stingy landlady

Chapter 46 Construction Begins in Low-lying Areas

Guizhi thought for a moment and said, "The land deed is still in our hands. If we're worried about future disputes, it's best to sign a detailed document, specifying how much grain or silver will be paid to the scholar each year. This land is still our family's land."

Li asked again, "Will your fifth uncle pass the exam? We don't even know if he'll let us be listed as scholars after he passes. You know, we've already separated the family!"

Then another thought occurred to me:

"Oh my! If our dozens of acres of land could be exempt from taxation, how much more grain could we harvest!"

"Dad! I just can't figure it out!"

Gui Xiang, who was learning from the housekeeper, suddenly had an epiphany:

"Guizhi, are you thinking of giving Uncle Wu some money to take the imperial examination? That way, if Uncle Wu passes the exam, he won't be able to refuse us?"

Guizhi said, "Elder sister, our mother made new clothes for Fifth Uncle hoping that he would remember this favor."

It's true that my fifth uncle is short of money right now. He'll definitely need to buy research materials in the county town, make friends with his classmates, and cover expenses like meals and lodging!

Of course, helping him now doesn't mean he'll repay us in the future. It all depends on what his parents think!

Li Shi didn't offer any opinion. She could overlook small things like having Si Hui made a dress or some food. But when it came to a few taels of silver, that was enough to buy land.

Dazhu said, "No matter what, he's still my younger brother! As the older brother, I've done my duty."

As for whether he'll still acknowledge me as his elder brother after he passes the imperial examination and becomes an official, that's not up to us. We'll deal with that later.

As for whether or not to give him money, and how much, I'll think about it carefully! I'll decide after I wake up tomorrow!

Dazhu tossed and turned all night, and his eyes were bloodshot the next morning.

"Damn it, if we give our fifth brother five taels of silver, even our own brothers won't believe it, let alone outsiders. If he passes the imperial examination and becomes a scholar, that would be great! If not, consider it a lesson learned!"

As Li put on her clothes, she said, "I'll listen to you! I think my fifth brother is well-educated and reasonable. He even taught Sanya and the others to read and write during the New Year!"

Dazhu felt comforted: "Let's work hard! We'll earn back a few five-taels of silver later!"

"Honey! Let's just pretend we didn't plant any vegetables this year. It'll make you feel better if we think about it that way!"

At noon, the fifth son, Wang Yiyun, came over for dumplings and said goodbye to the old man.

"Dad! My third brother told me that he'll be taking a bus to the county town this afternoon and wants me to go with him. I also want to go to the county town a few days earlier to look for more information, ask around, and prepare. It's better than being completely clueless!"

In front of the old man, Guizhi slipped five taels of silver to Wang Yiyun and said:

"Fifth Uncle! My father said that even a poor family needs to be frugal on the road! Here's five taels of silver for you, wishing you good results in your exams!"

Then, in a sneaky and mischievous tone, he said, "Fifth Uncle! You must study hard and pass the imperial examination to become a scholar! I heard that land registered under a scholar's name is exempt from taxes. We can register our land under your name then, and save the money to support your continued studies to become a provincial graduate and eventually the top scholar!"

Wang Yiyun whispered, "Okay! If Fifth Uncle passes the exam, I'll buy you some delicious food in the county town!"

With the weather improving, Dazhu couldn't worry about when Lao Wu had his exams or when he went to the county town. He wanted to hire someone to assess the feng shui of the house, as he needed to decide when to break ground. He also had to worship the local earth god and prepare materials. He was so busy he was overwhelmed.

The two low-lying areas to the west were entrusted to Zhou Mingzhi for management. Zhou Xing followed his father around, doing all the chores.

Zhou Mingzhi was still a stranger in the village, but Dazhu took him to the village chief and introduced them to each other.

Dazhu said to the village chief, "Uncle Village Chief! This is Zhou Mingzhi, the son of my Uncle Zhou!"

I've already burned the low-lying areas to the west. While the water isn't too deep yet, I need to quickly repair the dikes! I also need to use ox-drawn plows to dig a few ditches so it will be easier to release water later!

Please ask the village chief if anyone is willing to work. We need to recruit ten people and two oxen to plow the fields! We'll provide lunch, and Zhou Mingzhi will take care of things here.

"Uncle Village Chief, we'll need your help even more. We need to find strong, capable workers; repairing the dike requires heavy labor."

The village chief thought for a moment and said, "We have quite a few people in our village. Whether you need someone or not, my two sons will definitely drive the oxen to plow the irrigation ditch for you. The others aren't a problem either. We need someone who knows how to build walls. Dazhu! When do you start working?"

Dazhu replied, "Let's take advantage of the good weather! It starts tomorrow morning! We'll eat breakfast at home, and lunch will be provided! Someone from my family will deliver it to us."

The old man heard that Dazhu was going to build a house and was also busy repairing dikes and digging ditches. He was incredibly busy. Each of these was a major undertaking, the old man said.

“Dazhu, you can’t get fat in one bite. You have to do things one step at a time. If you, as the master, lose your own judgment and make a mess of things, what will happen to the people below? Wouldn’t that be a waste of time and effort?”

She then discussed with Dazhu: "Dazhu! Look at Xiaoyun, he's still young and can't do much physical labor. Let him go to town with Erya and Sanya to deliver vegetables and sell dumplings. They're already familiar with the area, so nothing will happen."

"Building a house is a big deal! We'll hire someone to look at the feng shui, and I'll go with you to find someone! I'll inquire first, so don't rush."

Tomorrow, you'll go with Mingzhi to the low-lying area in the west. First, get things organized there and arrange for the workers to get to work.

The fourth brother doesn't have anything urgent to do right now, so I'll have him go help out tomorrow. With a few family members helping out, the villagers won't be able to slack off and will always find excuses to rest!

You wouldn't believe it, working a day can be a struggle – you're constantly on the go, needing to pee and poop, and then you're left with a sip of water and a smoke. You haven't done much work, but you've already spent all your money.

I have to go and keep an eye on things too. You young people might be too shy to say it, but this old man doesn't care about saving face."

The next morning, Dazhu, along with the village chief's two sons and several other villagers, arrived at the low-lying area to the west. They divided the work: two people drove oxen to plow the irrigation ditch, while two others followed behind, wielding hoes to build embankments on both sides of the ditch.

Six other people were assigned to raise the embankment along the river. Some moved stones, some dug soil, some dug sand, and some built walls.

Zhou Mingzhi carefully directed the group, offering suggestions and guidance from time to time. Sunlight shone on the fields, illuminating the figures of people working diligently.

Li watched Lin Xiaoyun drive away in his carriage, her heart heavy with worry. Only three teenagers were left to do business alone, without any adults accompanying them. She was truly concerned.

Zhou Niangzi, Guixiang, and Zhou Qiong had no time to think about anything else. They were busy preparing meals for the workers and loading them onto oxcarts to be delivered to the fields.

Around noon, Old Zhou drove his oxcart to the field with Zhou Qiong.

Old Zhou shouted loudly, "That's a wrap! That's a wrap! Time to eat!"

The group dropped what they were doing and washed their hands in the river in twos and threes before preparing for their meal.

The village chief's two sons took advantage of the break to let the cattle rest, eat some grass, and drink some water.

Everyone sat together, eating and chatting, laughing and talking, creating a harmonious atmosphere.