In several neighboring counties and cities, and even from farther states, there were people who would come to purchase goods from here, just for the sake of a tastier bite.
Of course, there were also families who operated transport businesses, buying goods here to sell elsewhere for a profit margin.
The workers of the Zhong Family who lived on the estate didn’t feel that living on the estate was inadequate at all, especially in this beautifully scenic place, where they felt the air was too good, even better than where they were listed on the map.
They had some understanding of why the young mistress and the teacher’s son-in-law chose to teach in this place, saying they lived well here; something they had previously doubted.
They thought that one could also find a teacher’s job in the Capital City, so why would one want to come to this rural area.
As house slaves of the Zhong Family, when the Old Master and Madam forgave the Lady for marrying a poor scholar, they, as either born into servitude or hired workers, felt the teacher’s son-in-law had some incredible luck, which must have come from the good deeds of a past life.
The young workers who dreamed of becoming the son-in-law of a rich family, not having to work so hard, only regretted that they were not cut out for studying and certainly did not have the teacher’s son-in-law’s handsome appearance.
Many believed that the Lady was smitten with the teacher’s son-in-law’s looks and foolishly severed ties with her family.
Coming to this place with clear mountains and beautiful waters, they felt that life teaching here was not bad for the teacher’s son-in-law and his wife, perhaps even better than what they had in the Capital City.
Moreover, here they could eat well, live well, and earn money through their own labor.
Compared to those rich young masters who relied only on their families, without using their own skills to work and make money, which lead to wasteful and dissolute behavior, the teacher’s son-in-law did have his merits.
Those who Hongji arranged to stay were settled in the estate by the roadside, which had not yet officially opened for profit-making.
However, now that there was a place to accommodate guests, it actually felt quite good. Although the invested money hadn’t been earned back yet, the ability to entertain guests respectably was a comfort.
Hongji felt that everything was nearly ready; all that was missing was for the orchard to be planted and grow on the mountain to make it a leisurely and enjoyable place.
Hongji’s daughter spoke of the farmer family’s joy, which was akin to hosting guests like they were now, enabling them to savor the fine dining of a restaurant.
In the estate, areas that had already been refurbished began to employ chefs, no longer limited to the housekeeper and those guarding the property.
He believed that this concept of a farmer family’s joy was feasible; if people were coming from such distances to buy their estate’s produce, why couldn’t he use the family’s resources to entertain guests and make money while recovering the invested funds swiftly.
Since Li Zhijun, the Uncle, had taken over the responsibility of the estate’s construction after separating from his younger brother,
he had known from the start that the estate was not just for cultivation but also had commercial potential.
He was hesitant about something he had never tried before, knowing he couldn’t always just stick to farming; learning to do business and manage was a whole different skill.
Of course, Li Zhijun would make the most of this opportunity. With the support from his brother-in-law, he could make his mark here. Even if it wasn’t his own, there was something satisfying about learning from nothing and eventually making money.
His brother-in-law didn’t treat him unfairly; he and his younger brother both managed the estates with the same pay, despite the fact that his younger brother had a considerable income while he continued to invest here.
Li Zhijun believed that the estate he managed would also become very profitable soon.
Living here with the estate’s guardians, being surrounded by such breathtaking scenery every day made him incredibly content.
Even his younger brother envied him, although living on the estate in the mountains wasn’t too bad either.
But living here, like in a rich family’s private residence, one could imagine how much had been invested into this estate.
With the increased income earned by working for their brother-in-law, Li Zhijun and his brother managed to expand their home by adding more rooms.
In the countryside, the foundations were usually quite broad and the yards large, with vegetables grown around the courtyard.
Now with money at hand, they transformed the vegetable plots into rooms, so the two families didn’t have to separate and when the children grew up, they also had rooms to live in.
Generally, families don’t split as long as the parents are alive. Both brothers worked for their brother-in-law while their family fields were tended by the women, with occasional help from their parents.
Ever since they saw the nieces from the Ye family hiring teachers to learn to read and write, they also sent the boys in the family to the private school.
They even bought pens and ink for the girls at home, asking the educated children who had time to teach the girls at home.