After eating some hot porridge at the inn, they went to the county government office together. The county clerk and the yamen runners were already waiting for her.
"Miss Yan, let's go to some places farther away today. It's okay if we come back late."
"It's nothing serious. I'm just sorry to bother you, Master, to run with us in this cold weather."
"This is how we always receive merchants. You don't have to be polite, young lady."
Chun Shijiu drove the carriage and followed behind. The place was indeed quite far away, and it took almost two hours to arrive.
"Miss Yan, we're here. This piece of idle land is over 500 mu. It's just two areas put together. There are two villages nearby. Take a look at the land."
Chunxiao followed him to the field. The soil was decent. "Two pieces together?"
"Originally, this land belonged to two villages, but they were later sold and then combined into two large areas, totaling more than 500 acres, with some village land in between."
"Sir, can you have someone show me what shape it is?"
The chief clerk took the booklet and asked someone to take her to see it. She took a rough look at it and memorized the terrain in her mind.
After looking at this place, the two of them continued their journey. "Miss Yan, we have two more places to visit today. I'm afraid it's too late to see them all. You can choose one. One is Guanshan Manor, but it's closer to the garrison at Mocang Pass. It takes an hour and a half by horse. If you mind, you can go to the other one. It's also about an hour's drive away."
When Chunxiao heard that it was close to Mocang Pass, it meant it was close to Dongsheng and the others, so he asked, "Is Guanshan Manor a manor?"
"It used to be a village, but the walls were later destroyed. However, most of the houses inside are still in good condition and can be renovated and used again."
"How old?"
"The village is about 400 mu, but the land reclaimed from the nearby villages is also about 400 mu, so the total area is more than 800 mu. There are three villages nearby."
"What about the other place?"
"The other one is in Wei Village, which also covers more than 500 mu and is directly north-south with Guanshan Manor."
Chunxiao thought about it and decided to go to the big place first. "Then let's go to Guanshan Manor."
The chief clerk was a little surprised. Most people who feared war would want to be as far away from the garrison as possible, but she wasn't afraid. He remembered that Miss Yan was familiar with the garrison's accountant, so it was no wonder. "Then let's go there and take a look. I'm afraid we'll have to return today. If you still want to see the walled village, I can only bring you here tomorrow."
"Thank you for your help, Chief Registrar."
Several people got on the carriage, and Chunxiao quickly covered herself with a quilt. It was really cold that day, and she didn't know if it would be convenient to work here.
"Nineteen, put on the hat you bought on the road, otherwise your ears will be frozen from running all the way."
Chun Shijiu smiled and said, "Boss, it's not cold. I just sweated." Several people followed the car on the road again.
We saw many villages along the way, but few people. It's cold here, and crops don't survive in winter. They stop growing after September, so only radishes and cabbages are doing well. When we encountered oxcarts on the road, we gave way to them, and there were very few people on them.
"Miss, there are so few people here. Is it because it's cold?" Xiaohua looked out the window. There was sunshine in the sky, but it didn't feel warm.
"The cold weather is only one of the reasons. It's probably because of the large number of casualties from the war. It'll probably take decades of recuperation for this kind of situation to fully recover."
"How pitiful! Much more pitiful than us."
After running for more than an hour, they arrived at the so-called Guanshan Manor. The courtyard wall was said to be damaged, but in fact it had been completely demolished. There was an isolated courtyard in the middle of a large open space.
"Is this the Guanshangzhuangzi?"
"That's it," the chief clerk smiled sheepishly, "all of this land together is 853 mu. Look, these are all good lands, but no one is cultivating them and they've become somewhat abandoned."
"Why don't local township governments hire people to grow crops?"
The chief clerk smiled bitterly. "Local income is difficult, and the population is sparse. These are the reasons. It's hard to explain them in a few words. Miss, take a look for yourself. Let's go to the manor. The manor is under the care of Guanshan Village. The houses are in good condition."
Chunxiao and the others followed the yamen runners to the courtyard. There were quite a few rooms, but they were empty. Some walls were damaged, and there were warehouses and utility rooms, but repairing them would probably take a long time.
"How many wells are there in this field?"
"There's one in this yard and four in the field."
"There are only four wells in such a large area?" Didn't the previous owners of Zhuangzi need to irrigate the plants?
"There's a river over there at the other end of the village. They all carry water from there."
That would be too much trouble. Since there is a river, digging a well should not be a problem. If we take this place, we will have to dig a few more wells. "Master, how can we find a well digger in this county?"
"If you need anything, I can introduce you."
"Thank you, sir. You said before that this place is close to the Mocang Mountain base. How close is it?" Chunxiao asked curiously.
"It's about an hour and a half's journey."
It was neither too close nor too far, so after visiting this place, the group returned.
On the second day, they went to see the 522 acres of land in the walled village. The soil was in good condition. There was more land here than she had imagined. After the walled village, the chief clerk took her to see several plots of land of more than 300 acres. Chunxiao felt that her appetite was really getting bigger and bigger. She was not interested in the plots of land of more than 300 acres. What attracted her was naturally the large plots of land.
After three days of looking around, she decisively requested to rent the land in Guanshan Manor and the walled village, as well as a 336-mu plot on the outskirts of the county. According to the 30-year lease agreement, the rent for the three sites would be two times the price. Although the county government knew she wanted to rent land, it had not expected she would ask for so much at once and was overjoyed.
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