Manager Ma looks to be in his forties, with dark complexion. He looks like someone who grew up in the fields.
Shen Xiu saw his complexion and believed Hao Yuanwai's words.
She also spent some time in Weijia Village and knew what it was like for people who worked in the fields all year round.
Looking at the appearance of Manager Ma, he doesn't look like a farmer at all, but looks like a tenant farmer who works every day.
Shen Xiu believed in her eyes and had a good feeling in her heart. After all, staying in the fields all year round shows that this person is willing to endure hardships and stand hard work.
However, when Shen Xiu dealt with Manager Ma next, she found that this man was particularly bad at speaking, or rather bad at expressing his strengths.
When Shen Xiu asked why his salary was higher than others, Manager Ma couldn't say anything for a long time. He just stubbornly said that he was worth the salary.
When Shen Xiu asked again how he usually managed tenant farmers, Manager Ma just said that he had been a sheepherder when he was a child, and managing tenant farmers was similar to herding sheep.
When Shen Xiu came to see Guan Ma, Luo Gong was also there.
He couldn't help frowning when he heard this, feeling that this horse manager was a bit unreliable.
"I think Mr. Hao is exaggerating a bit. You should find another person to help you manage the tenant farmers!"
Shen Xiu didn't think so. Guanshi Ma was just not good at speaking, not necessarily bad at farming, nor good at managing tenant farmers.
If he did not do well, Hao Yuanwai would not recommend him to him.
However, Luo Gong's considerations also make sense.
Shen Xiu planned to inquire privately about the person in charge of this horse.
If Manager Ma is really as honest as Hao Yuanwai said, then she can reuse him.
Shen Xiu bought so much land at once and did not hide it, so the news spread quickly.
The first to come were Qiao Tiezhu and his wife. They also moved to the county town after Qiao Meier married Magistrate Zhen.
Shen Xiu bought so much land, someone must help take care of it. Qiao Tiezhu felt that his son was idle when he was idle, so he could help to take care of it.
Shen Xiu had long seen the character of the Qiao family. She did not refuse directly, but said that the person in charge had already been found.
Qiao Tiezhu was still a little unhappy, but he also knew that Shen Xiu was a scholar, and she also recognized the county magistrate as her adopted brother. He was not someone he could afford to offend, so he had to leave angrily.
After Qiao Tiezhu, another Yang family came to visit, saying that they had a distant nephew who was very honest and could help Shen Xiu manage the farm affairs.
Of course Yang and Qiao Tiezhu are incomparable.
Shen Xiu cannot deal with her mother-in-law the same way she dealt with Qiao Tiezhu.
She could only say that she would think about it carefully after she met the person.
Mrs. Yang soon brought her distant nephew. He was indeed as honest as Mr. Yang said. When he saw Shen Xiu, he couldn't even raise his head.
Shen Xiu tried to ask a few questions, but he answered incorrectly and stumbled over his answers.
Now, even Yang felt a little embarrassed.
In order to take care of her mother-in-law's face, Shen Xiu said: "Since my cousin has come all the way, I can't let you make this trip in vain. Well, for my mother's sake, my cousin will stay!"
Anyway, I have plenty of land here. My cousin can’t speak and can’t manage the tenants, but it’s not difficult to farm the land. I’ll allocate a few acres of land to my cousin and don’t need any rent.”
The Yang family's cousin also came to find a job, but he couldn't speak. Seeing that the job was going to be bad, he didn't expect to hear Shen Xiu say such words.
Shen Xiu was right. Farming was certainly not difficult for him. But his family only had two acres of land, and the whole family relied on these two acres of land to make a living. Life was extremely hard.
Now that he could get a few more acres of land without having to pay rent, the Yang family's cousin thanked Shen Xiu gratefully.
Mrs. Yang also has face, so Shen Xiu can take care of her nephew like this, of course it is for her sake.
With such a daughter-in-law who takes care of her face, Ms. Yang feels that her life is worth it.
Later, when Wei Ping and Zou heard about Shen Xiu's appointment as a steward, Zou secretly proposed that Wei Ping be the steward.
Yang still remembered Shen Xiu's affection, and of course knew that her son was not such a good person, so she raised her voice and scolded Zou.
At this time, Shen Xiu didn't know that Wei Ping and his wife were also interested in the position of steward. She was dealing with a steward brought by Luo Gong.
Luo Gong always felt that Manager Ma's wages were high and unreliable, so he found another manager for Shen Xiu.
The head steward is clean and elegant, speaks Mandarin, and talks about farming in a clear and logical manner.
Shen Xiu tried to ask a few questions, such as what is suitable for dry land and what is suitable for planting in spring.
Not only was the steward named Zhou able to answer the questions, he also said that he had managed farms for many dignitaries and was very experienced in managing fields.
Luo Gong felt that a steward like Zhou who was polite and knowledgeable about farming was a good steward.
For this reason, he winked at Shen Xiu several times, meaning that he wanted her to keep Manager Zhou.
Shen Xiudang pretended not to see Luo Gong's eyes and did not make a decision on the spot.
After Manager Zhou left, Luo Gong asked her, "Why didn't you choose him on the spot just now? Manager Zhou is very popular. I heard that several companies want to hire him to be the head of the business."
Shen Xiudao: "I always feel that Manager Zhou is too tactful. You also know that I usually don't have time to take care of the fields, so I have to entrust everything to these managers. If they are cheating, I am unlikely to know
So I have to be more cautious."
Luo Gong also knew that there was no harm in being cautious. He just felt that Manager Zhou was more reliable than Manager Ma.
"Whether you are reliable or not depends on your mouth." Shen Xiudao, "It's a pity that I have been busy doing double-sided embroidery recently, so I'm afraid I won't be able to test Manager Zhou's ability to manage farm affairs."
Recently, many people have recommended candidates to her to take charge of the affairs, but after much deliberation, Shen Xiu still wanted to hire the original manager, Ma.
Hao Yuanwai was able to employ him for more than ten years, so of course he had his reasons.
Moreover, she asked Liu Hao to secretly inquire about Guanshi Ma's personality. Guanshi Ma's reputation was not good. Everyone said that he was not good at talking and was not easy to get close to. But when it came to his character, the neighbors said that he never took advantage of others.
, and never argue with others, and the house is always quiet.
In this way, Shen Xiu felt that this horse manager was in line with his conditions.
Field stewards are different from stewards in the inner house. They do not need to be quick-talking. As long as they are steady and honest, not sneaky and slippery, it is enough for the tenant farmers to obey.
In order to no longer deal with those who self-recommended, Shen Xiu planned to talk to Manager Ma to see if they could agree on a one-year contract first. If both parties were satisfied after one year, then the contract would be renewed.