Chapter 323: Chapter 303, Taohua Village_1
Yan Zhigao was indeed busy, and after everyone in the Yan Family had dined at the old Madam’s courtyard, he still had not returned.
Daohua and Yan Wenxiu had originally intended to pay their respects on their first day back, but it had gotten dark without any sign of him, so Madam Li had them rest for the night.
At the crack of dawn the next day, when the sky was still dim, Daohua arrived at the main courtyard.
Madam Li was already up, but Yan Zhigao was still asleep.
“Why are you up so early?” Madam Li asked her daughter in surprise.
Lowering her voice, Daohua said, “Mother, have you forgotten? I’m going with Third Uncle to Shahe County to look at the land today.”
Madam Li said, “There’s no need to rise this early though.”
Daohua replied, “Third Uncle said the earlier we go, the earlier we can return. We don’t know what might cause delays along the way.”
Madam Li nodded and had Ping Tong bring a bowl of almond tea, “Have something to eat first.”
Daohua did not refuse, knowing that she still had a boat ride ahead and couldn’t do so on an empty stomach, so she began sipping the almond tea.
Madam Li then had Ping Tong prepare some sweet treats for the journey and proceeded with her admonishments, “There are many displaced people around Ningmen Prefecture. When you go out, listen to your Third Uncle and don’t run around recklessly on your own. Remember, take more people with you to avoid any unexpected incidents.”
Daohua obediently agreed.
She never argued with her mother’s care and nagging, knowing that only when her mother was at ease could she venture out of the back courtyard.
“Mother, I’m leaving now,” Daohua said.
After a bowl of almond tea and a few pastries, Daohua headed to the third branch of the family’s courtyard with Wang Manman and Guyu.
Madam Li watched her daughter leave the room. At that moment, she heard a noise from the bedroom and entered to find Yan Zhigao getting up. She quickly went to help him get dressed.
“Master, why not sleep a little longer?”
While yawning, Yan Zhigao spoke, “The affairs in Ningmen Prefecture are so numerous and complex, I can’t rest easy until I sort everything out. Was that Daohua just now?”
Madam Li smiled and nodded, “That girl has gone off with her third brother to Shahe County to look at the land.”
Turning around, Yan Zhigao said, “Shahe County? That place doesn’t have any good land, plus it borders Jiguang and there are many displaced people. What made her think of looking at land there?”
Madam Li shook her head, “Who knows what’s in your daughter’s mind? From what she said, it seems she is interested in the sandy loam there.”
Yan Zhigao looked puzzled, “But sandy loam can’t hold water or retain nutrients, it’s not good land.” Shahe County’s land was sandy loam, hence the low grain yield, making it the poorest county in Ningmen Prefecture.
Madam Li nodded, “Indeed, but it’s alright, her third brother is with her, he won’t let her make rash decisions.”
…
After nearly two hours on the boat, Daohua and Yan Zhiqiang finally arrived at Shahe County.
“It really is sparsely populated and the land is barren!”
Aside from the denser population around the county town, people could only be seen at intervals elsewhere.
Bending down, Yan Zhiqiang picked up some soil and squeezed it in his hand before shaking his head, “Although the Sha River runs through here, there’s too much sand in the soil, making it very poor in fertility.”
Daohua approached and commented, “Yet this soil has its advantages too. It’s loose, well-aerated, easy to cultivate, and it drains well.”
Yan Zhiqiang looked at Daohua, surprised, “Have you really taken a liking to this sandy loam?”
Daohua nodded.
Frowning, Yan Zhiqiang said, “Cultivating this land won’t yield much grain.”
Daohua smiled, “Obviously we can’t plant crops that require a lot of water and fertilizer. I’m planning to use this land to grow yams.”
Yan Zhiqiang was taken aback, “Yams?”
“Yes, yams can be used as medicine or as food and they taste good. Once grown, I’m sure many people will want to buy them.”
Yan Zhiqiang looked skeptical, “Daohua, are you sure you can grow yams?”
Yams were quite precious and not easy to cultivate; they were generally only available in herbal shops and sold at high prices.
Daohua: “Of course, Uncle, don’t you know what I’m capable of? To tell you the truth, I’ve experimented with them before. It’s just that I’ve never encountered sandy loam soil, which is why I haven’t started planting.”
Hearing this, Yan Zhigao thought for a moment and said, “Since you are confident, let’s purchase a plot of land to try planting. Do you have a place in mind?”
Daohua nodded, “The place where we just disembarked seemed good. There even seems to be a Taohua Mountain nearby. I took a glance, and many peach trees are already budding. I reckon in some days, we will be able to see the peach blossoms.”
Yan Zhiqiang was somewhat speechless; he was asking if the land was good, so why mention peach blossoms?
As expected of a young girl, her attention drifts to flowers and blossoms.
…
Soon, the party arrived at their destination.
Occupying a vast slope were peach trees that were filled with buds by the end of February. They added a touch of exquisite color to the area with their pink sprinkles.
At the foot of the mountain, several households were scattered around, with vast stretches of uncultivated land lying fallow.
Upon Yan Zhiqiang’s signal, Xiaoliu called for the village head.
Seeing the well-dressed Daohua and her group, the village chief looked somewhat restrained, hands crossed over his belly, constantly rubbing them, unable to look directly at Daohua and others.
Yan Zhiqiang kindly said, “Village head, no need to be nervous. We’ve come to buy land. We’ve asked you to come just to inquire whether this land is available for purchase?”
The village chief breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this, and seeing the smile on Yan Zhiqiang’s face, he relaxed considerably, “This is Taohua Village, most of the land is unclaimed.”
While Uncle and the village chief were negotiating, Daohua, along with Wang Manman and Xiaoliu, scoped out the area, becoming more satisfied with the land the more they observed.
“I want to buy all the land connected to Taohua Mountain!” Daohua declared grandly, waving her hand.
Xiaoliu was stunned, “All of it?”
Daohua nodded, “After buying this land, I’ll build a manor here at the foot of the mountain. In the future, every spring, I’ll bring Grandmother here to stay for a while. We can relax and enjoy the blooming peach blossoms; how wonderful.”
Wang Manman swallowed hard, “Miss, that’s thousands of acres of land.”
Daohua immediately patted the purse on her waist, “Don’t worry, your Miss has brought enough silver with her.”
In the three years in Xingzhou City, her manor and shops had earned her quite a bit of silver. She was wealthy!
When Yan Zhiqiang learned that Daohua intended to buy all the land beneath Taohua Mountain, he was also astonished beyond measure, attempted to persuade her for a while, but seeing that his niece remained undeterred, he finally sighed in resignation.
This niece of his had always had grand ambitions, and now that the silver in her hands was what she had earned herself, she was even less likely to listen to others.
Fortunately, the land in Shahe County was barren and mostly wasteland, so the selling price was not high – only one tael of silver per mu. However, buying several thousand mu would still cost several thousand taels of silver.
Watching his niece nonchalantly take out several thousand-tael denomination silver notes, Yan Zhiqiang shook his head.
This girl’s courage far surpassed his own.
The village head, on the other side, trembled inwardly, wondering at the same time.
Was his luck finally turning around?
Last year, a government officer from the county town had said that Taohua Village had too few people and paid too little taxes, and they wanted to merge Taohua Village into the neighboring Shayun Village.
Unexpectedly, in the same month, two people came and bought Taohua Mountain for a high price, filling the village’s tax quota for several years.
Hearing that a new Magistrate had arrived this year to reform the impoverished counties, he did not expect that people would come to buy land in the village again, and this time thousands of acres at once.
If the village’s tax revenue went up, then perhaps Taohua Village wouldn’t be merged after all?