They didn't even wait until the third day; by the second day, Chen Fu and Li Hou had already returned with the contract templates, both of them beaming with joy.
"County Princess, your servants have spoken to the tenant farmers. Once all the vegetables in the greenhouses are harvested, they will immediately clear the fields, no later than mid-February. Over two hundred tenant households are willing to be employed by you and can sign the employment contracts at any time."
Song Jinzhao looked at Lanxi, "Give them the blank contracts. Those who can sign will sign, and those who can't can just leave their handprints or footprints. Bring them all over after the Lantern Festival."
"According to the original plan, work was to start on the first of March. Shiquan Estate is going to be used to build a farm. If the fields can be completely cleared by mid-February, starting construction early means they can start working and earning wages earlier."
Chen Fu and Li Hou nodded happily. Starting half a month early meant earning an extra tael of silver; they definitely had to start early.
They hadn't built many greenhouses for growing vegetables in the first place. By February, whatever could be sold would be sold, and whatever could be eaten would be eaten. They would certainly be gone by then.
On the day of the Little New Year, Prince Ying was still in confinement. At the imperial family banquet, despite the multitude of concubines in the harem, Emperor Xiao Chengjing looked at the only two children beside him and just felt a sense of desolation.
His youngest son was absent, and seeing his eldest son chatting merrily with the clan members at the banquet made him feel even more irritated.
Inside the County Princess's manor, the four Song siblings were gathered around a table eating hot pot.
The split hot pot they had just picked up from the blacksmith's shop yesterday needed to be tested by themselves a couple of times first to see how the quality was.
Fresh meats and vegetables were laid out on the table, while snowflakes danced outside the window. The four snowmen standing in the courtyard had been built by the four siblings' own hands that morning.
Wearing red hats and red scarves, Song Jinzhao's snowman was pierced with the Lingyun Spear, Song Shixue's snowman held a bow, and Song Qiming's held a book made of ice blocks, which even had a New Year's greeting poem carved into it. The youngest, Song Anhao, had directly stuck a candied hawthorn stick on hers. Beside them crouched a chubby white tiger, which bore a seventy percent resemblance to Xuetuan.
Admiring the scenery after the meal, Song Shixue rested her head on Song Jinzhao's shoulder. The beautiful snowy landscape, combined with the outdoor chill against their bodies, actually created a remarkably poetic atmosphere.
In the courtyard, Song Anhao was standing on her tiptoes, getting ready to lick the candied hawthorn. In the next second, she was grabbed by the arm and lifted away by the suddenly appearing Song Qiming.
"If you lick it, your tongue will get frozen to it. There are new ones inside the house; let your brother take you to get one."
Song Shixue smiled and rubbed her head against Song Jinzhao's shoulder. "Sister, I hope we can spend every Little New Year together in the future, just like today."
A gentle smile curved the corners of Song Jinzhao's mouth. She reached out to loop an arm around Song Shixue's neck and affectionately pinched her cheek. "Okay, we'll spend them together."
Qingshuang, who came over holding a hand warmer, smiled and gently shook her head. In a few more years, when the County Princess and the Second Miss were married off, such a scene would be very hard to see again.
Before the new year, the three shops located on Qipan Street were all completed on time. The barbecue shop in Wuyi Alley was only missing its tables and chairs, while the hot pot restaurant had not finished its renovations yet and would only be completed right before the Lantern Festival.
The shops on the street began closing on the twenty-eighth of the twelfth lunar month and would only gradually reopen starting from the third day of the new year.
The originally planned river snail rice noodle shop was put on hold because there were no winter bamboo shoots in the capital, and shipping them from the south was too expensive.
In addition, the river water froze in winter, and the river snails all burrowed into the sand, making them difficult to collect. Therefore, Song Jinzhao simply changed the shop meant for selling river snail rice noodles into one selling Crossing-the-Bridge rice noodles.
The opening time for the three shops on Qipan Street was set for the seventh day of the Lunar New Year. Both the barbecue shop and the hot pot restaurant were scheduled to open on the day of the Lantern Festival. The employees had all been trained, and once the new year passed, they would be incredibly busy.
