"Sister, you don't have to be so polite with them. They are all cunning people. They are very slippery on weekdays. Even when the boss is not around, they still gamble privately. We all turn a blind eye to it."
"Becoming brothers is all about fate. We are together today, but who knows what we will be like tomorrow."
Chun Xiao felt sad when he saw how young they were, yet they were already so indifferent to life and death. "Do you have wives in your family?"
"No, thank goodness I didn't, otherwise I would have hurt other girls." Shui Liu ate peanuts, "We had just turned 18 when we came here. I was lucky enough to be assigned to the kitchen, but my fellow villagers were not so lucky. They died on the battlefield last year."
This topic was originally a heavy one, but they handled it like a casual conversation. Chunxiao had seen a lot along the way, especially when they entered Hejian Prefecture. Business was stagnant, and the people they saw on the street were all wearing patched clothes and looked listless. It was already cold, and many people were still wearing thin clothes, shivering in the cold wind. She couldn't bear to see such scenes for too long, otherwise she would feel sad and uncomfortable.
A few people were talking together, and then Dongsheng came. As soon as Dongsheng came, a few people took their snacks and ran away smiling.
"Don't spoil them too much. They'll act pitiful in front of you and cheat you out of any food."
"It's just some food, what's the big deal?" Chun Xiao smiled. "They're just kids."
Dongsheng pursed his lips and said, "Not young anymore, she's eighteen or nineteen."
"In my heart, you're just a grown-up kid." She smiled at Dongsheng, "Do you want to eat something?"
Dongsheng shook his head and said nothing.
"I see how difficult it is here in Hejian. Is it even worse in Fangzhou?"
"After years of fighting, there are basically no capable men left over there. The batch that recovered a while ago were mostly disabled. I'm afraid it will be difficult to restore the vitality of the past." He sighed, "When we were in the barracks, we occasionally complained about the hardship of life at home, but after watching them for several years, I saw that they didn't say anything. Now, even if the government has the power to revitalize the area, I don't think it will be difficult."
Chunxiao looked at him and said, "Dongsheng, I've noticed that you've changed a lot in the past few years since we last met. You're talking more like an adult now."
Dongsheng blushed and looked at her, "Sister, have you forgotten that I am 22 years old this year? I am only two years younger than you."
"But I can always remember you as a stubborn young man in the snow." Chun Xiao took out a thick coat and said, "I've made one. Keep it for now. Don't let anyone take it away this time. Wear it when you get back."
"I will definitely not let anyone take it away this time."
They set out on September 26 and it took them 19 days to reach Fengyue County, the closest county to Mocang Pass. They had already put on thick coats after entering Fangzhou, as it was indeed much colder here.
This was the county town closest to the battlefield. Chunxiao still saw the suffering of the people. Dongsheng said goodbye to her and took her to meet the local county magistrate before leaving. When the magistrate heard that Chunxiao was a farmer from outside the area, he showed great enthusiasm.
"Miss Yan, are you thinking of buying some land here to grow cotton? We have plenty of land here. If you can hire our people to do the work, the tax aspect will be easy to negotiate."
Although it was Dongsheng who introduced her, the county magistrate seemed more anxious and was very polite to her, a merchant woman. She was really flattered.
"Mr. County Magistrate, I wonder what the price of this land is?" She had learned about the climate along the way. There was no problem growing cotton, but she was afraid that she couldn't grow seedlings in advance. The weather was cold, and she didn't have the technical means to guarantee seedling cultivation. But it didn't matter. She could just plant later and harvest later.
"Miss Yan, we don't sell land here. I can't do anything about the government's regulations. We only rent land in the county. If you are really interested, I will let the chief clerk talk to you."
Chunxiao looked at Dongsheng and said, "Dongsheng, you go first. I'll take care of the rest myself."
"Then if you rented land here, how can I find you?"
Chun Xiao smiled and said, "You are familiar with the master. If I really rent the land, the master will naturally know about it. You can just ask the master and find out."
Dongsheng smiled embarrassedly, "I was confused."
Dongsheng left, Chunxiao followed the chief clerk of the county government office to discuss matters, while Xiaohua and others waited at the gate of the county government office.
"Miss Yan, you can ask me anything you want to know, but this land cannot be bought or sold. The county magistrate should have already said so."
"I came here to look around the various counties for a suitable place to grow cotton. It doesn't matter if I can't buy the land, but I want to know how long I can rent it for. I can't have everything ready only to be unable to grow cotton the following year. I wouldn't dare to do that."
The chief clerk smiled and said, "Don't worry, young lady. Although we can't buy the land, we can still decide the lease period. The short-term lease is 5 years, and the longest lease is 30 years. The price is not expensive. One mu of land for 30 years is only 8 taels of silver. And the land here is not bad."
Chunxiao calculated in his mind that the price of renting for 30 years was actually almost the same as the price of buying the land. The only difference was that after buying the land, one could do with it as he pleased, while if he rented it, he would have to return it to the owner after 30 years. This Fangzhou government was really smart. It was said that this place was the fief of King Chen in the past, and it was estimated that many of the lands belonged to King Chen. The government must have its own intentions for having such a request, so it was not surprising.
“But there are other regulations.”
The chief clerk looked at her and sighed, "You should know that our area has suffered greatly from the war. 80% of the households in the county are widowed. Times are tough. If you rent land here and hire workers, and you reach a certain number of people, we can directly exempt you from 50% of the tax."
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