Chapter 148 Don’t Have Children First

If the previous Xiao Ji didn't care about a few acres of land at all, his farm would be at least several hundred acres. He would not be able to give away a few acres of land, let alone rent it to others. He also looked down on that little rent.

Even though he became a commoner, he never lacked money. But when he actually lived in the palace, saw how his wife behaved, and truly lived an ordinary life, his mentality was constantly changing.

Renovating the palace's wasteland and leasing farmland might seem like small tasks, but the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Agriculture also handle these tasks. If he considers himself a minor official in the Ministry of Agriculture, responsible for these matters, can he simply waive the farmers' rent with a wave of his hand? If everyone does this, how will the country collect agricultural taxes?

Seeing the big picture from the small details is just like this. Xiao Ji regards himself as a minor official, so he must manage this land well, work diligently, not squander money at will, and naturally he cannot cooperate with people of bad character.

After all, the historians' ancestors and grandchildren are too insignificant. If they use power to oppress them, it would be too heavy a burden and would be like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.

And what they said was also right, Xiao Ji had no right to meddle in their family affairs, but Xiao Ji felt that he had the right to not cooperate with them. For him, it was just a matter of words, but for the Shi family, it was something that could make them suffer for a long time.

"I'm not talking about the land of these two people, but the land of three generations of grandparents and grandchildren."

Xiao Ji said this lightly, and before the village head could react, Uncle Shi and his son, who had been watching the excitement at the door, immediately rushed in and knelt down, "Your Excellency, Your Excellency, this is none of our business."

"Shi Qingping and I are not from the same family." Uncle Shi leaned his forehead against the ground, his voice trembling. "We live separately. What the old woman did has nothing to do with us!"

He has two sons and a daughter, all of whom can rent land for free. The family owns five acres of land!

Xiao Ji lowered his eyes and looked at the two people kneeling on the ground, without any movement.

Now Mrs. Shi and Shi Qingping finally reacted and wanted to beg for mercy and shout, but Zhao Tong and Fugui had already covered their mouths.

Uncle Shi collapsed to the ground when he saw this. That's five acres of land!

In the suburbs of Beijing, any flat and continuous land was occupied by dignitaries. He originally owned only six acres of land in Hedong Village, which was enough to survive in the past. He could finally plant five more acres, but now it was half gone!

The villagers watching outside the courtyard were terrified. No one had expected the usually amiable nobleman to act so decisively. This was far more severe than a beating or scolding—without the land, wouldn't the Shi family be envious of everyone else's possessions?

Brother Li held his sister's child in his arms, knelt down with tears in his eyes, and said, "Thank you for taking care of my sister!"

Mother Li was so happy that she was speechless and kept clasping her hands and bowing to Xiao Ji.

Xiao Ji waved his hand and looked at the village head. How could the village head dare to object? He wanted to protect the interests of the entire village.

"It's just that...this historian also put in a lot of effort to tidy up the fields..."

Although Mrs. Shi was lazy, the second son of the Shi family was not. The head of the village was fair and still made up for the Shi family.

"Then...let's give all the Shi family's land to this little girl. She is also a descendant of the Shi family."

Xiao Ji pointed casually, and the baby girl in the cradle actually cried out in response. The child's voice was so tender that the headman's heart softened when he heard it, so he agreed on behalf of the Shi family. The Shi family wanted to say something, but the headman glared at them, and they suddenly understood what he meant.

This land belongs to the girl, but it still needs adults to cultivate it, right?

But would Xiao Ji let them take advantage of this loophole? He was happy to do good things, but he was not so kind as to let someone who made him unhappy take advantage of him.

"That old woman Shi doesn't want this granddaughter. She's truly unethical. Let's give this land to the child's in-laws to cultivate on their behalf."

These words shocked the people present again. The Li family is from Hexi Village. Isn't the land deed signed with their Hedong Village?

But looking at the nobleman's cold face, the people who had chased after him and were hiding at the door did not dare to say a word. With the lesson of Mrs. Shi's previous experience in mind, what if their land was taken away again?

Uncle Li and Mother Li finally realized what was happening and were overjoyed. Although Uncle Li was eager to protect his sister, he was worried that his wife would have objections if he really took his sister and niece back home. After all, there would be two more mouths to feed. But now his sister and niece both had land, which was good land by the river. If they planted crops on it, they would definitely be able to feed two mouths to feed.

The village head calculated and said, "The Shi family was allocated eight mu of land in total."

Everyone's gazes were now focused on Uncle Li's arms. This newborn girl actually owned eight acres of land?! Their eyes suddenly heated up.

Uncle Li's family wanted to bow again, but Xiao Ji waved his hand. Qing Wu also came out with his hands washed. "Wanniang has packed up. The Li family will stay. The rest of you can go. The woman needs to rest."

Upon hearing this, the village head immediately asked people to leave. As soon as Mrs. Shi and Zhao Tong were put outside, the village head had someone cover their mouths and take them away.

These two people almost ruined the village's plan, so they need to be taught a lesson. Not only that, Uncle Shi's family also looked at the two of them with resentment.

Not only does this old woman favor the eldest brother, but why does she also involve his family?

It can be seen that the life of the Shi family’s ancestors and grandchildren will be difficult in the future.

As soon as the strangers left, Li's mother immediately took out three taels of silver from her bosom. This was the silver that their family had saved for half a year, and now it was all here.

"Ma'am, is this enough?"

She had just heard that a bowl of ginseng soup cost one ounce of silver. But Li's mother had no regrets. This ounce of silver saved her daughter's life. It was the soup that had saved her daughter's life.

"That's enough medicine for the next three days. You guys stay here with Wan Niang. Call me if you need anything. I'm going to rest for a while."

Although it took less than an hour from the time Wan Niang brought him in to the end of the delivery, Qing Wu was very exhausted because he was so focused during the whole process and was also disturbed by the noisy sounds outside.

Seeing this, the Li family hurriedly nodded, and Xiao Ji finally found an opportunity to support his wife.

"Qingqing, let's go."

When they arrived at the main hall, Qing Wu plopped down on a chair. Before she could say anything, Xiao Ji said, "Qing Qing, let's not have children for now, okay?"