One tael of silver could buy one hundred catties of coarse grains, which was much more expensive than the market price before the famine, but much cheaper than the price in the shops outside. It was just a pity that this was also rationed, and you had to bring your household registration book to buy it.
The people were overjoyed. With these 100 jin of coarse grains, they could finally wait for the harvest of their own crops.
After all, new seedlings have a short maturation period, taking only a little over a month.
Because of this, the people were extremely grateful to the new county magistrate.
What's the purpose of this area?
The curious villagers were puzzled to see a large piece of land fenced off not far from the county town.
This village used to have a large population, but many people migrated during years of famine.
There are only a dozen or so scattered households in the village, and most of the houses are vacant.
Han Mingyuan immediately took a liking to this place. It was quite large, with fertile land, and it was perfect for the people from his village to come.
He had someone count the uninhabited houses in the village, and there were actually thirty or forty courtyards.
The land in the village is sparse and there aren't many people farming it.
Upon finding the village head, Han Mingyuan asked, "The village land needs to be re-planned. I see that there aren't many people in the village now, so I'd like to relocate some people from other places."
The village head had never heard of people being moved here before. His honest face showed a hint of bewilderment: "This, this isn't appropriate!"
“There are only a few families in your village now, which is too few people. With just a few families living here, you can’t possibly cultivate all this land. Don’t worry, the villagers I found for you are all very easy to get along with.”
The village head was still a little worried, because the land in their village really couldn't be used for planting.
"Wait until the people from over there arrive, then the villagers can recount the land. The land can be redistributed."
“It’s not just your village; other villages will do the same. Villages with too few people will merge with other villages so that it will be more lively when everyone is together.”
The village head sighed. For the first two years, everyone was able to hold on, but last year, the drought was so severe that there was no water in their village's wells.
There was no other way; the villagers had to walk seven or eight miles each day to fetch water from the neighboring village. Although the well in the neighboring village hadn't dried up, the water level was low. They had to make their way there under the cover of darkness or in the middle of the night.
This continued for only a few days before many people left, saying they were going elsewhere to find a way to make a living. But that's how it is everywhere in the world; no matter where you go, what way to survive?
Up until last year's Lunar New Year, very few of the people who had left had returned. At that time, everyone knew in their hearts that those people were probably gone.
Even if they find a way out, they won't come back.
Many people died in the village. Even without food, people could still manage to survive on a little hunger by making a little gruel with water. But without water, they couldn't. Some of the older people simply couldn't walk that far to fetch water.
Asking the young people for help? It might work once or twice, but nobody had the patience for it in the long run. Besides, everyone was starving and didn't have much strength to begin with. So, over the course of the year, quite a few people died in the village.
The village head sighed inwardly, feeling uneasy seeing only a few scattered people in the village. But when he heard that the county magistrate was going to transfer people from elsewhere, he felt even more uneasy.
I wonder if those people are easy to talk to? Will they be like the villagers before, and will everyone be able to get along peacefully?
"Sir, could you tell me where those people came from?"
The village head asked cautiously. He'd just overheard the magistrate's words; it seemed they weren't transferring people from the neighboring village.
"Don't worry about that, those people are extremely reliable, they used to be from the same village as me!"
The village head was stunned. Was it someone from the county magistrate's village? Wasn't that the county magistrate's former village?
These people are practically royalty. The village head suddenly felt a bit overwhelmed, but since the county magistrate had already said he would bring them over, he couldn't object.
"That's wonderful!" That was all he could say. Han Mingyuan noticed his awkwardness. He believed that relationships between people were important, and the people in the village had always been good. At least those who had worked for him were honest people.
Since they're willing to come out with me, I certainly won't treat them unfairly.
Han Mingyuan laughed heartily: "Our village head was a very honest man before, and I believe you will get along well with them. Besides, those people are very close to me; they watched me grow up. I will treat them even better in the future."
“You live together, you’re all from the same village, so you’ll take care of each other.”
The village head thought about it and realized it made perfect sense. He had heard that the county magistrate had a lot of good stuff. And she was especially generous to her own people.
Otherwise, these people wouldn't have left their homes and brought their families to follow the county magistrate and his entourage.
At least in his mind, if someone in the village told him that they could take him to settle down in a faraway place, he would not consider it.
This is, after all, his hometown, the place where he grew up.
"Then I'll have to trouble you, sir!"
There are still quite a few unresolved issues in Le'an County, especially the land fenced off by the former magistrate, which amounted to a considerable quantity.
With the fat magistrate gone, all the land was left idle. Han Mingyuan wanted to keep it for himself; his daughter loved to explore, and this place was close to the capital, so she could do whatever she wanted.
Besides, many people have left the villages, and the villagers can't even keep up with the demand for their land. Xue'er can use the land for other things, and she'll need to hire people anyway. Hiring people nearby will give everyone an extra source of income.
Han Mingyuan was very popular with the people. Their requirements were simple: as long as the county magistrate treated them well and did things for them, he was a good official.
Putting everything else aside, the first thing Han Mingyuan did upon arriving was to distribute grain at extremely low prices, which solved everyone's immediate crisis. The people's goodwill towards him immediately soared.
Nowadays, most people are quite happy to hear that the villages can be merged.
Le'an County isn't very big, and the villages aren't far apart. Although they're not from the same village, everyone knows each other. It would be nice to have some fun together.
After all, the once lively and bustling village has suddenly lost many people, even less than half of what it used to be, which makes everyone feel quite sad.
"Don't worry, I will definitely give you a good life!"
Han Mingyuan made a solemn promise, and everyone looked on with longing.
When Han Luoxue and the others arrived, they witnessed this scene. Seeing her father surrounded by the crowd, her heart soared for no apparent reason. This was the kind of father she should have been.
She knew before that her father was quite capable, and that being a county magistrate was only temporary; she believed he could go much further in the future.
Yunniang looked at Han Mingyuan, her eyes filled with tears. It was the first time she had ever seen a man so spirited and confident. Perhaps this was how he should be?
Han Mingyuan was chatting happily with the people when he seemed to sense something. He turned around and saw Han Luoxue and the others. His face lit up with joy, and he smiled at everyone, explaining something. Everyone turned to look at him.
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