73. Compensation
◎“For example, making a suggestive move on me, taking advantage of me a little.”◎
For our first New Year's Eve dinner in Jinzhou, the Shen family prepared a very lavish spread, including the currently popular reunion hot pot, as well as clear chicken soup, vegetarian assorted dishes, steamed fish, and much more—a whole table full of dishes.
Sitting at the table were Xiao Pingchuan, Shi Ye, Xu Youcai, Su Yubai, Ju Tao, and Liu Zimu, all of whom were people Shen Suqin knew from Jinzhou.
She picked up a bowl of wine: "It's rare for everyone to be gathered here, so we must drink this bowl. May we have many more years like this and many more days like this."
"May this day come again every year!" Xiao Pingchuan was the first to agree.
Su Yubai laughed at his sycophancy, but then quickly raised his glass as well.
Shi Ye admired Su Yubai's carefree personality. Although the two had not officially met, it did not stop them from clinking glasses.
"Bang!" Glasses clinked together, the aroma of wine filled the air, laughter mingled with the occasional sound of firecrackers outside the window, creating a lively atmosphere.
After several rounds of drinks, everyone's faces showed signs of intoxication.
Su Yubai pulled Shi Ye aside to complain about how ruthless the Pei family was, while Xu Youcai dragged Liu Zimu along, saying that he was growing up fast. Meanwhile, Shen Suqin and Xiao Pingchuan secretly left their seats and went to the corridor.
The night wind was chilly, and the red lanterns cast an ambiguous candlelight.
Xiao Pingchuan stood side by side with her, deliberately keeping a distance.
"Here, take this." Xiao Pingchuan took a small wooden box out of his sleeve pocket.
Shen Suqin took it and opened it; it was a pair of red agate earrings, made from the same piece of agate as the broken hairpin.
"You've finished grinding."
“Yes,” Xiao Pingchuan said. “Originally I didn’t want to give it to you because I thought it was unlucky, but then I thought that if you don’t mind, it can serve as a reminder to me.”
"What should we be wary of?"
“Remind yourself not to let you suffer,” Xiao Pingchuan said slowly, looking up at the night sky. “I’m not like Shen Yubai, who can help you with business; I’m not like that Liu Zimu, who can make you happy. I have nothing but an army. Not only can I not help you, but I also have to rely on you in every way.” He turned to look at Shen Suqin. “Sometimes I wonder if it’s unfair to you that I’m clinging to you so desperately.”
Xiao Pingchuan rarely spoke to Shen Suqin so frankly.
“But I’m not willing to give up,” he continued. “I’ll be happy just to be by your side. I want to see you and hear you talk all the time. Just consider me selfish.”
Shen Suqin listened quietly; she had never heard similar words anywhere else.
It's a strange feeling, like a small blade of grass hidden by the roadside. It might bloom, but it's not special, so no one notices it.
One day, someone passed by and pointed at the little grass, saying, "Look, it's so special."
Then the little grass will really want to bloom for this person to see, so that he can always see it.
"Xiao Pingchuan, have you thought about what you'll do after the war ends?" Shen Suqin asked.
Xiao Pingchuan thought about it seriously and said, "I want to buy a house with a yard so I can sunbathe in the yard."
"Just sunbathing?"
"Of course not."
"What else?"
"I'll raise one or two more kids with you. You'll teach them business and education, and I'll teach them boxing," Xiao Pingchuan thought to himself.
"I can't tell you," he said with a smile. "If I did, you'd definitely get angry again."
Shen Suqin hates it when people only say half of what they mean, so she was already starting to get annoyed.
Xiao Pingchuan immediately noticed. He turned to face her, put his hands on her shoulders, and gently pulled her closer.
This is a method he recently learned to quickly appease Shen Suqin, and so far it has been quite effective.
"Speaking of which, I've been eating and drinking so much for free, doesn't Miss Shen want to ask for some compensation?" Xiao Pingchuan asked.
Shen Suqin asked knowingly, "What kind of reward do you want?"
Xiao Pingchuan took two steps closer, "For example, you could flirt with me a little and take advantage of me."
"What advantage do you have to gain?" Shen Suqin's smile reached his eyes.
Xiao Pingchuan pulled open the collar of his outer robe, took her hand and pressed it against his chest, saying, "It feels nice here." Then, he pulled her hand down to his abs, saying, "It feels nice here too."
Shen Suqin's ears gradually warmed up, and she whispered, "There are people inside."
"They can't hear."
The two were very close at this moment. Shen Suqin was almost buried in Xiao Pingchuan's chest, and his body heat was so strong that it made her mouth dry.
After New Year's Eve, Xiao Pingchuan resumed morning and evening military training, preparing to lead the scout battalion back to their garrison at Shule River.
Shi Ye then took the measured acreage and meticulously planned how to distribute the land to each household.
Su Yubai was the busiest. A new batch of vegetables had been planted in the greenhouse, and the soap workshop was on the agenda, with construction underway in the western suburbs. At the same time, Shen Suqin explained to him in detail the existence of cotton, and that after the New Year, Shen Suqin planned to requisition a greenhouse to cultivate cotton seeds, wheat, sweet potatoes, and other crops.
"You mean cotton can be spun into thread and woven into cloth like silk?" Su Yubai asked.
“Yes, cotton is cheaper than silk and warmer and more skin-friendly than linen. I believe it will sell very well when it hits the market,” Shen Suqin said.
The Su family previously only dealt in the silk business and dealt with wealthy people.
In the past two years, the strength of the Great Liang Dynasty has declined, and fewer and fewer people can afford silk. The Su family has also inevitably gone downhill.
This is precisely why Su Yubai was tempted when Shen Suqin offered to help him expand into the northern market.
“Cotton cloth, cotton cloth,” Su Yubai pondered, “There are plenty of people in Daliang who need cotton cloth, this business has great potential.”
"Moreover, cotton can replace cattail fluff and be used as filling in the middle of a padded jacket. This type of clothing is just as warm as fur."
"Really?"
"Absolutely true."
Su Yubai was so excited he almost lost his composure. If that were really the case, then there was no need to worry about the Su family's rise.
“I have someone here who knows how to grow cotton. After the New Year, I will arrange for him to go to the western suburbs. You should have Zhou Baihu fully cooperate with him. The future of the Su family depends entirely on him.”
Su Yubai solemnly replied, "I know."
And so, after the Lantern Festival, when the weather warmed up a bit, Luo Su moved to the western suburbs.
Currently, several houses have been built in the western suburbs for people to live in, used to guard the greenhouses. Others are for the workers who built the soap workshop, and during the day, the area is bustling with people, even more so than the city.
Zhou Baihu knew that the higher-ups valued Luo Su highly, so he personally arranged accommodation for him and assigned two people to help him.
Su Yubai would visit Luo Su every morning and evening. After doing this so many times, Luo Su would avoid him whenever he saw him, and he was really annoyed by Su Yubai's constant questioning about the progress.
On the eighteenth day of the first month, the first general's order was issued throughout Jinzhou, stating: "From this day forward, the equal-field system shall be implemented in all areas, with the household registration departments of each prefecture and county in charge, and land shall be distributed equally per capita, with 20 mu for adult men and 15 mu for widows, concubines and unmarried women, regardless of age. Merchants, artisans and officials shall receive half the land of ordinary people, and the land shall be returned to the court upon their old age and death."
This decree shocked the entire nation.
The first to react were the migrants from various places, especially those from Jinzhou, who inquired whether they could be allocated land if they returned to Jinzhou.
In response, Jinzhou replied that as long as people returned to their original place of residence, they could be allocated land; people from other prefectures and counties who registered in Jinzhou could also be allocated land.
This move prompted a surge of refugees heading north, and the official roads became incredibly crowded.
There were also those who strongly opposed it, namely the aristocratic families.
Their objection was based on the fact that land is the foundation of the nation, and such a hasty decision would undermine national prestige. Moreover, the land already has owners; what would happen to those owners if it were divided up so arbitrarily?
No one paid any attention to such a far-fetched reason. Only a few powerful families banded together and asked Emperor Jingkang to stop Xiao Pingchuan.
Emperor Jingkang replied, "Jinzhou is now under the jurisdiction of Xiao Pingchuan, so he shouldn't interfere."
With this, the Equal-Field System was firmly established, and a vigorous land redistribution began throughout Jinzhou.
The local official system in Jinzhou had long since collapsed, and there was no one in charge. On the surface, Xiao Pingchuan had full autonomy, but in reality, he had not established an official team.
The reasons are twofold: first, there's no one available; second, there's no money.
Fortunately, when Shi Ye arrived, he brought along the Crown Prince's guest ministers, the Grand Tutor, and others, and temporarily formed a team that traveled to various counties and prefectures in Jinzhou every day.
Because Xu Youcai had been involved in this matter, he also took it upon himself to lead the demobilized soldiers to the fields and villages to register the displaced people. Shen Suqin also assigned Liu Zimu to him as a training opportunity.
The Yang family were from Yongluo County in Jinzhou. They left Yongluo for the capital two years ago to find a way to make a living, and the whole family has been living in a refugee village on the outskirts of the capital ever since.
After the riot, his family left the refugee village and traveled to Liangzhou, where they still had to beg for food to survive.
Old Yang had two sons and a grandson. His wife was dead, and his daughter had long been sold by him.
Hearing that Jinzhou was distributing land for free, the family of four hurriedly headed back to their hometown. They didn't dare to rest along the way, fearing that if they arrived too late, the land would be gone.
After walking for more than half a month, Old Man Yang and his family finally arrived at Yangjia Village in Ming County, Yongluo Prefecture. As soon as he returned to the village, he saw several old acquaintances. They had all escaped together, and he never expected to be able to return alive to see their ancestors.
"How did you get your household registration?" Old Man Yang asked a fellow villager. This person had returned early and he'd heard that he'd already been allocated land.
"You can just go to the county government office to handle it yourself."
"What do you need? Silver?"
"No need. Just get the village head to issue a document proving you're from this village. It's no trouble."
"That simple?"
"Of course."
Old Man Yang couldn't believe it. He packed all his belongings and went to the village headman with trepidation, and then went to the county government office with even more anxiety.
Upon seeing him, the person in charge immediately reached out and asked him for the documents without saying a word.
Old Yang respectfully handed it to him. The official glanced at it, and after confirming that everything was correct, added the names of his family of four to the household register: "Done. Take it back and let your village officials allocate land to you."
Old Man Yang's eyes widened. It was done just like that? Without spending a single tael of silver or saying a single extra word.
"Thank you, thank you." He bowed repeatedly.
The official waved his hand: "Next."
A few days later, Old Man Yang's family was allocated a plot of land, located at the westernmost edge of Yangjia Village, totaling eighty mu (approximately 1.3 hectares), a very large area.
"Spring plowing is coming soon. There's a policy from above that allows us to rent seeds and oxen, and return them after the autumn harvest," the village headman instructed. "It's getting late, so hurry up and turn over the soil so we don't miss the spring plowing."
Old Yang was moved to tears. "You are a just and upright official!" He never expected that even the seeds had been planned out. What reason was there for them to leave Jinzhou?
Xiao Pingchuan left on the 20th day of the first lunar month, and Shen Suqin went to see him off on that day.
On his tall horse, Xiao Pingchuan, dressed in a black outfit, resembled an ancient and sharp sword, with a group of silent elite scouts behind him.
Since the last incident, Shen Suqin felt that she had become estranged from the Black Flag Army's scout battalion, so she did not want to waste Xiao Pingchuan's time. She only instructed him: "The monthly military pay of 100,000 will continue as before. If it is not enough, just tell me."
Xiao Pingchuan: "Thank you for your hard work."
Shen Suqin shook her head: "Take care of yourself, go ahead, don't be late."
Xiao Pingchuan nodded and raised his arm, saying, "Let's go!"
The troops responded to the call, and the spirited horses neighed, reared up, and charged out with a roar.
In the blink of an eye, the group disappeared on the horizon.
Ju Tao patted Shen Suqin on the shoulder and said, "Master Su is still waiting for you."
Shen Suqin turned around and said, "Let's go to the western suburbs."
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