novel-bin 01, Small Landlord
01, Small Landlord
"Master, it's time to get up."
I heard a soft, gentle voice in my ear, and my soles felt a slight itch.
Ren Qingshan slowly opened his eyes, subconsciously reaching under his pillow for his phone, only to find nothing.
master?
Come back to your senses.
"Who?"
Before me was a young girl with an oval face, probably around the age of 12. Although she wore no makeup, her beauty was evident, and her delicate eyes held a hint of awe.
"Master, it's me, Cui'er."
The sun is high in the sky.
She looked like a maid?
Ren Qingshan looked around and saw an antique-style bedroom. It wasn't luxurious, but it was exceptionally tidy and spotless.
Am I... wearing something?
I stayed up late reading a novel last night, not falling asleep until 4:30 in the morning. But when I woke up, I was shocked to find…
Hey?
Or was he just a small landlord?
A memory forcefully entered my mind.
In a short while.
A strange look appeared in Ren Qingshan's eyes.
Good news.
Bad news.
Good news: I've been transformed! From a high-ranking food delivery rider to a small landowner with a modest fortune, I now own a house, land, horses, cattle, and even a maid.
Bad news: I've aged three years from the vibrant age of thirty-two to thirty-five.
And he doesn't seem to be in good health.
The original owner was frail and sickly from childhood, and died peacefully in his sleep at the age of thirty-five.
Well... so-so, not a complete loss.
"Master, wash your face."
Seeing that the master was still half asleep, Xiao Cui took a coarse cloth towel, dipped it in cool water, and obediently handed it to him.
Ren Qingshan took it; it was ice-cold. The original owner was a small landowner who was extremely meticulous in managing his daily life. He would relieve himself in his own fields, and despite his poor health, he couldn't bear to let his maid boil a basin of hot water in the morning.
If this maid hadn't been found during a famine and hadn't been so beautiful, she would have been kicked out of the house long ago.
Even so, the original owner was still thinking about selling her to a brothel in the county town, getting two taels of silver, and then using the proceeds to buy half an acre of paddy field.
What a rich landlord!
To be honest, the main problem is that he's physically weak.
The original owner got married as soon as he came of age, but his health was always poor. He was unable to conceive and had no ability in that area. A few years ago, when his wife went back to her parents' home, she was eaten by a monster on the way. After the original owner buried her, he fell seriously ill and became completely weak. He became increasingly afraid of talking about this matter and kept his distance from it.
Having no offspring is a great taboo.
I'm afraid we'll be completely exploited and left with nothing.
The villagers, both openly and secretly, advised that if all else failed, they should consider adopting a younger member of the same clan, since they were all of the Ren family bloodline.
The original owner knew what they were up to, and angrily refused, refusing to admit that she was incapable. After several arguments, she lost popularity and her personality became increasingly eccentric.
But they still couldn't bear to spend the money.
He valued those twelve acres of top-quality paddy fields and ten acres of medium-quality dry land more than his own life.
Looking back on the original owner's life, Ren Qingshan felt a wave of dizziness.
What a loss!
This is a huge loss!
The original owner was confused!
If you're sick, get treatment. What's the use of hoarding so much land? If you die, it'll all belong to someone else.
His heart was surging, and he felt like he was seeing stars. He could hardly breathe and coughed painfully twice before finally calming down. With the help of his maid, Ren Qingshan got dressed, with only one thought in his mind.
Health is the most important thing!
No amount of money can buy you good health!
Unfortunately, it's too late to understand now.
Ok……
It wasn't particularly late, of course.
This world has martial arts and demons. Although they are rarely seen, they are still something to look forward to.
Why not give it a try?
……
I got up, washed my face, and combed my hair under the maid's clothes. Breakfast was a bowl of hot goat milk, half a bowl of millet porridge, and pickled vegetable shreds.
The original owner's body was so weak that it would sweat profusely even when eating.
Ren Qingshan ate slowly, having made up his mind.
Sell the land!
Curing illness!
Learn martial arts!
This sickly person is a real handful; he'll work people to death.
……
Half an hour later.
Completely covered up, wearing a dog-skin hat, and leaning on a cane, supported by Xiao Cui, Ren Qingshan shakily went to inspect his fields.
This was the original owner's daily routine: once in the morning, once in the evening, and even while sleeping at night, he would hold the land deeds and count them again.
These twenty-two mu of land were his lifeline.
"Sixth Uncle!"
"Go up to the ground!"
A burly young man, shirtless, was pushing a stone roller. His muscles bulged, and the sunlight made the sweat on his body shimmer with golden light, which made Ren Qingshan quite envious.
Before transmigrating, my figure was roughly like this... well, with a slightly larger belly.
"Um."
Ren Qingshan gave a faint reply and forced a smile.
"Sixth Uncle, if all else fails, just adopt me as your son! I really want to call you Dad!"
"Judging by your health, I'm afraid you won't last much longer!"
"If you become my father and let Xiao Cui come with me, maybe you'll be able to hold your grandson next year!"
The young man shouted.
These are all the truths.
The villagers have said countless things that are even harsher than this.
Xiao Cui's pretty face hardened with malice. She glared at him fiercely and cursed, "Shut your stinking mouth! You've eaten shit! I'll have Da Hu beat you up later!"
The young man thought of the tenant farmer's son, nicknamed "Big Tiger," and felt a bit afraid. He scratched his head and chuckled.
With the original owner's body, it was naturally impossible for him to personally plow the fields.
The twenty-two mu of land was divided into two parts and rented to two people with different surnames, one surnamed Lin and the other surnamed Xiao.
In this way, a delicate triangular balance was barely achieved with the ferocious tribesmen.
But it was also teetering on the brink of collapse, like a candle flame in the wind.
The tenant farmers from other families wished that Master Ren could live to be a hundred years old. Although his rent was the same as that of other landlords in the village, he did not bully people, and they would even receive benefits during festivals.
On the contrary, the clansmen were eager for Master Ren to die soon, so that his land could be taken over as clan property and distributed among the families.
Thinking about these things...
Ren Qingshan felt a little heavy-hearted as he walked through the village toward his own fields.
An elderly man with white hair, though old, was extremely robust. He carried a medicine basket on his back, walked barefoot, and had a blade of grass in his mouth, singing as he approached.
"Dr. Liu..."
Ren Qingshan had a sudden thought and quickly called out to him.
The old man was named Liu Yishou, the village doctor. He could take pulses and make some medicines himself. He had some skills, but not many. Sometimes he could cure patients, and sometimes he could cure them badly. But even if he cured them badly, the villagers wouldn't say anything, since he was the only doctor.
The original owner was reluctant to seek medical help due to his illness and was reluctant to spend money on medicine, so he never went to ask for help.
"Master Ren."
Liu Yishou gave a hearty smile. He was probably over seventy years old, which was quite advanced in age, yet his teeth were still white and intact.
"Dr. Liu, could you please take my pulse?"
Since he had encountered this opportunity, Ren Qingshan was not going to miss it. He decided to try anything, even if it seemed hopeless, and ask around.
Liu Yishou did not refuse. After exchanging a few pleasantries, he reached out and accepted the gift, but then sighed and shook his head.
"I'm afraid... I'm afraid there's no way."
"Master's illness is something he was born with; even a god couldn't cure him. There's nothing we can do."
Ren Qingshan nodded silently, took out three copper coins from his pocket and handed them to the other party, but Liu Yishou refused to accept them no matter what, and walked away briskly.
These old men in their seventies are stronger than me!
An illness in the womb...
The original owner's father went out to join the army when he was young, saved up a sum of money, and returned to his hometown when he was over forty years old. He bought land, bought a wife, and had a son, but died in childbirth.
The original owner's body was weak, which was probably due to both her father's advanced age and her mother's poor health.
Ren Qingshan was increasingly troubled and made up his mind.
Sell the land!
We must sell the land!
Sell the land, move to the city!
Whether it's finding a martial arts school or a medical clinic, I have to risk my life to find a way to survive!
……
The brook babbles.
The rice paddies are lush and green.
A rice paddy fish tumbled out of the murky muddy water, splashing up a few drops of fishy odor.
Two tenant farmers were busy in the fields; they were Lin Suogui and his son Lin Dahu. They greeted each other from afar, exchanging pleasantries and bowing.
Ren Qingshan was helped to squat down at the edge of the ground. He picked up a blade of grass and savored its taste, bidding a final farewell to the land that belonged to the original owner.
At this time.
Suddenly, a glimmer of earthy yellow light appeared in my mind.
[Ground Book]
[It can strengthen oneself and increase comprehension.]
[Currently owned land: 22 mu]
[Convertible soil fertility: 22]
[Current physical body: Nearing the end of its life (can be strengthened)]
Current comprehension: Utterly ignorant (can be increased)
……
……