I didn't buy that land to grow crops.
Although food is the most important thing for people, and there is a shortage of food in this era, the price of food is still there. If you want to make a fortune by growing food, this amount of land is definitely not enough.
Besides, the soil on that hill isn't very suitable for growing crops. If I plant crops there, after paying the land tax, I probably won't have anything left. I might even end up losing money!
But I don't know whether I have to pay taxes if I buy the hill and develop it myself.
"Village Chief, I'd like to ask, if I buy that small hill, reclaim it, and plant something, do I have to pay land tax?"
The village chief looked at Lin Jiuyue in surprise.
Didn't this girl escape famine? She also grew up in the countryside. How could she not know how the Nanyue Kingdom paid taxes?
"Miss Lin, you still don't know how our Nanyue Kingdom pays taxes?"
Lin Jiuyue smiled awkwardly and said a few words casually.
"Village Chief, when my parents were around, my sister and I didn't really ask about this matter."
The village chief nodded upon hearing this.
It seems that Miss Lin and her brother were also brought up in pampered conditions.
It is estimated that the siblings' parents are gone, so they have no choice but to be forced to grow up, and they became sensible all of a sudden.
"Alas, things in this world are unpredictable. People should always look forward."
Lin Jiuyue responded with a sad look on her face.
Seeing this, the village chief changed the subject and introduced Lin Jiuyue.
"In our Nanyue Kingdom, there are two types of wasteland. The first type doesn't require payment, but you have to cultivate it yourself. You don't have to pay taxes for the first two years of cultivated land. Starting from the third year, taxes will be paid based on the area."
When Lin Jiuyue heard this, her eyes suddenly lit up.
Is there such a good thing? No tax for land reclamation?
"Village head, since there's no tax on reclaiming wasteland, why don't villagers want to reclaim it themselves but rent land from the landlords to cultivate it?"
If you rent land from a landlord and cultivate it, you have to pay rent every year. If you cultivate the land yourself, wouldn’t you save the rent?
In this day and age, renting land from a landlord is not cheap.
The village chief smiled and shook his head.
"You've never been exposed to this before, so it's normal that you don't know. Reclaiming wasteland in that mountain area isn't easy. Not only does it waste a lot of manpower, but the reclaimed land is too poor and will take years to cultivate. It's time-consuming and laborious, and if the land isn't cultivated well, even the seeds might be lost."
Lin Jiuyue: ...
"Village Chief, what about the second option?"
When the village chief saw Lin Jiuyue asking about the second way to pay taxes, he spoke directly without hesitation.
"The second way is to buy wasteland with money. After you reclaim it, you don't have to pay taxes anymore. However, this only applies to the first person who reclaims the wasteland. For example, if you buy and reclaim wasteland, you can only cultivate it yourself. If you sell it to someone else, they will have to pay taxes when they cultivate it again."
Lin Jiuyue frowned.
The second type is equivalent to a one-time deal. And there is no after-sales service.
"Miss Lin, if you really like that little hill, I suggest you just reclaim it and plant as much as you can. We in Nanyue are very supportive of farmers reclaiming wasteland."
"The second option I just mentioned doesn't have any guarantees. To put it bluntly, if there's a war or something unexpected in the future, you'll lose all the money you spent on the wasteland."
Lin Jiuyue lowered his head and thought.
"Village chief, after this wasteland is reclaimed, will the government issue a deed? That is, a land deed."
The village chief nodded.
"Of course the land deed must be processed, otherwise it will be unclear who will own the wasteland in the future."
After hearing this, Lin Jiuyue breathed a sigh of relief.
It would be easy if you can get a land deed.
"Village chief, I want to reclaim that wasteland. Is that okay with you?"
The village chief nodded.
"Of course you can. The wasteland is in our Shangbei Village. Anyone who is a villager of Shangbei Village can reclaim it. But..."
The village chief stopped talking here and looked at Lin Jiuyue.
"Village Chief, what's wrong? Is there any difficulty?"
The village chief nodded.
"Miss Lin, I want to ask you, how much land do you want to reclaim? If it's a little, it's definitely no problem, but I just heard you say that you plan to reclaim all of that small hill. There's so much wasteland, if you reclaim it all, the villagers will probably have objections."
Although the wasteland belongs to Shangbei Village and all villagers in Shangbei Village can reclaim it, if Lin Jiuyue's family reclaims all the mountain land, the villagers will inevitably have objections.
Lin Jiuyue smiled awkwardly.
"Village chief, to be honest, I just like that small hill. That's why I want to open it up. If it's too small, I won't want it. It's not easy for me to manage the land if it's all scattered here and there, right?"
"Well, Village Chief, that little hill belongs to our Shangbei Village. I do have some ideas about that land. Why don't you talk to the villagers and see what they think? If they all agree, I'm willing to give them some compensation."
Lin Jiuyue thought that her family had taken away the collective interests of the villagers. Although this was legal, she still felt a little guilty.
Giving the villagers some compensation is reasonable, but if it exceeds my budget, I don't want it.
After hearing this, the village chief's frown relaxed.
"Okay, Miss Lin, I really need to inform the villagers about this matter."
The Lin family reclaimed not just one or two acres, not just a few acres, but all of it! As the village chief, I couldn't make such a hasty decision on such a big matter.
Lin Jiuyue nodded.
"Village Chief, then, when do you think it's appropriate for us to tell the villagers?"
The village chief looked up at the sky.
"Wait a little longer. At noon, the villagers will go home to eat. By then, everyone will be at home."
Lin Jiuyue nodded.
"Okay, then I'll trouble the village chief."
After Lin Jiuyue finished speaking, she took out a tael of silver from her purse and stuffed it into the village chief's hand.
The village chief quickly declined.
"Miss Lin, what are you doing?"
Lin Jiuyue smiled.
"Village chief, you've been running around for me all this time. I feel a little guilty about this, but I can't let you help me for nothing. Take this little bit of silver and buy some wine. Consider it a token of my appreciation."
Lin Jiuyue knew that money could get things done. If she asked the village chief for help, she would have to give him some money. That way, he would do his best to help her, right?
The village chief did not accept Lin Jiuyue's money.
"Miss Lin, you're too polite. This is my job, so how can I accept your money? Besides, I haven't even finished this matter yet, so I don't have the nerve to use your money to buy wine, right?"
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