Reborn as a Landlord-Chapter 819 - 418: Farewell
The third watch, seeking subscribers.
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Lian Jizu summoned the bailiffs, and Woo Ergou and Woo Sangou brothers finally agreed to pay the land rent earnestly. The Lian Family’s twenty-four acres of land had not underperformed as they claimed, quite the opposite; thanks to this year’s favorable weather and the meticulous care that Old Master Lian and his grandchildren had given the crops, the Lian Family’s land yielded a bountiful harvest. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺
The Woo Family Brothers brought out the grain they had hidden away, and the proceeds from the portion they had previously sold were accounted for.
Firstly, it was the provisions for Lian Shouli’s family of three. These days, Lian Shouli had been running errands for Lian Jizu and had been quite busy. Lian Yeye did not stand on ceremony either; taking the list that Manman had prepared, she began to weigh out the grain.
Peanuts one hundred catties (with shells), sorghum eight hundred catties, millet two hundred catties, soybeans eighty catties, and azuki beans twenty catties.
The Lian Yeye Household had enough peanuts for occasional enjoyment as a treat, and they planned to sell the entire hundred catties of peanuts to exchange for money, which would bring in at least one to two taels of silver. Sorghum was the staple grain for their daily meals, while millet and azuki beans would be used for dumplings during winter and rice dumplings for the next Dragon Boat Festival. As for the soybeans, they could be exchanged for tofu, soy oil, or sprouted for eating.
This would cover the year’s supply of grain. Old Master Lian had promised them a year’s supply of provisions, and both inside and outside the household, it was known that their request was neither too much nor too little.
As for the remaining portion, aside from the grain for tax, Lian Jizu took three shares, while the Woo Family kept one.
Peanuts six hundred catties, sorghum two thousand two hundred catties, millet five hundred catties, soybeans two hundred catties, and azuki beans one hundred catties, Lian Jizu had received these amounts as rent.
The Woo Family Brothers also got a substantial share: peanuts three hundred catties, sorghum eight hundred catties, millet two hundred catties, soybeans fifty catties, and azuki beans thirty catties. Just by harvesting the crops, they could receive such a share, making the Woo Family the top household in the ten villages and eight camps around. Besides these grains, the firewood harvested from the land also went to the Woo Family.
One must not underestimate the value of this firewood; if sold, it could fetch a good amount of money. During the cold winters at Thirty Mile Camp, the tenant farmers mainly relied on burning the stalks and firewood from the fields for heating. Families with insufficient land and firewood would find their homes as cold as a freezing cellar. In the winter, tenant farmer families prefer to eat less rather than have a cold home.
Even so, after the bailiffs left, Old Lady Wu, Woo Ergou, and Wang Sangou brothers and others were still crying and cursing at the doorway for a while. They were simply berating Lian Jizu for throwing his weight around and being rich but uncompassionate.
Lian Jizu was not present at the time, but he became annoyed when he heard about it later. Lian Jizu then made it known that he wanted to take back the land and not let the Woo Family Brothers farm it anymore. Upon hearing this, the Woo Family Brothers put on smiling faces and went to Lian Jizu, pleading with him not to take back the land.
Due to the rent collection, there was quite a commotion for a few days before things calmed down. The Lian Manman family had to look after the shop and workshop, were busy with transporting manure to the fields, and filtering grape wine, so they were too busy and lacking the time and energy to get involved.
That day, after breakfast, Lian Jizu and Lady Chiang came over to talk, saying that they would return to Taicang tomorrow.
"Is everything arranged?" Lian Shouxin asked, "Have you hired the carts? How many and from where?"
"It’s all set, we hired carts from our own town." answered Lian Jizu, then after a pause, he added, "Uncle, I only hired one cart. I’ve sold all the grain."
"What?" Lian Shouxin was shocked, as he had been so busy that he had only been to the grain weighing once, and had no idea about Lian Jizu selling the grain.
Lian Jizu did not inform or consult anyone about selling the grain; it was his own decision. Lian Jizu had experience in selling grain. Before the family split, when Lian Shouren’s family lived in town, they would transport grain from the old house to the town every year, and then Lian Shouren and Lian Jizu would either sell it directly in town or carry it to the county city to sell.
"Didn’t your father say to transport the grain directly back home?" Lian Shouxin asked Lian Jizu.
"That’s what my father said." Lian Jizu replied, "But to transport all this grain, we would need to hire three or four large carts, and the carriage fees wouldn’t be small. By exchanging the grain for money, I can simply carry it back with me. Once we’re in Taicang, we can buy whatever we want to eat. The prices are more or less the same."
The price at which tenant farmers sell grain and the price at which the grain stores sell grain are obviously different. There is a price difference. However, as Lian Jizu said, when including the cost of transporting the grain to Taicang, it roughly breaks even.
