novel-bin 32. Purchase land
32. Purchase land
Ren Qingshan strode along the country road, watching the farmers busy with spring plowing along the way.
From afar, wisps of smoke could be seen rising from the chimneys of Renjia Village, and the ground seemed to whirlwind beneath one's feet.
The joy of being home!
Of course, the reason he was in such a good mood was also because of the more than three hundred taels of silver in his pocket.
With money and power, the countryside becomes a picturesque rural landscape with small bridges and flowing water.
Without money or ability, one is like an ox or a horse, endlessly sweating and suffering, and still being bullied.
On the ridges of the fields.
One buttocks sticking up high, facing the yellow earth with its back to the sky.
Ren Qingshan, with his amazing eyesight, recognized the clan leader Ren Zhengwei from afar.
This field was the paddy field that had been exchanged with his family, and it was also the place where he "obtained the immortal herb".
Ren Zhengwei is clearly taking this very seriously and has already begun researching it.
"Hey bro, playing in the dirt?"
Ren Qingshan walked up to him and said with a smile.
Ren Zhengwei, who was gazing intently at Ren Qingshan with a handful of soil in his hands, clapped his hands, stood up, and looked Ren Qingshan up and down with a rather complicated expression in his eyes.
With a deep sigh, he said in a low voice, "Sixth Brother, this time, I really thank you."
"What do you mean by that?"
Ren Qingshan vaguely guessed that the two brothers from the county town had returned, but he asked them with a knowing smile.
"My Xiaohui, thanks to you... Sixth Brother, although we weren't born of the same father, we're both members of the Ren family. You did a really righteous thing in this matter, you're truly admirable! Your older brother admires you from the bottom of his heart!"
As Ren Zhengwei spoke solemnly, a thumb raised high, covered in dirt, almost touched Ren Qingshan's face.
what.
The clan leader's approval.
It was clear that his praise and gratitude were genuine. Ren Qingshan shook his head and smiled, "We're family, no need for formalities. Perfect, brother, do me a favor."
"Okay, go ahead."
Ren Zhengwei readily agreed.
"I went out and made some money. I'd like to buy a few more acres of land, but it's spring planting season now, so is it a good time to buy?"
Normally, buying land is not easy.
For landowners, there are two best times to buy land.
First, years of famine.
Second, the years in which the imperial court imposed large-scale corvée labor.
To be fair, these are all acts of taking advantage of someone's misfortune.
If a farmer with land is truly desperate to survive, who would be willing to sell their land?
Without land, one is a wanderer; without a house, one is a peasant.
Having land and a house means that even if life is tough, there is a stable income.
If they lose their land, they can only become tenant farmers, and the slightest disturbance could put them on the verge of being killed.
"purchase!"
"Buying land is a good thing; our roots are still in these fields."
"Sixth Brother, you're a smart man."
Seeing that Ren Qingshan was calm and reliable, Ren Zhengwei praised him and looked around, saying, "This is not the place to talk. Let's go upstairs."
……
"Damn it, Sixth Brother is here. Brew my best tea, slice a plate of pig's head meat, and heat up a plate of peanuts."
Ren Zhengwei welcomed Ren Qingshan into the main room and called out to the kitchen.
Ren Qingshan smiled without saying a word; this treatment was vastly different from before.
After brewing the tea and exchanging a few pleasantries, Ren Zhengwei got down to business.
"After the New Year, Li Tianci, that scoundrel from the Li family, got drunk and gambled with people. He was tricked by a few rascals from Yang Jiayu and lost all of his family's remaining wealth. He even mortgaged his wife and daughter to others, and his 49 mu of land was also mortgaged."
"As spring plowing approached, those scoundrels from Yangjiayu asked the village chief of the Yang family to come to me to discuss changing the land deed."
"Hmph, how could I so easily give in to their wishes?"
"They haven't given up yet; they're still manipulating them."
Ren Qingshan's eyes flickered slightly. He sipped his tea and said with a smile, "I was just about to doze off when my elder brother brought me a pillow."
At the founding of the Great Zhou Dynasty, it took more than a decade to survey all the land in the country, numbering each piece of land and establishing land deeds.
Although buying and selling are permitted, villagers must obtain the village head's seal and signature to change land deeds in order for the change to be considered valid.
These 49 mu of land belong to Renjia Village.
The people of Yangjiayu wanted to seize it, but Ren Zhengwei naturally disagreed and wanted to intervene.
As for Li Tianci, his parents used to be boatmen who worked hard. They unexpectedly received a large sum of money, returned to the village to build houses and buy land, and married off their son. The villagers often gossiped behind their backs, saying that the money was ill-gotten and that they might have killed someone or committed robbery, but there was no proof. The elderly couple did not enjoy their happiness for more than two years. Because their son and daughter-in-law were unfilial, they suffered a lot and died in depression two years ago.
"These forty-nine acres of land, forty acres of dry land and nine acres of paddy fields, you really think you can take it all?"
"Based on market prices, it would cost at least one hundred and ninety taels of silver."
"However, hmph, I can at least take down half of him!"
"Gambling is akin to theft, and adultery is akin to murder. These scoundrels from the Yang family are eager to cash out, so they probably won't be planting the crops themselves."
As he spoke, Ren Zhengwei's gaze sharpened as he looked intently at him.
Ren Qingshan understood the meaning behind his look: firstly, he was testing my financial situation, and secondly, he wanted to get a share of the profits.
Even if you don't get paid, it's still a way of repaying a favor.
"Then we'll have to rely entirely on you, elder brother."
"It would be even better if the discount could be even greater."
"I will take good care of the third brother. I will also take the martial arts exam next year."
Ren Qingshan guessed his little scheme, but he wouldn't reveal it.
Favors for favors.
Forget about cash.
When Ren Zhengwei heard him say that, he laughed and stopped insisting: "Have some tea, have some tea."
It's really not easy to squeeze money out of this old man.
However, they are family after all.
The saying goes, "Don't let the good stuff go to outsiders." Now, the family is truly at its wits' end, having given all its remaining money to its good-for-nothing son. Even if they wanted to buy this land, they simply couldn't afford it.
The sixth son is now even getting help from the Lu family to plow the fields; he's truly living a life of luxury, with unlimited potential for the future.
"Let them wait a few more days, and I'll contact you again when they come back."
……
Ren Qingshan had a meal at his house.
During the meal, Ren Zhengwei tried to subtly inquire about his cultivation level and past experiences, but he evaded all of them.
After dinner, Ren Qingshan went home satisfied.
Seeing that Xiao Cui's belly was already quite large, and that there was a maidservant in the house serving her, a kind-faced and quick-handed woman in her forties, she was obviously sent by the Lu family.
He was quite satisfied with Lu Qingyi's reliable handling of the matter.
After sending his aunt away, he closed the door, drew the bed curtains, and let Qingshan take off his shoes and crawl into bed.
"Wife, come here quickly, I've got something good to show you."
Xiao Cui seemed to realize something, her face flushed slightly, and she stroked her belly, giving him a reproachful look: "Master, right now... right now, it might upset the baby."
"What are you thinking? Disgusting. Come and see."
She shyly slipped through the bed curtains, glanced at the curtains, and her eyes widened in surprise.
silver!
It's all silver!
There's also a small piece of gold, a gold hairpin, and three jade pendants!
"How much...?"
Her voice trembled, her face flushed, and she could hardly believe her eyes.
I've never seen so much money in my life!
"Count it yourself, count slowly, be careful not to upset the baby."
Ren Qingshan said with a smug smile.
The silver alone amounted to 346 taels; I've counted it myself many times.
……
Ren Qingshan rested at home for a few days.
Even with silver blood, after traveling for seven consecutive days without eating or sleeping well, it was inevitable that his vital energy would be depleted.
After returning home, I naturally enjoyed good food and drink, chatted and joked with the villagers, and felt quite happy.
Ren Qingshan has recovered his health to its best.
This morning.
Ren Qingshan was pondering over weapons in the courtyard when he suddenly saw the clan chief's youngest son running over, panting.
"Sixth Uncle!"
"Yang Jiayu's gang of scoundrels is here!"
"They also brought helpers, disciples from the county's martial arts school, who were said to be experts!"
"My dad's calling you, hurry up!"
……
……