Chapter 220: A New Baby in the Old House
Xie Yan calmed down and led his men into the Li family.
The next thing will be done by the matchmaker, and the subsequent asking for the name and Najib will be done by the people sent by the Xie family.
Old man and old lady Shen looked at him with smiles on their faces, knowing that A Yan finally had a home.
Xie Yan and Li Wanyue were chatting on the side.
"By the way, the emperor said he would reward you with 100 acres of good farmland. Which one are you going to choose? There are three more. One of them also belongs to County Magistrate Cao. It is similar to the one you bought before. There is another one in the southern suburbs. Do you want to take a look?"
"No need, let's just choose County Magistrate Cao. The land he chooses will definitely be good."
"So do you plan to continue renting the land to tenant farmers, or do you plan to farm it yourself?"
"How much can they harvest from the land they rent in a year?"
"Previously, County Magistrate Cao took 40% of the grain as rent, so the tenant farmers didn't get much, and they were all suffering."
"When I have time, I will go and see those tenants. I want them to help me farm. I will employ them and pay them. As long as they farm well, I will definitely not treat them unfairly. Next spring, we will plant potatoes and sweet potatoes. We have already planted potatoes twice on this land. It's time to change it. Otherwise, it will be damaged by insects and the land will deteriorate."
"Well, the manager of this farm treated the tenants harshly, forcibly abducted the tenants' daughters, and deceived his superiors and subordinates. He has been dealt with. You still need to find a new manager."
"Okay, I understand."
Xie Yan said: "If you feel tired, you can tell me and I will help you."
Li Wanyue asked: "You are already too busy with your own affairs, and you still want to help me?"
"It's just a simple thing. I just don't want to see you too tired."
Li Wanyue smiled: "Okay, when I'm tired, I'll let you go."
Xie Yan nodded slightly. He knew she was not someone who would rely on others, but he wanted to make her feel more relaxed.
…
Gao Zhiyuan returned home in a mess and drank several glasses of water. Only then did he feel that his throat was not so painful anymore.
Seeing this, Mrs. Cui asked hurriedly, "Second Brother, what's wrong with you? Have you seen Li Wanyue?"
Gao Zhiyuan shook his head and said, "Mom, don't mention Li Wanyue anymore, and don't mention that she and I were married."
"Why?"
"Today, the county magistrate went to the Li family to propose marriage. He wants to marry Li Wanyue."
"What?" Old Mrs. Cui's cloudy eyes almost popped out.
"Is the county magistrate blind? Why would he fall for such an abandoned woman? Otherwise, that vixen Li Wanyue seduced the county magistrate. Even if she was given the title of county lady, it would not change the fact that she was married. It would be understandable for her to marry an ordinary family. But how could the county magistrate, who is an official himself, fall for her?"
"Mom, the county magistrate warned me not to cause trouble at the Li family again, otherwise, we will not be able to stay in Anping County anymore."
When Ding Hong heard this, she immediately followed suit and advised: "Mom, the people don't fight against the officials, so let's not provoke them."
"But... what about the tuition for the second child?"
Gao Zhiyuan said, "Mom, I decided to take a break for a while and open a school at home to teach the children in the village. This will not only earn me some money, but also make the people in the academy forget about me. If I go back to school after the New Year, they won't be so mean to me. And I can still review my lessons at home."
Mrs. Cui sighed and said, "Well, since you have decided, then mother and your elder brother and his wife will help you. How much do you plan to charge?"
"I heard that the village school in Daohua Village charges 40 to 50 wen per child. Everyone in our village knows this too, so let's charge 50 wen per child per month. Otherwise, if it's more than Daohua Village, I'm afraid they will feel unbalanced and won't come to study."
Both Mrs. Cui and Ding Hong counted on their fingers. Fifty cents for one child, ten children would not be five hundred cents. If they took in a hundred children, then the monthly fee would be... five thousand cents.
That’s five taels of silver.
The two's eyes lit up instantly.
Mrs. Cui said immediately, "Second brother, I will go and talk to the village chief about this."
Gao Zhiyuan nodded and returned to his room.
Mrs. Cui rushed to the village chief's house. When she thought about earning five taels of silver every month, her headaches and back pains were gone, and she could even walk as fast as a roller.
The result was contrary to expectations.
The villagers were very careful with every penny they spent. Although this fee was very cheap compared to the academy in the town, fifty cents a month could buy more than ten kilograms of brown rice, enough for a whole family to eat for several days, so it still seemed expensive.
Since the villagers of Daohua Village earned money from the Li family, it was no problem for them to set aside a few dozen cents every month for their children's education.
After discussion, it was finally changed to thirty cents per month. There were about sixty students who signed up, and nearly two taels of silver could be collected per month.
Although it is far from what we initially expected, it is better than having no money.
So a school was opened in the village near the mountain.
The villagers of Daohua Village were busy building the road. They would first build the road and then the school.
The village is not big. According to the budget, Village Chief Li can build this road from the entrance of the village to a short distance outside the village.
At that time, road construction was not as complicated as it is now. Every family contributed people and construction was completed very quickly.
The road soil is already hard, so the road surface is cleaned, a small layer of gravel is laid, and then the gaps are filled with fine soil. The road surface is then compacted and a layer of bluestone bricks is laid on top.
It was repaired in just seven or eight days, and the road is clean and tidy. We don’t have to worry about our feet getting muddy when it rains.
It was a rainy and cool autumn evening. The raindrops hit the yellowing leaves. The green and yellow intertwined forests looked a little desolate in the rain.
The incense burner was burning, and the room was filled with a light, sweet pear scent. Li Wanyue liked this smell.
The small couch was covered with a comfortable, thick and soft cotton pad. She leaned on the couch against the window, looking at the rain outside the window, enjoying the quiet moment.
In the old house of the Li family, Li Xiangyu's wife Chen Li, after a day of pain, finally gave birth to a son in the evening. Both mother and child are safe.
The whole family is happy.
After Old Man Li and Old Lady Li returned to the house, Old Lady Li said, "Old Man, our Li family is different now than before. We can't let our in-laws look down on us during this third-day bathing ceremony."
Old man Li nodded: "Yes, it should be done properly."
"What I mean is that Yueyue has received so many rewards. She could just pick one out and give it to the child in front of her relatives and friends. First, it shows that she loves her nephew. Second, it would let the Chen family see that the child received something from the emperor as soon as he was born. How proud it would be. The child can also get some blessings from his aunt, and it would also help our Li family."
Old Man Li nodded in agreement: "You are right, I will go to Dashan's house tomorrow to tell them."
Old Mrs. Li smiled. The eldest wife's family had become wealthy, and they couldn't ask for anything from her for no reason. But they should at least give something to celebrate the birth of their new baby.
Otherwise how others see them.
The next day, Old Man Li went to Li Youshan's house early in the morning with a few red eggs.
When Li Youshan heard that the baby was born, he congratulated the second wife on having a new baby and said nothing more.
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