The old village chief looked at Hu Wenhua and said, "Back then, our village only built walls around the outermost houses. As the family branches out, they eventually had to separate. Once they separated, the village felt cramped, so we had to extend the walls to the sides and back."
Your sister's house is on the left side of the village; you can't extend any further down that side.
There are many livestock kept on the back hill. As you know, choosing the back is not ideal because firstly, the livestock are noisy and the villagers walking around feeding the livestock is not quiet, and secondly, the hot weather might cause some odors to drift over.
Then there's the area on the right side of the village, a large area has been designated for the villagers' children, but my suggestion is the rightmost area closest to the mountain.
Hu Wenhua listened attentively, recalling the hill on the far right.
Wang Guifen knew Shanshui Village like the back of her hand. She immediately thought of the mountain her father-in-law had mentioned and reminded him, "Dad, isn't that mountain on the far right the Zhao family's? Although the land in front of that mountain doesn't belong to them, there might be conflicts in the future, right?"
The old village chief sighed, “It was the Zhao family. You all know what happened before the New Year. Three members of his family were suddenly gone. All the men and women in their prime were either injured or crippled.”
There are only a few teenagers at home. We have to do laundry, cook, take care of them, tend to the fields and vegetable gardens, and feed the poultry, rabbits, and livestock. They came to Shanshui Village early and have many hills, so they simply can't manage everything. A few days ago, they asked us if we wanted to buy it. I told them that we didn't have enough people to manage it, so they asked me to ask if anyone in the village wanted to buy it instead.
I was originally planning to ask Shuiqing, but since you've arrived first, I thought I'd ask you if you want it first.
Wang Guifen and Zhang Hui understood.
It's definitely not possible for them to buy it themselves. Other families either have too many mountains or too few people. Even if they have some money, they are reluctant to buy mountains and forests for the time being. Only Shuiqing's family has money, manpower, and property, so they can manage the mountains and forests completely.
However, if Hu Wenhua wants to settle down in Shanshui Village, he certainly needs more than just land to build a house. He probably needs other things as well.
Upon hearing that there was an entire mountain forest, Butcher Hu's wide eyes lit up!
These days, they've been helping their daughter plant and harvest medicinal herbs, as well as kudzu root and the like. In between, they've been chopping firewood, picking fruit, gathering mushrooms, and digging for wild vegetables... They just feel that the mountain is so wonderful, such a treasure trove!
For them, it's even better and more practical than farmland!
The child's mother often lamented that it would be wonderful if they could also own a mountain.
Good heavens, this is like a pillow being delivered just when you're about to doze off.
He hurriedly asked, "Yes! Brother, do you know how much silver it costs?"
The old village chief said somewhat embarrassedly, "It's not cheap. When Fan Damu sold the fields and forests to Shui Qing, that mountain was practically given away for free. The Zhao family is selling it separately, and they're asking for ten taels of silver, saying the lowest price is eight taels."
Wang Guifen and Zhang Hui both realized that it was indeed not cheap!
You should know that eight taels of silver could get you a wife. These hills used to be barren, where no trees could grow properly. They were only used for firewood and for picking mushrooms and digging wild vegetables.
But then I thought that things were different now. Nowadays, most families in the village have some savings. Most importantly, medicinal herbs can be grown on the mountain now. At the very least, you can grow kudzu to fill your stomach, as well as mushrooms and wild vegetables. Eight taels is not an exorbitant price.
When Butcher Hu Wenhua heard the old village chief say that it wasn't cheap, his heart jumped, thinking it would cost several tens of taels!
When they heard that the asking price was only ten taels, and that they could get it for eight taels, they all breathed a sigh of relief.
Hu Wenhua laughed and said, "The situation was different for Fan Damu back then. The flood had just happened, the fields were severely damaged, and it was unknown how many years it would take to recover. The mountains and forests did not generate any income, and even kudzu roots were unknown at that time, so it was reasonable that they were worthless."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
