Chapter 488 - Chapter 488: Chapter 488: Visiting the Manor (1/2)

Chapter 488: Chapter 488: Visiting the Manor

While they were talking, Old Cheng came in from outside.

“Madam! There are three men outside, saying that they have an appointment with you this morning, and they are waiting at the door to meet you.”

“Since the people have arrived, it must be them. Let them in!”

Guihua was very happy.

Not until Old Cheng had retreated did Liu Sisi speak, “I really don’t understand, such a good residence, how could it be sold at such a low price.”

When Old Cheng returned, he was followed by three men.

The older of the three men took the lead, bowing with the other two behind him towards Liu Sisi.

“Husband, Madam, greetings.” It was clear that the old man was very nervous, his legs trembling.

Liu Sisi quickly raised her hand to him: “Old man, please get up, there are no outsiders here, you don’t need to be so formal. Sit down and talk.”

As the old man stood up and carefully sat down on the edge of the stone stool, Liu Sisi continued to ask.

“What is your name, old man?”

“My name is Ding Shan, these are my two sons, the elder one is Ding Fu and the younger one is Ding Gui.”

The old man answered truthfully, curled up, looking very honest, and barely daring to look up at Liu Sisi.

“Very well, Elder Uncle Ding, I have a few questions for you and hope you won’t conceal anything.”

“Madam, please ask.”

Elder Uncle Ding stood up as he spoke.

“Sit down, sit down and talk. I want to ask Elder Uncle Ding, how much do you know about this manor’s former owner, and how much do you know about this manor itself?”

As soon as Liu Sisi finished asking, everyone’s hearts clenched.

As he spoke of this matter, Elder Uncle Ding’s face slowly relaxed.

“Madam, if you ask me about the affairs of others, I may not be able to speak up. But when it comes to this manor, I’m afraid that no one knows it better than Old Er.”

“Oh? Elder, please tell us.”

Ding Shan thought for a while, “To speak of this manor, I was born here. At that time, the manor was not big. Our manor’s master was from a Guan family, who worked as an official in Gongzhou City. They only came to the manor once every two years. There were not so many flowers and plants back then. It seems that thirty years ago, someone suddenly came to the manor, holding a land contract, saying that the manor had been given away by the Guan family and that we should move out.”

“It’s normal for a manor to be bought and sold. Usually, when a manor is bought and sold, the tenant farmers are also included. But this person drove all of us out. At that time, I was only 23 years old, yet I clearly remembered that the person was dressed as a servant and seemed to be acting under orders. Afterwards, the manor was left vacant. Besides seeing an old servant taking care of the manor, the fertile land outside was rented to nearby farmers for cultivation.”

Liu Sisi hurriedly asked, “During this time, no one came from the manor’s owner?”

Ding Shan thought for a moment, “Maybe they came, maybe they didn’t. But it’s true that there was only one old servant living in the front yard of the manor on a daily basis. In the wing courtyard near the hot spring, there was a small courtyard where the original tenant farmers lived. However, after the manor was sold to Madam, I specially checked, and those people also moved away.”

“You mean, those tenant farmers only stayed in the backyard and did not come to the front yard?”