Chapter 64: Buying Land Again

Chapter 64: Chapter 64: Buying Land Again

Gu Qingli nudged Xiao Yunjing, who was still daydreaming beside her. This fellow always seemed to be lost in his own thoughts.

Xiao Yunjing snapped back to reality and said, “Hmm, Li’er, don’t worry. Think about that trip I took.”

Oh!

Gu Qingli had a sudden realization.

This fellow went to the Secret Sect, didn’t he? Would the Secret Sect be short of silver? It seems being poor for a while has indeed limited my thinking.

Gu Qingli smiled awkwardly.

No wonder her father-in-law is so confident; he could probably buy all of Qinghe County without any problem.

But this fellow doesn’t give me any money!

Gu Qingli pouted, feeling quite displeased.

Xiao Yunjing saw her pouting and knew she was upset. He nudged her and whispered in her ear, “I’ll take you to the County Town tomorrow.”

Gu Qingli’s eyes instantly lit up. She nodded. It was a perfect opportunity to see if there were any medicinal material seeds. If they bought a hundred acres of wasteland, digging up saplings from the mountain wouldn’t be very realistic.

The others at the table, accustomed to the young couple’s little interactions, simply continued eating quietly.

After dinner, as everyone was tired from the day, they all went to bed early.

「The next day,」

Eldest Brother Xiao and Second Brother Xiao took their respective wives up the mountain to prepare the land. Xiao Yunjing, on the other hand, took Gu Qingli to the County Town, and also to drop off the five children at the town’s schoolhouse.

Meanwhile, Mr. Xiao and Ms. Jiang, after their meal, headed to the Village Chief’s house.

“Eh? Tie Zhu, Tie Zhu’s wife, what brings you here so early? Are you looking for help with farming?” Gu Chang’an, the Village Chief, encountered Mr. Xiao and his wife just as he was about to leave.

“Village Chief, are you heading out?” Ms. Jiang asked.

“Ah, I’m going to the County Town to buy some seeds.”

“Oh, that’s perfect then,” Ms. Jiang quickly explained their purpose. “You know we bought those twenty acres of wasteland, right? Third Brother’s wife wants to use it to grow medicinal materials. We discussed it and thought, why not just buy that whole stretch of wasteland and let her cultivate it.”

“Oh? Growing medicinal materials?” Gu Chang’an’s eyes lit up. He quickly called his eldest son to bring out stools and invited Mr. Xiao and Ms. Jiang to sit down. He wanted to hear more about this matter of growing medicinal materials.

Qinghe Village was backed by the great Azure Dragon Mountain. Although the mountain was rich in resources, the villagers could only access a limited amount. This was mainly due to the ferocious birds and beasts residing in the deep parts of the mountain. Generally, people without decent martial skills and hunting experience dared not venture in; at most, they could only gather some limited things from the periphery.

There was a lot of wasteland and many barren mountains in the village.

If the villagers were to reclaim the wasteland and learn to plant medicinal materials from Xiaoli, would they still need to worry about their future livelihoods? If successful, this would solve a major livelihood problem for Qinghe Village!

Year after year, the villagers toiled on their land, but after paying taxes, there was hardly any surplus grain left.

If they reclaimed the wasteland to plant medicinal materials, they wouldn’t have to pay taxes for the first five years. That’s like getting free money for five years! With that free money, they could surely buy some grain, right?

Ms. Jiang nodded. “Yes, that’s what Third Brother’s wife said. They’ve gone to the County Town to buy medicinal material seeds. She also mentioned that if anyone in the village is willing to plant, she can teach them the methods. However, Third Brother’s wife also said that she’s learning as she goes, as it’s her first time planting. It’s risky, so everyone should think it through carefully before planting. Whether it succeeds or fails, there should be no complaints.”

“I trust Xiaoli,” Gu Chang’an responded without hesitation. “This is a beneficial thing for the people. If it’s successful, Xiaoli will once again be a great benefactor to the village! Besides, wasteland is tax-free for the first five years. Even if the first year is a failure, the loss won’t be significant; at most, it’s a loss of some labor.”

“Father, weren’t you going to the County Town?” Gu Dacheng, who had been listening intently, quickly said to Gu Chang’an. “Those few barren mountains opposite our village, we could buy one of them first.”

“Yes, Father! Xiaoli told us first, so we should definitely seize the initiative, right?” Ms. Qiao, who happened to overhear, quickly chimed in. She was afraid her father-in-law wouldn’t listen to her husband. After speaking, she even winked at Ms. Fang.

Ms. Fang smiled and added, “Father, I also think Eldest Sister-in-law has a point. We should follow Xiaoli’s lead.”

Last year, following Xiaoli to dig up medicinal materials, their family earned a full twenty taels of silver just from selling them. If they bought a mountain, that would be at least fifty to sixty acres. If they reclaimed it and planted, wouldn’t the investment be recouped from just one sale of medicinal materials?

After a moment of thought, Gu Chang’an said, “Alright, in that case, I won’t go to the County Town for now. Eldest Son, go notify every household to gather at the threshing ground for a meeting.”

He was the Village Chief; he couldn’t just think of himself. For such an important matter, he had to inform the villagers first. He wanted to set an example of fairness and integrity, to be a good Village Chief.

Gu Dacheng nodded, rose, went into the house, grabbed a bronze gong, and went out.

A short while later, the sound of his gong and his shouts echoed, “DANG! DANG! DANG! Everyone, gather at the threshing ground for a meeting this morning!”

“Village Chief, since you have matters to attend to, we’ll take our leave,” Mr. Xiao said, handing three hundred taels in silver bank notes to Gu Chang’an, preparing to depart with Ms. Jiang. They didn’t need to attend the meeting.

They were both surprised that the Village Chief had approved the matter so quickly; they had thought it would take a lot more persuasion. Third Brother’s wife was right. She had said that as long as the Village Chief was informed, he would definitely be interested. They hadn’t had much confidence initially. After all, it was Third Brother’s wife’s first time planting; surely no one would believe in it. People would rather go to the mountains to dig up existing medicinal materials.

“Alright,” Gu Chang’an said. “I’ll have the deed sent to you once it’s ready. Eldest Daughter-in-law, please see Mr. Xiao and Ms. Jiang out.”

“No need, no need, Sister Qiao,” Ms. Jiang quickly waved her hands. “You must be busy. It’s just a short walk, we’ll be home in no time.” With that, she and Mr. Xiao left.

As they reached the village entrance, two government officers approached them. The officers hurried forward, clasped their hands in a salute, and asked, “Excuse me, could you tell us how to get to Gu Dalin’s house?”

Mr. Xiao’s mind raced, and he instantly knew why they were here.

So he said, “We can take you there.”

The two officers clasped their hands again. “Many thanks!”

When Mr. Xiao led the two officers to Gu Dalin’s house, Ms. Wu was just preparing to go to the meeting. She saw Mr. Xiao and Ms. Jiang leading two officers into her yard.

“Elder Brother In-law, Elder Sister In-law, who are they?” Ms. Wu stepped forward and asked.

“They’re looking for you,” Ms. Jiang replied.

“Is this the home of Gu Qingyun and Gu Qingyang?” one of the officers immediately asked.

“Yes, I am their mother. Are you here to deliver the silver bank notes?” Ms. Wu asked.

“Yes.” The officer took out two sheets of paper and an ink-pad. He handed a hundred-tael silver bank note to Ms. Wu and had her press her handprint onto one of the sheets.

Mr. Xiao glanced at the paper; it was a receipt. He said nothing.

Once their business was concluded, the two officers quickly departed, not even accepting the tea money Ms. Wu offered.

“Elder Sister In-law, you’re also going to the meeting, right? Let’s go together,” Ms. Wu said to Ms. Jiang after carefully putting away the silver bank note.

Ms. Jiang waved her hand. “We’re not going.”

She then explained that the Village Chief was calling everyone for a meeting regarding Xiaoli’s idea to plant medicinal materials, and added, “You might also consider buying some wasteland and farmland.”

“Is that so?” Ms. Wu said thoughtfully. “I can’t make the decision on this myself. I’ll have to discuss it with the children’s father.”

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