stingy landlady

Chapter 39 Decides to Buy Wasteland

"Master, sir! It's valuable for its price! Having a carriage will make it much easier to go anywhere!"

Old Zhou said respectfully to the old man and Dazhu.

Guizhi also thought the carriage was really expensive.

"Father! The carriage we saw today was a ready-made one that cost twenty taels of silver. I heard it's the style that carriage shops always order. If we want to have one custom-made, it will cost at least forty taels!"

"Then you should just buy the cheaper ones! I shouldn't interfere, but I have to say it anyway. Save money where you can now, and you can change them later when you have the means!" the old man said.

Dazhu immediately chimed in, "Alright! I'll do as your father says! We'll buy a ready-made carriage tomorrow!"

Then, like a sycophant, he asked the old man, "Dad! Shall we go to the village chief's house?"

"Okay! Let's go!" The old man felt very comfortable being stroked and rubbed.

The father and son went straight to the village chief's house. The village chief, who had nothing to do at the time, was at home playing with his grandson.

Upon seeing Dazhu and his son, his old face immediately broke into a wide smile.

Every time the father and son came to see him, it was good news. "Please come in quickly!"

Dazhu wasn't quite used to the village chief's enthusiasm.

"Honey, pour two glasses of water for Brother Wang and my nephew!"

The old man said, "Village chief, we've come to take a look at the wasteland."

"You're going to clear land? That's great! Which area have you set your sights on?"

"The government still encourages land reclamation," the village chief said.

“We have a lot of land and a small population here. As long as we are willing to work hard, we can still have enough to eat. Unlike in the Guanzhong Plain, where there are frequent droughts and floods. In those years, people would often flee to our place to escape famine.”

"Besides, wasteland is cheap. It's just a matter of putting in some effort!"

"How much is one acre of wasteland?" Dazhu asked.

The village chief took a sip of water and said, "Nephew! The wasteland is one tael of silver per mu, but you will still have to pay for the fees of hiring the government officials to measure it and handling the formalities at the government office."

Dazhu nodded hurriedly, "I know, Uncle Village Chief! It's just that there are a lot of people in my family, and we're just sitting around doing nothing. We might as well try to earn some money by clearing land. Didn't I hear that the first three years are tax-free?"

“Yes! Dazhu! You’d better make sure the land is well-fed and fertile during the first three years of tax exemption. Otherwise, you’ll be making a fuss about not being able to pay taxes when the time comes. The government won’t show us any leniency,” the village chief warned.

“In the past, some people would reclaim wasteland for the sake of a three-year tax exemption, but during those three years they only thought about collecting whatever they could, without the ability to enrich the land. When it came time to pay taxes, they cried and begged, and in the end, they lost both their lives and their wealth.”

"Okay! I understand, Uncle Village Chief!"

Which plot of land have you set your sights on?

The old man said, "Brother Village Chief, Dazhu has his eye on two plots of land. One is the low-lying area under the West Bridge, and the other is the wasteland to the east that leads to the forest farm."

The village chief thought for a moment: "That piece of land to the east is good, but it's a lot of work. Brother Wang, you know how low-lying this area to the west is. If it rains continuously, the river rises, and that whole area will be flooded. Unless..."

Dazhu asked, "Uncle Village Chief, do you have any ideas?"

The village chief pondered for a moment and said, "Unless we raise the dikes on both sides of the river! That's a huge project! And that line is quite long."

Dazhu looked at the old man, who said, "Brother Village Chief, if we were to build this dam, it would cost at least several dozen taels of silver!"

The village chief thought for a moment and said, "It's not that much! Just make it a little higher. The original one is already quite high. If there are consecutive rainy days, it's best to build it a little higher to protect the crops."

Stones and soil are readily available; there's plenty on both sides of the river. Just gradually add more when you have free time. It's just physical labor.

If you hire enough people, it'll only take a few days. Just buy the wasteland on whichever side of the river you want and build the dam there.

Dazhu wanted to know more: "Uncle Village Chief, I don't know either. I haven't thought that much about it. You see, I just need the area from the west bank of the river to the main road, and the low-lying area west of the main road."

"The one on the west side is a bit better. The water isn't much, and there's a ditch right at the foot of the mountain, so the flow isn't usually strong. Just in case, you'd better raise it a bit. It won't be too high. It's all manual work. Seven or eight taels of silver should be about right."

The village chief estimated it again and said, "Building a dam on the West River will cost some money, but it's safe. I estimate it will cost more than ten taels of silver. Moving stones and such will be time-consuming."

This time, the old man went to see Dazhu.

Dazhu thought for a moment and said, "Dad, Uncle Village Chief! I'll reserve the land on the east side first, for two sq.m. As for the land on the west side, I'll go back and discuss it with everyone."

"Big Pillar! That's quite a spacious plot of land!" the village chief said with a smile.

Dazhu looked troubled and said, "Uncle Village Chief, I want to build a house there. The children are growing up and it's inconvenient for them to all be crammed into one room."

Besides, my fifth brother doesn't even have a house yet! He'll be getting married in a couple of years! I've moved out, so if they can build a house, they can make room for me too.”

The village chief sighed and said, "Alas! Not having a house is a big problem. Especially since you have several daughters. It would be inconvenient even if you had many sons."

"Dazhu! Building a house over there is outside the village; your land doesn't belong to the residential land area, so you'll still have to pay taxes in three years."

“Okay! I got it, Uncle Village Chief. I was thinking that if it were more spacious, it would be more convenient to raise pigs, chickens, or ducks. We wouldn’t have to go all the way to find land; we could see it as soon as we stepped out the door.”

"Alright! If you've decided, I'll go to the government office tomorrow to have someone come and take measurements. But the exact date and time of their arrival are not up to me."

Dazhu quickly took out a string of copper coins and handed them to the village chief, saying, "Uncle Village Chief, please take this money. Inviting someone to a meal, a cigarette, or a ride all cost money, right? How can I let you put money into it!"

Seeing that Dazhu was cooperative, the village chief accepted the copper coin. He smiled and said, "It's my duty, but getting things done at the government office really does require money to pave the way. Dazhu, I'll take it! It should make things easier for you when you ask someone for a favor tomorrow!"

Dazhu and the old man stood up:

"Then we'll leave it to the village chief! We'll head back now!"

"Don't mention it! If the authorities come, I'll let you know. Why don't you have a meal before you leave?" The village chief also stood up to see the guests off.

As the old man and Dazhu walked, they said, "No need! Everything's ready at home! Uncle Village Chief, no need to see us off! Go back now! We're leaving the land purchase to you!"

"Don't worry! Take care, I won't see you off!"

"No need to see me off! No need to see me off!"

Dazhu said to his father, "Dad, I'll go straight to the east end of the village and ask Uncle Zhou and Xiao Zhou about the land on the west side of the river. I don't want to buy land that's useless and end up paying extra taxes!"

The old man said, "Alright! More people means more ideas! I have nothing else to do anyway, so I'll go and listen!"

Old Zhou was leading Zhou Mingzhi, Guizhi, and Zhou Qiong to pull weeds in the garden!

"These little greens are growing so well! The day after tomorrow morning, Grandpa Zhou arranged for a few to be taken to the restaurant to sell. He said he'd take as many as we could get!" Guizhi's voice came from behind.

"Alright! The old man got it! Xiao Qiong! Use one hand to pull it slowly, and use the other hand to hold down some soil so you don't pull the seedlings down with it."

Old Zhou slowly gave his granddaughter instructions!

"Third Miss! Xiao Qiong, take your time, no rush. If you accidentally pull a vegetable out, just cover it with soil and press it down firmly with your hand, it will grow back." Zhou Mingzhi also encouraged the two girls.

The grass wasn't growing much, and the group quickly finished pulling it up and went inside to wash their hands.

The old man and Dazhu also came in. But the room was too crowded, and with so many people, they all went to the yard to talk.

The only long bench was also brought out for the old man to sit on.

The old man said to Old Zhou, "Old Zhou! Come and sit down, let's sit together, the two old men! Let the young man stand!"

Old Zhou refused to sit down. "Grandpa, let me stand for a while to stretch my legs. You've walked such a long way, please sit down and rest."

Dazhu looked around and said, "We'll need to get a few more stools. There won't be enough seats when there are more people."

Guizhi asked anxiously, "Dad, let's talk about making the stool later! What did you say when you went to the village chief's house?"

Dazhu reached out and tapped Guizhi's forehead, saying, "This child is even more anxious than I am! The village chief said there's no problem!"

"That's fine! I don't think it's a big deal!" Guizhi said with a smile.

Dazhu added, "The land at the east end is fine. It's the low-lying area to the west that the village chief said will overflow when the river rises during the rainy season, so we need to raise the embankment."

The ditch at the foot of Xishan Mountain also needs to be raised. That will add up to a lot more money!

Dazhu added, "I'm afraid spending money won't help; the crops will be flooded and everything will be ruined. That's why I came back to discuss this with you all, to see if there's any way to resolve this."

Everyone fell into deep thought.

Old Zhou said, "When I was in the village, I saw people digging irrigation ditches to drain the water when they planted rice. It was very convenient."

Several people's eyes lit up.

Zhou Mingzhi continued, "Grandpa, sir, let's dig a few more ditches and have someone raise the dams. That way, there will always be water in the ditches. It will be convenient to release water into the fields whenever we want. Even on rainy days, as long as there is a place for the water to flow, it shouldn't be a big problem."

"I think this is a good idea! Dazhu! It's a good idea, and the money is good too! Digging ditches and building dams will cost a lot more money!" The old man was worried about the money.

Guizhi also sat on the bench, put her arm around the old man's arm and said, "Grandpa, we still have to spend the money we need to spend. If we really clear the wasteland, our family will have several more acres of land!"

Dazhu was also reluctant to spend the money, but he gritted his teeth and said, "Dad, we can use an ox-drawn plow to dig the ditch. We need to buy a horse-drawn cart, so our oxen can be freed up to work in the fields. As for building the dike, we have so many people, so we can all go and move stones. If we find a few more capable workers, we can get it done faster!"

When the old man saw what Dazhu said, he was also tempted: "I, this old man, will drive the cart for you, and you can come back to do the work! Your fourth brother can also lend a hand! There's no hope for Erzhu!"

"Dad, shall I go to the village chief's house now and talk to him again?" Dazhu said, about to leave.

The old man quickly stopped Dazhu: "No need! When he sends someone to measure the east side tomorrow, he can measure the west side on the way. If you rush back now, people will think you've made a lot of money and they'll start to have doubts! Who knows what might happen!"