Chapter 211 – Employment

Chapter 211 - Employment

Upon entering the village, Sang Luo realized that the brick and tile houses with pavilions mentioned by Shi Erniu were likely the original resting place for the Wang family, the former proprietors of the village.

The children rushed towards the houses, while Chen Laoren and the other farmers were captivated by the fields, even though they were now overgrown with weeds.

Chen Laoren pulled aside the grass stems, grabbed a handful of soil from the roots, his excitement palpable. "This land is fertile. It's been abandoned for more than three years, yet it still retains its richness."

The official chuckled. "Could it not be good? This was once Lord Wang's estate. In my opinion, your luck is excellent. How close is Daxing Village to the city gate? It's both near the main road and the mountain. Where else can you find such prime land? Your descendants will have comfortable lives here. Now, let's measure the plots one by one. You can choose which plot you want. Also, for every three people, the government will allocate an acre of residential land. We'll measure that too. Whether you want to live in the old houses or rebuild new ones later is up to you."

They had heard about the residential land allocation when Shen Lie made his second reconnaissance trip. Hearing it directly from the official, everyone's eyes gleamed with joy.

"One acre for every three people?" Chen Baizi's face lit up with delight. She counted on her fingers. "That means we'll get almost two and a half acres of residential land?"

The Shen family wasn't large, so Shen Lie and Sang Luo's small household would only receive a little over an acre. However, Sang Luo was content. Using the original measurement system of Dayan, their four-person family would receive over 700 square meters of residential land, ample space for living. It was a dream come true.

Daxing Village was vast, stretching as far as the eye could see. It must have had many tenant farmers in the past. There were over twenty dwellings, with the exquisite and imposing brick house reserved for the main family. The rest were simple earth houses for the tenants.

There was no need to deliberate over choices. The brick and tile house was naturally given to Manager Xu's family. They owed their good fortune to Manager Xu's request for help from Lord Wang, a fact that everyone acknowledged. Besides, Sang Luo knew they could truly settle down this time. She wanted to design and build her own house according to her preferences.

Nine households were involved: the Xu family, the Wei Qinghe family, the Shen family, the Chen family, the Lu family, the Shi family, the Zhou Cunzheng family, and the three Jin brothers from the Shen family, along with Uncle Xu, whose name had been removed from the register by Shopkeeper Xu. Altogether, there were seventeen able-bodied men, and they were allocated six hundred eighty acres.

The permanent land consisted mostly of hilly areas suitable for planting mulberry and fruit trees. If they wished, they could also clear it for vegetables and beans. The distributive land was the high-quality farmland. As a result, these nine households shared five hundred ten acres of fertile fields, while the rest were mountainous and garden plots. The mountainous land included the area behind the manor.

The Wangs were truly a prominent family in Shezhou. Apart from the undeveloped land in Daxing Manor, they owned over seven hundred acres of fertile fields alone. Thus, after measuring the land, the official said, "We won't settle any more people here. Your boys will be eligible for land allocation when they come of age in a few years. Otherwise, there might not be any land left to distribute in the future. They'll either have to settle for mountainous land or move elsewhere."

Everyone nodded in agreement. This was why nearly two hundred of them needed to divide themselves among three manors.

Old Man Lu rubbed his hands and negotiated with the official, "I have an undependable eldest son who isn't with us. He needs to be fetched back from the mountains by his siblings. Can he still be registered as a resident of this manor?"

The official glanced at him and replied, "Sure, as long as no one else in your village objects."

The official was efficient. By noon, he had measured the land for the nine households and issued each head of the family a new residence permit. With that, he rolled up his large volume of bamboo slips and bade farewell, heading to the other two manors to lend a hand.

Shen Lie and Shopkeeper Xu saw him off. Back in the manor, each household started carrying their belongings to their assigned dwellings. Sang Luo and Shen Ning carried light items, while Shen An and a few teenage boys from the manor helped carry the heavier ones. After all, they weren't just calling Shen Lie and his wife "Master" and "Mistress" for nothing.

One advantage of living in a wealthy family's manor was the availability of multiple wells. There was one right beside the Shen family's garden plot, which they could use without question.

Their portion consisted of three rooms. Aside from the kitchen, the other two were for living quarters. The abandoned house had been empty for three years, so it took them an entire afternoon to clean it. Most of the work involved weeding and dusting. As for organizing their belongings, there wasn't much to do since they hadn't brought many things. They only had the bedding and pillows they needed immediately, a few sets of clothes, enough food for a month, and their weapons, which they had carefully wrapped in animal hide before leaving the mountains.

Most of their belongings were still hidden in the valley, including this year's harvest, preserved meats and vegetables, dried fruits, as well as the chickens, rabbits, and sheep raised outside the village, which were entrusted to their neighbors for care. The sheep at the bottom of the valley had been fed with grass seeds before they left, and provided ample hay for grazing.

The environment was devoid of natural predators, making it safe for free-range grazing. They would deal with them later when they had the time.

By evening, Shen An collected some firewood and hastily prepared a meal to fill his stomach before settling down.

Over at Shen Jinhua's place, they also had three rooms. Before the new house was built, Shen An had been living with Shen Jinhua and his brothers.

The next day, they agreed to go to the government office to receive relief supplies of grain and seeds. Each family also received a hoe. Not far from the provincial office, a clerk chased after them, "Young Master Shen."

Shen Lie turned upon hearing the voice and saw the clerk who had measured their land the day before. He quickly stopped in his tracks. "Magistrate Xing."

The clerk named Magistrate Xing smiled. "Young Master Shen, please wait. Our Magistrate Chu has a request."

The group exchanged uncertain glances. In these times, there was no one who did not fear officials, especially the elderly Chen who had hardly ever interacted with them. Hearing the clerk's words, they all felt a bit nervous.

However, Shen Lie had a hunch. He set down the relief grain he had received and asked the elderly Chen and the others to wait a moment before following Magistrate Xing back to the provincial office.

As expected, the matter concerned Military Commander Chu, who was eager to achieve a notable accomplishment. He wanted Shen Lie's help to enter the mountains to spread information and bring people out.

Shen Lie emerged promptly, and the group of old Chen surrounded him. "What's going on? Did Lord Chu summon you?"

As Shen Lie walked towards the city gate, he briefly explained the situation. They were now far from the state office, so he lowered his voice and said, "But yesterday, Lord Chu mentioned that I should lead both the garrison and the officers into the mountains. Today, he changed his mind and only asked me to find people to enter the mountains."

Leading the garrison and officers into the mountains was entirely different from personally delivering the message to the mountain villagers. Apparently, Lord Chu didn't quite believe Shen Lie's evasion yesterday, or perhaps he was eager to achieve political accomplishments and placed his hopes on those who had been in the depths of the mountains for years.

Unbeknownst to Shen Lie, Chu Qicang had inquired more about their group from Wang Maolin before taking such a risk.

The tension on the faces of the old men eased. Storekeeper Xu looked around to ensure no one was nearby before whispering, "We can consider it. We have to go in anyway, and the neighboring villages are also waiting for us to bring news."

Who wouldn't want peaceful days? Life in the mountains was good, free from conscription and taxes, but it came with many inconveniences. Not to mention, if their two villages left, no one would be able to regularly hunt and clear the surroundings. Within two years, the wildlife would undoubtedly multiply, leaving much less space for human activities and significantly increasing the danger.

In essence, not just them, but the residents of the surrounding villages had relied on Shen Lie and his group's strength for their safe years in the mountains. The deep, old forest wasn't as idyllic without adequate martial prowess.

"Still, did they offer any compensation for you to run into the mountains?"

Not to mention the urgency of cultivating the fields this winter, entering the mountains was no easy feat. Why wouldn't the office let the officers go themselves? Instead, they wanted Shen Lie and his companions to do the job?

One truly needed some leverage in such situations.

It might be feasible to send the garrison in, but how vast and deep are these mountains? Without a specific target, dispatching a team would be like sending a herd of oxen into the sea – they wouldn't know where to begin searching. Relying on someone like Shen Lie, who had been hiding in these mountains for years and was already familiar with the area, was the only viable option. They hoped that for the sake of profit, he would make several trips.

Shen Lie laughed and pulled a money pouch from his sleeve. He poured its contents into his hand, revealing three silver ingots. "Yes, they've promised thirty taels of silver for a month's work guiding us through the mountains. I've already received the first month's payment. This is the initial agreement. If we manage to bring people out, for each person we escort, we'll be granted the right to use a corresponding amount of land behind our village for twenty years."

Whew!

Thirty taels! Chen Old Man, Lu Old Man, Village Chief Zhou, Shi DaLang, and even the young Shen Jin, who wasn't ignorant of money matters, all gasped in astonishment.

Shopkeeper Xu, however, commented, "The sum sounds substantial, but in reality, no one can enter the mountains and come out again alone. When divided among the team, it won't be much. The real value lies in that land."

Old Man Chen nodded vigorously. "Indeed, this land is a generous gift. I'm up for the task!"

Twenty years to cultivate this free mountain land!

Could they really expect to live another two decades at their age? Wouldn't it be like receiving an extra allotment of land from the imperial court?

Even if it was mountainous land, its potential was immense. Hadn't they lived off the mountains before?

Lao Lu, Village Chief Zhou, Shi Dalang, Shopkeeper Xu, and Uncle Xu also had gleaming eyes.

They knew all too well how many people still remained in the mountains. If not everyone, even just a portion of them coming out would significantly increase the number of hills their village could claim.

Their original plan was to return to the mountains and transport goods out. They were also supposed to share the news with neighboring villages. Now that they had the opportunity to work alongside the authorities and earn a generous wage, how could they not be concerned?

Excitement filled the air as they walked with such vigor that it seemed they brought a gust of wind with them. Not far from the city, they arrived at Daxing Village, where Chen Youtian was leading a group of young men in repairing the village gate. The women were clearing paths and preparing land nearby. Upon entering the village, the old man couldn't contain his excitement and shared the news immediately.

Chen's wife was delighted. "Is this for real?"

She dropped her hoe and asked, "They're really giving away mountain land?"

Jin Lian chuckled. "Lord Chu is a man of his word. Besides, these mountains aren't worth much to the imperial court."

There were simply too many of them.

The state office might hesitate to give out too much money, but when it came to mountain land, which could help populate the area, they wouldn't begrudge parting with a little bit of it.

Chen Youtian beamed with joy. "The mountains are perfect for growing yams. They thrive there! It's an excellent choice."

Sang Luo also chuckled. The mountains had more uses than just for planting yams.

"Go ahead. A few people can stay behind to clear the land, while you choose some skilled men to explore the mountains. Besides our original settlement, search the surrounding areas too. Who knows, we might find clues about Aunt Shi's clan. But be cautious around groups with only able-bodied men and women, no elderly or children. Avoid them; don't draw them back to this vicinity."

Shen Lie nodded with a smile. "One person per family is enough. I, Big Mountain, Uncle Lu, Uncle Shi, Chang Jian, Wen Qing, and us six should suffice. We'll take fewer people on each trip and make several journeys."

He would never feel at ease leaving only women and children in the village while taking all the able-bodied men away.

With matters settled, he took out the money pouch. "These thirty taels will serve as your monthly wage for a month of mountain exploration. Five taels each, divide it among yourselves."

He handed the silver to San Lang and Xu Wenqing, whose families likely had some savings, to distribute to Lu ErLang and Shi DaLang. He kept the last portion and told Chen DaMountain, "I'll send you five taels later."

Before seeking refuge in the mountains, they had left behind a dozen taels of silver, which was enough to give Chen DaMountain five taels in small change.

Granny Chen grinned, revealing her gums. "This money came just in time. If we save up, maybe we can build a brick house within three to five years."

She glanced at the Xu family's residence, squinting her eyes. "If I could live in such a house when I'm old, oh my, what a fulfilling life that would be!"

Sang Luo chuckled. "Granny, just watch – it won't take more than three to five years."

Old Lady Chen replied, "Then wouldn't I be even more beautiful? I'd get to enjoy a few more years of bliss."

This made both Madam Xu and Wei Lingzhen laugh as well.

Just as they were all chatting, Wei Qinghe, who had gone to investigate the situation at the state school, returned with Shen An. He brought good news upon entering. "Brother-in-law, the state school is recruiting students. The exam will be held on the ninth day of the twelfth lunar month, and only the top forty will be accepted. They'll start school in the spring!"

Everyone's attention was drawn, and Shopkeeper Xu asked, "Did you ask what the exam would be about?"

Wei Qinghe answered, "They'll choose two out of the Nine Classics for the tests on copied texts and literal meanings."

Shen Lie was taken aback. Was it really that simple?

Sang Luo was surprised too, but considering it was an entrance exam for the state school, she understood. She then looked at Shen Lie. "Do you want to give it a try?"

Shen Lie had never stopped reading these past few years. If the exam involved choosing two out of the Nine Classics for copied texts and literal meanings, he could participate.

After some thought, Shen Lie shook his head. "No need. Little An can give it a shot."

Would he really leave to study, abandoning the household responsibilities to Ah Luo? And have her earn money to support him again? Shen Lie would never do such a thing.