27 Chapter 27
◎Give her the land, and pay her five dou of grain for every acre◎
"Looking for me?" Cheng Mu handed the child in her arms to Yu Shi, "Wait for me."
County Magistrate Huang was the agricultural promotion official. He was sitting at the table drinking tea at Mr. Zhao's house. With him were a clerk and an attendant.
County Magistrate Huang took office last year. He was a Jinshi graduate, in his early thirties, very young, with a very gentle temperament. He was in charge of agricultural and grain affairs in the county government. It was said that after taking office, he traveled all over Puyang County on foot.
Shang'an Township has no fertile flat land, no springs for irrigation, no boats, cars, fishing or rice. The land is either polluted or alkaline, and most of it is barren. It is impossible to grow crops in drought or in water.
He summoned the village heads and elders to discuss the matter. They all said that until the brine was completely eliminated, it was impossible to cultivate crops. However, alfalfa was tolerant to alkalinity and could absorb it, so they planted alfalfa for a long time and planted it until it was completely extinct.
He searched the classics and found a few solutions, such as diverting water to wash salt, removing silt and suppressing alkaline, converting dry land to wetland, and growing rice. Shang'an Township was traversed by three rivers, so any of these methods seemed feasible. Now he had come to investigate.
"County Magistrate Huang, this is Boss Cheng."
While he was pondering, Mr. Zhao Ba brought someone to the hall. He saw a young woman standing tall and graceful with an extraordinary temperament. If it weren't for her bun, she would have looked like a young girl.
County Magistrate Huang was greatly surprised, "Is this Boss Cheng?"
If she were not in the countryside, it would not be an exaggeration to say that she was a lady from a wealthy family.
"I am Cheng Mu, a commoner, here to see you, sir."
County Magistrate Huang was first surprised, then puzzled. Mr. Zhao had told him about a newcomer to the village who was working as a landsweeper and renovator, but he hadn't mentioned a woman. No one would have guessed she was so young and charming. Where did she come from? What was her background? Why was she so proficient in farming?
Seeing that he was silent in deep thought for a long time, Cheng Mu asked, "I wonder what instructions the Master has."
Mr. Zhao Ba, who was standing by, whispered, "The Lord wants to know the details of your land clearing and land modification. Tell us what you have to say."
County Magistrate Huang is not the kind of person who judges people by their appearance. He has seen a richer world. If this woman named Cheng has real abilities, he might as well listen to her.
County Magistrate Huang: "How can we transform this barren land into a fertile one? Please tell me everything you know."
Cheng Mu asked Yu and Dong'er to hold the children and wait for her. As a result, they waited under the persimmon tree outside Mr. Zhao's house for two quarters of an hour, but the person still didn't come out. Xiaoliu and Xiaoqi were so hungry that they became impatient.
Especially Xiaoliu, who kept standing up straight.
Xiao Qi ate the cloth towel with gusto. Yu Shi picked at it more than once. She was a little anxious, "How about borrowing the Eighth Master's side room to feed him first?"
Xiaoliu and Xiaoqi were making a lot of noises, and Dong'er felt annoyed and a little depressed for the first time. He just took a step, his eyes went dark, and he almost fell down.
"Dong'er, what's wrong with you?"
Yu was very frightened, but fortunately she was not walking in front of her, so she was able to catch a glimpse of the staggering person in time and used her body to block it.
"I almost fell you."
It doesn’t matter if an adult falls, but it would be bad if Xiaoliu fell, as he is the boss’s precious child.
"It's okay, ugh—"
Dong'er didn't know what she smelled, but her stomach churned. She turned her head away and almost vomited, but she suppressed it and swallowed the sour water that rose in her throat.
Yu was shocked, "Could it be that you are pregnant again?"
She was allowed to go home and stay for three days during the Chinese New Year. Calculating the time, if there was any, it must have been during that time. Yu was a little surprised, "You really are..."
It's a good job, and we said it would take half a year, but there's still a month left.
"Auntie," Dong'er grabbed her sleeve and begged, "Can you keep it a secret from the boss for now? Wait until I finish the rest of the month?"
"Ask the boss if you can finish the job. Hiding things from him has turned into an enemy. Where can you find such a good boss? If I were you, I'd take on such a good job. After working for six months, I'd try to work for another six. The boss loves Xiaoliu and Xiaoqi so much, he might even hire you for a year. You're still so young, and you already have kids. Why are you rushing to get pregnant?"
You don’t know how to enjoy life.
Yu rarely talked so much with others. Of course she had selfish motives. Although Dong'er was her wet nurse, with her around, Yu's job of taking care of the child was much easier.
Dong'er felt very regretful after thinking about it carefully. He could earn one tael of silver every half a year and two taels in a year, which was equivalent to the annual harvest of more than ten acres of land. He could eat meat every few days with his employer, and so many vegetables could grow in the fields even in winter. He could eat well and just take care of the children, without having to do any other chores or farm work. Where could he find such a good job?
Dong'er was psychologically reluctant to tell her boss, but she couldn't hide it from him physically.
After returning home, she couldn't help vomiting when changing Xiaoqi's diaper, and her boss guessed it at once.
She said "Congratulations".
Dong'er begged, "Boss, can you still let me work here?"
Pregnancy doesn't affect her breastfeeding, really.
Cheng Xi said to her earnestly, "It's true that you want to have another child, but it's too soon. Your body hasn't recovered yet. You should wait at least a year or two before getting pregnant again. Haven't I told you many times that you need to learn to take care of yourself?"
Dong'er felt that her boss would not keep her, and she couldn't help crying.
Cheng Mu said, "Since you are pregnant, you should take good care of the baby. Although there is still a month before the agreed date, I will still give you one ounce of silver so that you can take good care of yourself."
The next day, Cheng Xi settled the bill with her.
When Dong'er left, he unexpectedly knelt down and kowtowed to her.
Since they no longer needed milk, Yu made millet porridge for Xiaoliu and Xiaoqi, boiled it until it was a mushy paste, and brought it to them when it was warm.
"Madam Cheng, you can feed me now."
Cheng Xi scooped a spoonful and tested the temperature with her mouth, "Hmm."
Yu and she were each responsible for one child. Just as they picked up Xiaoliu, Mu Yun lifted the curtain and came in.
"Aunt Yu, let me do it."
Seeing his expression, Yu was afraid that he had something to say to Madam Cheng alone, so she gave Xiaoliu to him and waited for him to get into a good position so that she could scoop the porridge before leaving.
Xiaoliu and Xiaoqi were eating happily with a smacking sound.
Cheng Mu said, "When you go to town, ask where there are dairy cows and buy one to milk."
"Yes." Mu Yun agreed. "Sister-in-law, did the agricultural official Tianquan talk to you about planting rice today?"
After asking her how to convert and wash the land, County Magistrate Huang did not tell her about growing rice so quickly. Yesterday, under the guidance of Mr. Zhao Baye, he visited the fields in various parts of the village and also visited her family's wheat. Seeing that the wheat was growing well, he came to her house today to see the vegetable field in the greenhouse.
Perhaps he still didn't believe that a weak woman like her had the ability to farm, so he talked with the older Qi Song and Zhao Datian, and finally had a heart-to-heart talk with her, the person in charge.
Cheng Mu knew that they wanted to find a breakthrough, and Cheng Mu also needed a breakthrough.
She agreed to grow rice, but she had to buy land first.
The land close to Santou River has an owner, and the reclaimed land also has an owner. Cheng Mu said it doesn't matter what kind of land it is.
Mr. Zhao dug and dug, leaving only the barren hillock. He said to Cheng Mu, "Growing rice requires water. How can we grow rice on that hillock?"
Cheng Mu only asked him to negotiate with the villagers, offer a price if it could be sold, and prepare the land deed.
Mr. Zhao had no idea what she was up to. County Magistrate Huang only wanted someone in his village to come forward and grow rice, and he would just stand by and watch the land buying and selling.
"Muyun, if you don't have enough money to buy the hill behind the mountain, you can go sell ginseng."
"Buy the hillside behind to grow rice? It's twenty miles away from Santou River."
"Rice isn't suitable, so grow something else." For example, potatoes. The hill behind the mountain is large, and besides the rocky part, there's a large, gentle slope that could be cultivated into terraced fields.
"So you promised to plant rice. Where will you plant it?"
"Near Santou River." Cheng Mu put down her bowl of porridge and wiped Xiao Qi's mouth with a cloth. "Go and find out who owns the land there and whether they can pawn it."
Mr. Zhao Ba negotiated with the villagers and found that the plot of land on the hill behind the village was worth thirty taels of silver. Zhaojia Village had more than twenty households, and each family would receive a little over one tael of silver. The land had no water source, making it difficult to grow any crops. It grew only shrubs and grass, and was usually used for grazing cattle and sheep, but had no other use. Someone wanted to buy it, and it was a perfect opportunity, so the villagers all agreed.
Cheng Mu took Qi Song and Mu Yun to confirm the situation on site and drew the boundaries. She estimated that there were more than ten acres of land that could be reclaimed, which was a good deal.
With no objection from either party, the deed was signed.
Mu Yun had already inquired about the situation near Santou River. The villagers still had doubts about mortgaging the land, so Cheng Mu asked Mr. Zhao Baye to persuade them.
If the family grows crops on their own, the yield per mu is only one or two dou. Cheng Mei's condition is: hand over the land to her, and she will receive five dou of grain per mu, and she will receive wages for labor. After three years, she will return the land without asking for a penny.
No matter how you look at it, they're all profiting, and the villagers are eager to make a move, but they're also skeptical. Where is Mr. Cheng's profit? No one would do a business that loses money, so why would Mr. Cheng do this?
"Of course it's because I trust County Magistrate Huang and the government. Build dikes and weirs, dig ditches, and divert water to wash salt. The rice yield per mu will definitely increase. All the grain left over from the five dou of grain returned will be mine."
She does what the villagers don't have the courage to do.
Mr. Zhao Ba had persuaded her once and twice, but he didn't plan to speak the third time. This Madam Cheng had courage that men didn't have, so let her try.
"But this contract says it will last three years, not a day less. Let County Magistrate Huang be a witness."
Cheng Mu is very strong in this regard. She has already experimented with suitable seeds in the space laboratory, with a yield of four or five dan per mu. Even if she returns five dou to the farmers, it is only one-tenth of it.
In the face of huge interests, even a contract can be broken at any time. We have heard of such things many times.
One dan of rice costs one tael of silver, and if twenty mu of land is sold as a mortgage, one can get back □□ taels of silver in a year. This is a good thing that farmers dare not even dream of.
Even if Cheng Mi wrote in the contract that the land or harvest of the party who broke the contract would belong to the other party, they didn't care. If all these copper coins were exchanged for them, they could cover the entire kang!
Cheng Mi collected a total of 60 mu of land near Santou River, involving five farmers.
Among them is the ten acres of land owned by Mr. Zhao.
County Magistrate Huang spent several days surveying and determined the location for the trench and well. While the river was still dry and the soil had thawed, every household sent laborers to begin work.
The other farmers are just waiting and watching. They cannot understand things beyond their own knowledge. Only when they see it and experience it personally can they understand.
Nowadays, digging ditches and wells requires people, and they can earn wages by working. They can earn 30 cents a day, which is the biggest tangible benefit for them.
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