novel-bin 04, Land Exchange, Iron Bones
04, Land Exchange, Iron Bones
"Over the years, my health has been poor, and you have taken care of everything at home. Sometimes I have a bad temper, and it is true that I have caused you to suffer occasionally."
"A couple of years ago, they even considered selling you to a brothel in the city. Sigh, thinking back on it now, I feel like I'm not even human!"
Seeing her hesitation, Ren Qingshan immediately added fuel to the fire, playing the emotional card.
At this point, men will spout all sorts of nonsense.
Xiao Cui was completely stunned when she heard this.
It's hard to imagine that such heartwarming words and a gentle tone could come from the mouth of a man who used to be frail and short-tempered.
It's as if they've suddenly changed their personality.
She gently bit her lip, her eyes timid, and whispered, "I...I'm scared..."
"Silly girl, what's there to be afraid of?"
"It's only natural for men and women to enjoy each other's company. Although you're getting on in years, look at your body, your muscles, how strong they are!"
"Now that you're with me, you'll have rice and meat three times a day. When you're out in the world, you'll be my legal wife. With my strength, who would dare bully you? I'd beat them to a pulp!"
"Let's live a good life together, have a big, healthy son, and buy more land. You can then live a peaceful life as a landlady, while your husband goes out to seek wealth and luxury, ensuring you wear gold and silver and enjoy endless blessings!"
Ren Qingshan patiently guided her, his tone exceptionally firm, as he gently stroked her hair.
"real?"
She suddenly looked up, her eyes sparkling.
If that were really possible, it would be a life I never even dared to dream of.
"Of course it's true, how could it be false?"
"If I have uttered even half a lie, may I be struck by lightning and shattered into pieces!"
Ren Qingshan made a vicious oath, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but turn up slightly.
This is a great thing, isn't it?
Wealthy men and beautiful women have always been a perfect match.
……
One day later.
early morning.
With his hands behind his back and a smile on his face, Ren Qingshan strode confidently along the stone path in the village. He had just achieved a minor success in life, getting on the bus first and paying the fare later, and was naturally beaming with joy.
Last night, in addition to sharing all my knowledge, I also took a detailed account of the remaining money at home.
The ancestral home consists of three large brick houses and a courtyard of about 1.3 acres.
Twelve mu of high-quality paddy fields and ten mu of medium-quality dry land.
There were seventeen taels of cash and nine hundred catties of grain remaining.
One cow, one horse, five pigs, seven sheep, sixteen chickens, twenty-one ducks, five geese, and one dog.
This landlord's life was truly carefree and comfortable; he had everything he wanted.
Although this world contains both martial artists and demons, ordinary landlords can still manage to get by.
The Great Zhou Dynasty has been established for eighty years, and it is now in its prime, a golden age of prosperity. Although there are occasional famines and disturbances caused by demons and bandits, these are merely minor inconveniences.
Renjia Village is located in the heart of the Great Zhou Dynasty, under the jurisdiction of Zhongzhou, Fengcheng Prefecture, and Huai'an County. It has been a prosperous place since ancient times.
The threat of demons is also dealt with by the imperial court's Demon Suppression Division.
For me, I'm not thinking about a bigger future yet.
With such a treasure as the Earth Book, we should buy land steadily, transform its energy, and enhance our martial arts.
If the opportunity arises in the future, we will seek a new path.
Thinking about these things.
Ren Qingshan greeted the villagers with smiles all the way to the field.
He inspected his own land in detail.
The Earth Book can transform the earth's energy to nourish one's physical body.
According to the law of conservation of energy, Ren Qingshan wanted to confirm whether this incident would damage the soil's fertility and affect crop yields.
"Sir, you've arrived."
Lin Dahu yawned listlessly and grinned sheepishly as he greeted them.
Yesterday, many villagers came to this field, stealing grass, fish, and even soil. If the farmers hadn't cherished the seedlings so much, they probably would have destroyed them. Lin Dahu and his father took turns guarding the field; his father guarded it for the first half of the night, and he has been guarding it for the second half of the night until now.
"Hmm, is there anything unusual in the fields?"
Ren Qingshan nodded and asked with a smile.
"No, it's just that more than a dozen fish were stolen, and dozens of fry were damaged. My dad was thinking of replanting them today, but he's afraid they won't grow."
Lin Dahu said in a low voice, his face full of heartache.
Ren Qingshan responded and, seeing that the green rice was growing well, bent down and turned over the soil, which was still fertile, which reassured him somewhat.
It seems that this "land strength" is not the same as that "land strength".
Moreover, the earth is the root of all things, nourishing all things.
Year after year of farming must not allow the soil to become depleted.
Nourishing a few people is no big deal at all.
Furthermore, the Earth Book itself has its own mechanism: one acre of land can only transform one type of earth force at a time.
Ok?
The book on land fertility seems to only consider the acreage and not the quality of the land?
Ren Qingshan suddenly thought of this matter.
Twenty-two mu of land means twenty-two different types of soil, regardless of whether it is superior or inferior, or paddy field or dry land.
Suddenly an idea came to mind. Ren Qingshan patted Lin Dahu on the shoulder and said, "Take good care of the land. This year, I'll buy a few more acres and leave them all to your family to farm."
……
Land is the lifeblood of farmers.
Buying land is not as simple as it seems.
Unless it's a famine year when people can't afford to live, most farmers with land will not sell it.
Even landlords, unless their sons are spendthrift spendthrifts who indulge in drinking, gambling, and whoring, would never sell it.
However, even if the sale falls through, exchanging land, especially paddy fields for dry land, is no problem at all.
At market price, one mu of paddy field could be exchanged for approximately two and a half to three mu of dry land.
Let's take out one mu (approximately 0.16 acres) and try exchanging it!
The family owned a 1.2 mu (approximately 0.16 acres) paddy field, which was set aside independently and was originally purchased by the original owner's father from someone else.
Although it is still leased now, it would not matter if it were changed, as the sale does not break the lease.
……
"Third Brother, I need to talk to you about something."
"Your three acres of dry land are next to mine. Why don't you give them to me? I'll trade you my paddy fields."
Ren Qingshan went straight to his cousin Ren Zhengping's house. After exchanging pleasantries for a while, he said with a smile.
The original owner knew the village's hundreds of acres of land like the back of his hand.
You need to know exactly which plot belongs to whom, how fertile it is, and what the harvest will be like.
My family's ten mu of dry land is next to Ren Zhengping's family's dry land.
It's just right.
Ren Zhengping looked to be in his forties, with graying temples and a dark complexion.
He was not very ambitious, honest and hardworking, and spent his whole life tending to the crops.
A few years ago, in order to support his son to learn blacksmithing in the county town, they sold a piece of their farmland. Now they only have two mu of paddy fields and three mu of dry land left, which is barely enough for the family to eat.
at this time.
Upon hearing this, Ren Zhengping's cloudy eyes brightened slightly.
Land swap?
Should we replace paddy fields with dry land?
Did the sun rise in the west today?
The sixth brother, who always cherished his land, was actually willing to give up his family's paddy field.
"Are you willing to part with it?"
"What's the point of exchanging it?"
Ren Zhengping narrowed his eyes, pondering in his mind, but didn't make any definitive statements.
He would be willing to switch if it really came down to it.
"Now that I'm feeling better... I need to go farming! My hands are itching to get back to work!"
"All the land in our family's home has been rented out, and we can't buy any more right now."
"You won't lose out by exchanging paddy fields for dry land. My family's 1.2 mu of paddy fields south of the stream produce about 400 jin of rice a year. The tenants hand over 80%, which is 320 jin. Your family's 3 mu of dry land produces about 130 jin per mu, at most 150 jin. You also have to add the cost of the oxen used for plowing the land, as well as the fish and crabs produced in the paddy fields... You'll lose a little this year, but you'll make a profit from now on."
"Next year, you can rent it if you want, or you can cultivate it yourself if you don't want to. You won't lose out."
Ren Qingshan could recite these data off the top of his head.
Serving the fields for a lifetime is a fundamental skill.
Ren Zhengping tilted his head and pondered for a long time.
This land swap is a win-win situation no matter how you look at it.
then.
The two immediately agreed to go to the clan chief to make a pact.
Ren Zhengwei was somewhat surprised by this matter, but after hearing Ren Qingshan's reason, he didn't have much to say.
Old Liu is a man who can't sit still. As soon as he recovered, he immediately wanted to go back to farming.
No ambition.
Does he really not want to practice martial arts?
……
After the contract was signed and the tenants were informed, Ren Qingshan stood at the edge of the three mu of dry rice field at dusk.
He looked at the book of earth in his mind with great satisfaction.
Current land ownership: 24.8 mu (approximately 1.67 hectares)
[Convertible soil fertility: 2]
Ren Qingshan: ...
Every acre of land has its own unique fertility!
Even eight points couldn't be converted!
I don’t have OCD, but it’s really bothering me. Can’t you just round it up for me?
However, is this method actually feasible?
Transform!
Transform!
Ren Qingshan then transformed the two forces of earth separately.
[You have transformed the twenty-third element of earth power, achieving the Great Perfection of the Copper Skin Realm. The earth power has begun to temper your "Iron Bones," and your strength has increased accordingly.]
[You have transformed the twenty-fourth elemental force, tempering 26 vertebrae of your 206 bones, increasing your strength to the level of three oxen.]
The transformation of the soil's energy caused a tingling, itchy sensation along my spine, which felt exceptionally comfortable.
So, the next level after copper skin is iron bones?
At this moment, Ren Qingshan felt that his back was exceptionally straight, and he even had a faint feeling of "standing like a pine tree".
Despite his great strength, he was quite agile, like an eighteen-year-old boy.
The strength of three oxen!
About one-tenth of the Iron Bones is complete!
……
……