The next day.
"We have to go to the farm today, so we might be back a little late. Chunxi, take everyone to tidy up the house and sort out the things we need to buy. If you have free time, follow Chen Qiang around to get familiar with the environment and prices..."
Tian An spoke at length, and only looked at Xiaokang and Xiaoqi when Zhao Yiming urged him to do so. "You two should stay home and study with Mr. Han today, and don't go out!"
Seeing that the two little ones responded obediently, he and Zhao Yiming got into the carriage.
Chen Qiang bought the carriage yesterday. After practicing all night, Chen Feng was able to skillfully control the horse and pull the carriage.
The people who went to the farm included Uncle Yonghui's family, Tian Mingcai's family, Qiushan's family, Dashu's family and the families of his second and third uncles, Xiaofeng's family and the family of his second uncle, as well as the three families of the farmhands who later signed contracts to sell themselves to Tian An, Wuzhuang and Zhenniang, and the former grain store owner Wang Hui. In total, there were fifty-two people, young and old.
It took one horse-drawn carriage, three ox-drawn carts, two donkey-drawn carts from Tian An's family, and one ox-drawn cart from Uncle Yonghui's family to barely carry all the people.
Although we still attracted a lot of attention along the way, everyone had washed and dressed last night and put on their best clothes, so at least we were no longer as embarrassed as we were yesterday.
When they arrived at the outer city, everyone felt more at ease and had the mood to look at the bustling shops and stalls on the street. Tian An even spent a huge amount of money to buy a string of candied haws for each child. It must be said that even the candied haws in Beijing were more expensive than those in Jinning County.
After leaving the city gate and riding on an ox cart for another hour and a half, Tian An and Zhao Yiming finally led everyone to find the farm they had bought.
After taking the land deed to confirm with the person in charge of custody of the imperial court, the person in charge prepared to take Tian An and others to check the boundaries of the manor, so as to avoid accidentally crossing other people's territory and getting into trouble in the future.
Tian An and Zhao Yiming simply called Luo Yourong's father, Old Man Luo, Uncle Yonghui and Wang Hui to join them.
Tian An was worried that they had just arrived and didn't understand many things, so he gave money to the person in charge and asked him to tell them more about the situation nearby and give them more advice to avoid offending anyone and getting into trouble in the future.
The person in charge was happy after receiving the money, and explained everything clearly, no matter how big or small, that needed to be said or pointed out.
What about which official's farm is next to which place, which official's family has a good temper, which family holds grudges, which family can be befriended, which family should be avoided, etc...
He pointed to a village next to the village and said, "That village over there is the wounded village. The whole village is inhabited by soldiers who were injured and evacuated from the battlefield and their families.
Many of them have disabilities, which may look scary, but they are actually very nice people. Their lives are hard, so if you can help them, please do so. If you are not willing, please do not bully them.
Their general is a protective person, so he won’t have to stand up for them when the time comes.”
Tian An was a little confused: "Sir, I don't understand this. If their general protects them, then why do they still live in poverty? The general should help them!"
The person in charge sighed and began to explain to Tian An and the others: "The general is a good man and he does help the people in the wounded village. But the general's salary is not high!
The general's surname was Tian. He was not from a prominent family in the capital. It was only after he won a battle a few years ago that the emperor appointed him a general and rewarded him with a mansion and land. His family was not wealthy.
This village for the wounded was the land bestowed upon the general by the emperor. The general provided the wounded with shelter free of charge, and he also collected no rent from them for the farmland he cultivated.
The general's family has no one to look after them, and there's no extra source of income. He's lucky enough to be able to support the general's family with his own salary, so how can he care about them? "
Zhao Yiming frowned: "They were injured while fighting for the country. Doesn't the court care about them?"
Hearing this, the person in charge was startled. He carefully looked around and made sure that they were the only ones around before he breathed a sigh of relief. "Hey, little brother, you can't say that!"
He then said to a few people, "The imperial court does provide pensions for wounded soldiers who have returned from the battlefield. However, after returning from the battlefield, they have accumulated injuries over the years, and all the money they earned has been used for medical treatment, which is why they live in such a tight financial situation."
The person in charge seemed to have great respect for General Tian. As he was talking, he talked about his deeds. The few people were also very curious, so they listened to him as they walked.
"Speaking of General Tian, he's probably the poorest official in the capital."
Uncle Yonghui was surprised and said, "Are there any poor officials in Beijing? How poor can an official be?"
The person in charge thought for a moment and said, "People outside are speculating that General Tian might be so poor that he only has the General's Mansion left."
Uncle Yonghui thought of the house that Tian An bought for 6,000 taels, and felt that the General's Mansion must be worth more than 6,000 taels. He was not poor at all! He immediately expressed his doubts.
The person in charge smiled and said, "The General's Mansion was a gift from His Majesty, it cannot be sold." He then joked, "If the General's Mansion could be sold, General Tian would probably have lost his Mansion too."
Tian An was stunned. "After all, he is a general of the imperial court. How could he be reduced to having to sell his house to survive?"
"What's the big deal about selling a house? It is said that someone saw General Tian patching his own clothes!" The person in charge said shockingly.
Even Old Man Luo couldn't help but exclaim, "A general has to patch his clothes himself! Doesn't General Tian have a wife? Doesn't the general's mansion have servants?"
How come the general's life is worse than his! His daughter-in-law mends his clothes, and a general actually has to mend his own clothes.
"General Tian has no wife or children, and he has dismissed the servants in the general's mansion. He can't afford to hire them! Now the people living in the general's mansion are all soldiers from the barracks. They are all rough and tumble and can only take care of themselves."
Tian An felt that this general was probably the most miserable general in history. He was the first and the last general to be an official.
Seeing that it was getting late and the handover was almost done, the person in charge said no more and said goodbye to the few people.
After a few people looked around the farm, they found that the land was in good condition, but nothing was planted on it at the moment, and it was bare.
It was estimated that the land was sealed off during the autumn harvest, and the crops were confiscated as soon as they were harvested. The winter crops had not yet been planted, and they were bought.
Tian An had a basic understanding of Zhuangzi's situation. He discussed it with Zhao Yiming, called everyone over, and began to make arrangements.
“Winter seasonal crops need to be planted immediately, and the greenhouses between the villages also need to be built as soon as possible. Once completed, they will be used to plant various vegetables. We still need these vegetables to cover expenses everywhere!
In addition, the barren mountain behind needs to be cleaned up as soon as possible so that medicinal herbs can be planted next year.
Wu Zhuang and Zhen Niang also have to raise piglets, chickens and ducks.
Old Luo and Uncle Yonghui will discuss the farm matters, and Wuzhuang and you two can discuss the livestock. Report the money you need to Wang Hui, and come to me after Wang Hui has counted it.
We have a lot of work to do now, and it's probably impossible for you to finish it all by yourself. If you really can't do it, hire someone else and don't miss the farming season."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
