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

Chapter 214: Forty-Six Acres of Mountain Land

In the winter of the third year of Wuding, throughout October and November, Shen Lie and his team were constantly traveling through the mountains and forests. The results were indeed encouraging. In addition to the people from their two villages, they had made three round trips, bringing out a total of 183 people.

They had managed to bring out everyone from the nearby scattered small villages who were willing to leave after hearing about the new policy.

Chu Qichang, upon seeing Shen Lie and his team with beaming smiles, was so pleased that his mouth couldn’t close. Many clerks in the state office had come to know Shen Lie and his group.

While waiting for the people to be settled by the officials at the city gate, Shen Lie took the initiative to inform Chu Qichang that they could only manage this much for the time being.

Chu Qichang’s heart sank suddenly: “What’s the matter? Are you worried about the snow? It hasn’t started yet. Keep looking; we’re relying on you to bring out as many people as possible before spring.”

He spoke with no airs of officialdom, clearly impressed by Shen Lie’s practical approach and alignment with his own desires. Nearly four hundred people had been brought out, adding vitality to the area outside Shezhou.

Although they had tried organizing their own search in the surrounding mountains, they couldn’t go deep enough and didn’t encounter many people. When they ventured further, they nearly got surrounded by a pack of wolves. Thankfully, the team included not only officials but also some military personnel, which, while making the officials nervous, provided much-needed safety.

He didn’t know how Shen Lie and his group managed it. From the fur-lined jackets they wore, it was clear they were made of animal hides, something the bailiffs certainly couldn’t handle.

Shen Lie also valued this job. For the past month and a half, the six of them had already received the five taels of silver for the first month, and as for the two and a half taels for the latter half of the month, having interacted with Master Chu several times, he knew they would not be shortchanged.

Then there were the 183 acres of mountain land. With six families, each could get thirty acres. Just thinking about having an additional thirty acres of mountain land for each family over the next twenty years brought immense joy.

But with the end of the month approaching and the exam only nine days away, he couldn’t afford to be unprepared. He clasped his hands and said to Master Chu, “Master Chu, please forgive me, but I also want to help out a few more times. However, I must not hide the fact that two of us want to take the provincial examination at the beginning of next month. We usually read books by the campfire at night on the road, but before the exam, we need a few days to prepare. The mountain is not safe, and it’s not practical for just the four of them to go in and out. It’s even harder to bring additional people.”

Master Chu was surprised to hear that some of them were taking the provincial examination. “You’re still studying?”

He scrutinized the six of them, noting that Shi Dalang had a broken arm and Lu Erlang was too old. The remaining four were examined closely. He asked Shen Lie, “Who is it?”

Shen Lie, feeling embarrassed, replied, “Just giving it a try; it might not work out.”

Master Chu understood that one of them must be Shen Lie. He patted Shen Lie on the shoulder with a smile. “Good lad, well-rounded in both martial and scholarly pursuits!”

After praising Shen Lie, Master Chu’s expression turned troubled. He paced a few steps before resolutely saying, “This concerns your future, so I won’t stop you. There aren’t many days left, so prepare well for the exam. If you have time later, you can help me again. If you do get into the provincial school, it would be a good thing. By then, see if you can find suitable people to help with the mountain work.”

Shen Lie instinctively glanced at Chen Dashan but hadn’t yet discussed it with him, so he just smiled and agreed.

Master Chu called over the officer with the surname Xing who had been to Daxing Village before and whispered a few instructions to him.

The officer, smiling, told Shen Lie and the others to wait a moment, then went back to the city. After about a quarter of an hour, he returned with a companion who was also from the previous visit to Daxing Village, and they both had land-measuring tools.

Master Chu had other matters to attend to, so Master Xing smiled and said, “Brother Shen, let’s go.”

Shen Lie and the others guessed they were there to measure the mountain land. They smiled and let the two officers lead the way, while they followed, carrying the items they had brought from the mountain.

After walking for a while and no longer seeing the mountain people, Master Xing took out a money pouch from his sleeve and handed it to Shen Lie. “Our lord asked me to give you the half-month’s pay, fifteen taels. Please check if it’s correct.”

Shen Lie didn’t need to check; he felt the weight of the pouch and smiled to thank Master Xing.

Master Xing smiled back, feeling a bit envious. The state treasury was short of money, and their salaries were paid in grain. Seeing cash was quite rare for them. However, he thought, while he was tempted by money, receiving grain in these times was truly reassuring, and he felt content.

…

By the time they finished dividing the fields in Daxing Village, each of the six families had gained an additional thirty or so acres of mountain land. Shen Lie had seen off the officers and Shen Ning couldn’t believe it. Stepping on the newly acquired land, he asked in a daze, “Eldest sister-in-law, is this mountain land ours now?”

Sang Luo looked at the land allocated to their family. Including the ten acres of permanent farmland, their family now had forty-six acres of mountain land, covering two whole mountains. The extra six acres were added by Master Xing based on Master Chu’s instructions, making a total of two complete mountains.

“It’s ours now.”

Shen An was stunned. “Eldest sister-in-law, can we really manage so much land?” Especially if he and his elder brother did get into the provincial school, they wouldn’t be able to help as much, unlike other families with strong laborers who could work all day.

As the exam approached, Shen An felt increasingly heavy-hearted. He worked hard every day, trying to contribute as much as possible.

The Shen brothers came over to see the land allocation. Hearing Shen An’s concern, Shen Jin hadn’t spoken yet, but Shen Tie quickly said, “Second brother, I’ll help eldest sister-in-law with the farming.”

The little boy, only eight years old, could now wield a small hoe to dig the earth, albeit slowly, but he was learning it well.

Sang Luo laughed, and Shen Ning pinched Shen Tie’s cheek. “You’re the sweetest-talking one since you were young. It’s good enough if you can manage your own land; don’t worry about helping us with the farming.”

Shen Tie was anxious and immediately brought up Shen Jin. “I wasn’t lying. My elder brother said that once our land is ready, we’ll help eldest sister-in-law and second sister with the mountain work.”

Shen Jin, feeling awkward, added, “Eldest sister-in-law, second sister, Xiao Tie wasn’t lying. We planned this a while ago. We should be able to finish our thirty acres in about half a month. We’ve also planted vegetables in the garden behind the house, and we’ll use the mountain land for firewood, so we should be able to help.”

Shen Yin nodded in agreement. “Yes, if our elder brother and second brother are studying, we’ll help eldest sister-in-law and second sister.”

Realizing this was the case, Sang Luo felt warmth in her heart. She patted Shen Tie’s head. “I appreciate your willingness to help, but you also need to make good use of your land. Don’t underestimate it. Properly managing your ten acres of mountain land can be as profitable as thirty acres of good farmland. As for helping us, you don’t need to worry. If your elder brother and second brother do get into the provincial school, I plan to hire a couple more people to help.”

Hearing about hiring help, Shen Jin hesitated. “Who will you hire?”

Shen An and Shen Ning also looked at Sang Luo. She explained, “Finding workers isn’t difficult. Not every family is short of labor. Many households have young, capable individuals who are not yet of working age but can help out. There are several nearby villages and hamlets where people we know live, so finding help shouldn’t be a problem.”

Shen Jin instinctively asked, “Will hiring people be expensive?”

For someone who has managed a household, the thought of spending money is always a bit reluctant.

Shen An, however, looked relieved. “It’s not difficult to find someone to work for us. I know there are many people in the Qiu family. We can ask around in the neighboring village. It’s worth spending a little money rather than overworking ourselves.”

He knew his eldest sister-in-law well; if she hired someone, it meant that the work done would help her earn more.

Sang Luo smiled at him. “Xiao An seems quite confident?”

Shen An felt a bit embarrassed by the question and shook his head. “Not really. I just thought about it a lot before, but there’s a chance, right? I can recite the books I copied from Yunzheng without a problem, but understanding the classics might be a bit lacking.”

Without a proper teacher, he and his elder brother had learned these things by asking Wei Qinghe, Wang Yunzheng, or their eldest sister-in-law. However, Wei Qinghe and Wang Yunzheng were still learning themselves and could only offer answers based on their own understanding.

As for Sang Luo, she hadn’t specifically studied Confucian classics. Some questions she could answer, while others she didn’t understand herself.

Shen An wasn’t too worried about the exam; he was more concerned about the family’s future finances. He said, “Later, when my elder brother and I have time, we’ll go deeper into the mountains and hunt for some things. Eldest sister-in-law, don’t worry about the hiring costs; we’ll definitely manage.”

There were many wealthy people in Shezhou City, but few who could afford to eat meat.

Shen Jin and Shen Yin’s eyes lit up. “Take us along. It’s hard to even find a mountain chicken outside.”

Seeing the brothers discussing hunting in the mountains, Sang Luo shook her head. “Alright. For now, with what your elder brother earns, don’t think too far ahead. Just focus on studying for the next few days. It’s best to prepare well for the exam.”

In these fifty days, Shen Lie had earned seven and a half taels. Coupled with their savings before they sought refuge in the mountains, Sang Luo now had twenty-five taels of silver. For a poor family, whether in Da Qian or current Da Qi, this was quite a substantial sum.

Moreover, with forty acres of mountain land, Sang Luo wasn’t worried about not making money. This was not a concern for her.

She then addressed the Shen brothers. “When you have free time, read some books. While you’re in the mountains, continue your morning studies and lessons. Don’t forget the bamboo slips I gave you.”

Shen Jin, feeling embarrassed, mumbled, “Eldest sister-in-law, I’m just not cut out for this. I can follow along with reading, but memorizing those complicated texts is too hard for me. I get confused, and it’s hard to remember them.”

“How about Xiao Yin and Xiao Tie?”

Shen Yin and Shen Tie exchanged glances, not daring to look at Sang Luo.

“Then focus on recognizing more characters. No matter what you do in the future, not knowing how to read can put you at a disadvantage. Even if you’re just farming, you might need to read and write land contracts. If you’re involved in business, like Shopkeeper Xu, being illiterate is even worse.”

Shen Jin nodded repeatedly. “I think I can manage with recognizing characters. I just don’t want to memorize those complicated texts.”

Shen Yin and Shen Tie also breathed a sigh of relief. Shen Tie smiled, showing his two recently fallen teeth that hadn’t fully grown back yet, making Sang Luo laugh. She patted his head. “Alright, you can all head back now.”

…

Meanwhile, Xu Wenqing, who had accompanied Shen Lie and the officers, was now pleading with his father. “For the provincial examination, couldn’t Wenhong and Wenbo go instead? I really don’t have the talent for studying. There are only forty spots; how could I be among them? It’s better not to embarrass myself.”

How many times had this happened? Each time he returned, it was the same. Shopkeeper Xu really wanted to give him a kick. “Opportunity doesn’t come around often. You’re seventeen now, and next year you’ll be eighteen. If you want to go, this year is the chance. If you can’t make it this year, you don’t need to try again next year.”

Although he had been busy with the estate’s affairs recently and had visited Shezhou City several times, including meeting with his former employer, Wang Maolin, it was during these recent meetings that he learned some things.

If Xu Wenqing had a chance to enter the provincial school, this year was his only shot. If he couldn’t get in this year, it was best to make other plans early.