Chapter 19: Chapter 18: I want to see your wife, but I refuse to let you. Chapter 19: Chapter 18: I want to see your wife, but I refuse to let you. Snow beyond the window grew heavier, with Changqing Mountain shrouded in a silvery garment.
This was the first snow of the year, and also the heaviest Yang Zhenshan had ever seen.
The snow fell for two days and a night, only stopping on the morning of the third day.
In the courtyard, Yang Mingcheng and his three brothers, along with Lin Zhan, were clearing the snow within the yard and the roof, while Yang Chengye and Yang Chengmao, the two little fellows, frolicked like joyous puppies in the snow.
Standing inside the main hall, Yang Zhenshan watched the bustling and playful scene in the courtyard, the corners of his mouth curling lightly.
It seemed this family was also not bad.
“Dad!”
A figure wrapped up like a ball appeared at the courtyard gate, calling out to Yang Zhenshan.
“Jiang He! How come you’re here?” Yang Zhenshan asked, looking at the face beneath the fur hat.
Stepping into the main hall, Jiang He removed his fur hat and said with a silly smile: “I was worried about Yunyan!”
“With her being here by my side, what’s there to worry about!” Yang Zhenshan gave his son-in-law a sideways glance.
Jiang He continued to smile naively, his face unknowingly reddening, whether from the cold or embarrassment.
He also sneakily glanced toward the western chamber, searching for the figure of Yang Yunyan.
Seeing him acting like this, Yang Zhenshan began to internally complain.
Can’t you be a bit more reserved? Your father-in-law is still here.
Even if you’re missing your wife, you should at least talk to your father-in-law first.
Yang Zhenshan felt like a mouthful of dog food was being crammed into his mouth, forced to swallow even though he didn’t want to eat it.
Humph, you want to see your wife? I just won’t let you.
“Come in and sit down!”
Jiang He was taken aback but could only follow Yang Zhenshan into the hall.
“How’s the situation in your village?” Yang Zhenshan asked casually.
“Everything is alright; we should be able to make it through this winter without a problem,” Jiang He said absently.
The Jiang family’s village had encountered bandit trouble; much of the village was burned, and many villagers died or were injured. Fortunately, Yang Zhenshan arrived in time to save Jiang He’s family and a few neighboring villagers.
Now, the Jiang family’s village did not lack supplies and silver coin, but after this disaster, there were less than ten households left, their population scarcely reaching fifty or sixty people.
Even so, this was still much better than the situation in the small Lin village on Changqing Mountain.
At least they had a place to live and food and clothes; unlike the two households in Lin village, who had lost everything and depended entirely on the Yang Family Village for support.
“Have the people from the county government left?” Yang Zhenshan continued.
“No, the county government left two scribes and several constables,” Jiang He finally remembered the pressing matters and said, “Also, my dad sent me to ask if you’d like to buy some land!”
“Buy land!” Yang Zhenshan showed a hint of interest.
“Mm, many families in the village have been wiped out, and their lands are going to be auctioned off by the county government. If Dad wants to buy, now is a good time,” Jiang He explained.
Yang Zhenshan became interested. He had been considering whether to acquire some properties, including houses, shops, and land.
Although he was not short of silver now, he could not afford idleness. Moreover, for the Yang family to grow and flourish, they needed more money and a stable income.
He had thought about going into business and inventing things to make money, such as making glass or distilling spirits.
After some thought, however, he decided to abandon the idea.
The reason was that the Yang family’s foundation was too weak and their power too limited.
He was a martial artist and a notable figure in Yang Family Village, but in the county town, a martial artist like him wasn’t worth much.
If he really acquired great wealth, it wouldn’t lead to making a fortune, but to the extermination of his family.
Without sufficient power, wealth was nothing more than an illusion.
Therefore, he gave up on those pie-in-the-sky ideas and decided to acquire some real estate properties for the Yang family.
Although acquiring real estate properties wouldn’t make one rich overnight, the advantage is in its stability and not drawing unwanted attention.
Given his Martial Artist identity, buying a few hundred acres of farmland to become a landlord would pose no problem.
“What’s the price?” Yang Zhenshan asked.
“The clerks in the county government set the price at five taels for paddy fields, and four taels for dry fields. Our village currently has over two hundred acres of unclaimed land, all to be sold!” Jiang He said.
Four taels of Silver per acre, this price was definitely considered cheap.
Anning County could only grow one crop per year, so the price of farmland was fairly inexpensive.
If it were in the southern regions of the Da Rong Dynasty, the price of farmland could exceed ten taels, even reaching as high as twenty taels.
Different regions, different environments, the prices of farmland vary greatly.
Yang Zhenshan tapped the table lightly and said, “Can I buy a hundred acres?”
Jiang He looked at him in astonishment, “Dad, isn’t that too much?”
“Too much?” Yang Zhenshan’s brows furrowed slightly.
“A hundred acres of land, Big Brother and the others won’t be able to farm it all!” Jiang He said.
Yang Zhenshan rolled his eyes; the idea of letting Yang Mingcheng and the others continue farming was out of the question.
He had plans for Yang Mingcheng and the others to become Martial Artists. Naturally, he wouldn’t want them to waste their time farming.
“Find tenants!” Yang Zhenshan said.
Tenants were those who specialized in farming for others. There were no tenants in Yang Family Village, but there were quite a few in Qinghe Town.
A little over a hundred acres only required two to three tenant families. It shouldn’t be difficult to ask the Lu family for help in finding a few tenant families.
“Oh,” realized Jiang He, “Dad, if you want to buy, you can go to our village and speak with those two clerk masters.”
However, Yang Zhenshan looked at him, his eyebrows wrinkling slightly.
He had noticed a problem.
A serious problem.
Whether it was the three brothers Yang Mingcheng, or Jiang He, their knowledge was too limited, and it seemed their way of thinking was also restricted.
He wanted to buy land, and Jiang He only thought about farming it himself, not even considering tenants. It was not just a matter of low knowledge but also of constrained thinking and mindset.
To put it simply, it was a small-minded mentality.
Actually, it wasn’t their fault. After all, they were just ordinary villagers who, aside from a few visits to the county town, had never left the village.
And they hadn’t had the chance to read books, so it was understandable for their knowledge and thinking to be limited.
But on the other hand, Yang Zhenshan wanted the Yang family to grow and develop, and naturally would not confine them within this small village, let alone confine them to Anning County. In the future, he would surely have to venture out to forge a path for the Yang family.
If Yang Mingcheng and the others were not to change, it would be hard for them to keep up with his pace.
However, his brow soon eased.
It wasn’t hard to change Yang Mingcheng and the others. Yang Mingcheng was still young, and it wasn’t too late for him to change.
The oldest, Yang Mingcheng, was only twenty years old, equivalent to the age of a college student, and Yang Mingzhi and Yang Minghao were even younger. It wasn’t too late to start nurturing them now.
Most importantly, Yang Mingcheng and the others were dutiful and obedient. As long as it was Yang Zhenshan’s command, they would try their hardest to do it.
Being a bit slow wasn’t a problem, the fear was if they were rebellious, disobedient, unwilling to change.
“I understand; I’ll go have a look this afternoon!”
Yang Zhenshan smiled and no longer held Jiang He up, “Go check on Yunyan!”
“Alright!” Jiang He grinned broadly, “Dad, I’ll head over now!”
With those words, he quickly ran out of the main hall and towards the west wing rooms.