You're Still Too Green

Old Zhou Six and the others turned pale at once when they heard this.

One of the hired hands whispered to Old Zhou Six, "Didn't you say we could slack off during the idle season and fool the madam? Now she wants us to go dig coal! Digging coal is tough—one wrong move and you could lose your life!"

Though the voice was low, Lily Evans still heard it.

Lily Evans glanced at the worker, then looked at Old Zhou Six and said, "So, you all think I’m young and inexperienced, grew up poor, never seen the world, never hired farmhands, so you plan to fool me, trick me, and slack off, huh? Tell me, whose hired hands only work during the busy season and loaf around, eating for free, during the slack season? What are you trying to pull here? Let me make this clear—if anyone thinks the farm work is pointless and doesn’t want to do it, step forward now. I’ll send you straight to the coal mine to do some real 'meaningful' work!"

Everyone was startled by how fierce the young mistress could be when she got angry. They all bowed their heads in fear, not daring to make a sound.

Lily Evans let out a cold laugh, stood up, and swept her gaze over the crowd. "Don’t forget, you were sold to my family. This land is mine, and so are you. I decide how the land is farmed and what work you do! Don’t even think about playing tricks under my nose. If I catch anyone slacking off or disobeying, you can forget about farming forever—I’ll send you to the coal mine for life!"

The coal mine was exhausting, dangerous, and life-threatening. The hired hands were so terrified their legs went weak. They all knelt on the ground, begging for forgiveness and promising to work hard, hoping Lily Evans would let them off since it was their first offense.

This time, Lily Evans was both genuinely angry and determined to establish her authority. She kept them kneeling for half an hour before finally saying lightly, "If you want a second chance, fine. Do everything exactly as I said—hang the curtains, replant where needed, cover with gauze as instructed. I’ll say it now: anyone who tries to play games with me shouldn’t blame me for being ruthless!"

The crowd immediately scattered and rushed to the fields.

The seedlings that hadn’t sprouted were all killed by the cold. Some people started replanting right away, others fixed the straw curtains and hung up gauze curtains. Lily Evans didn’t leave; she stood by the field, coldly watching everyone scramble.

Old Zhou Six watched as the sun set, seeing that more than half the work was still unfinished. He bowed and smiled apologetically, "Madam, look, we can’t finish today, but we’ll definitely get it done by tomorrow."

Lily Evans glanced at Old Zhou Six, noting that his earlier arrogance was gone. She nodded and said, "Fine. I’ll come to check before dark tomorrow. If the work isn’t done, I won’t care about anyone else’s responsibility—I’ll hold you, the manager, accountable and send you to the coal mine."

Old Zhou Six realized that if anything went wrong in the fields from now on, he’d be the one to take the blame. He instantly felt on edge and hurriedly bowed, "Madam, isn’t that a bit unfair to me?"

Lily Evans snorted, "You’re the manager, and you get an extra five hundred coins a month. That money isn’t for nothing. You don’t have to do the manual labor yourself, but you must manage your workers well. If you think you can’t handle it or don’t want the responsibility, hand over your position now and I’ll find someone who can."

Old Zhou Six couldn’t bear to give up either the extra five hundred coins or his managerial position, so he grit his teeth and agreed. Then he dashed off to the fields, urging the other workers to work even harder.

Watching Old Zhou Six’s retreating figure, Lily Evans smiled. Playing mind games with someone who knows modern management? You’re still too green!