The Daily Life of Farming and Raising Children in Ancient Mountain Residences

Chapter 209: Granting Land

What specifics to inquire about before leaving needed careful discussion. At the village outskirts, where people usually gathered for reading or for Shopkeeper Xu to teach the children about business, not only were the villagers present, but also the heads of the Feng, Zheng, Zhou, and Gan families hurried over upon hearing the news.

By now, there were fewer restrictions at the village outskirts. Since all the old and young from the valley had moved out, those who rarely went out, like Mrs. Lu and Mrs. Xu, had gradually interacted with people from nearby villages. This summer, when Feng Liuniang discovered she was pregnant, Mrs. Lu invited her mother-in-law over to visit. After Feng’s mother came and found things were not as bad as she had imagined, she saw no issues in interacting with others. Subsequently, Gan Shi’s mother and Zhou Laizi’s wife occasionally came over, and interactions became more frequent.

Thus, when these families arrived, Shen Jin and Shi Erniu, who were practicing staff techniques and swordsmanship at the village outskirts, led them to the grass hut.

They only dispersed around dusk.

The next morning, Shen Lie and Shopkeeper Xu left the inner area with some provisions and water, carrying the hopes and anxieties of the two villages.

—

Not far outside of Shezhou City, after nearly a year and a half, Shopkeeper Xu once again met an old acquaintance—a steward from the Wang family, who had good relations with both him and the Wei family.

The steward, about forty years old, was accompanied by a young man in his twenties. Upon seeing Shopkeeper Xu, the steward smiled and quickly walked over, “I guessed it was you just from the handwriting.”

Shopkeeper Xu also hurried to greet him, addressing him as Manager Wang and calling out the name of the young man, who was Manager Wang’s son.

Manager Wang looked Shopkeeper Xu up and down. Seeing that he appeared to be in good spirits, even better than the last time they met, he was somewhat relieved and asked, “How are Young Master Qi, Qinghe, and your little one?”

Young Master Qi referred to Wang Yunzheng, who was the seventh son in the Wang family.

Shopkeeper Xu smiled and nodded, “Thanks to you, they’re all well.”

After exchanging a few pleasantries and introducing Shen Lie, they got down to business. Shopkeeper Xu took out the edicts he had had copied and handed them to Manager Wang, saying, “Manager Wang, I came out specifically because of these. I want to ask what the situation is outside now—whether it’s suitable to come out?”

Manager Wang glanced through them and showed a hint of a smile. “Your information is quite timely.”

He folded the papers and returned them to Shopkeeper Xu, saying, “This current ruler is quite capable and open-minded. Do you know how our former King of Chu was captured?”

“How?”

“The King of Qi’s reputation was so great and he won people’s hearts. Several generals under the King of Chu surrendered to Qi in the midst of battle. When the generals surrendered, the morale of the troops naturally fell apart, and capturing the King of Chu didn’t take much effort. So, how long do you think State of Chen can hold out? They’ve been fighting in the north for nearly five years—aren’t the soldiers tired?”

Shen Lie raised an eyebrow. “If the King of Qi treats the surrendered generals well, given his current momentum, the soldiers of State of Chen might be disheartened even before a real battle begins.”

Manager Wang laughed. “That’s exactly it. Our King of Qi doesn’t care about these things. This isn’t like a few years ago; the situation is almost settled. What’s the use of stubborn resistance? Being destroyed is meaningless, but surrendering might still offer some prospects. Even risking one’s life for a few years would not be in vain. I believe that peace is near. Even if another person like the King of Qi were to appear, it’s unlikely they could stir up much trouble.”

The times make the hero, and that opportunity has passed. Moreover, the King of Qi was no mere commoner; he was from a prominent family with power, experience, and both courage and wisdom. Finding another such person would not be easy.

Shen Lie and Shopkeeper Xu exchanged glances, and both understood the situation.

If State of Chen is also subdued, then the warfare will cease. Given the current situation, conscription and drafting are no longer possible. The existing soldiers are still being rewarded for their contributions, and there is no need to bring more people into the mix.

Unless the current emperor, like the one from the Daqian Dynasty, instigates war without regard for the people’s livelihood, but given how the Daqian Dynasty has been struggling over the years, coupled with the four years of turmoil, it’s doubtful they have the strength for further conquests. As long as this emperor’s mind remains sound, a decade or more of peace is likely. Whether there will be a nationwide conscription campaign after ten or more years is uncertain. There is no need to worry about uncertain matters in advance.

Shopkeeper Xu then asked, “Manager Wang, do you know how the returning exiles are being settled? I see the announcement doesn’t provide details.”

Manager Wang smiled, “The policy has only been implemented recently. It’s only been a few days since it was posted here. You must have copied it a while ago. The specific regulations have only been issued a few days ago. Follow me to take a look.”

As he led the two men to the bulletin board outside the city, he continued, “If you had waited a couple more days, there would have been officials specifically assigned to settle the people outside the city. Currently, there is a shortage of people, especially farmers. The announcement states that returning exiles will be arranged in the villages near the prefectures and counties, provided with food aid, and allocated land, with a three-year exemption from corvée labor.”

By the time they arrived at the bulletin board, the area outside the city was sparsely populated. There were so few people at the bulletin board that they didn’t have to squeeze. Shen Lie glanced up and fixed his gaze on the latest announcement. After scanning a few lines, it was indeed as Manager Wang had said. When he reached the part about land allocation, he slowed his reading pace noticeably.

“Forty acres of land for each male laborer?” Shen Lie doubted his eyes and turned to Manager Wang, asking, “How many people are there in Shezhou City now?”

Previously cheerful Manager Wang’s mood had darkened. Looking down, he said, “Less than fifteen hundred households.”

Shopkeeper Xu looked at him in shock, and Manager Wang sighed, “That’s actually quite good. The Qiyang County where you used to be is now a wasteland, and some nearby small counties probably have less than eight or nine hundred households. Over the past few years, various places have faced several rounds of rebellions, with people either killed or captured. Even though the King of Chu was somewhat effective, it couldn’t counteract the lack of land in the city. Fields outside the city have all been abandoned, and after a few years, there’s no surplus grain left. Many have starved to death, and our family has survived only thanks to the support of our benefactors.”

There was a moment of silence.

Shen Lie looked at the announcement again and asked, “This mentions ten acres of permanent land and thirty acres of land allocated per mouth. Manager Wang, do you know what permanent land and mouth land mean?”

Manager Wang replied, “I heard from the officials posting the announcement that permanent land means it’s yours to keep. You can pass it on to your descendants or sell it. You can grow whatever you like. Mouth land, on the other hand, is still under the government’s control. It’s specified that it can only be used for growing food crops and cannot be sold. When someone dies, this land must be returned to the government.”

Shen Lie took note, finished reading the announcement, and heard Manager Wang say, “It’s best that you’re returning now. In fact, not all residents in Shezhou City are original inhabitants. Some are villagers from nearby areas who were brought in by official orders, and there are also exiles. But as you know, some houses have become ownerless, and those who have occupied them over the years are now unwilling to leave. The government outside the city is offering land, but they refuse it, preferring to stay in the city’s houses even if it means starving.”

“It’s also foolish. The new government has not yet been able to take action. When they do, they will find and verify the old household records, and all ownerless properties will be confiscated by the government. So it’s better to take advantage of the good land outside the city before it’s occupied.”

He glanced at Shen Lie, who had heard last year that their family had been hiding in the mountains under the care of two young men returning from the northern battlefield, and added, “The large estates outside Shezhou City are now under the control of the government.”

Shopkeeper Xu’s eyes widened as he looked at Manager Wang, “You mean…” He knew that the Wang family had more than thirty estates outside the city.

Manager Wang nodded, “Otherwise, how do you think the large households in the city have preserved their families and properties these years?”

Initially, they were given money and grain. Under the King of Qi, these large households that had supported the King of Chu had to make a show of sincerity to avoid being held accountable. To protect their families and urban properties, they had to cede many estates outside the city.

Shopkeeper Xu understood and said, “Such estates won’t be easily released by the government, right?”

These are valuable resources, and any administration would want to retain them as much as possible.

Manager Wang looked at Shopkeeper Xu and Shen Lie and asked, “Do you know how many people you have in the mountains?”

Before they could answer, he said, “It’s not that I’m prying, but you probably don’t know this. The top priority now is to resettle exiles, which is related to the officials’ performance evaluations. If there are many people, you might be able to use the influence of the big guy to help negotiate.”

This is also something the big guy would be willing to do to build rapport with the new administration, although such a suggestion might be a bit overstepping for a servant. He did not voice it out loud.

Shopkeeper Xu, though different in status, was shrewd enough to understand from a single glance. Both he and Shen Lie’s eyes brightened.

Indeed, they had a substantial number of people.

Shopkeeper Xu said, “Thank you for letting us know. We need to consult everyone’s opinion before deciding whether to leave. We will go back now. If we do decide to come out, I hope you can help us convey a message to the big guy. I would like to see him and ask for his assistance.”

Manager Wang smiled, “That’s easy to arrange.”

After parting ways, Shen Lie and Shopkeeper Xu hurried back.

—

“Forty acres of land?”

A group of farmers jumped up in surprise, with Old Chen’s lips trembling, “How many acres?”

He thought he must be hearing things.

Shen Lie repeated, “Forty acres, with ten acres as permanent land and thirty acres as mouth land.”

He then explained what permanent land and mouth land meant.

Old man Lu’s hands trembled as he said, “Is that really possible? Forty acres per man?”

He did the math for his own family: himself, his second son, his third son, and if nothing happened, his eldest son as well. That would be 160 acres for just their family???

Shen Lie said, “Don’t get your hopes up too high. There’s a lot of mountain in this area, so the so-called land might actually be mostly mountainous. Also, the tax exemption is for three years; after that, you’ll still have to pay the tax on the land you’ve been allocated.”

Sang Luo believed it, as in her previous time and place, similar situations had occurred. In the Tang Dynasty, land allocations were even more unbelievable, with figures like a hundred acres. But truly receiving a hundred acres was rare, as the population had decreased drastically during the initial chaos, and much land was left fallow. With the population growing rapidly later, getting such large amounts of land became very difficult, though the land tax was still based on the original large allocations.

But that was for later. For now, Forty acres for a male laborer was astonishing for families like the Chen, Lu, and Shi families, who had only a few acres of land and had to rent from big landowners. It was almost too good to be true.

They were thrilled and found it hard to believe until Shen Lie mentioned the remaining population outside. That was when they finally accepted it.

After listening for a while, Shen Jin asked, “Big brother, what about us? We haven’t reached adulthood yet; will we get land?”

Shen Lie smiled and said, “Yes, even if you’re not the head of the household, you’ll still get land allocated as if you were.”

Shen Jin, Shen Yin, and Shen Tie were delighted to hear that they would also receive land, and the three brothers immediately started to smile.

Having gathered all the information, the decision to leave became clear.

Yes!

The war outside was almost over, and with Forty acres per male laborer, it was foolish not to leave now and find better land and locations while there was still an opportunity.

Feng Liuniang patted her belly and exchanged glances with Lu Erlang. The couple smiled, knowing that they could finally leave.

They had been restrained, but as time went on and the whole family had moved out, it was hard to endure, especially with the lack of medical care and supplies. Feng Liuniang had been worried since she became pregnant. Now, they could finally leave.

Mrs. Chen and Mrs. Lu almost simultaneously called for their sons: “Go, send a message to the village over there!”

Shi Dalang smiled and said, “I’ll go with you.”