Chapter 158 The Passerby Who Died Before the Famine Even Began (14)
“One patrol team in the village is definitely not enough. Now is a special period. Every household needs to send one person to patrol continuously for twelve hours a day. Moreover, don’t even think about running away. There’s nowhere to run. There are troops everywhere outside. The capital has become a vortex. People from all sides are gathering here. It’s safer to stay here than to go anywhere else.”
After Mr. Jiang finished speaking, the others began to murmur and were terrified. After everyone had finished talking, Mr. Jiang selected some people to form the second and third patrol teams, and sent the rest home.
After the villagers returned home, Jiang's father arranged the patrol time and route, gave instructions, and then went home with Bai Ze. After returning home, he instructed Chen and the three children not to run around. They knew that their village was somewhat famous for its delicious peaches, and there was no guarantee that someone wouldn't take the opportunity to return and rob them. In the past two years, bandits had come before.
For the next few days, everyone stayed at home. Children who wanted to go out to play were beaten. They couldn't cry too loudly to avoid attracting enemies. Jiang Yue read a book in the house, thinking that the emperor's death was just the beginning of chaos. It would take about ten years for the Ninth Prince to quell the chaos. There was a long wait ahead.
Jiang Yue knew some information because Bai Ze had tipped her off. The emperor was now dead. After the second prince ascended the throne, he acted like an idiot and tried to kill his own brothers. He was then killed by his younger brothers. Now, of the emperor's thirteen princes, only four remain. The ninth prince escaped death at the border. After the sixth prince ascended the throne, the other two princes fled the capital. The sixth prince then issued arrest warrants for the two princes on charges of murdering princes.
The remaining two are not simple; they both have powerful backers. After a few battles and foreign invasions, a balance will be reached. It seems that the Ninth Prince will be returning to the capital to report on his duties soon. This can be considered a scheme by the Sixth Prince to see if the Ninth Prince is still trustworthy. The Ninth Prince listened to the strategist's advice and accepted the imperial edict. On his way back to the capital, he was assassinated several times. If it weren't for the protagonist's halo, he would have died halfway there.
Half a month later, the curfew in the village was relaxed a lot. After all, they were all ordinary people, and no one could stand the long-term high-pressure environment. After half a month, Jiang's father sent people out to investigate and learned that the sixth prince had ascended the throne and the other princes had fled. With an emperor, at least the capital city was at peace.
Afterwards, Jiang's father and Bai Ze went to the capital again to deliver peaches, scout the way, and buy some grain and other necessities for the villagers. Time passed slowly, and a few more days passed before the autumn harvest. After the autumn harvest, taxes had to be paid. Originally, taxes were exempted, but this preferential policy was canceled after the new emperor ascended the throne.
After paying taxes, some families wanted to sell some grain while prices were high, but Jiang's father and Bai Ze persuaded them to stop. They said that if they sold now, it would be difficult to buy again. Some people wouldn't listen to advice, but you can't persuade a stubborn person. Jiang's father wasn't a saint, and he was only trying to persuade them out of kindness. Whether they listened or not was up to them. Anyway, Jiang Yue's family's granary and basement were full. They didn't sell the rest, but instead bought some livestock to raise. They would fatten them up to eat meat, and when they ran out of grain, they could make them into cured meat.
After the autumn harvest, people start planting vegetables, such as cabbage, radishes, and green onions. But planting cabbage doesn't mean people can relax. Families with many members take advantage of the off-season to go out and do odd jobs to earn money for the New Year. With Jiang Yue around, the grain yield is better, but the limited availability of seeds means that most families are still poor. Jiang Yue's family is currently living off their savings, and they haven't even earned back the money they spent on buying land and a house.
After planting the vegetables, the family ate dumplings. The next day, Jiang Yue accompanied her father to go fishing for a day. The twins also wanted to go, but because they were too young, Chen Shi was afraid they would fall into the lake, so she suppressed them. When Jiang's father and Jiang Yue arrived, there were already people there. They greeted Jiang's father when they saw him. Since the lake belonged to the Jiang and Bai families, it was reasonable to not allow others to fish there. However, Jiang's father was not a stingy person. He simply stipulated that fishing was not allowed, and fish no larger than the palm of one's hand should be released. Even so, many people were grateful.
These days, eating a fish is considered a meal. The village is alright; there are mountains, water, and peach orchards. A few families still raise chickens and ducks, and people can occasionally eat an egg to nourish their bodies. Most importantly, the Jiang family doesn't ask for high rent. For the first five years, they only charge 10%, while outside, it's usually 50%. Before the Jiang family moved, the rent was 40%. Don't think 40% is high; outside, 50% is the lowest. If you use a landlord's cattle or farm tools, it can be 70% or 80%.
Moreover, most ordinary families couldn't afford to buy cattle. The cost was one issue, but even after buying a cow, they couldn't afford to feed it. Raising cattle isn't just about feeding them grass; it requires grain. How much does a cow need to eat? There's a saying: "The cost of one ox or horse is equivalent to the food of five people." Buying a cow costs ten to fifteen strings of cash, but feeding it one string of fodder each month is undoubtedly a "gold-devouring beast"!
After fishing all day, Jiang's father didn't catch a single fish because Jiang Yue was using cheat codes and all the fish swam to her side. The two of them kept some of the larger ones and released the rest. Two years later, there weren't many fish left in the lake. After returning home, Jiang's father gave two fish to Bai Ze and boasted to Bai Ze that he had caught them. Bai Ze, who was always on Jiang Yue's mind, said, "You're right, you caught them."
Because Bai Ze is now in high-power mode, he doesn't need to stay inside the puppet to control it. When Jiang's father got home, he chatted with Chen Shi for a long time. If it weren't for the five taels of silver, Jiang Yue would have exposed him. For dinner, they ate boiled fish with a bowl of rice, which was really delicious.
Time passed slowly, and before we knew it, it was November. After harvesting the cabbage, we started pickling the vegetables. The quality of salt wasn't very good these days, so Jiang Yue had the puppet process it after buying it. By the time the weather turned cold in December, the pickled vegetables were ready, and the rest were stored in the cellar.
After storing vegetables and grains, they started storing wood and charcoal. Firewood is used for cooking, and charcoal is used for heating. Most of the firewood for the Jiang family was bought, and a small portion was collected by hired laborers. Although there wasn't much work, the pace was quite slow. By the time they finished, it was almost Chinese New Year, and the villagers started going to the city in groups to buy New Year's goods.
Even those fighting during the New Year have to take a break, otherwise the soldiers will lose all morale. The capital city is bustling again after a long time. Street vendors are shouting their wares, trying to sell more goods to have a good New Year. After finding a place to park the carriage, Father Jiang and his family found a street stall and had breakfast.
Each person had two meat buns and a bowl of wontons, and also ordered a portion of beef. Beef is not common and is usually hard to find at the time of year. When Mr. Jiang wanted to buy more, they refused to sell it to him, as it was a limited quantity and they had no trouble selling it. After the meal, Mr. Jiang and Mrs. Chen each led one of the children, while Jiang Yue followed beside them. Mrs. Chen would check on Jiang Yue from time to time, as if afraid that she would be kidnapped.
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