Chapter 46
Grandma thought it was nothing: "Who doesn't like good looks when they're young? But it's different after marriage. Marriage depends on whether you can make a living. My granddaughter is very capable and smart. If this can't make a living, then what kind of person can be considered capable of making a living?"
Gu Xinxin's mouth twitched. What if she is just good-looking but can't live a normal life?
Grandma said earnestly: "So this matchmaking requires the consent of your parents. Your parents have eaten more rice than you have eaten salt. They know exactly whether you can make a living."
Gu Xinxin was surprised: "What kind of conditions does this family have? They are so picky?"
A son needs to be good-looking, and a parent needs to be capable. If a man possesses both, regardless of his background, he will definitely be very popular in the marriage market, and ordinary men will not be able to get the chance. So, either the Wang family has something to rely on to have the confidence to make such a request.
Or maybe grandma is exaggerating here.
"Your family is wealthy," said the grandmother. "I can't lie to you. Your cousin's family was lucky enough to receive a gift from a nobleman. They got thirty taels of silver, which they used to buy good farmland. Now they own more than twenty acres of land."
I bought it later, plus what I already had. Twenty-odd acres of land in the countryside is quite… reassuring.
Wang Fengshou's family owned a total of twelve mu of land, which was divided according to the number of people, with two mu per person. Grandma and Grandpa each got two mu, Wang Fengshou and his wife got two mu, and Dabao and Xiaobao got two mu.
When Dabaoer gets married in the future, her household registration will be moved out, and the village will then take back her land.
Similarly, when my grandparents pass away, the village will take back their land.
This is called public land, which belongs to the imperial court, and the imperial court divides it according to population.
But it’s different for my cousin’s family. He bought the land himself, so he has a land deed. Even if he dies in the future, the land will still belong to my cousin’s family, and the village cannot take it back.
So many people dream of buying it for themselves. After buying it, it will be theirs forever, and they will no longer have to worry about it being taken back by the village or the court.
My cousin's family bought six acres of land, and these six acres belong entirely to my cousin's family.
Gu Xinxin waved her hand: "Grandma, forget it..."
Grandma grabbed her hand and said, "Since you're here now, you can meet her. If you don't like her, forget it. If she's okay with you, then you can get in touch with her. Grandma will talk to you. Anyway, your stepmother can't handle your marriage."
This cousin of mine is called Wang Zhao. “Zhao” means auspicious snow indicates a good harvest. He was born in winter when it snowed heavily, so he was named Wang Zhao.
Wang Zhaochang was tall and strong, so his grandmother called him over to help that day. They needed to catch small fish, so more people could cast the nets and catch more. Gu Xinxin, on the other hand, carried the bucket and took Dabao and Xiaobao with her to the river. This way, even in public, they didn't have to worry about being gossiped about.
If it works out, that would be great. If it doesn’t, that doesn’t matter either. No one knows that the two people have ever met.
Wang Zhao himself probably didn't know, but when he saw a very pretty and fair girl in the team, he couldn't help but take a few more glances, his face flushed a little: "This is my cousin from the Gu family, right? I haven't seen her for a few years. She has grown a lot."
Although Gu Xinxin came here often in the past, now that she is older, she doesn't like to go out anymore.
Gu Xinxin said generously: "Hello, cousin Zhao."
"Cousin Gu, how long will you be staying this time?" Wang Zhao asked with a smile. "It just so happens that our village is having a temple fair in a couple of days. You can stay a few more days and participate in the fair as well."
It is called a temple fair, but it is actually not very big. It is just a small Taoist temple. The Taoist priests in the temple will come out to take your pulse for free - they will not prescribe medicine. After all, the Taoist temple is small and cannot afford such a large expense.
Then, there will be some stalls in front of the Taoist temple. Most of them are villagers from nearby, who will sell the food they can’t finish eating.
Of course, it was still somewhat popular, after all, there weren't many entertainment activities in the countryside. Furthermore, there were indeed quite a few people nearby who believed in Taoism, and since it was hosted by a Taoist temple, they would definitely come back to show their support and give some money.
Gu Xinxin's eyes lit up and she quickly looked at Wang Fengshou - if there was a temple fair in the village, she could sell the small fish at that time.
Wang Fengshou also understood his niece's expression and said with a smile, "Let's go to the town first in the next two days and wait until the temple fair opens."
After a pause, Wang Fengshou lowered his voice and asked, "Xinxin, something suddenly occurred to me this morning: Does the imperial court have a rule that prohibits merchants from taking the imperial examinations? Then what about Xiangrong's studies..."
"Our family is hunters, not merchants." Gu Xinxin said with a smile. Hunters and farmers have the same household registration.
You couldn't just become a merchant if you wanted to. The court had to approve you for being wealthy enough. At the very least, you had to have a permanent shop and run a business for at least a year.
It's not like ordinary people who farm during the busy farming season and do small business during the slack farming season.
If this is the case, farmers' livelihood will probably be much more difficult, after all, buying and selling grain involves both buying and selling.
Gu Xinxin smiled and said, "Besides, we can buy people later..."
She coughed lightly. This was a loophole. As long as the shop was not under her name, the business would not be hers.
Moreover, there are other loopholes that can be exploited, such as women's dowries, ancestral property, etc. If you make money, you can also buy land. The more land you have, the more tenants you need. Then, if you open a workshop, it will not be considered a business.
In terms of household registration, the imperial court actually had relatively detailed and strict regulations.
Wang Fengshou didn't quite understand: "Buy someone? What if that person runs away?"
"We can sign a death contract." Gu Xinxin said, pursing her lips. Now she was so proficient in buying people. It was true that the environment changed people. She used to love peace and liked to convince others with reason.
Now, he always wants to use force to subdue others, especially to beat Gu Daniu...
Wang Fengshou lowered his head in thought, and Gu Xinxin quickly reminded him, "Uncle, it's too early to say this now. We don't know if Xiaoyuzi's business will be successful."
If the business of Xiaoyuzai is good, we can develop other products such as instant fish balls - they are sealed and can be eaten as soon as the can is opened. They can be used as a side dish or a staple food.
Again, the key is the recipe of the seasoning.
Wang Fengshou cheered up and called Wang Zhao to help him cast the net. Since they wanted small fish, they needed a finer net. They also wanted big fish. The ones they had finally caught couldn't be thrown away. They would make fish balls or just eat them at home.
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