Chapter 235 Zeng Sanlang
"On credit?" Many people were moved.
"How much is the interest? You won't ask us to pledge anything, right?"
It’s not like some of them haven’t borrowed money before, but as time went by, it became hard for them to pay it back, and in the end they had no choice but to sell their family’s land as compensation. It’s not unheard of that some of them were forced to sell their children.
Hesitate for a moment.
The official didn't dare to reply. He turned his head to look at the maid beside him who looked even more stylish than the ladies of the rich families in the city.
The maidservant was actually very distressed. Others didn't know, but how could they not know? The wife had spent so much time and effort on these 200 cows, and with the pressure from the old master and the help from the old lady, she bought them from the Zeng family for 25 taels each.
A total of more than five thousand taels.
Now you haven't collected a penny and you've sold it all out on credit?
Although the old lady gave the lady three thousand taels of silver in private, wasn't the rest also the money of the lady and the master? Besides, they brought more than just cattle.
But as a servant, no matter how much she felt sorry for her master, the first principle was to obey her master as long as she was willing.
A girl from a noble family, even if she was just a maid, had an aura. The official looked at her and she was not afraid. She took over the conversation and said, "Our wife said that there will be no interest for one year, and you can pay the debt with grain after the autumn harvest this year. If you still can't pay it back after one year, you will be charged 20 cents per month for one tael of silver."
"As for the mortgage..."
Lang Zhu is the governor, so why does he need any collateral?
Besides, the maid saw that the lands of those old farmers were newly distributed by the court, so what could they have as collateral?
"Madam didn't say what collateral is needed. You just need to bring your household registration documents, write down the IOU for the debt, put your fingerprint on it, and file it in the government office."
As soon as the maid finished speaking, the crowd immediately became noisy.
No need for mortgage, interest will be collected after one year, and if you don’t have money, you can pay the debt with grain.
Those who were smart started to calculate on their own, while those who were not so smart got together in groups of three or five to calculate.
How much land can be opened this spring, how much grain can be grown, how much can be harvested in the fall, and how much money can be exchanged for that grain?
The old farmers are illiterate, so it is hard for them to do other things, but they are okay at calculating the harvest from the fields. It’s just that the price of grain is uncertain, so it is difficult to convert it into money. But they can roughly figure it out by counting on their fingers with their hands in their sleeves.
By the time the grain harvest comes, it will be impossible to charge three hundred coins for a dou of grain as it is now. When it comes to paying back the debt, no one dares to calculate it that way, and it will be safer to calculate a lower amount.
No matter how little, even if we calculate it based on the normal grain price of 60 or 80 wen per dou before the war, if ten households in a village buy together, as long as they can harvest two or three more dan of grain, the money for buying the cow can be repaid.
"Opening up the land is important. Without cattle, we can't win. With cattle, if we are lucky, the production from the extra land we open up this year may be enough to earn back the money we paid for the cattle."
"Then borrow it?"
"borrow!"
"Quick, leave a few people to select the cows. Erlang, Sanlang, go and call everyone in our village and inform them. Hurry up."
Once someone started this, many people became more determined and came out to see the cows as a family or two or three familiar families. At least the whole village came, and they were just running around looking for people.
When Old Man Chen and his companions saw this, they picked up the cows faster. A few knowledgeable people looked at the cows one by one, and selected three that they liked from the twenty-five cows, based on their body shape, hair, eyes, nose, and teeth. They then picked the one with the best spirit and the brightest eyes and took it away. Zhou Cunzheng called out to the cowherd, "Buy a cow from Daxing Village!"
This sound raised the atmosphere at the scene. Those who were picking cattle quickened their pace, and those who were looking for people ran even faster.
The cowherd was delighted. He was originally a servant of the Fan family, so he knew what his master was thinking. He immediately shouted, "Okay, come this way! Daxing Village wants to buy a cow! Everyone, make way!"
The voices were so bright and festive. The two shouts brought a smile to Mrs. Fan's face behind the stained glass window.
Outside, the people from Daxing Village had already arrived in front of the registration officer. Buying cattle is based on the village, and the procedures are different from buying poultry. The officer glanced at the people from Daxing Village and said, "You are from Daxing Village? Has the village chief been selected?"
Zhou Cunzheng smiled and said, "Yes, yes, it is me."
When the official heard what he said, he laughed and said, "A scholar?"
Zhou Cunzheng shook his head: "I dare not, I only know a few words."
As he spoke, he handed over his household registration, pointed to his part on the bamboo slip and said, "This is my household registration information."
"Zhou Jiuzhang?" The clerk took it and confirmed it with Zhou Cunzheng before registering it in the same way. After the registration was completed, he opened another roster to check, "Daxing Village, nine households, right? Did any of you buy it on your own or did you buy it together?"
There are many people who cannot even afford to buy a farmland together and would rather work the land with their own hands, hence this question.
"Nine households bought the house together." The Lu family's eldest branch has not yet been registered, so naturally it cannot be counted as a household.
"Okay, hand over your household registration. I'll write the IOU. After you check and confirm it's correct, sign and seal it."
Zhou Cunzheng shook his head, "No need, sir, we brought money."
"Not on credit?"
The official subconsciously looked up at Zhou Cunzheng and his group. It was not his fault. They had been sitting here for more than an hour. There were so many people looking at them, but no one bought anything. The governor's wife had just said that they could buy on credit, and Daxingzhuang bought it right away. Didn't they think it was on credit?
Even the maidservant beside Fan took a closer look at the group of people in front of them. It was really different from the pale and skinny people she had seen in the past few months. This group of people, from the old to the young, both men and women, all looked quite healthy.
Daxing Village.
The maid secretly memorized the name of the manor.
The two of them looked at each other for only a moment, and Zhou Cunzheng said, "The governor and his wife are so kind and considerate of the people's livelihood. We just happen to have the money on hand, so we dare not take advantage of it."
As he spoke, he took out a pile of small silver ingots that had been given to him by various families on the road. It was exactly fifteen taels, no more, no less. "Sir, please check it."
The officer checked the silver. Seeing that the situation was quite good, the maid did not stay any longer and turned back to prepare to report to her wife.
Mrs. Fan had been watching, but after the people from Daxing Village went to register, they were a little far away, so she couldn't hear what they said clearly. When the maid came back, she told Mrs. Fan about it. Mrs. Fan raised her eyebrows and looked at the people from Daxing Village more carefully, saying, "Their complexion is better than others, which is rare. It's called Daxing Village?"
After these years of chaos, it is rare for ordinary people to live like this, especially that group of people, not just one or two of them look good, but everyone looks pretty good.
Strange.
Are they really ordinary people?
Before the maidservant beside him could reply, she suddenly knelt down and bowed: "Master."
Fan turned around and saw that her husband, who had gone to the front yamen early in the morning, had returned without her noticing. Her eyes lit up and she called out "Sanlang" with a smile.
Governor Zeng stood next to her and glanced out the window: "What are you talking about?"
I could vaguely hear Daxingzhuang.
"See what's happening outside buying cattle and poultry."
Seeing her wife just brushing it off in two simple sentences, the maid couldn't help but help, "Poultry is fine. Many city residents heard the news and came to buy. But cattle are a problem. The price is as low as fifteen taels a head. In the whole morning, many people came to see it, but no one bought it. Just now, my wife directly agreed to buy it on credit, so there is some movement."
The maid who grew up with her was unwilling to ask her to work and spend money in vain, and wanted to help her speak out everything. Fan just looked at her and said nothing.
The maid closed her eyes and lowered her head.
Mrs. Fan smiled and said, "There have been several years of unrest. Before the great unrest, the price of grain had already risen to a very high level. I think most people have no money left. They can't afford to buy grain without buying on credit. We can't just leave the cattle idle at the gate of the government office and the land lying idle."
"My wife." Governor Zeng held his wife's hand, not knowing what to say for a moment, "Thank you very much."
The two maids looked at each other and quickly retreated.
Concubine Fan smiled at Zeng Sanlang and said, "You're not going to be angry with me anymore?"
Governor Zeng thought of the surprise and joy he felt when he suddenly heard the letter yesterday. Of course, he was more frightened, especially when he saw her carrying so much baggage, poultry and livestock on the road. He was afraid all the way back to the governor's mansion. He glared at her and said, "Next time you are so bold, you will be more than just angry."
Concubine Fan was not afraid at all, and she pinched Zeng Sanlang's face: "Sanlang, I like you best when you smile."
Zeng Sanlang took a step back and looked around. He saw the clerk guarding the storehouse with his head down. He didn't know if he saw it or not. He tried to remain calm, but said to Concubine Fan in a low voice that was almost like lip language: "Don't make a fuss outside."
Seeing his neck begin to turn red, Concubine Fan laughed and said, "Heng'er is already three years old, why are you still so thin-skinned?"
The last half sentence was spoken in the same low voice, and only the couple could hear it.
Zeng Sanlang grabbed her hands that loved to make trouble and said, "Let's go back to the back hall."
As they walked, he asked very seriously, "What were you talking about Daxing Village? Did they buy cattle? Also on credit?"
"Well, it's rare to be the first farm to buy cattle. I allowed them to buy on credit, and they paid me real money."
Zeng Sanlang raised the corner of his lips and didn't ask any more questions.
After a few steps, they had already entered the back garden. When they turned to the inner house, Fan's dowry nanny came to greet them. Fan had not seen her husband for a long time, and she felt that he looked thinner. She stopped her dowry nanny and asked, "What are you preparing for lunch?"
The old nanny knew her wife's thoughts best, and she smiled and named five dishes. This was extremely frugal among the aristocratic families, and could even be called shabby. Of course, it was also related to the fact that the food in the governor's mansion was not abundant, and Fan was reluctant to use those poultry to fill her own stomach. However, the old nanny also put a lot of thought into it, which one was delicious, which one was nutritious, and which one the master liked. She explained it clearly, and it was to Fan's liking.
The old nanny knew that no matter how beautiful the dishes were, there were not many good ones, so she said, "There is fresh deer meat in the kitchen today. I was just thinking of asking you, Madam and Master, if you want me to make some for lunch. It is most tender when stewed in a clay pot."
"Deer meat?" Fan asked curiously, "Where did it come from?"
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