Lin He waited at home for quite a while until her father finally rushed back, still breathless as he entered the house. Seeing how agitated her father was, Lin He poured him a cup of tea and said, “Father, drink some tea first to calm down. You can tell me slowly once you’ve settled.”

Madam Huang also chimed in with a gentle chiding directed at Lin He, “It’s all because of you, speaking so urgently. Otherwise, why would your father be so flustered? Husband, take your time, don’t rush.” She then shot a quick glance at Lin He.

Lin He smiled a little sheepishly; she admitted to herself that she had indeed been too hasty.

After resting for a moment and regaining his breath, Er Niu spoke, “He’er, I’ve found out clearly. There is such a matter. They say the shop owned by Landlord Xia in the city ran into trouble and they are desperate for money. So, they plan to sell their land here—about one hundred and seventy mu. The total price is one thousand taels of silver. They won't sell parcels; it must be sold as one entire block. The fields aren't far from us, situated in the area near the Shanglin family village. However, there is one condition: payment must be in ready silver.”

Lin He thought that what Aunt Xu had said was correct; Landlord Xia’s family was indeed pressed for cash, hence the urgency in selling, and the price was slightly discounted. Er Niu then added, “He’er, why were you in such a hurry to send me to inquire? Is our family planning to buy land? This land isn’t being sold piecemeal.”

Lin He smiled and said, “Yes, I wasn’t planning on buying a single part. Father, how about we buy all one hundred and seventy mu? I can produce one thousand taels of silver.”

Both Er Niu and Madam Huang were startled by Lin He’s words. Er Niu asked, “He’er, you have this much silver? Where did you get it? Can the things you made really earn this much money? You aren’t just saying that to make us happy, are you?”

Ever since the family entrusted the finances to Lin He’s management, Madam Huang and Er Niu had never inquired about the household money. They knew she earned some silver each month, perhaps only a few hundred taels in total, but they hadn't expected this vast sum. Lin He smiled and replied, “Yes, I’ve earned it recently, and the He Cai Wa Wa [Lotus Color Dolls] also distributed their share of the profits, so we have this much now.”

Er Niu then remembered the He Cai Wa Wa. After all this time, Er Niu had almost forgotten that the dolls were also their family's venture. Now that they could receive dividends, if they added the He Cai Wa Wa money, they should indeed have enough. But Er Niu pressed on, “He’er, but there are only a few of us in the family. If you buy this much land, what will we do with it?”

“Father, if you buy the fields, naturally you must hire people to work them. Do you expect the family members to do it all? I fear it would never be finished. You don't need to worry about that. Just consider if this is a good time to buy land?” Lin He said with a smile.

When it came to buying land, Er Niu was certainly happy. As a farmer, he naturally agreed with expanding his trade. He said, “This is indeed the best time to buy land. These fields are very good too, very well managed. But after buying so much land, He’er, what are your plans? Will you lease it out for others to farm?”

Lin He had an idea brewing. The soil quality in this area was suitable for growing rice. If she accumulated more money, she planned to buy high-quality rice seeds from a larger place and cultivate the rice herself. Rice was expensive at this time, and Lin He was quite familiar with its cultivation. If she could grow it successfully, it would likely be worth more than anything else.

Therefore, Lin He certainly did not intend to lease the fields to others. Leasing them out would only yield a small annual rent, nothing substantial. If she had even more land, leasing it out might be feasible, but for this amount, hiring permanent laborers would surely be better.

However, Lin He kept her inner thoughts to herself, only saying, “I plan to hire permanent laborers myself. For this much land, hiring about ten laborers should be sufficient. The wages for permanent hands aren't expensive, so it should be more cost-effective.”

“But if we hire permanent laborers, there will be many more responsibilities. You have to provide them with food, lodging, and even expenses for festivals and holidays. You need to think clearly; more people mean more trouble. First off, providing food and shelter is a major issue, He’er. We must arrange all of this properly,” Er Niu considered.

Lin He wasn't worried about these matters. She had already planned where the laborers would stay. There was plenty of space near the pond, enough for building accommodations if necessary. Building houses wouldn't cost much, and feeding ten or so workers would be even simpler—they could just hire one person specifically for cooking.

The more Lin He thought about it, the more suitable the plan seemed. She declared, “Father, I’ve made up my mind. Let’s go to the broker now and put a hold on the land. We won’t be able to plant anything this year anyway, so we can let it rest. We can take our time hiring the laborers; there's no rush, don't you think?”

Er Niu nodded. In truth, he still found it hard to believe this was real. This time last year, the family barely had food to eat, and within one year, they would own this much land, all earned by his daughter. Yet, his daughter would only be nine years old after the New Year. He suspected no one would believe it if he told them.

Er Niu himself felt a sense of disbelief, but this was a concrete reality. Seeing her father staring at her blankly, Lin He nudged him. “Father, what are you thinking about?”

Er Niu snapped back to attention and said, “Nothing. I was just thinking, before we go to the broker, shouldn't we stop by the clan elder’s house to give him a heads-up? You know this is a big matter; it’s better to inform the elder.”

Lin He remained silent. Her parents would discuss these matters; she didn't need to manage it. It was Madam Huang, who had been quiet until now, who spoke up, “Have you decided? Are you really going to buy this much land? Buying this land means we’ll have to hire laborers, which will cost a considerable amount of money too, won't it?”

Er Niu replied, “Yes. Don’t ask any more questions. Your mother and I have agreed. I’m going to the clan elder’s house now. Take some things from home for me to bring along. I’ll go see him, and then in the afternoon, we'll go to the broker to secure the land.”

Hearing Er Niu’s words, Madam Huang said no more and went out to pack things. Meanwhile, Lin He pulled out a thousand tael silver note from under her bed, along with about ten taels of smaller silver pieces, telling her father to handle the dispersal as he saw fit. She insisted the tip for the broker should not be skimpy; it should be generous. After all, the family would have many dealings with the broker in the future, and maintaining a good relationship with him would always be beneficial.

Er Niu nodded. “That’s true. With plans to hire laborers soon, we’ll definitely need his help. These brokers are cunning individuals.”

Madam Huang quickly finished packing and came out. Seeing Er Niu holding such a large amount of silver notes, even though they were in their own village, she worried that he, as a man, might be careless and not keep such a large sum secure. She insisted on going with him, saying she would carry the silver notes herself. Lin He agreed; her mother, being a woman, was always more meticulous in handling things.