Xu Zhichun laughed and said: "We’ve already discussed it, so please, Uncle Lizheng, go and tell them."
“Good good!”
Xu Zhichun, smiling again, brought up the matter of buying land.
Liang Lizheng was startled, gave her a look, and said: "Have you thought it through? If you have, then buy. Wasteland costs two taels of silver per mu. Within a year it must be reclaimed, or else it will be taken back. Starting next year, tax must be paid—twenty coins per mu, or ten pounds of dried soybeans."
"Only soybeans—nothing else will do?"
"This is the government’s regulation—only dried soybeans or money."
Xu Zhichun laughed and said: "Then I’ll buy—Uncle Lizheng, please trouble yourself to measure it out."
Liang Lizheng was very cheerful: "All right! Aren’t you going to dig konjac this afternoon? I’ll go measure, and take a look while I’m at it. As for the land behind your house, we’ll go in the evening, and tomorrow you can enter town to get the deed."
Xu Zhichun wished it could be done as quickly as possible: "Many thanks, Uncle Lizheng."
Liang Lizheng waved his hand: "What polite words are you saying!"
Over there, Aunt Liang could not hold back. She pulled her younger son and daughter‑in‑law aside and quietly asked: "How much did you earn today?"
Hearing them whisper a number, Aunt Liang let out a soft “aiyo,” clutching her chest. She couldn’t take it—her heartbeat sped up again, pounding like a drum.
She beamed with a full smile: "Go on, go on with your work—there’s nothing at home to worry about."
Liang Mingliang grinned broadly and said: "All right, Mom!"
Zeng Xiaoyan was a bit puzzled: Mother’s words don’t quite make sense—when have we ever worried about household matters?
Liang Lizheng banged the copper gong—clang, clang, clang—and soon the villagers, well‑accustomed, flocked to gather under the big locust tree.
"What’s the matter?"
"Don’t know—haven’t heard of anything happening."
"Hey, just go to the big locust tree and you’ll find out. Lizheng wouldn’t bang the gong for nothing."
"That’s true enough."
Seeing that nearly everyone had arrived, Liang Lizheng stepped up to a higher spot, raised the copper gong, and struck it hard—clang! clang! clang!—three times. Below, the chattering villagers instinctively fell silent, each tilting their head slightly, all eyes turning toward him in unison.
Liang Lizheng beamed: "Everyone quiet now? Good, then I’ll speak of proper business. It’s good news. Mingliang’s wife Xu, together with Qi Tian’s wife and our family’s third son’s wife, are running a small trade to earn some hard‑won coins. Today they came to me saying they’re overwhelmed. You all know the lantern fruit up on the mountain, right? They need the seeds inside. If you have spare time, you can pick them and sell to them. Only the seeds, mind you—clean them well, no weeds or dirt mixed in. They’ll collect every evening. Four coins per pound."
Eh?
The villagers burst out, all talking at once.
"Lantern fruit? Is it the one I know? Isn’t that just a toy for children? Can it really be sold for money?"
"Lizheng said it’s certain—four coins per pound, that’s not a small sum."
"Lizheng, Lizheng—really four coins per pound? I’ll go pick then!"
"Haha, I know a place nobody else does—such a huge patch, full of lantern fruit. I’ll go pick them later!"
"Shh—child, keep your voice down."
As soon as they heard lantern fruit could be sold—four coins per pound! Four wen! A single egg only sells for one coin, yet wild fruit from the mountain fetches four.
If you’re diligent and a bit lucky, picking three or four pounds a day means a lot of money—like raising a whole flock of egg‑laying hens.
The more everyone talked, the more excited they became.
Liang Lizheng declared loudly: "Of course it’s true. We’ll take as much as you bring. If we ever stop, you’ll be told a day in advance—rest assured."
"Good, good, good—with Lizheng’s word, what’s there to worry about?"
"Right, right!"
The impatient and clever villagers no longer linger in excitement. Quietly slipping away from the crowd, they head home to fetch baskets, wicker hampers, and small sacks, bringing along mischievous but nimble children who can climb the mountain well—they’ve already set their plan into motion.
In just half a day, with some luck, one could earn ten or twelve wen—maybe even more than a dozen.
Some seemed reborn as gossip spirits—regardless of propriety, they shamelessly pressed with questions.
"Lizheng, Lizheng—what are the Xu family collecting lantern fruit for? Are they cooking it together with that strange taro?"
"Right, so how can this thing be eaten? Stir‑fried or cooked into porridge? Tell us, won’t you?"
"Exactly—we don’t know how to make it, we just want to understand what’s going on. What if it turns out poisonous and harms people, dragging us into trouble—what would we do then?"
"Ah, don’t say that—now that you mention it, my heart really does feel uneasy."
"Heh, I knew it—money’s never that easy to earn. Anyway, I won’t chase this profit; if trouble comes and drags me in, it’s not worth it."
When it came to handling those crafty, thick‑skinned villagers with their peculiar ideas, Liang Lizheng was very experienced.
Liang Lizheng ignored all the messy nonsense and simply said: "Everyone acts of their own will. If you’re willing, do it; if not, don’t. That’s it—disperse!"
Liang Lizheng was always like this; those few who failed to get answers were disappointed, but helpless.
No matter what they say or think, plenty of others are picking lantern fruit—it doesn’t depend on them.
Xu Zhichun and Aunt Zhu’er had planned to pick lantern fruit that afternoon. But when the mountain suddenly swarmed with villagers doing the same, the two calculated together: better to dig taro instead—let the others fight over the lantern fruit.
Four coins per pound—they can afford it.
With four people digging taro, the work was much easier and far more efficient. They decided to go ahead and dig up the share they’d need the day after tomorrow as well.
That afternoon, Liang Lizheng came to measure the land. Xu Zhichun now had fifty‑three taels and over two hundred coins in hand. With wasteland priced at two taels of silver per mu, she decided to spend all fifty‑three taels.
Lizheng measured the plot, marked it down with detailed boundaries as twelve mu, but in reality it was about fifteen mu—meaning she gained three extra.
Since wasteland isn’t valuable, they usually measure generously and give a little more.
Later that afternoon, the slope behind the courtyard was measured—actually about fifteen mu, but Liang Lizheng recorded it as fourteen.
She spent a full fifty‑two taels of silver, plus about four qian in fees for the deed and bribes to the yamen clerks. All told, the fifty‑three taels were nearly exhausted—less than one tael remained.
But Xu Zhichun was very happy—she had actually secured thirty mu of land, quite a bargain.
So what if there’s no cash on hand today? Tomorrow there will be.
That evening, villagers who had picked lantern fruit came one after another to sell it for cash.
Zeng Xiaoyan, Aunt Zhu’er, and Liang Mingliang stayed behind to help—checking, weighing, paying. At first things were a bit chaotic, but soon everything was orderly.
Everyone was eager to earn. In one afternoon, if three or four family members went out, they could pick four or five pounds—bringing in twenty pounds at once.
Even the smaller harvests were half a pound, worth two coins in hand.
With the heavy, slightly cool copper coins in hand, the villagers finally felt the reality of earning money—their faces blossomed with smiles.
The children were so delighted they jumped three feet high: “I earned money! Haha! I really earned money!” “Me too, me too—I earned money too. My mom said I’ll get an egg tonight.” “Then I want an egg tonight too!”
A few families who hadn’t earned anything still came to watch the bustle. Inevitably, they felt a bit sour, curling their lips to show disdain.
The village’s notorious gossip, Granny Hua, pursed her mouth like a catfish and raised her booming voice: “Why do you need so many lantern fruits? And why keep it secret, not letting anyone talk? Don’t tell me you’re really plotting harm!”
No comments:
Post a Comment