Having said what needed to be said, the group wasted no more time and headed straight home.
After everyone left, the crowd began to discuss it.
"Old Han, is what the master said true?" the dark-skinned man asked again. "Is there really such a good thing in the world that's hard to find even with a lantern?"
“How could it not be true?” the old man puffed out his chest, trying to make himself look more righteous. “With so much land, the landlord certainly wouldn’t care about our little bit of grain.”
"Is this all?" A murmur arose from the crowd. "The tax alone accounts for almost 30%, and if they give us 60%, what will the master have left?"
“That’s right,” the dark-skinned man immediately chimed in. “Sixty percent is too much, Elder Han. Why don’t we talk to the owner and ask for the original forty percent? Otherwise, even if we get the grain, we won’t feel at ease.”
"Oh dear," Old Han slapped his thigh, "I was so focused on getting the grain that I forgot about this. It was really inappropriate. The landlord is suffering a huge loss. Once he realizes what's going on, he'll definitely kick us all out."
"What should we do?" Everyone panicked. "Our whole family is waiting to eat. We can't be without land to farm."
"The boss will be here tomorrow. Everyone, let's discuss our ideas tomorrow. We only need 50% of the grain, no, 40% will do."
"Yes, it's okay for us to suffer a little loss, but we can't let the boss get angry!"
There was no other way; even if it was tough and tiring, we couldn't give up the land we had—it was our only means of survival.
On the oxcart, the Huang family members also discussed this matter.
Madam Xie: "Mother, isn't it too little to only collect 40% of the rent? After paying the taxes, there won't be much left."
"How can I put it?" Jiang Nuan chuckled, "I just earned a little less, I definitely didn't lose out."
Forty percent of the rent was indeed a bit low, but after paying taxes, the remaining grain was enough for her family to eat. Compared to the twenty percent of the grain, she was more optimistic about the fish she raised.
Jiang Nuan had studied it carefully and found that being a landlord in this era was a very promising profession.
Generally speaking, tenants pay 60% of the rent when renting land, sometimes as much as 80%, and sometimes as little as 50%, but that's extremely rare.
The most important reason why landlords demanded so much rent was to pay taxes.
The tax grain of the Great Zhou Dynasty mainly consisted of rice and wheat, but not all land could grow these two crops. However, the land that could not be grown still had to pay the tax, and generally, 30% of the total grain tax would be paid.
Forty percent of the rent, after deducting taxes and grain tax, leaves only one percent, which seems like a small amount, far less than the tenant's sixty percent. In fact, it's already a small profit.
The seeds were planted by the tenants, the work was done by the tenants, and the harvest was also done by the tenants. They only needed to contribute a small amount of land to reap the harvest. No wonder that in almost every dynasty, large-scale land enclosure eventually occurred.
If managed well, one will surely reach the pinnacle of life.
“We didn’t lose out,” Xie said with some heartache, “but we earned 20% less, which means we lost a lot of grain.”
“That’s true,” Jiang Nuan explained, “but exchanging grain for silver doesn’t yield much. The income from all that grain might not even be half of what we make selling fish.”
"Mother, are you really going to raise fish in the rice paddies?" Old Huang Er shook the turnip snake in his hand, somewhat incredulous. "Can it really work?"
"Whether it works or not depends on the outcome," Jiang Nuan said, not wanting to explain any further. "You'll find out later."
"So much land, are we going to stock it all with fish fry?" Wang hesitated. "Mother, where are we going to buy them?"
"There's still time, no rush, take your time to collect it."
"Your daughter-in-law will help out then," Xie said softly as she leaned closer.
"Um!"
Jiang Nuan glanced at her reluctant but uncomplaining son and a smile crept onto her lips.
Sure enough, you have confidence when spending your own money, no matter what. Back in Huangjiakou, people wouldn't let me fertilize my crops, but no one stopped me from doing something as unbelievable as raising fish in rice paddies.
They simply feel that since they didn't earn the money, they have no right to object.
When the group returned home, it was already close to evening.
"You're back?" Grandma Huang greeted with a smile. "Hurry up and wash your hands and eat."
"Mom, you don't need to cook. Just wait for us to come back and cook. If you're hungry, have some pastries to tide you over. You can enjoy your retirement."
"It's nothing," Grandma Huang waved her hand. "It wasn't any heavy work. Xiao Wu picked vegetables, and Yu Zhu tended the fire. I didn't move much."
The old lady was initially worried that she wouldn't be used to leaving the old house.
After all, she hadn't given her grandsons a kind look over the years, so it was normal for them to hold a grudge.
I stayed listlessly in my room for half a day before finally mustering the courage to come out.
Who knew that only she cared about this matter. Her grandson and great-grandson acted as if nothing had happened and had no ulterior motives towards her. Her granddaughter, in particular, was a sweet and considerate daughter who would often come over to check on her while she was studying, keeping her company and keeping her company so she wouldn't be bored.
This made the old lady very happy, and she ate an extra bowl of rice at lunch. After learning that her daughter-in-law and grandson had gone to see the newly bought estate, she cooked meals on time, afraid that her precious children would go hungry.
"Just don't tire yourself out," Jiang Nuan said softly. "We brought you here to enjoy family time, not to do chores. There are so many people in the family, and everyone has the strength. You can just sit and watch us work."
“Alright, I won’t move next time,” Old Mrs. Huang said with a happy smile. “By the way, how’s our estate? Does it really have more than two hundred acres of land? Does that make us a landlord?”
“It really is,” Xie described vividly. “Grandma doesn’t know, but if you stand on the mountain and look around, it’s all our land, all top-quality farmland. The wheat in the dry land has already sprouted ears, and in a few days we can eat the green wheat kernels. Then we can cook them for Grandma; they’ll be tender, fragrant, and delicious.”
Grandma Huang was intrigued by what Madam Xie said, "Green barley kernels, ah, that's a good thing. Adding some when making porridge makes it taste especially good."
The old lady changed the subject again, saying, "I can cut some for you to try, but I'll pass. I'm old and my teeth aren't good."
Actually, that's not the case.
The green wheat grains will turn yellow in a few days, and more grain can be harvested.
The old man was frugal his whole life, and even though he knew his family didn't care about these things, he still couldn't bear to part with them.
"It's okay, we'll pick the tender ones, so the milk won't be too heavy."
“You guys chat,” Huang Lao Er said, feeling the serpent in his hand move. “I’ll go chop it up so it doesn’t get away.”
“Rat head snake is a good thing,” the old lady said, not afraid of snakes at all. After looking it over, she nodded seriously. “How much has it eaten? It weighs two or three pounds. If stewed with an old hen, it’s enough for our whole family.”
“You’re so insightful, sir. You guys eat first, I’ll go prepare it. I’ll put it in the pot to stew in a little while, and we can eat it tonight,” Huang Lao Er said happily, pleased with the approval. “This stuff is very nourishing, and it’ll be perfect for a good night’s sleep.”
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