After slashing the price again and again, working themselves to the bone for three and a half days, and only earning fifty copper coins—with not a single order afterward—Clara finally gave up.
Trying to change people's way of thinking was just plain foolish.
So, she decided to cut herself some slack.
She had Lester Liew find a box for collecting copper coins and place it in the water mill. Then she hung up a simple illustrated "How to Use the Water Mill" guide at the entrance, set a new flat rate of one copper coin per hour, and left the mill open 24 hours a day.
As for the former value-added services—milling and home delivery—she emphasized it three times: Not included! Not included! Not included!
From that moment on, it was all up to fate.
Use it or don't—she didn't care anymore. If no one else used it, she'd just use it herself.
Sure enough, once she stopped stressing, her heart settled.
Still, the fact that her entrepreneurial efforts had failed halfway was a bit frustrating.
Because it meant… they still needed to rent farmland.
Clara rubbed her forehead. Farming really was exhausting. Not even clearing out mutated zombies in the apocalypse had made her feel this drained.
Lester, knowing his fate was tied to hers, sighed. If she had to work the fields, then so did he. There was no escaping it. He consoled himself: Life is long. Stay strong.
"I'm heading to Frank Liew's place," Clara said.
Lester immediately grew tense. "To rent land?"
Clara nodded. If they didn't act now, they'd miss the spring planting season.
As she crossed the bridge, she spotted Granny Wang using the water mill with her young grandson. Watching the grain get ground without a drop of sweat, both of them lit up with joy.
Granny Wang's voice floated gently over, "Thank goodness for Clara's mill, or we'd have to hire someone to help turn the stone mill again."
The little boy chirped happily, "Third Uncle may not be a good man, but Third Aunt is. When our hen hatches chicks, let's give her two, okay, Grandma?"
Granny Wang nodded with a smile, but when she glanced at the coin box in the pavilion corner, her expression turned a little sheepish.
She'd only left a single egg in it.
A single egg might sell for a coin in town, but around here, it wasn't worth that much.
The boy glanced at the box too and muttered, "We'll give her two chicks. She's nice, so she won't mind."
Clara passed quietly by on the bridge. Focused as they were on the water mill, neither noticed the small, contented smile on her lips.
At Frank Liew's house, he was out—personally hauling grain to sell in Goldstone Town. Only his wife and daughter were home, taking care of his three bedridden sons.
His two daughters-in-law had gone out early to collect the freshest mulberry leaves after the morning dew to feed their silkworms.
The courtyard was full of silkworm racks. The two women were well known in the area for their weaving skills—they could even weave brocade.
Just the loom itself took up more space than the average villager's entire bedroom. This wasn't something regular folk had access to.
Frank's three sons had all had their legs broken by mountain bandits. Thankfully, Doctor Liew had been able to set the bones. Now their legs were bound with splints, and it would take three months before they could walk again.
When Clara arrived, the mother and daughter were thrilled. They invited her in, poured her tea, and brought out a plate of pastries—Clara had no idea what they were called. "Help yourself!" they urged.
She picked out four and wrapped them in a handkerchief for later—something for Deb and the kids to snack on. The rest she left untouched.
Seeing how the mother and daughter struggled just to turn the boys over in bed, Clara didn't worry too much about propriety. She stepped in and helped prop the eldest two sons up and move them to the chairs in the main room.
In the past, when Frank was away, his eldest son, Liam Liew, handled household affairs. So Clara brought up the land rental with him.
"Perfect timing," Liam said seriously. "We still have a hundred acres of good farmland on the east side left unleased this year. How many acres are you looking to rent, Sister-in-law?"
His voice was earnest, though there was a trace of embarrassment—he'd just been half-carried into the room by a woman, after all.
But Clara didn't seem to care, so he quickly got over it.
Clara considered. Twenty acres would be the safest bet, but she knew her and Lester's farming skills—or lack thereof. They couldn't possibly handle that much.
The water mill wasn't a total bust. It should at least bring in about 200 copper coins a month, enough to cover grocery expenses.
So why not rent less land and use the extra time to pick up odd jobs?
"Ten acres," Clara said. As soon as the words left her mouth, she worried he might turn her down for renting too little.
But she underestimated how grateful this family was. If Clara hadn't shown up when she did, the mother and daughter would've been violated, and the brothers likely wouldn't be alive.
Liam thought she was being modest. "You only want ten acres?" he asked again.
Clara nodded firmly.
"Oh, and once you've finished plowing your own land, do you think we could borrow your oxen for a couple of days?" she asked cautiously.
Mdm Liew immediately replied, "Of course! We've got a tool shed, and tenants are welcome to use the tools inside as long as they don't break anything and return them promptly."
She continued, "We have two oxen and a mule. The mule's with my husband for grain transport, but of the two oxen, one we'll keep for our own use. The other can be rented—but since it's you, Clara, no need to pay. Just toss it a few bundles of hay and make sure it doesn't go hungry."
She even offered to lend Clara the ox first.
After all, it was mutually beneficial. A better harvest meant a bigger share for the landowner too.
An extra 5-10kg per acre might not sound like much, but multiplied across 100 or 200 acres, it added up to real silver.
Here's a fun twist: the land Lester once sold from their own household had been bought by none other than Frank Liew. The ten good acres Clara was renting near the river? They used to belong to Lester's family.
Liam added, "Since Brother Lester already knows that land, and I'm not exactly mobile right now, you two can go pick it out yourselves. Just let me know which part, so I don't accidentally lease it to someone else."
This was the peak of the spring planting season. With all three sons injured, the family had no choice but to lease out most of their land. Everyone in the village was scrambling for the good plots.
Clara agreed and promised to return once she'd picked her spot.
With everything settled, she stood to leave.
But seeing how difficult it was for the brothers to move, she added, "You know, Carpenter Liew is quite skilled and reasonably priced. You could have him make you a wheelchair—or even a pair of crutches. That'd help you get around."
The mother and sons all blinked. "What's a wheelchair? What are crutches?"
They'd only ever seen old folks leaning on walking sticks—not something you could really lean your weight on.
Clara raised an eyebrow. "You've never heard of them?"
Five heads shook.
"Got paper and ink? I'll draw them for you. Just take the sketch to Carpenter Liew—he'll understand."
(End of Chapter)
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