Chapter 40: Buying a mountain? To build a ancestral tomb for the Gu family?
Seeing this, the village chief couldn't say anything else and could only tell the truth. "The soil in Taohua Village is poor quality; it's mostly mountainous and rocky. Landlords and officials look down on it, so it's not monopolized. Besides the villagers' own farmland, the rocky land on the south mountain is owned by the government, approximately 500 acres. The price is two taels of silver per acre. If you purchase a large quantity, the price is negotiable. However, our county magistrate is very greedy. If he knew you were wealthy, he might exploit you. I can't say how much it would cost to buy it."
"The formalities are a bit complicated. You'll need to write me an application first. After I discuss it with the village elders and sign it, we'll go to the government office and find the official in charge to sign and stamp it. After that, you'll pay the silver, and the government will issue the document. Once that's done, this piece of land will be yours. But girl, you have to be prepared; your application may not be approved."
The village chief told Gu Jiayue everything in detail, and even exaggerated the severity of the exploitation and plundering by officials in the county government, hoping that Gu Jiayue would give up.
But after hearing the price, Gu Jiayue felt relieved. It was cheaper than she had imagined.
Then he asked, "What if I want to buy the mountain? How much does it cost to buy Nanshan?"
With a "crack", Grandpa could no longer pretend. He was so excited that he crushed the coarse porcelain bowl from the village head's house.
He stood up, took Gu Jiayue's hand and walked out, "Go home! Go home!"
He was so angry that his face turned red.
This girl is really ignorant of the immensity of heaven and earth. She even bought a mountain. What did she buy it for? Is she going to use it as a ancestral tomb for the Gu family?
When she said she wanted to buy land, he didn't say anything. Even if it was rocky, after the school was built, the whole family could put in a little extra effort, spend a year or two clearing out the rocks, and then slowly reclaim the land. In five or six years, the land would be cultivated, and they could grow some corn and sweet potatoes to make a living.
But she actually said she was buying a mountain! Nanshan Mountain was endless and towering into the clouds. Was she buying it to build a Taoist temple on the top of the mountain to cultivate immortality?
No! We can't let her talk nonsense anymore!
Gu Jiayue didn't expect her grandfather to react so strongly, and quickly said, "Oh, Grandpa, I'm just asking, just asking."
However, if the price is right, she feels that she can give it a try.
After all, according to the system's habits, the second task is to run a school, and there must be the task of building an academy afterwards.
Why not just do it all in one go?! Maybe the system will even give her an innovation award and grant her immortality? Hahahaha…
Grandpa Gu was so angry that his chest heaved violently. He gasped for breath, his chest pumping like a bellows. His face turned red, veins bulged on his forehead, and the look he gave Gu Jiayue was full of helplessness.
"How could this girl be so ignorant!
Seeing her grandfather like this, Gu Jiayue felt a little nervous, afraid that she would make him hurt. She quickly put on a smile and waved her hands repeatedly to assure him, "Grandpa, I'm just asking casually. It's not against the law to ask, so please don't be angry."
As she spoke, she observed his expressions, fearing that her grandfather's anger would be ignited again.
Grandpa gritted his teeth, his lips trembling slightly. He was about to explode but suppressed it. In the end, he just groaned heavily, turned his head away and said nothing more.
This life is unbearable. If she continues to act like this, the whole family will be in turmoil.
We must separate the family! After the separation, let this girl deal with it herself. Out of sight, out of mind!
The village chief was also frightened by Gu Jiayue's bold idea.
His eyes unconsciously moved to the gifts on the table, and he was conflicted: It would be troublesome to accept this gift, so why not just refuse it?
The village chief's wife saw through his thoughts and glared at him with a warning look in her eyes.
The village chief had no choice but to withdraw his thoughts. He cleared his throat and said, "The hillside is cheaper, one tael of silver per mu, but you have to know that the mountains here are really big..."
Gu Jiayue's eyes lit up when she heard this, and she quickly asked, "About how big is Nanshan?"
The village chief frowned slightly, thought for a moment, and then secretly glanced at Grandpa Gu. Seeing that Grandpa Gu had a sullen look on his face, he hesitated and said, "It's probably more than 5,000 acres, at least."
Gu Jiayue secretly calculated in her mind that more than 5,000 acres would cost 5,000 taels.
The village chief looked at Gu Jiayue, his mind also wondering. Jiayue shouldn't have that much money, right? She must be asking out of curiosity. This poor and remote village, where those greedy bureaucrats look down on it, really doesn't need to waste money. So he advised, "Girl, you should think it over carefully. There's nothing good on that mountain. It's really not worth buying it."
Gu Jiayue naturally understood the village chief's implication. She smiled slightly and said, "I know. Thank you for telling me, village chief. I'll go back and think about it and come back to bother you."
The village chief nodded quickly: "Yes, yes, you must think about it carefully. It's best to discuss it with your family. After all, this is not a trivial matter of a few cents."
Grandpa could no longer suppress his anxiety. Seeing that the two had almost finished talking, he reached out and grabbed Gu Jiayue's arm, saying unhappily, "Let's go home!"
The action was somewhat urgent, as if he couldn't stay for a moment longer.
After getting on the carriage, Grandpa calmed down a bit. Looking at Gu Jiayue's innocent face, he continued to persuade her earnestly, "Jiayue, you don't know that most people in Taohua Village are poor. Even if you set up a school, there won't be many families who can afford to send their children to school. So you really don't need to buy so much land. Five acres at most, just build three houses."
As he spoke, he gently patted Gu Jiayue's hand, his eyes full of concern.
"With that much money, why not buy some good paddy fields and become a wealthy landlord collecting rent? Wouldn't that be nice to live a stable life?"
Grandpa couldn't help but wonder, is he really that old? He doesn't understand the thoughts of you young people at all. No, he doesn't understand this girl's thoughts. Are the people in Kyoto so... uh... so bold and unpredictable?
Gu Jiayue nodded obediently, "Okay, Grandpa, I will think about it carefully."
She knew in her heart that if she followed her grandfather's wishes and didn't argue with him at this moment, she could avoid many unnecessary disputes.
Grandpa was relieved to see Gu Jiayue being so obedient. He hoped that this girl would really listen to him.
But he didn't know that the first thing Gu Jiayue did after returning home was to go back to her room, sit at the desk, grind ink and spread paper, think for a moment, then pick up the pen and write a letter.
After she finished writing, she carefully checked it and confirmed that it was correct before handing it to Hu Zi. She said seriously, "You will rest in the village tonight. Tomorrow morning, you will take this letter to Madam Cai and then return to the village. I want to leave the purchase of the land to you. I trust you."
Hu Zi respectfully took the letter and carefully placed it against his chest, his eyes firm. "Okay, Miss. Don't worry, I will definitely handle this matter well and will never let you down."
Gu Jiayue nodded slightly. "Well, go ahead. Hua Chao has already made an agreement with Aunt Sun next door. They will vacate a room for you to stay temporarily. Just bear with it for a few days. Once the land is bought, we can build a yard. Then we can give you and Hua Chao a yard each, and you can settle down."
The Gu family's housing situation was already tight, and they simply couldn't find any extra rooms, so they had no choice but to pay to rent an empty room from their next-door neighbors, the Sun family, for Hu Zi to live in temporarily.
Hu Zi said gratefully, "Thank you, Miss, for thinking of us. Hu Zi will do his best."
After Hu Zi left, Gu Jiayue returned to her desk, took out a piece of paper and pen, and began to carefully calculate how much silver she had. She wrote down the numbers on the paper as she recalled.
Before leaving, everyone in the Marquis' Mansion gave red envelopes, and when they were put together, there was about one thousand taels.
A few days ago, when Hua Chao was packing his luggage, he found another thousand taels of silver under the jewelry box. He thought that it must have been secretly given to him by the Marquis's wife.
Add to that the New Year's money I received during the past ten years in the Marquis' Mansion, and the monthly salary. It adds up to almost two thousand taels."
Gu Jiayue also had a lot of jewelry, many of which were valuable, and if sold, they would probably fetch a lot of money. There were also those rare books, calligraphy and paintings, and antiques, all of which the various masters of the Marquisate had painstakingly collected and given to their original owners. All in all, they could fetch around five thousand taels.
However, Gu Jiayue didn't intend to touch these things.
Silver can be earned back after use, but it would be difficult to buy back these jewels once they were sold. Furthermore, these were all the original owner's belongings, most of which were custom-made for the original owner by the Marquis' wife, holding special significance. These unique books, calligraphy and paintings, and antiques embody the love and affection of the people in the Marquis' mansion for the original owner, and they could not be disposed of casually.
If her original self returns one day, these things will be her thoughts about the Marquis' Mansion...
This was also one of the reasons why she did not refuse firmly when the Marquis's wife asked her to take everything away.
She wondered how painful it would be if the original owner came back one day and didn't have anything familiar around him.
Therefore, the only thing Gu Jiayue could use was these four thousand taels of silver.
After buying the land, you also have to build houses and schools.
Even after the school is repaired, it still needs money to keep it running.
Without a thorough plan, this money is far from enough.
"We can't just sit back and enjoy the fruits of our labor. We have to find a way to run our business, so we have to keep some money for circulation."
Thinking of this, she frowned slightly and sighed softly, "Well, I'd better put the idea of buying the mountain aside for now. Maybe when I achieve something, the county magistrate will be so happy that he will give the mountain to me directly."
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