Chapter 23, The 23rd Inn: Buying Land

The afternoon sun shone through the treetops as villagers in Linjiang Village, wearing straw hats, worked in the fields. Sweat dripped from their faces, but they didn't bother to wipe it away, focusing only on weeding and fertilizing, hoping that the heavens would be kind this year and that the crops in the fields would yield a bountiful harvest.

Yunyin and Fu Wang dismounted, and the villagers merely glanced at them before continuing with their work. Perhaps the fatigue from farm work had diminished their desire to explore further.

Only when you get close to the village head's house do people peek out and look. Seeing a familiar face, they ask curiously, "Miss Yun, are you here to buy mushrooms again? But it's not mushroom season yet. We sold you all the dried mushrooms last time."

Yunyin smiled at the aunt next door and shook her head, saying, "I'm not here to collect mushrooms; I have something to discuss with the village head."

Hearing a familiar voice, Sister Qian, who was busy in the yard, ran out of the house and called out, "Oh, Sister Yun, what brings you here to see my grandfather? Let's go inside and talk."

She waved away the curious aunt next door and pulled Yunyin into the courtyard.

The neighbor's wife curled her lip and said, "I wonder what benefits this Lady Yun has given the Sun family. Ever since Lady Yun came to our village to buy mushrooms and vegetables, the Sun family has made a fortune, and now they have two educated people in the family."

"No, no, it's so much better to have someone at home to cook."

The woman's mother-in-law glared at her and said, "What nonsense are you spouting? Sun Lizheng is a highly respected person, which is why he was chosen as the village head. When Yun Niangzi was harvesting mushrooms, Sun Lizheng didn't just take care of his own family. He helped every other family in need, including ours."

"Besides, as long as Lady Yun keeps collecting mushrooms, she can make a fortune again when the mushrooms are harvested in another month. In previous years, there was never such an opportunity; we didn't even see a few copper coins all year round."

The sister-in-law shrugged and said, "Mother, I'm just saying that. I know that Sun Lizheng is a fair man, but I envy that his family has two scholars."

Her mother-in-law sighed and said, "There's nothing we can do about it. It's all fate. We people without any skills can only make a living by farming. Sun Lizheng, at least, is literate. That's his skill."

The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law in this courtyard were telling the story of Sun, the village head. In the next courtyard, Sister Qian, with a happy expression, pulled Yunyin to sit down and said, "Miss Yun, please sit down. I sent Daya to call your grandfather. What brings you here this time? Are you here to buy vegetables?"

"I've collected another basket of eggs. If you need them, I'll give them to you at the same price as before."

As she said this, she glanced at Fu Wang following behind her and hesitated, "This man looks unfamiliar. Is he also here to register his household?"

Yunyin smiled sheepishly and withdrew her hand, saying, "This is my friend. He came to help me with some things. Zhang Lin will come to collect the eggs tomorrow."

Seeing that her wish had been fulfilled, Sister Qian beamed with joy and grabbed Yunyin's hand, saying, "Oh, thank you so much, sister! By the way, didn't you want eggplant seedlings before? I've already started cultivating them here. I'll have Brother Zhang take them back tomorrow and plant them directly."

Yunyin smiled again, subtly withdrawing her hand and saying, "Then I'll have to trouble you, sister-in-law."

Just as she was wondering what to say, Daya returned with Sun Lizheng. Yunyin immediately stepped forward and said, "We'll have to trouble Sun Lizheng again."

Sun Lizheng looked at the imposing young man standing behind Yunyin, stroked his beard, and asked, "Young lady, do you still want to register your household?"

Yunyin and Fu Wang sat down in the main hall with Sun Lizheng. She smiled and said, "No, didn't Sun Lizheng say before that the valley next door could be sold? I wonder if that still counts?"

“Of course it counts.” Sun Lizheng paused slightly as he stroked his beard. “Has your wife already decided to buy it?”

Yunyin calmly replied, "I do have that plan. I brought a friend here to get a better understanding of the situation. If there are no problems, I will buy it."

Sun Lizheng went into the house and brought over a booklet, saying, "As I told you before, that piece of land is valued at ten taels of silver. Our village can decide on this. We just need to register it at the county government office later."

He paused and said, "However, I also told my wife in advance that the land that can be reclaimed is at most a hundred acres, and the soil quality is also very poor. It may not even be enough to pay taxes in three years."

The Da Zhao regime adopted the rent-labor system, requiring each adult male to pay 2 shi of grain, 2.5 zhang of cloth, and 3 jin of hemp annually, and each adult male was required to perform 20 days of labor service annually.

Because Yunyin is a woman, she is exempt from military service, but she still needs to pay other taxes.

This only covers the taxes levied on rent, labor service, and taxation. There is also a land tax levied per mu (unit of land area), which requires two liters of grain per mu. Finally, there is the household tax.

Households were divided into nine classes, and the taxes paid by each household varied from the highest to the lowest, ranging from 4,000 coins to 500 coins.

If Yunyin buys land and also has shops, she will be classified as an upper-class household and will have to pay at least 3 guan per year.

Three strings of cash can buy 1,000 dou of rice. Even if all the land in Yunyin yields a bumper harvest, it will only yield 1,500 dou a year. So after paying taxes, there really isn't much left.

It's no wonder that Sun Lizheng warned Yunyin in advance that the valley was not a good place.

Yunyin turned to ask Fu Wang, and when he nodded, she realized that Sun Lizheng was right. If they relied solely on farming, they wouldn't be able to save any money in a year.

Fortunately, Yunyin has already boosted the sales of her mushroom sauce and opened her own food stall. Even if there's no surplus from farming, the restaurant can support her living expenses.

She solemnly said to Sun Lizheng, "I'm sure I want to buy that valley. Thank you for your help, Sun Lizheng."

Seeing that Yunyin was determined to go her own way, Sun Lizheng stopped trying to persuade her. He picked up his pen and wrote down the contract, which clearly stated that it included all the land in that valley, not just the 100 mu of arable land. The surrounding land that could not be cultivated was also included, totaling 150 mu.

After writing down this information, he also wrote down Yunyin's buyer information on the document, while the seller's information was naturally filled in as the yamen's information.

Sun Lizheng handed the official document and contract to Yunyin and said, "Take this document and contract to the county government to register. Then pay the money to the government, and this land will belong to you."

Just as he was about to pack up his pen and ink, he remembered something and said, "Because the land you bought is all wasteland, the government stipulates that you can be exempted from land tax for three years. After three years, you will have to pay taxes."

Yunyin nodded to indicate that she understood. Just as she was about to leave, she heard Sun Lizheng say, "Madam Yun, please wait."

She turned to look at Village Chief Sun: "Is there anything else, Village Chief?"

After hesitating for a moment, Sun Lizheng said, "I wonder if you need any land clearing, madam? If so, everyone in our village can help, and the price will be cheap."

Yunyin realized that Zhang Lin and she definitely couldn't manage 100 acres of land on their own. After a moment's thought, she agreed, "We're all from the same village, so it's natural to trouble the villagers. I'll come to you again when I need to clear the land."

After speaking with Sun Lizheng, she put away the contract and documents and said to Fu Wang, "I'll need your help to take me back to the county government office."

Fu Wang shook his head: "It's alright, I happen to be free today, just ask Zhou Chang for this."

When Sun Lizheng heard them mention the county magistrate, he looked up and sized him up several times, then looked at Yunyin and reminded her, "Land sales belong to the Registrar of Households and will be handed over to the county magistrate later. The county magistrate doesn't handle this matter."

Fu Wang smiled at Sun Lizheng and said, "Thank you for reminding us, we understand."

After leaving Linjiang Village, Fu Wang said to Yunyin, "Zhou Chang really doesn't handle this matter, but he has a good relationship with the county magistrate. If you entrust this matter to him, he will definitely be able to handle it well for you."

Yunyin: "Wouldn't that be too much trouble for him?"

Fu Wang: "This is nothing. Don't worry, I'll definitely take care of it for you."

Yunyin learned about some of the responsibilities of the county government from Fu Wang. In the future, she would have to deal with the Sihu Cao (a minor official in charge of household registration) a lot, such as paying taxes every year and issuing travel permits, all of which would be under his management.

Even the restaurant she now runs on the official road is under his management. Yunyin took this opportunity to register the restaurant at the county government office.

Her business wasn't very big before, but now she's made a lot of money selling mushroom sauce, and her food stall is doing well. It's time for her to register.

It's fine when it's small-scale, but if it gets out of control and investigated, the consequences can be severe.

Yunyin just wants to run her small business peacefully. If these issues can be resolved smoothly, she can rest assured in the future.

She smiled and said, "Young Master Fu, thank you so much. If it weren't for you, I really wouldn't know all the intricacies involved."

Fu Wang shook his head and said, "I've been a镖师 (bodyguard/escort) for a long time and encountered all sorts of problems, so I've gradually learned how to handle them. Yun Niangzi has bought the land and opened a restaurant, so her life will only get better and better in the future."

Yunyin agreed, "Young Master Fu is right."

With Zhou Chang's help, the land transfer was very quick. Yunyin paid the money and received the land deed that belonged to her.

Seeing her name on the land deed, Yunyin was moved to tears. She had finally found a place to belong in this unfamiliar dynasty.

Fu Wang considerately turned his head and waited for Yun Yin to calm down before saying, "Now that you've finished your business, Madam Yun, I'll take my leave."

"I will come back to eat your food again when I pass by in the future."

Yunyin wiped away her tears and looked at Fu Wang, asking, "Young Master Fu, are you leaving?"

Fu Wang nodded: "I have already been in Long'an County for a long time. My brothers will arrive tomorrow, and then I will have to leave."

Hearing that Fu Wang was leaving tomorrow, she felt a pang of sadness. They had just become friends, and now they were about to part ways.

She wiped away the tears that welled up again, and said, holding back her tears, "Then I wish you a safe trip, and I hope we can meet again in the future."

Fu Wang gazed at her for a long time, seeing genuine blessings in her clear eyes. He smiled and said, "Well, then I also wish Lady Yun peace, happiness, and a thriving business."

Although Fu Wang is leaving, the clients he introduced are still staying in Long'an County, and Yunyin needs to deliver the goods as soon as possible.

Fortunately, a contract had been signed beforehand, so Yunyin had three days to prepare and there was no need to rush.

I left the county town and went to the town to order a pig from Manager Hu, who sells meat. I can pick it up first thing tomorrow morning.

Thinking about what she had to do tomorrow, her mood gradually calmed down, and she returned to the food stall with a cheerful expression.

Zhang Lin is now in charge of the food stall. He only knows how to cook noodles, so he is only selling noodles today.

Seeing Yunyin's joyful expression, Zhang Lin asked curiously, "The shopkeeper found some silver?"

Yunyin's smile faded, and she nodded, saying, "I'm very happy to have closed a deal."

After a moment of seriousness, he couldn't help but say, "This valley will be mine in the future. All those hundred-plus acres of land can be developed, and we can grow crops in the future."

Zhang Lin exclaimed in surprise, "Really? This whole land belongs to my wife?"

Upon receiving a definite answer, Zhang Lin was happy for Yunyin, but his smile quickly faded as he frowned and said, "But now it's just the two of us, when will we be able to develop these 100 acres of land?"

"Even if we could grow them, we wouldn't be able to plant them all."

Yunyin: "I've already made arrangements. The land reclamation will be handled by the villagers of Linjiang Village; just pay them their wages. As for planting, that is indeed a problem, and I need to think about it carefully."

Author's Note: Please add this to your favorites for pre-orders!!! The synopsis for "Farming in the Mountains After Fleeing Famine in Ancient Times" is below:

At the end of the dynasty, disasters were frequent and the people were suffering. When Lu Man woke up, she regained her memories of her past life and realized that she was not a native, but a time traveler, and that she had traveled to a year of disaster.

After three years of severe drought, there was no harvest in either the fields or the mountains, and everyone was on the verge of despair. Lu Man felt that she could not sit idly by and wait for death. Fortunately, she had been an agricultural student in her previous life, so she could find a suitable place to live in the mountains, farm, and avoid disaster.

She discussed with her family about fleeing south to avoid disaster, and invited Luo Ling, her childhood sweetheart from next door, and the whole family headed south to escape the calamity.

Along the way, they witnessed the horrific scene of people exchanging children to eat, as well as the phenomenon of eating tree bark, grass roots, and even clay. There were also people who tried to steal their food.

Fortunately, Lu Man and her companions had many strong men, and she was also incredibly strong, so the journey was relatively safe. However, war broke out in the Central Plains, forcing them to find a more suitable place.

Luo Ling and Lu Man grew up together. They would go hunting in the mountains every day. Even when Lu Man thought of his past life, he did not forget this skill. The mountains and forests of Shu were steep, easy to defend and difficult to attack, making them very suitable for avoiding disaster.

After searching for a long time, Lu Man and Luo Ling finally found a suitable place. They cleared out the valley, gathered wild vegetables, planted grains and mushrooms, and Lu Man, an agricultural student, finally had a place to use his skills.

As the valley improved, Lu Man's family had hope for the future, except for their childhood friend who always followed them.

Lu Man: "What are you doing following me? Have you caught any chickens or ducks alive? Have you raised any cattle or sheep yet?"

Luo Ling looked at Lu Man quietly: "What about what you promised me?"

Lu Man looked up at the sky and the ground but not at him. Who told her to have memories of her past life? Even though they were childhood sweethearts, she treated him like a younger brother and had long forgotten what she had promised him.

From then on, Luo Ling kept pestering her, determined to make her fulfill her promise.

Lu Man: "..."

Reading Guide:

1. In the early stages, they fled famine; in the later stages, they farmed.

2. The dynasty is fictional and not based on historical fact.