity as Xu Feng had been.

Even Xu San, the capable steward of the estate, placed the plot on the lowest slot on her list of affairs to manage.

With more attention, even more new storage cellars and possible storage buildings would need to be added with the gold earned from game hunting. There were now two large root cellars in each of the three courtyards—Blooming Courtyard, Budding Courtyard, and Flowering Courtyard.

There was also a much larger cellar in the servant’s quarters and the guest quarters and an additional one in the vicinity of the main kitchen. Each of the 9 cellars was put to good use, and any unused space in the Flowering Courtyard itself was also filled with wines.

The ancient and simplistically styled clay jars stood like sentinels, guardians of a growing wine haven.

The clay jars purchased to store all this wine had cost Xu Hu Zhe and Xu Zeng a small fortune. While Xu San was in charge of household matters, Xu Hu Zhe and Xu Zeng were now in charge of procuring any items for the estate’s future business.

This task was also known as giving yuan to Liu and Min, to handle these affairs.

Xu Feng clearly wanted to turn Nanshan into a wine estate, a grand vision that was still in its infancy, but the plan had never been fully formed.

Even if their current stock of wine sold out and found a consistent market, their current model of obtaining fruit wasn’t sustainable.

These were things Xu Feng thought he would have time to figure out, help implement, and nurture. But in the end, he could only scrawl about his ideas and leave his journals for his brother and Xu Hu Zhe to set up on their own.

They now had access to journals filled with his notes on the plants and animals he’d researched in this world. Journals filled with fruits and vegetable cultivation methods and one specifically on a wine business—this one with a few recipes and ideas for new recipes and possible pairings.

One month wasn’t enough for Xu Feng to scrawl everything down, but his hopes and dreams were clearly communicated to Xu Zeng. He in turn dedicated his free time to see to it that his brother wouldn’t need to worry in the afterlife.

Even if it took a longer time for the business to start, Xu Zeng would continue hunt in the deep mountains, so there would be silver earned regardless.

But it was more than just Xu Zeng’s effort, Xu Hu Zhe, Xuan Jian, Xuan Yang, Xu Si, and Xu San were all working hard in their own way to make sure Nanshan Estate—Xu Feng’s legacy—would flourish.

Those with deep enough pockets around Yilin Town and Beyin Town—where Xu Zeng’s game was often sold—were having an abundant summer, with ample fresh game on their tables.

Liu had even suggested selling game in more distant markets to keep their market from becoming saturated and decreasing the demand and value of the meats.

All of this had gone over Xu Zeng’s head to a certain extent, but he wouldn’t disregard honest advice from Liu and this proved to be the right choice. He was even looking forward to the fall when they could sell the hides they accumulated over the last few months.

Their income hadn’t waned despite selling game consistently through the summer like most hunters with lots of game would. Plus, both Xu Zeng and Xuan Jian’s audacity to go deep into the mountain range was rewarded with larger and more precious game than most could dream of.

The hides when sold at the right time would net them quite a bit of gold. Some of it could even be sold to the government to craft armor for soldiers on the borders. This was peacetime, but the royal families’ coffers will always be open to keep them enthroned.

Xu Feng would have enjoyed seeing animals that looked like aliens to his modern perception, but at least his people were benefiting from this determination burning within Xu Zeng and Xuan Jian.