I was a stepmother in ancient times, and I led my whole family to wealth.

Chapter 225 It's still your sharp eyes that see through things.

Looking at his childish face and his old-fashioned demeanor, Granny Zuo laughed: "You're quite something, kid. I must say, we do have some people in our family who know how to farm. But why don't you buy now?"

Upon hearing this, Gu Jingye was at a loss for words, feeling somewhat anxious, and looked up at his young mistress.

Dongfang Jin looked at him and smiled but didn't say anything. This child needs to be trained. Since he has spoken, we have to find a way to smooth things over.

Seeing this, Shen Qihui stepped forward and said, "Grandma, it's cold now, and the ground is frozen. Wait until next spring when the earth will come back to life."

"My family definitely has the manpower; you can rest assured, we wouldn't lie to anyone."

After saying that, she pointed at Dongfang Jin and said, "Auntie will need people to clear the land. There will be quite a few people needed. Ten or eight people are not enough for our family. It's not enough at all."

My aunt's hundred-acre orchard requires a lot of people, but right now we've only bought a few of them to keep us company.

After hearing Shen Qihui's words, Granny Zuo looked at Dongfang Jin for confirmation.

Dongfang Jin nodded, but still explained, "The main problem is that my house isn't big enough. We'll be building a new house in the spring."

Now that we have a place to live, just like the child said, our family is really short of people; we'll definitely need quite a few more when the time comes.

Old Lady Zuo tucked the whip into her waistband and waved her hand, saying, "Young lady, how many do you want? Pick as many as you like."

Seeing how magnanimous she was, Dongfang Jin looked at the group of children, hesitated for a moment, and asked, "Won't it cause trouble if we buy them? Our family is really just a peasant family with no connections."

When Granny Zuo heard what she said, her eyes flickered: "Young lady, which village around here are you from?"

Dongfang Jin didn't hide it, but she didn't tell the whole truth either: "My master is the one who bought the house from Master Tang Youcai."

Upon hearing this, Granny Zuo clapped her hands and said, "Master Tang Youcai? I know, I know, alright, you can choose, pick whatever you want, they won't cause any trouble."

She thought to herself, these children are specifically designated to be sent to brothels in the surrounding counties, so she decided to do her good deed this once.

She knew that Tang Youcai's house was in Lingwu Village. She had seen that house before; it stood alone at the foot of the mountain, like a temple.

However, it's so remote that people still buy things. He glanced at Dongfang Jin without leaving a trace, and it seemed that someone from a powerful family had come out to seek refuge.

Those in their line of work have become accustomed to this over the years, but most of them would not choose Lingwu Village because it is considered an ominous place.

Although no one mentions it anymore these days, the fog still lingers over Lingwu Mountain every winter.

Those who know the truth won't go there. Tang Youcai built his house there only because he listened to a wandering monk.

The house is built, but before we can even live in it, I have to leave with my son...

Finally, Dongfang Jin followed the direction indicated by the Ruyi finger and chose seven girls and four boys.

These children all had different injuries; some of their clothes were so wet that they blended into their open wounds, which looked painful.

These children just endured it, just like Lin Panpan and Du Wanru back then.

Even so, the children's eyes did not lose their sparkle; some were filled with resentment, some with unwillingness, and some with a fierceness like wolf cubs. It seemed that they were all people with stories to tell.

That's good too. The people we find for Gu Jingye's team should be like this, so that Long Jiu and the others can be managed more easily.

She believed that such a person would not miss this opportunity.

Seeing this, Qin Meng quickly called to the young servant standing at his door, "Go and bring our donkey cart over here."

Just then, a donkey cart happened to pass by, and Qin Meng stopped it, asking the driver if it had just returned from dropping someone off.

He took out a copper coin and said, "Brother Sun, could you please help me deliver someone?"

Sun Shuan, a regular customer on this street, asked, "Where to?"

Qin Meng didn't answer immediately, so he looked at Dongfang Jin and asked her where she was going. Dongfang Jin smiled and said, "To Heping Lane."

Sun Shuan paused, holding the copper coin, and looked at Qin Meng: "It's so close, it doesn't cost that much money."

Despite saying that, the copper coin was not handed to Qin Meng.

Seeing Qin Meng's troubled expression, Dongfang Jin looked at the coachman and said, "Why don't you take them to Lingwu Village after you've dropped them off?"

Upon hearing this, Sun Shuan put the money in his pocket and happily said, "Okay."

He thought to himself, Lingwu Village isn't far, and the two places together only cost thirty coins, so this is too much.

However, when he jumped out of the car and saw the injured children, he fell silent.

He gritted his teeth, glared at Old Lady Zuo, cursed her, then bent down, picked up a child, and carried him onto the train.

Dongfang Jin took the indentures from Granny Zuo and gave her 130 taels of silver.

Just as Qin Meng and the coachman Sun Shuan were carrying the children into the car, a little girl rushed out from the crowd and hugged Gu Jingye.

"You touched my body, so you have to buy me too."

Dongfang Jin was taken aback by this sudden action. He stepped forward, pulled the girl away, and said coldly, "My family will not buy you."

The girl glared at her with a mixture of resentment and indignation, and demanded, "Why?"

Dongfang Jin shielded the stunned Gu Jingye behind her and looked at her coldly: "Little girl, there's something wrong with your behavior. If you want us to buy you, there are many ways, but you've used the stupidest one."

My family is too small to accommodate you; you should find a wealthy family instead.

The girl shouted angrily at her: "You even bought those sluts, why didn't you buy me? They're all lowlifes who came from brothels."

Dongfang Jin pushed the frightened Gu Jingye and said to Shen Qihui, "Take your younger brother to find your older brother."

Shen Qihui nodded, glanced at the girl, and pulled the stunned Gu Jingye away.

As soon as they left, Granny Zuo pulled out her whip and lashed it at the girl: "I thought you were a good girl, but I never expected you to be so wicked."

A bloody welt appeared on the girl's back: "Ah... Granny, please stop hitting me, please stop, ah... it hurts..."

Ruyi clicked her tongue in amazement. "That's ruthless!"

Dongfang Jin saw all of this without feeling any sympathy for her. This child looked so young, but her mind was already like this. If she bought her and took her home, the house would definitely be in chaos.

She didn't want to bring a ticking time bomb home.

[That's true. This child sees too much. With such a mind at such a young age, he'll definitely be a handful in the future.]

Yes, if she rushed out and cried pitifully, maybe I might be moved. After all, she's just a child; how bad can she be?

That's not necessarily true; I can tell the difference.

You've got a keen eye, haven't you?

That is.

After whipping the girl a few times, Old Lady Zuo stopped when she saw her lying motionless on the ground. She said angrily, "You think you can climb the social ladder?"

Don't forget what the person who sold you said: you'll never be able to leave that place in your lifetime.

You're so young yet so malicious. I've figured it out. Whoever buys your cheap bastard is doomed.

"It was my mistake, I almost fell for your trick."

Qin Meng walked over, looking curious. Something must have happened to make this old woman so angry.

He needed to find out the details before it fell into his hands: "Sister Zuo, what does this mean?"

Old Lady Zuo was so angry that she lost her ability to think. Without thinking, she pointed at the girl lying on the ground and told her everything: "She is a child adopted by the Ye family of Du'an Prefecture."

Last year, Madam Ye gave birth to a son, and the child, harboring malicious intentions, poured hot tea into the mouth of a one-month-old baby.