Chapter 159 Hehe, Second Uncle, we have four dogs at home!
(Thanks to Sleepy Pig for casting 12 monthly votes.)
In early April, spring plowing is the most important thing!
Since settling in Liujiatun last year, the village chief, who oversees several villages outside Qingsong Town, brought people to Liujiatun for the first time.
Although the village chief was somewhat surprised by Li Shiyue, the woman standing in front of everyone, he only glanced at her once and did not say anything.
The village chief came to inform the county of the decision on the date of spring plowing, and to conduct a survey of the current population of Liujiatun and the amount of land owned by each household, so that taxes could be collected after the autumn harvest.
“It’s colder here than in town, so you’ll inevitably earn less millet or wheat and beans than elsewhere. That’s why the county doesn’t make things difficult for you and allows you to pay 15% less.”
Since you're new arrivals, the summer tax is waived this year, but you'd better prepare for the autumn tax in the winter.
As for the grain seeds, don't worry, you can send someone with me to the county government to collect them today.”
Finally, Li Youfu and his eighth uncle's eldest son went with the village chief, while Li Shiyue and Li Wangshui followed behind in a cart.
Li Shiyue knew that this kind of work was hard, and she went along not only to show her support, but also because she thought she could visit the military garrison at the same time.
She spent her points to buy blueprints for a seed drill and a curved plow from the system, intending to go to the garrison to find Liu Tan.
Military garrisons also need to cultivate the land; otherwise, they wouldn't be called "garrisons," right?
Regardless of whether the "wild horse hitting someone" incident at the Prince's training ground that day was an accident or a deliberate arrangement, she has now boarded Liu Tan's ship, and naturally, she must continue to keep in touch with him until he falls.
The best way to make Liu Tan "not forget" her and "think about" her is to offer suggestions and strategies that bring him real benefits.
That way, if anything good happens in the future, Liu Tan will remember Li Shiyue, right?
For example, didn't Li Shiyue only find out about the upcoming trade by delivering New Year's gifts to Liu Tan?
They waited outside the county government office until late afternoon before the village head led a group of people out.
Based on the number of households on their side, Li Wangshui, disregarding Li Youfu's expression, immediately took out the grain bags he had brought in advance and began to repackage them.
After loading the car, Li Shiyue and Li Wangshui greeted the village chief and Li Youfu, who had a dark expression on his face, and then turned the car around and headed out of Sanshan County towards Tunsuo.
This time, Li Shiyue did not go to the garrison. She simply stuffed the drawings of a seed drill and a curved plow into an envelope, along with a short note she had written beforehand, explaining to Liu Tan the benefits of these two things for farming.
Then, Li Shiyue untied her horse, leaving one for Li Wangshui who was driving the carriage, while she rode her horse onto the official road towards the prefectural city.
She was going to pick up Li Wangming, who was studying at the prefectural school.
In fact, Li Wangming should have returned during the Qingming Festival.
Although both of Li's grandfather and grandmother were buried in Henan Road, and the ancestral hall in the village has not yet been built, it is still appropriate to pay respects to their memorial tablets at home.
Besides, isn't Li's father's cenotaph still on Daheishan Mountain?
However, before Qingming Festival, Li Shiyue made a special trip to the prefectural city and met Li Wangming outside the prefectural school.
"Mother means it would be better for you to come back during the spring planting season, so that you won't have to delay your studies and you can also come back to perform the ancestral rites."
It's only a few days' difference, so what?
Li Wangming readily agreed, since it was indeed only a few days away.
The prefectural school gave students a seven-day break for spring plowing. By taking a few more days off, they could make it a total of ten days.
The people we can invite are mostly from far away, like Li Wangming, since it would take a whole day to get back to Liujiatun from the prefectural city, even on horseback.
Li Shiyue was willing to take people on horseback, even at high speeds; she had tried it several times before with Li Qiutian and Li Xiatian.
Li Wangming, however, was somewhat hesitant to sit behind Li Shiyue. Li Shiyue patted her chest and assured Li Wangming, "Second Uncle, don't worry, my sister and I have tested it, it's very reliable!"
Li Wangming, who had never ridden a horse before, looked at the horse in front of him pawing at the ground. He could see from the horse's hooves upwards that Li Shiyue had braided the mane on the horse's neck into small braids.
"I dare not in October."
Li Wangming blushed with embarrassment. He swallowed hard and still told Li Shiyue the same thing.
Li Shiyue dismounted helplessly. "Then let's go to the cattle and horse market and buy a cart. We can also buy some grain to take back. The price of grain in the prefectural city is three copper coins cheaper per shi than in Sanshan County."
Our family is large, so the expenses are high.
Furthermore, after spring plowing, people will need to be hired to build houses, and a meal will be provided at noon, which requires grain. Buying extra to take home won't hurt.
Finally, Li Shiyue simply rested in the prefectural city for one night, bought a lot of things, and then drove Li Wangming back in the newly bought second-hand cart.
It was late at night when Li Shiyue and Li Wangming returned to Liujiatun.
As soon as they entered the village, the sound of barking dogs rang out.
Upon hearing the noise, Li Wangming, who was sitting on the cart wrapped in a fur coat, asked, "Does Old Man Liu have a dog?"
Li Shiyue sat on the cart shaft without turning her head. After adjusting her leather hat, she replied directly, "Now that the grain has been distributed, the village chief instructed that the village should raise a few dogs to guard the houses and yards."
There's a market on the official road outside Qingsong Town every five or eight days, and about seven or eight households in our village have bought dogs to raise.
However, this was an old, fully grown dog belonging to Old Liu's family, which is why it made such a commotion.
Second Uncle, let's hurry inside. Listen carefully, you can still hear dogs barking.
Just as Li Shiyue said, the further in they went, the more carefully they listened, and indeed, the barking of puppies could be heard coming from several doors in the quiet night.
The dog kept barking, and some men in the houses who were still sound asleep put on their clothes and opened their doors to see if a thief had broken into their yard.
Li Wangshui held a wood-chopping knife in his hand. He looked at the large, dark mass on the road outside. When he got closer, he heard the sound of a horse breathing through its nose. Only then did he tentatively call out, "Is that October ahead?"
"Uncle Wangshui, it's me. Hurry back inside. Once we're gone, this dog shouldn't be able to bark anymore."
When the carriage stopped in front of Li Shiyue's house, Li Wangming, who got off the carriage, heard the soft and cute barking of a puppy outside his own door.
"We have a dog now?"
"Hehe, Second Uncle, we have four of them!"
I got one, my older sister got one each, and my older brother got one too!
As the two were talking, the barking of the dog became clearer and clearer, indicating that someone had opened the door and let the dog out.
October? Looking towards the dawn?
Holding a tiny oil lamp, wearing a robe and shielding her eyes from the wind to prevent it from blowing out, Li's mother came out.
Before long, the entire Li family was bustling with activity, with four puppies following closely behind, barking happily.
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