Chapter 382 Choking (Reward for the book friend "Pingshui Xiangfeng")
Manbao ate the rolled noodles and picked up some vegetables, occasionally looking up in the direction of Master Bai and the others.
Mr. Bai and his family did not let the three children eat in front of them, but sent them back into the house. They drank, ate and chatted under the peach tree in the yard.
Yang Heshu only knew that there was a Bai family in Qili Village, but he didn't know when another Bai family appeared, so he asked out of curiosity.
Mr. Bai smiled and said, "My cousin Bai Qi was once a county magistrate in Yizhou, but he died young, leaving behind my aunt and a widowed mother and two orphans. Because my cousin and I had a deep relationship, my aunt and her family came to live here, but their registered residence is still in Longzhou. We can just treat this as their family's villa."
Yang Heshu understood as soon as he heard it. This must be because he was excluded from the clan, and perhaps there was a property dispute involved, so he hid here.
So he smiled and said, "It's a good idea for our two families to live closer so we can take care of each other."
Yang Heshu had a very pleasant conversation with Mr. Bai and Mr. Zhuang. After so many days in Luojiang County, there were not many people he could talk to, let alone the people he had met in the past two days.
Even the local headman could not follow up on any other topics except asking about farming.
When Yang Heshu came out of Bai's house after having a full meal and a good drink, the three of them were already talking and laughing, looking like close friends.
His followers left the Bai residence first and waved their hands. A carriage turned out from the side. Master Bai said in surprise, "I didn't know County Magistrate Yang brought a carriage. I even asked my servants to prepare a carriage for County Magistrate Yang. It seems that it won't be needed."
Yang Heshu smiled complacently and said, "This car is behind us. Since we are here to inspect the village, we shouldn't be too conspicuous."
Manbao, who was standing at the back, couldn't help but think, since it's not convenient to show off, shouldn't he just ride a donkey or even a bullock cart?
Who can afford to keep a horse?
Manbao looked at Yang Heshu's horses with envy. When would she be able to get a horse for Koko?
Mr. Bai also thought so, but he was relieved when he saw County Magistrate Yang's face. He could see at a glance that he was a young man who had just come out of his job, and he certainly wouldn't have considered things so carefully.
Yang Heshu had not forgotten the three children, especially Manbao and Bai Shanbao. He still liked and admired these two children, so he invited them, saying, "If you three go to the county town, I will invite you to my mansion as a guest to thank you for your hospitality today."
Manbao said it was no problem, and whispered to Bai Shanbao, "Although I often go to the backyard of the county government office, I have never been to the area within a hundred steps of the side door."
Bai Shanbao said, "I don't have any."
"Let's go take a look next time. Sister Fu said the garden inside is very beautiful."
Bai Shanbao expressed his doubt, "Is it better looking than mine?"
Manbao hesitated and said, "I think so. After all, your house has only been built for more than two years, but the county government office has been built for a long time."
Yang Heshu saw that the two children started talking to each other in whispers after paying attention to him, and he couldn't help but let his smile froze. Forget it, they are still children. If you can take care of one, you can't take care of the other.
It was not until Yang Heshu got on the carriage that the two children realized that the distinguished guests were leaving.
So the two of them and Bai Erlang waved goodbye to him. Manbao also reminded him, "County Magistrate Yang, you must remember the cattle-on-credit matter. If you decide on a rule, send someone to let me know. I will be the first to go into the city to support you."
Yang Heshu smiled stiffly and said, "Okay, I'll let you know."
Manbao waved his hand very attentively and didn't let go until the carriage crossed the river.
Mr. Bai went to look at Manbao curiously, while Mr. Zhuang asked directly, "I also heard from County Magistrate Yang that you wanted to buy a cow on credit from the county government. But why didn't you just buy the cow on credit, but instead bought the silver first and then the cow?"
Manbao opened her mouth to speak, but Koko coughed softly in her mind, and Manbao covered her mouth and said, "I can't tell you now. If too many people know, the secret will be leaked."
Mr. Zhuang smiled and said, "Okay, if you don't want to tell me, then don't tell me. When you bring the cow back, we'll know for sure."
Manbao felt that this would take a long time, after all, it takes time to train the cattle, right?
As a result, they had just finished planting the wheat and had just settled the wages for the temporary workers. After a night of cold wind, the village head came to inform them.
"The county government bought a batch of cattle. Thinking that farming was difficult for everyone, the new county magistrate decided that any poor family could buy a cow on credit from the government office. The payment, including interest, could be paid back within six months or three years."
Manbao was standing not far from his father's feet. After listening to what was said, Old Zhoutou felt that this matter had nothing to do with him, so he took out his pipe from his waist, carefully twisted some tobacco into the pipe and started smoking.
Some people who were interested asked, "How do we calculate the number of poor families?"
"It's very simple. If the family doesn't have any cattle, and their permanent property is only the permanent land besides the house, then they are all considered if they have never bought any land."
Yes, the vast majority of households in Qili Village meet these requirements.
What will farmers do with the extra money?
Getting married is a big deal for reproduction and one of the basic necessities for survival, so it certainly can't be considered as being rich.
So what to do if you have money after getting married?
Raise children.
Well, this is also a plan for reproduction, and it can’t be considered rich.
If there is any extra money after raising children, each family will have their own plans, but they can be roughly divided into three categories: one is to buy a cow, two is to buy good farmland, and three is to buy a shop or property.
This is the condition set by Yang Heshu based on his previous twenty years of experience and the understanding he gained during this period.
Not to mention, many people in the village were tempted.
One ox was at least equivalent to two strong laborers in the family, so some people raised their hands to sign up, but others asked loudly, "Village head, how much is the interest?"
"One ounce of silver, twelve coins a month."
As soon as this was said, the person who raised his hand immediately retracted it, and then quietly asked the person next to him, "One ounce of silver costs twelve cents a month, so how many ounces does it cost to buy a cow?"
He was standing not far from the village head, who had sharp ears. He heard what he was saying and coughed softly, saying, "A cow, depending on its size and strength, is probably worth between three taels and two hundred wen and five taels. You can take the middle number, four taels."
"Well, where is it long? How much interest will I get for four taels a month?"
The head of the village stretched out his hand and counted with his fingers. The villagers were waiting eagerly, and did not mind that the head of the village counted slowly, because most of them did not know how to count.
Old Zhou took a drag on his cigarette and lowered his head to ask Manbao, "How much does it cost?"
"Forty-eight articles."
Old Zhou smacked his lips and said, "Forty-eight cents a month. How much would that cost in half a year? And there's no guarantee you'll be able to pay it back in half a year. How much would it cost in three years?"
Manbao thought about it, and after a long pause, he said, "It costs one thousand seven hundred and twenty-eight coins."
Old Zhou was choked by the smoke.
(End of this chapter)
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