Chapter 52: Zhounan Village
Jiang Tangtang said, "There's no rush about sending the interest. If you have another mission to Lingnan, just bring it along. There's no need to send someone all the way here."
Liang Jiamin was very pleased to see that Jiang Tangtang was not being polite but really trusted him. He stopped talking about the interest and instead briefly talked about the situation in the government office.
Finally, he said, "I've had some dealings with Zhou Cheng before. If you encounter any really difficult problems, you can try to contact him."
Jiang Tangtang thanked Liang Jiamin for his kindness. When she heard the gong ringing over there, she knew that they were about to set off for Guanzhuang. Without saying anything more, she said goodbye to Liang Jiamin and returned to the team where the Lu family's eldest branch was.
Xue Banxian, He Qiuniang and others were waiting outside the government office. When they saw Jiang Tangtang coming out with the officials, they immediately followed them.
The officers who were escorting Jiang Tangtang and the others to Guanzhuang had already been greeted by someone, so they ignored them and let them follow.
After leaving the county town, we headed towards the countryside, slowly getting further and further away. It took us more than two hours to finally reach Zhounan Village.
At first Jiang Tangtang didn't know why they were exiled to Guanzhuang. It was not until she arrived at Zhounanzhuang and listened to the manager's lecture that she finally understood.
In short, they were exiled here to be farmers.
But their status was lower than that of ordinary farmers. For example, ordinary farmers could take the imperial examinations, and if they had promising descendants, they could change their family status.
But they couldn't. Before the emperor pardoned them, the descendants of the Lu family would be criminals for generations and would have no right to take the imperial examinations.
In addition, they were not allowed to leave their place of exile. There was no land allocated to them, so they had to reclaim wasteland on their own. At the next autumn harvest, they had to pay the same amount of grain as the local villagers to the court as a tax.
If you don't pay enough food, you will be punished.
After hearing what Manager Xia said, Mrs. Su collapsed to the ground. Even the usually strong Madam Lu seemed to have lost her soul, not to mention the young Lu Zhixi.
Asking a family who has never farmed before to reclaim wasteland and cultivate it, how could they possibly learn? And if they continue to be criminals for generations, how could they possibly have any hope in life?
Jiang Tangtang remained calm and asked Manager Xia, "As long as we hand over the grain required by the court during the autumn harvest, is that all that matters? It doesn't matter how much land we give up."
Manager Xia said, "To prevent criminals from delaying farming, we will conduct inspections every two weeks. If the land reclaimed by the end of the month does not reach the required number of acres, the entire family will be flogged."
Jiang Tangtang sighed inwardly and said, "If we are really too busy, can we ask for help?"
"This village doesn't care."
But the prisoners exiled here usually have difficulty finding food and shelter, so how can they afford to hire people to reclaim wasteland and cultivate the land?
Manager Xia thought to himself and took a serious look at the cow and donkey behind Jiang Tangtang.
But this family's financial situation is stronger.
He had been in charge for so many years, but this was the first time he saw someone being exiled and still having livestock such as ox carts and donkeys.
Hearing that they could ask for external assistance, Jiang Tangtang felt relieved and asked, "What about the rule that prohibits leaving the exile area? Does it mean that we cannot leave Yazhou, but are not allowed to stay in towns like Yazhou?"
Manager Xia said, "That's the principle. However, to prevent people from escaping the village, please report to me in advance before leaving. If you don't return within the stipulated time, your family members will be punished."
Although he had to report every time he went out, Jiang Tangtang was generally satisfied. If he operated properly in the future, he should be able to start a business.
Then, Jiang Tangtang went to ask Manager Xia what to plant in the fields and whether there were any regulations in the village.
"There's no clear regulation on this, but in addition to money, silk, and cloth, the main grains to be taxed are wheat and rice."
After answering Jiang Tangtang's questions, Manager Xia pointed to a dilapidated thatched house not far away and said, "This is where you'll live. Settle in today! Come to me tomorrow morning to get the farm tools."
Looking at the rickety thatched house, Jiang Tangtang's expression almost faltered. "Manager Xia, can we repair the house ourselves?"
"Of course." Manager Xia said, "I'll take you to the reclaimed woodland tomorrow. Then you can take a look and find where you want to build a house. Just ask me for a residential plot."
After Manager Xia left, the group carried their things to the thatched house.
Not only is the roof of this thatched house leaking, but there are also wood fungus growing on the wooden pillars. When I opened the door, there was a strange smell inside. I didn't know how long no one had lived there.
"Mom, are we really stuck in this kind of place from now on and can never go back to the capital?" Lu Zhixi couldn't help crying any longer, covering her face.
The journey to exile was hard and tiring. She had always thought that everything would be fine once she reached the exile place, but she never expected that the exile place would be even worse. Not only did she have no place to live, but she also had to farm.
Her life is over.
Su couldn't stop wiping away tears.
Jiang Tangtang broke off the wood ear mushrooms from the wood and looked at them carefully. "There are so many of them, just enough to stir-fry for a plate. Aunt He, come over and help break off these wood ear mushrooms. Aunt Hu, take the beef off the cart and wash it..."
Under Jiang Tangtang's command, everyone immediately became busy.
The cries of Su and Lu Zhixi gradually faded amid the busy noise. Lu Shiyan looked at the woman, her hands covered in mud, trying to build a stove, and a sense of warmth inexplicably rose in his heart.
She said nothing, but her actions diluted the sadness and despair in everyone's hearts.
He was holding a bucket and was about to fetch water when Jiang Tangtang stopped him, "What are you doing?"
Jiang Tangtang glared at him: "Your injuries haven't healed yet, don't move around, you'll cause trouble for everyone." As she said that, she took the bucket from his hand.
Lu Shiyan was amused by her expression. "The wounds on my body have already scabbed over. It's just carrying a bucket of water. It's no big deal."
"Divine Doctor Xue said that you can't use gravity until your injuries are completely healed." Jiang Tangtang said, "Just rest well for the next few days! Once your injuries are healed, I'll start treating your legs. Leave the little things like fetching water to me!"
Anyway, no one can compete with her for the job of fetching water.
"Regarding the leg treatment..." Lu Shiyan said with some difficulty, "Why don't we just forget about it! You heard what Manager Xia said. For now, we should first open up the wasteland."
"Don't worry about the land reclamation. I have my own way! Just rest up and wait for my leg to heal!"
After Jiang Tangtang finished speaking, she picked up the bucket and left.
There was a stream not far from the thatched house, and Jiang Tangtang planned to go there with a bucket of water to pretend.
After walking for a while, she met a woman wearing a headscarf. The woman looked her up and down and said, "Are you the criminals who just moved in?"
Jiang Tangtang didn't like the name "criminal" and didn't want to pay any attention to her. She just nodded slightly at her and left with the bucket.
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