Chapter 758: A Blind Cat Catches a Dead Mouse (Part 2) [Taking a Leave of Absence]

Sibao County, Xiaocheng.

While the flames of war raged in Yanzhou and Ganzhou, Sibao County, Longwu County, and Minfeng County were unusually peaceful. Specifically, the first two were relatively calm. Minfeng County experienced unrest a little over a month ago, but it was quelled before it could gain momentum.

In the shade, refugees who wanted to seek refuge in Minfeng County wore bitter faces.

He asked, "How did chaos break out in Minfeng County?"

Due to manpower shortages and financial constraints, the government has issued a notice: Refugees are not permitted to enter Minfeng County until the area is truly stable, to prevent bandits from gathering and causing chaos. First-time offenders will be expelled; repeat offenders will be punished with caning; and those who repeatedly fail to mend their ways will be beaten to death!

Faced with the ironclad order, very few people knowingly violate it.

"Why do we have to go to Minfeng? Isn't Sibao good enough?" The old woman, who was resting in the shade, felt uncomfortable hearing this.

Of the three prefectures, Longwu Prefecture was the safest, but it no longer accepted refugees; Minfeng Prefecture had the fewest people and was the poorest; Sibao Prefecture was in between. Although it was in a mediocre position, the government began to make great efforts to reorganize, and everything was thriving.

Where can you find such a good government office?

The leader of the refugees looked troubled.

Sibao County was certainly a good place. They had fled from Yanzhou, and along the way, many had died of illness, starvation, or were killed by bandits... leaving less than 30% of the original population in the village. The village head had a relative in Minfeng, and they planned to go there to seek refuge.

I don't want anything else, I just want to eat.

I arrived here with a strong sense of conviction.

They were told that the boundary marker of Minfeng County could not be crossed, which made them very worried. They couldn't just turn back, could they? They also wanted to settle down in Sibao County, but they had neither money nor land to make a living. How could they establish themselves in a strange place?

The local woman felt a little sympathy for the twenty or thirty people who were in such a sorry state—their straw sandals had long since worn out, and it was fortunate that the government had sent people to build a road and level the land; otherwise, their feet would have been ruined sooner or later.

“You’re all strong, why worry about not being able to stay?” The local woman got up, dusted herself off, handed the farm tools to her fellow villager for safekeeping, and said, “You’re all quite pitiful. Sigh, come with me.”

The refugees looked at each other in bewilderment.

The local villagers, who were enjoying the cool air, laughed and teased, "You've struck it lucky! This widow Zhuo's daughter is promising; she's studied under a famous teacher and is a scholar. If she's willing to go out and say a few words, she might be able to get you to stay, and you might even get some land."

Widow Zhuo was a skilled farmer, capable of working just as hard as any man, and she walked with a brisk, energetic stride. She led the twenty or thirty refugees to a small shed at the village entrance, where a minor official with a beard sat.

After listening to Widow Zhuo's description, the minor official nodded.

Take out twenty or thirty blank bamboo pieces from the bamboo basket behind him.

He addressed the refugees, saying, "Everyone, line up one by one."

The clerk carefully inquired about their names, ages, family members, places of origin, and reasons for fleeing, and then stamped the document with his seal. These bamboo slips were very important; whether they were temporarily residing in Sibao County or wishing to settle there permanently, they were indispensable.

The refugees who had fled could use bamboo slips to obtain three days' worth of rations at nearby relief stations, and the stations would assign work to each person within those three days. Upon hearing this, the refugees all looked distressed. "Assign work?" they thought. "Isn't that just conscription?"

They still remember that every time the higher authorities conscripted laborers, some people would die from exhaustion or illness, and those who were lucky enough to survive would lose a lot of weight.

A perfectly strong man can become skin and bones.

Widow Zhuo asked, "Do you pay money and grain when you conscript laborers?"

The refugees shook their heads upon hearing this.

Widow Zhuo said proudly, "Our prefect will give it to us."

The rewards were mostly old grain, fine salt, kudzu cloth, grain seeds, and silkworm eggs, with the occasional few pounds of fatty meat. It wasn't much, but with hard work, one wouldn't starve. Besides these rewards, the government also recorded work points, which represented contributions to the construction of Sibao County; more work points indicated greater merit. Refugees used their work points to rent cheap temporary shelter.

If there are no work points, the rental fee must be paid in full.

Of course, paying the full amount isn't expensive either.

Even if the temporary shelter is rudimentary, at least it can provide shelter from the wind and rain, which is much better than the refugees who have to endure the elements on their journey.

As for leasing land, one needs to wait in line.

Once the land is allocated, the refugees' household registration will be transferred to the corresponding county, town, or village, and the people will also have to move there.

The village chief was overwhelmed by the barrage of information. When he heard the word "land," he suddenly realized, "They can still divide the land?"

Widow Zhuo corrected: "It was rented by the government."

The government provides land, which the refugees cultivate. After deducting land tax, the rest of the harvest is theirs. If the refugees do not have their own farming tools, oxen, and seeds, they can rent them from the government, but they need to pay a small rent.

Upon hearing this, Muramasa calmed down.

He cautiously inquired about the field tax.

Widow Zhuo said, "You are outsiders. For the first three years, the official salary is five times that of the common people, and from the fourth year onwards, the official salary will be four times that of the common people and the common people will be six times that of the common people."

This ratio would certainly be too high in times of peace and prosperity, but in today's world, the government is providing land and a quiet environment for ordinary people to cultivate, so the ratio isn't unreasonable, especially since the government gave up another 10% in the fourth year. However, the village head was not blinded by greed.

He then inquired about land rent and other miscellaneous taxes.

Widow Zhuo was clearly used to dealing with this kind of question before. She said directly, "No, there's none of that. Isn't that why our prefect is such a good man? My daughter also said that all those miscellaneous things are incorporated into the land tax..."

Muramasa's son, standing behind him, gasped.

If it's just land tax, without any other miscellaneous taxes or rent, this land tax rate is quite appealing. They thought this was the biggest surprise, but after making some inquiries, they inadvertently learned about the harvest from the neighboring Longwu County last year. It was said that one commoner family, after paying the land tax, had more grain left over than their entire family's harvest for two years.

As long as the family is hardworking and capable, they can eat their fill all year round, and some families even have several jars of grain left over.

Muramasa smacked his lips.

"Wow, what kind of grain are they growing?"

Which farmer doesn't bend over and tend to the fields all year round?

They were afraid that if the weeds were removed too slowly, it would affect the growth of the grain seeds.

They did the same work, but their harvests were worlds apart.

I went out and asked around before I found out why.

Firstly, the government provided high-quality seeds; secondly, the region enjoyed favorable weather conditions, neither flooding nor drought; and thirdly, if the soil lacked fertility, the government would provide hands-on instruction on how to compost and improve the soil. It was even said that those with supernatural abilities could use their powers…

Muramasa was ecstatic after hearing this and tossed and turned, unable to sleep.

You say, we're all human, so why do the people here live like human beings, while they have to leave their homes and lose their wives and children?

Old Cun was facing away from his son, secretly wiping away a tear.

However, he still had a little worry.

If they get land, won't their village be scattered? They've been neighbors and relatives for so many years, now living far away. If they're separated, they won't be able to take care of each other. If they offend another village someday, they'll be vulnerable to being bullied, being small in number and from elsewhere.

Old Village Chief's worries were unnecessary.

To reduce conflict, people who know each other are prioritized to be grouped together; even if they can't be put in the same village, they will be neighbors.

Upon hearing this news, the old village chief was completely relieved.

Similar scenes were playing out throughout Sibao County.

Sibao County, Household Affairs Office.

The clerk carrying the official documents bowed when he saw Shen Zhi approaching, but was stopped by the latter: "Have you seen Lin Hucao?"

The clerk replied, "Lin Hucao has gone out of the city to offer sacrifices."

Shen Zhi asked, "When will you be back?"

The clerk estimated, "Lin Hucao said it would be at most an hour, so judging by the time, he should be back soon."

Speak of the devil, and he shall appear.

Lin Feng appeared at the entrance of the government office, carrying a bamboo basket containing some unused incense and candles for the funeral.

Deep in the mountains outside Xiaocheng, her relatives are buried.

In the past, there was no opportunity to pay respects and clean the graves, but now that it's more convenient, she visits them every ten days to talk to them. Recently, she's been inquiring about relocating the graves. If she has enough time, she'll even take the opportunity to go further afield and clean up her senior brother Tu Rong's grave as well.

I had just returned when I saw Chen Zhi looking for me. I thought it was something urgent. But when I asked, I found out that she had come to inquire about cotton seeds.

Because the trial planting this year went quite well, the government plans to vigorously promote cotton in Sibao County next year, so a sufficient supply of cotton seeds needs to be prepared in advance. Lin Feng is the main force in this task, while Shen Zhi is frequently urged by Qi Shan to come and supervise the work…

Lin Feng put down the bamboo basket, led Chen Zhi to his small government office, lifted his skirt and sat down, his expression showing some worry: "The cotton seeds are a minor matter, I've run into other troubles."

Shen Zhi: "The trouble you're talking about is Gongxi Langjun? Didn't Doctor Dong say that it's only a matter of time before his eyes regain their sight?"

About a month ago, Lin Feng went out to pay respects to his relatives and passed by a cliff where he found a man who was on the verge of death.

That man was Gong Xichou, who was critically injured and on the verge of death.

The person was saved, but lost sight in one eye.

Lin Feng shook his head: "It has nothing to do with my benefactor. I just suddenly remembered something—it's easy to promote cotton planting within the territory, and high-quality cotton seeds are also easy to obtain, but how do we thresh the seeds after the cotton is harvested? We can't just peel them slowly with our bare hands, can we?"

The best solution is to create a specific farm tool.

However, it's easier said than done.

|ω`)

I need to take a day off. I have a slight fever, and when I woke up today, my head felt like it was going to explode. Unfortunately, I don't have any antigens at home... I hope I don't get infected again.

P.S.: Take some painkillers, and I'll add some more words using mushrooms.

(End of this chapter)