Unlimited estates for rural beauty-Chapter 598 Tragic Death (2)
"Hehe, don’t be nervous, Grandpa, I’m just chatting with you."
"I-I’m not nervous," the old man claimed he wasn’t nervous, yet his hands began to tremble slightly.
Upon seeing this, Feng Xuxu slightly shifted her eyes and called over Qiqi and Yueyue who were nearby. The old man saw these two adorable children, and after talking for a while, a smile appeared on his face: "Girl, let me tell you, my grandson is about the same age as Qiqi, with a sturdy and smart look about him!" He was no longer nervous at this point.
When he began talking about children, his entire demeanor brightened. It’s said that grandparents dote on their grandchildren, and this seemed to be true.
"Sturdy and smart? That’s much better than when we were kids. I remember only getting a meal of rice porridge during the New Year." Feng Xuxu hugged Yueyue in her arms and sighed softly.
"You had it good back then, not having experienced a famine year. I remember during my childhood encountering one; no food, what to do, can’t just wait to starve, right? So we’d run to the mountains to forage. People back then were like crazy, fighting over tree leaves. When the leaves were gone, they ate the bark, and when that was gone, they dug up roots. In short, we ate anything that could fill our stomachs," the old man said, his face filled with sorrow.
"Exactly, still, lots of people died in the village," Wang Sanniang brought over two bowls of tea, handing one to Feng Xuxu as she said.
She placed another bowl on the windowsill and said to the old man: "I’ve put your water behind you, drink it when you’re thirsty."
"Aye, got it," the old man replied, smiling and nodding at her.
Wang Sanniang smiled: "My dear, you two chat, I’ll go get you some peanuts."
"Thank you, ma’am."
"No need for thanks," Wang Sanniang walked off cheerfully.
"Grandpa, what happened afterward?"
"Afterward, ah, things got better. We held out until autumn, and the Imperial Court reduced taxes. We finally had some surplus grain at home and made it through that famine."
"How about now? Do you have enough food at home?"
"Enough, more than enough, we can even save quite a bit of grain every year." Saying this, the old man’s face broke into an even wider smile.
After listening, Feng Xuxu nodded: "Seeing that your village has all these nice tile-roofed houses, life must be much better now than before."
"That’s true. You see our village’s houses, and the other villages are the same. Ever since we started planting high-yield rice in our village, our lives have improved a lot. As long as we work hard in our fields, the more grain we produce, the more we get to keep," the old man said with a laugh.
Feng Xuxu could see that he was indeed happy at the moment.
"What do you mean ’the more land you farm, the more you get to keep’?"
"Oh, we sold our land to Mandala Villa. Initially, they hired us and paid each person a tael of silver per month. Later, Young Master Feng implemented a new policy. As long as the yield per acre for the landlord is high, they divide the total grain yield in half and give it to us. This way, we not only ensure a monthly income of a tael of silver, but we also don’t need to buy grain. We’re saving up silver for nothing, and the village is raising livestock too. When the time comes, someone will come to buy them, and that’s another substantial income. Now, the slightly older children in the village are all attending school."
Feng Xuxu nodded, satisfied with what she had found out during her visit. "Water can carry a boat or capsize it," she thought. "As long as the people are strong, the whole country will grow stronger."
She was just about to stand up when she heard the old man let out a sigh, and Feng Xuxu’s brows furrowed lightly: "Grandpa, what’s wrong?"
"I still can’t believe these good times are really here before my eyes. But how can you not believe it? Looking at the big houses and the grain in the warehouse, it’s like I’m dreaming," the old man said, his head lowered in emotion.
