Chapter 562 A mouse also ran into the house
The incident at the spring hunting ground caused turmoil in Kyoto. Everyone in the situation was in danger, fearing that the guillotine would fall on their necks in the next second.
But the tense atmosphere did not affect the northwest, thousands of miles away.
Xu Yu received Sang Zhixia's instructions to keep his mouth shut about what he knew. Madam Xie and others could only move as far as the North City, and knew nothing about the changes in the Sang family in Kyoto. Their lives were as peaceful as before.
The farm did not expand this year. Sang Zhixia's requirement was to do a good job based on last year's work. Therefore, even though some manpower was lost due to Peng Yuanliang's conspiracy, it was still enough.
Rushing to complete all the spring plowing work on the farm at the last minute, Sang Zhixiaming's ranch, which he had been preparing for a long time, was also nearing the end of its operation.
Lingchu wiped the sweat from his forehead and said amid the cries of a group of piglets, "The cattle, sheep, pigs, and horses are all here, and the pens for the chickens, ducks, and geese have also been arranged."
"In two years at most, the size of this ranch can be doubled. As long as..."
"That's not necessary."
Sang Zhixia waved her hand and said, "The ranch is just a cover, there's no need to take it too seriously."
If it weren't for the purpose of covering up what Xu Yu had done, Sang Zhixia actually had never thought of touching the ranch.
Unlike grain that is produced once a year, pastures are too immobile.
In case of any unrest, the abundant harvest on the farm can be transported away and the arable land can be abandoned.
But not the ranch.
They are all uncontrollable living creatures, and their maintenance and transportation are huge troubles. It is not worth spending too much energy on them.
Sang Zhixia closed the account book in her hand, looked up at the green grassland in front of her that had been carefully maintained, closed her eyes and said, "It doesn't need to be too big here, as long as the noise is loud enough."
Being able to use the noise of these livestock to block out the noise from the hill behind, all this hard work is worth it.
Ling Chu nodded in understanding. Seeing Sang Zhixia was about to leave, he quickly chased after her and said, "Boss, the people watching over at the farm are making a move."
Sang Zhixia paused slightly and narrowed her eyes in an ambiguous manner: "Who is it?"
On the farm, the busy spring plowing had just ended, and people who suddenly had some free time sat in groups of three or five in the shade to avoid the sun, chattering about family gossip with their acquaintances.
Someone who was well-informed covered his mouth and whispered, "By the way, have you heard about that?"
The curious ones all turned their heads, and the person who spoke seemed even more pleased, lowering his voice mysteriously: "That's it!"
"Wang Laosan, are you sick?"
The impatient man slapped his muddy shoes on the ground, sending up a cloud of dust. He waved his hands and rolled his eyes, "Just say what you want to say straight away. What's the point of saying half the story and hiding the other half? Do you think you're some street storyteller?"
Wang Laosan's face turned sour after being scolded, but seeing that there were already enough people gathered around him, he rolled his eyes and said quickly, "Is this something you can show off? What do you know?"
"A few days ago, I heard from my wife's sister-in-law that those traitors like Zheng Erhu are living comfortably over there. Now he's the manager of the village, and he's in charge of 1,800 people!"
Ever since that incident happened two months ago, and the fact that the people involved have not been caught and punished, the names of people like Zheng Erhu have become taboo. Those who know about it will deliberately avoid mentioning them, saying that they can just use dog stuff instead.
This is the first time someone has said it so openly.
Wang Laosan tutted his tongue twice, curling his lips and saying, "I also heard that Zheng Erhu, that bastard, can now earn this much in wages per month, and this is just the wages, not including the rewards from the masters."
Someone stared at Wang Laosan's raised palm with astonishment, and asked hesitantly, "Five taels?"
"Ugh."
"Is five taels of silver worth the risk?"
Wang Laosan tutted and emphasized, "Fifty taels! A full fifty taels!"
Surprised gasps echoed all around, and Wang Laosan's expression grew even more bizarre. "That's why they say the brave die of overeating, while the timid die of starvation."
"Zheng Erhu was only making eight taels of silver a month here, which wasn't even worth a pair of tiger-head shoes from the Xu family's young master. But when he went over there, doing the same job, the money poured into his pockets like water from a floodgate. Same person, different fate..."
The huge sum of fifty taels a month was so shocking that no one who heard it objected for a while.
Wang Laosan was still sighing: "And it's not just Zheng Erhu who got rich. He was a meat eater as a manager, and the people who followed him also got a share of the delicious soup. Everyone got a lot of money."
"We're working hard here, but..."
"No matter how much money you have, it's a blessing to have the life to spend it. Otherwise, who will burn it for you when you die?"
The man who had been slapping his shoes first sneered and said disdainfully, "Those people have all signed contracts. Our boss has registered them at the government office as a record. If anyone who escapes is caught, they'll be the next Su Wensheng to be beaten to death!"
The scene of Su Wensheng being hung in the threshing ground and beaten to death two months ago is still vivid in my mind. I can't help but feel scared when I think about it now.
Wang Laosan, however, looked unconcerned: "You said Su Wensheng was unlucky and got arrested, but has anyone with good luck ever been arrested?"
"If you ask me, those high-ranking officials and those with money are in cahoots. Otherwise, how could Zheng Erhu and his men never catch him? Don't you understand? It's not that they can't catch him, it's that the officials simply don't want to catch him!"
"If the government doesn't take any action, what can the landlord do? Can she still bring people to other people's farms to arrest people?"
Wang Laosan snorted a few times after he finished speaking, then muttered while picking at the black mud hidden under his fingernails, "If I run away, I'll still have wealth and glory. Staying here has no future compared to running away, and I might even lose my life at any time. What's the point of this?"
"We work so hard to finally have enough to eat, but those who are born with good fortunes don't have to work at all. A pair of shoes and a piece of clothing can be worth a year's worth of food. What's so great about this..."
Wang Laosan seemed to be possessed by an evil spirit, muttering something that he couldn't express in a pleasant way.
The originally relaxing open space was now filled with a silent gloom. The people whose minds were disturbed had different expressions, and they dispersed in twos and threes after waving their hands and shaking their heads.
As the excitement faded, no one noticed that there were several people sitting in the thatched hut, which was usually empty. The expressions of the people in the hut were all complicated.
Yungui, the current steward, was filled with filthy words and insults. He stood up in shame and said, "Boss, it's my fault for not managing people well. I'm going to go and tie up Wang Laosan right now..."
"What's the rush?"
Sang Zhixia said slowly, "He's Wang Jie's cousin. Everyone on the farm gives Wang Jie some respect. If you just go and tie him up, wouldn't that be a disgrace to Manager Wang?"
If it weren't for his relationship with Wang Jie, Wang Laosan would never dare to say such things in public.
Everyone was thinking about Wang Jie's position as manager, and they didn't want to get into trouble after hearing such nonsense, so most of them chose to pretend not to hear it.
otherwise……
How dare a guy like Wang Laosan be so arrogant?
Yun Gui seemed to have not expected Sang Zhixia to say that. He was stunned for a moment and said in astonishment: "But..."
"You can't eat hot tofu in a hurry."
Sang Zhixia waved her hand to signal Yun Gui not to say anything more. After a pause, she sighed as if jokingly saying, "I'm probably a bit too flamboyant. I never thought a pair of children's shoes would cause such a stir out there."
Wang Laosan always said that even if he worked for a whole year, he could not buy as much as the Xu family's kid did. This was true.
A few days ago, Xu Wenxiu got a piece of good material, but she was reluctant to use it, so she cut it into small clothes and shoe uppers, and used them all for her children.
Even though Nuonuo couldn't walk yet, she got a good pair of shoes. Not only were the uppers embroidered delicately, but because she was a girl, two beads were specially inlaid on the toes, making them both luxurious and beautiful.
If you compare it with the wages of people working on the farm, forget about a year.
Even three years’ wages put together are not as valuable as a single bead on the upper of a pair of Nuonuo shoes.
only……
These shoes were made at home, and no one showed off the exact amount of money. How did Wang Laosan know?
Sang Zhixia rubbed her fingertips and said subtly, "It seems that it's not just the farm that's dirty."
A mouse also got into the house.
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