Xie Yushu prepared herself mentally and accepted this identity calmly. Anyway, she had been an orphan since childhood and had no ties, so it didn't matter where she was!

Are you thirsty? If you are very thirsty, have a drink of water!

It was so hot that the little girl's face was flushed, and her hair was soaked with sweat. Xie Yulou was worried that she would suffer from heatstroke.

"Second Aunt, I'm not thirsty."

After Xiao Haitang finished speaking, she pursed her lips and said...

"Let's hurry home. Uncle and my younger brother haven't had any water all day, and my brother is starting to feel the strain!"

Xie Yushu then remembered that there was a little one at home, and hurriedly said

“If you get heatstroke, I’ll have to carry you on my back. I don’t have any extra strength right now. Drink some water, cheer up, and let’s go back quickly.”

The little girl hesitated for a moment, but still took a sip after removing the cap. Xie Yushu was relieved, and the two walked quickly home.

Xie Yushu sorted through the original owner's memories as she walked.

Xiao Yi married her because he heard that she was diligent, efficient, good-tempered, and wouldn't mistreat children. That's why he spent ten taels of silver to marry her during this famine year. In reality, he just wanted to find a good nanny.

It was called a marriage, but in reality, it was just a matchmaker leading the way, with her older and younger brothers taking her to Xiao Yi's house. In those days, people couldn't afford a banquet or gifts, so everything was kept simple!

Because many families are surviving on rice bran mixed with tree leaves and grass roots! Let alone holding a wedding!

It's true what they say: people in chaotic times are worse off than dogs in prosperous times! Their suffering is utterly boundless!

I heard that Xiao Yi was able to come up with ten taels of silver to marry her during this famine year, which caused his mother to make a huge fuss, saying that he was unfilial and had been hiding the silver. She turned Xiao Yi's three thatched houses upside down, and in the end, she only found a few copper coins. His mother was so angry that she took away the half bag of corn that Xiao Yi had asked someone to buy, and only then did she stop!

Xiao Yi has four brothers, plus an older sister and a younger sister; he is the second oldest.

The elder sister, Xiao Damei, got married, the third brother died in battle, and now the remaining brothers are the eldest brother, Xiao Yong, the second brother, Xiao Yi, the fourth brother, Xiao Yuanhang, and the youngest daughter, Xiao Yan.

It's worth mentioning that Xiao Yi's parents are still alive, and the Xiao family has actually already split up!

The reason was that his fourth younger brother, Xiao Yuanhang, had passed the imperial examination and wanted to study!

Scholars were required to own a certain amount of land.

This requirement was not originally in place.

Later, a poor family's child sold all of his younger siblings in order to study hard and get ahead in life. Even his widowed sister-in-law who raised him was sold into a brothel. This caused a huge sensation!

From then on, the imperial court stipulated that all scholars who took the imperial examinations must own at least fifteen mu of land, and each member of their family must own no less than three mu of land.

A scholar who passed the county-level imperial examination must own at least 30 mu of land, and each member of his family must own no less than 3 mu of land. There are no restrictions for those who pass the provincial-level imperial examination or higher, because a provincial-level imperial examination graduate is already qualified to seek an official position and support their family!

This requirement was introduced after that, to prevent people from stepping on their relatives to gain fame and fortune, thus losing sight of the original intention of selecting talent.

If Xiao Yuanhang wants to study, he must own 30 mu of land, and each member of his family must own at least 3 mu!

And that's when the Xiao family patriarch and patriarch started their bizarre antics!

Separation

Send people out, leave the land behind

The Xiao family owns a total of 30 mu of land, inherited from their ancestors and acquired by Mr. Xiao when he was young, earning money by driving carts and hauling goods for merchants.

Later, Xiao Yi and Xiao Laosan were conscripted into the army one after another. Xiao Laosan died in battle, and the court issued thirty taels of silver as compensation. With this silver, they purchased another five mu of land. When Xiao Yi returned, his leg was crippled. It is said that at this time there were too many wounded soldiers to be compensated, so each person was allocated land according to their years of service and merits. Xiao Yi received 10 mu of land.

Therefore, the Xiao family's total area is forty-five mu.

When Old Master Xiao divided the family property, he gave 33 mu of land directly to his fourth son, and then built a new house next door to establish a separate household.

The fourth son, Xiao Yuanhang, continued to study diligently and take the imperial examination to become a scholar!

Grandpa Xiao and his wife took their youngest daughter with their eldest son. Of the remaining twelve mu of land, two mu were given to Xiao Yi, and the other ten mu were given to the eldest son, on the grounds that Xiao Yi was lame and could not farm the land.

As for Xiao Laosan, he's already dead. The little girl he left behind will belong to someone else sooner or later. What does she need land for?

The eldest son's wife was unhappy about this division of the family property and brought her brothers from her maternal family to make a scene. Later, the clan members couldn't stand it anymore, and several clan elders intervened.

Finally, the elderly couple relented.

The fourth brother gives the eldest brother 600 jin of grain every year and works with the eldest brother to support the elderly couple.

Xiao Yi didn't get any inheritance, and he even gave away eight acres of land. These eight acres of land can be considered as a tribute to the elderly, so they won't need him to support them in their old age!

That's all we can do.

Then Xiao Yi moved his family to live alone on those two acres of land, where they built three thatched houses.

Xie Yushu was actually quite grateful. Having such terrible in-laws and a selfish brother-in-law, separating from them was practically a blessing from heaven!

So what if we're poor! So what if my husband is a little lame! She's the best military doctor! We can definitely play this bad hand well!

Besides, in the original owner's memory, Phoenix Mouth was indeed a place with excellent feng shui, right next to the Azure Dragon Mountain Range, where she could completely rely on the mountains for her livelihood.

The Qinglong Mountains, located north of Yonghe County, stretch for hundreds of miles and encircle the entire northern part of the Great Qi.

The area is densely vegetated with many towering ancient trees, a variety of birds and beasts, and a rich variety of medicinal herbs. People live off the land and water, so in addition to farming, some people make a living by gathering herbs and hunting, although they pay more taxes than those who farm.

Farmers here pay taxes based on the acreage of land, while hunters and herb gatherers pay taxes per person, five taels of silver per person per year. Spring and summer are the seasons for animals and plants to breed and grow, and they are not allowed to enter the mountains. They can only enter the mountains in autumn and winter. The conditions are harsh, and it really depends on skill and luck to make a living.

Therefore, not many people can afford to make a living in these two fields.

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