novel-bin 36, 9 clans
36, 9 clans
In the courtyard of the ancestral hall.
Ren Qingshan was tallying the amount of dry land each household wanted to sell, but soon a sweet trouble arose.
He discovered something.
Currently, the total dry land that 31 households are willing to sell amounts to a total of 163 mu (approximately 10.5 hectares).
The three hundred taels of silver on the table were clearly not enough.
This was something Ren Qingshan hadn't anticipated.
What happened to the promise that they didn't want to sell?
Now, things have gotten really interesting. Under the influence of righteousness, in the competition among themselves, and stimulated by money, families are becoming exceptionally enthusiastic.
And... there's something special about this ancestral hall, too.
Before the transaction could begin, Ren Qingshan quickly thought: given the current situation, it seems that the only option is to use some small financial measures to help the villagers.
There is cash flow.
He possesses martial arts skills.
They are related by blood.
I, Ren Qingshan, would be so kind as to extend a few percent of your bills on credit. Is that too much to ask?
"The calculation is complete. It's a total of 163 mu. Haha, that's 63 mu more than what I intended to buy."
"Three hundred taels of silver is not enough."
"However, I don't want to show favoritism and hurt our family harmony. How about this: I still want all the land, and for the shortfall in money, I'll write an IOU and a written agreement, and we'll make up the difference in full before the autumn harvest. What do you say?"
Ren Qingshan crossed his legs and spoke with a rather arrogant tone, even deliberately displaying a hint of authority.
A brief silence fell over the courtyard of the ancestral hall.
Just now, each household was calculating its own small accounts, only thinking about selling their meager fields for a lot of money...
But I never expected this.
Of course, I had reservations about the proposal put forward by Ren Qingshan.
However, out of consideration for face, neither of them dared to speak first.
Ren Qingshan is skilled in martial arts and has money. He even uses the guise of righteousness to buy the land, and the village chief and clansmen are all here...
At times like these, should one stand out and sing a different tune?
At this time.
"Sixth Uncle's words are true, of course they'll work. We're all family, why bother with a written agreement?"
"If you have the funds, just send it over anytime."
"My family owns seven acres of land, and we sold it for 21 taels of silver. Give us half upfront, or round it up to 11 taels. I, Ren Yunfeng, will not hesitate to do so."
The young man who sold the land at the very beginning, holding seven land deeds in his hand, was all smiles and was the first to express his opinion.
Young people often go out and see more of the world. Yang Zhen was a renowned figure, well-known in more than a dozen villages around, yet he was killed by Uncle Liu with a single punch... With such strength, would he lack money?
Perhaps, Sixth Uncle's current martial arts strength is at the Silver Blood level!
Even in a county town, he would be a big shot, a powerful figure who could open a martial arts school!
Ren Qingshan gave him an approving look, nodded and smiled, but said, "One thing at a time. We still need to draw up a written agreement, but I definitely won't pay interest. Come on, you go first."
That kid's pretty clever; he's found a way to broaden his horizons.
Everyone looked at him, their expressions varied, and quite a few were still hesitant.
Ren Zhengwei glanced around and said with a smile, "This is certainly a good thing, but let's not ruin it. Qingshan doesn't want any trouble. He's thinking that since everyone has spoken up, it would be embarrassing if he couldn't buy everything because he didn't have enough money."
"As for the method Qingshan mentioned, it can't be explained in two words. I will vouch for it. Qingshan has a stable share of the profits from the Lu family, probably several hundred taels a year. It's nothing."
"Besides..."
Ren Zhengwei's eyes turned serious, and he tapped his knuckles heavily on the table: "Having a large sum of cash suddenly on hand and spending it recklessly is a bad thing. It would be better to divide it into two sums, so that we'll have something to look forward to in the fall."
"Furthermore, I want to emphasize two points. First, once you receive the cash, those who want to make a living should do so, and those who want to acquire wealth should do so. But if anyone dares to gamble, I will chop off their hand in front of our ancestors!"
"Secondly, keep this matter to yourself when you go out, and don't flaunt your wealth. You're not afraid of thieves stealing from you, but you are afraid of thieves eyeing you."
This is both a favor and a convenient way to do someone a favor.
This is also a real issue that Ren Zhengwei is considering.
After hearing what the clan chief had said, the clansmen pondered in their hearts that this consideration was indeed meticulous and thorough, and nine-tenths of their doubts dissipated. They nodded in agreement one after another.
……
The land-buying rally held in the ancestral hall did not end until late at night.
Ren Qingshan spent all three hundred taels of silver.
They still owed 123 taels of foreign debt.
However, he has 141 extra land deeds.
Compared to the initial count, it's 22 mu less.
Of course, some people still had objections to this method, but they dared not speak out and secretly sold a few acres less.
Thinking of this, Ren Qingshan couldn't help but chuckle to himself, yet he accepted it.
It's perfectly normal for everyone to have their own selfish motives.
We are very satisfied with this result.
141 Earth Forces!
……
After everyone dispersed, Ren Qingshan went home and had dinner. By then, the moon was high in the sky and the stars were everywhere.
The crickets chirped merrily.
After telling Xiao Cui to go to sleep, Ren Qingshan got up and went out to prepare to continue transforming the soil's energy.
As soon as I stepped outside, I saw someone rushing towards me; it was none other than Ren Zhengwei.
"Big brother? What's wrong?"
Ren Qingshan asked with a smile.
Ren Zhengwei looked around and, seeing no one else, still pulled Ren Qingshan into the courtyard first. Then he took out a letter from his pocket and whispered, "This was just delivered by a messenger from Xiaokang. Take a look."
The sealing wax had been torn off, and Ren Qingshan took out the letter and carefully examined it by the moonlight.
The letter detailed three things.
All of these are related to Yang Zhen's death.
The first piece.
The Yang family went to the county town. The young and old knelt in front of the Bafang Martial Arts School, tears streaming down their faces, making a great commotion. They begged the school's owner, Zhang Haolei, to seek justice for their deceased son.
This is tantamount to moral blackmail.
But it is still easy to use.
Zhang Haolei had to consider both the reputation of the martial arts school and his own reputation, so he finally nodded.
the second one.
Zhang Haolei went to Liang Dachang, the manager of Dachang Gambling House, and dragged him into the matter to deal with it together.
After all, Yang Zhen was previously a disciple of the martial arts school and also held a position at the Da Chang gambling den.
Since Yang Zhen got into trouble, Da Chang Casino should do its part, both morally and logically.
Out of respect for Zhang Haolei, Liang Dachang reluctantly agreed.
The third piece.
Zhang Haolei and Liang Dachang went together to find Guan Shanyue, the constable who had been closest to them.
Guan Shanyue is a Silver Blood Warrior and one of the Seven Iron Constables of Huaiyin County, second only to the Chief Constable in strength and status.
He must have received the money and decided to sort out the case, so he came to Renjia Village in person to find out the truth.
We need to leave very early tomorrow morning.
After learning about this from a familiar constable, Ren Yaohui dared not delay and immediately wrote back to inform him.
At the end of the letter, Ren Yaohui stated:
Guan Shanyue is meticulous in his work, but he likes to amass wealth. In many of his previous cases, he profited from both the plaintiff and the defendant.
If Uncle Liu has enough money, he can prepare some silver and perhaps avert this disaster.
If you are indeed detained, you might as well be patient for the time being. I will do my best to persuade them. In short, it is best not to cause any trouble, otherwise there will be endless troubles later.
After reading the letter, Ren Qingshan folded it neatly, handed it back to Ren Zhengwei, and shook his head with a smile.
"Where would I get any more money?"
"I just spent it all!"
"Brother, if we kill an official, will we also execute his entire family, including his nine generations of relatives?"
Ren Zhengwei was startled, his face instantly turning deathly pale, and he broke out in a cold sweat. He quickly said, "No! Absolutely not!"
……
……